Whoever thinks being a parent does not begin until your baby is born is SORELY mistaken! I know I worry too much (something I have inherited from my Mom) and am doubly burdened with a strong sense of guilt (thanks to the many years of Catholic schooling) which can at time make it difficult for me to just go with the flow and not let my imagination run rampant.This week I had my 27 Week Check-Up, which included my Glucose Screening (which is a test to identify if you need more testing to see if you have gestational diabetes). I thought it would be an easy win for me and Baby Smith especially since I am not older or overweight and I eat healthy and exercise. Even Wendy the midwife that I saw that day said this should be nothing to worry about.
WRONG! Today the office called me and informed me that I did not pass. My blood sugar level was 141 mg/dL (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood plasma) and they want you to be under 135 mg/dL. This means I am heading back Monday morning for the three hour and four blood draws :( Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT).
Not only did this news wreck what little level of concentration I had left on a Friday, but like any good worry wart I started Googling what my results mean and risks associated with gestational diabetes. My search results first enabled my imagination to begin considering- I mean dwelling on because lets face it; us worriers do not consider, we dwell- all of the terrible possibilities and then kicked in the guilt. Have I been eating too much sugar? Too much starch? Not exercising enough? The answer was maybe- I had been eating a lot of fruit (which is natural sugar but still I don't really understand how the whole blood sugar- insulin thing works) and popsicles, and of course the occasional chocolate, ice cream or yogurt pretzels. I have been neglecting vegetables and probably protein too (except for my Greek yogurt!).I began to feel like a terrible mother. I have already broken promises I had made to myself and Baby Smith. I promised to eat right and exercise and I think I have been doing the bare minimum on both of them. (My husband will argue with that, but I am being honest and holding myself to my own eating and exercising standards.)
So to be optimistic, there is still time for me to change. My time to meet my July exercise goal is up tomorrow and let's just say this week it feels like my rear end has seen more seat time than some Supreme Court Justice's, which means after pilates tonight, tomorrow is going to bring a nice 45 minute workout. This also means I will need to restructure how I measure my goals for August, which will give me something to think about during my climb on the stairmaster.
Stay tuned for my August exercising and nutrition goals. Also keep Baby Smith and me in your prayers that we pass our GTT with flying colors!
I won't pretend to know much about gestational diabetes, but I am hopeful and optimistic that you will pass the GTT "with flying colors!" I think that it is probably very normal to become an ultra-worrier during pregnancy. Not to give you something else to worry about, but remember that stress is not good for you or the baby either, so make sure to schedule in some down time along with the exercise and healthy eating! Good luck Monday!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ashley! I am trying to keep my stress level under control- of course when you are upset and then start being upset because you are upset and that's bad for the baby, your pregnancy hormones leave you in a big puddle. I will also make sure to get some R&R time in. Yesterday after my workout, I treated myself to a much needed mani-pedi and I think today might call for a little shopping ;)
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