March 8, 2008 27 Weeks Pregnant!
March 15, 2008 28 Weeks Pregnant!
March 22, 2008 29 Weeks Pregnant!
We are getting closer to the day that we will finally hold our baby! I thank God for each day that I am able to carry this baby! He has kept his hand on us and is keeping our baby safe, Praise God! I am doing as well as expected on bed rest and with all the monitoring and medications.
I had a busy weeks full of doctor appointments and tests. I have been keeping a diary of the pregnancy. Below are a few of the excerpts from it for you to read.
March 17, 2008 28 Weeks 2 Days Pregnant
I went to the doctor’s this morning for my first set of Betamethasone shots. I received 2cc of the steroid in each hip. The steroids are to help your little lungs mature faster in case you come too early. The shots hurt really bad going in and the day just got worse from there. By the afternoon my hips were hurting terribly bad. At night, I was in so much pain and having trouble breathing that I couldn’t sleep. The most I could sleep was 20 minutes then I would be up for an hour or two again.
March 18, 2008 28 Weeks 3 Days Pregnant
I went back to the doctor’s to get my second round of Betamethasone shots. I talked to doctor about the side effects that I was experiencing from the shots from yesterday. He gave me the option of postponing the second dosage for a week. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you came early and I didn’t the second set of steroids so I went again. This time I asked the nurse to inject the medicine slowly and it didn’t hurt at all.
After I received my second dose of steroids I went to the hospital for my glucose tolerance test and other blood tests. I was given a 10oz. bottle of Dextrose 50 grams glucose orange drink. It tasted like a super sugary Orange Crush syrup. Then, I was sent out to the waiting room for an hour. While I was waiting the sugar must have kicked in for the baby because it really started moving and grooving. He or she was saying, “Good morning Momma”. After my hour was up, the lap tech drew my blood and I was on my way home.
Outings really wear me out from all the bed rest. I was so tired after the test that all I wanted to do was go home and lay down.
I was still a bit sore throughout the day but it was not as bad as yesterday. I still had trouble breathing laying down especially when I had contractions. I slept a little better at night.
March 20, 2008 28 Weeks 5 Days Pregnant
Back to the doctor’s for the third time this week. Dr. Manas did another Fetal fibronectin (fFN). I am praying that it comes back negative. I got to see you in 3D on ultrasound and you were as cute as can be. You had your little arm up by your face again. Your heart rate was 144bpm. You are still breech. Okay, little one you have to turn around soon before you start making Mommy nervous. I would really like to have you natural so that I can hold you right away. My cervical length has not really changed, which is a blessing. The doctor went over my blood test results. I am enemic and my hemoglobin is low. He put me on an iron supplement. He also informed me that my blood sugars were 174 which is high. Anything above 140 requires a three hour glucose tolerance test to see how your body reacts to sugar. So, I will go tomorrow for the additional test. Dr. Manas said that the Terbutaline could make my blood sugar levels high but it could also be my age. He measured my stomach and it measured 33cm. I should be around 28cm which means you are a little bigger for your gestational age. It could be from high sugars. We will have to wait and see what the tests say.
Dr. Manas has setup a Magnesium Sulfate wash for April 2-4. I will be admitted into the hospital to flush all the Terbutaline and ProCardia out of my system. Then I will be sent back home on the Terbutaline pump and ProCardia but on a lower dose. I am not looking forward to a hospital stay but I will do whatever I need to help you be healthy! It will all be worth it when you are safe and sound in my arms!
March 21, 2008 28 Weeks 6 Days Pregnant
I went for my 3 hour glucose tolerance test to see if I have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a special type of diabetes that 5% of pregnant women develop, somewhere between the 20th and 24th week of pregnancy. Although it is not the same disease as regular type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it involves much of the same symptoms - and puts post-pregnant women at a higher risk of developing type 2 later in life.
Because it is “gestational” only pregnant women develop this type of diabetes, and it usually disappears after the placenta is delivered during the last stage of labor. If uncontrolled, gestational diabetes can put the woman and unborn baby at severe risk - from unhealthy fetal weight gain (a “too large baby”) to preeclampsia (where the mother’s blood pressure shoots too high and early delivery is the only cure).
It is not uncommon for a woman to fail this first test, and for the 2nd test -the long 3 hour one- they do just fine. In fact, statistics show that only 1/3rd of those who take the 3 hour test fail it. The 3 hour test involves the same routine as the first one hour test - except it’s done in a more comprehensive manner (you’re give a higher sugar dose, and blood is checked multiple times over the 3 hour period).
I had to fast for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I arrived at the hospital at 9:30am and had to go through the registration process before I could have the test done. At 10:10am, the test started out with a urine sample to check for sugars in the urine and the tech drawing a fasting blood sugar. Next, I was given a 10oz. bottle of Dextrose 100 grams glucose orange drink. It was even sweeter than the one I drank for the 1-hour test. It was awful! For reference, I found a calculation of how many teaspoons of sugar that equals. In one teaspoon of Dixie Crystals sugar, you’ll find 4 grams. That means there were 25 teaspoons for sugar in that one 10 oz. bottle! Or, for more emphasis, that equals 4 oz of sugar (a half of cup).
After I drank the Dextrose, I was sent to the waiting room. I had to return to the lap every hour for three hours for blood draws. The baby was kicking up a storm during our time of waiting. I kept myself busy with reading a book and magazines. The worst part is that I was hungry and couldn’t eat anything or even chew gum. All I could do was sip on water. The glucose gave me an upset stomach but I kept my mind busy so I wouldn’t think about it.
The test was over at 1:10pm. As soon as I got out to the car, I ate a banana and granola bar. It tasted so good! The rest of the day I was exhausted and not feeling that well so I just took a nap and rested. Not that it is that much different than any other day =).
March 24, 2008 29 Weeks 2 Days Pregnant!
I called the doctor’s office to get the results of my Fetal Fibronectin (fFN) and 3-hour glucose tolerance test. The Fetal Fibronectin (fFN) came back negative, which means that within a 99% certainty that I will not go into labor within 2-weeks of the test. The 3-hour glucose tolerance test came back negative. Over the weekend I did a not of research and found out that Betamethasone shots raise your blood sugar levels for about 3 days. That explains why my first glucose test was high and the 3-hour test turned out normal. Praise God!!! I am so happy that everything turned out okay and that I don’t have to give up my ice cream and chocolate!!
