So I just realized I never update the plan on my GD. I did go ahead and start the diet but I'm following it "loosely". For the most part I stick to it but if I have a time where I'm just so hungry that I'm shaky and there's not a lot of protein readily available, I don't count my carbs. I just eat whatever I need. No, this is not ice cream and cookies. But it may be a larger portion of pasta or a bigger sandwich or more fruit than they would like me to have or I might eat again before that two hour time frame that I'm supposed to wait. Sometimes I'm starving by 1 1/2 hours because the portions I'm allowed are so small. I have only had a few higher than 120 sugars, so I'm doing pretty well.
I think it is more dangerous at this point for me to spill ketones from being too hungry.
Once I get closer to 30 weeks, I will start following the diet strictly because I do not want these babies to get so big that I go into preterm labor or they can't fit for a vaginal birth or they have trouble eating or breathing. And having high sugars can lead to high BP which can lead to an early delivery. I don't want that either, so I'm trying to carefully balance keeping my sugars in check without getting too hungry and trying not to lose weight like I have in the past. So far I've gained 12 lbs.
Right now they are measuring right on their due date. They are not big at all and they have not begun to put on fat yet so I am not overly concerned with them getting big, I'm concerned with them getting the nutrition they need at this point.
My fasting sugars were consistently high in the 90's even though I would eat my protein before bed, so I started taking glyburide which has helped with those. Fastings are always my biggest problem and my OB said that has nothing to do with my eating habits. She said there's not much more you can do to control fastings other than take meds. She said it's just my genetic insulin resistance.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
nervous about getting excitied
Early last week, my mom came over and brought stuff to put in the surprise nursery and was unpacking clothes and packages and we went to the store to buy some blue hangers for Owen's stuff and some pink and blue storage baskets for the closet and I had trouble enjoying it. It was fun to finally do something to prepare for the babies, but it also freaked me out. I'm afraid to do too much preparing because I still feel like I might lose them. I have no guarantee that I will bring them home in September. Cord accidents can happen up to the very last second.
I know I need to prepare, but it kinda gives me anxiety. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I will be devastated no matter how much preparing I've done. I know what can happen. I know that possibility is there and NOT preparing is not going to make it any easier. In fact, I wonder if I will regret not enjoying the pregnancy and all this time I DID have with them?
I brought all of the girl clothes up from the basement and started organizing them by size and season and I plan on setting up the bassinets in our room in the next few weeks and we made the sprinkle invitations and are about to order them. And I decided that I do want to see the completed nursery before the babies are here because the original plan was for my mom to take everything down if the babies died so that I would never have to look at it and never would have know what it looked like. I was thinking this would help it be less of a "blow" but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that I think I would be kinda depressed about it and regret it if I never saw their room. Never saw the effort and love that went into it. It's one of those things that may hurt more in the moment to see an empty nursery but in the long run would be better. I've learned that you can't hide from grief. It hurts and you have to just face it head on with full force or it will just drag on forever.
I can't just pretend these babies aren't coming. I need to get things ready, and just pray and hope that they will be ok.
I know I need to prepare, but it kinda gives me anxiety. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I will be devastated no matter how much preparing I've done. I know what can happen. I know that possibility is there and NOT preparing is not going to make it any easier. In fact, I wonder if I will regret not enjoying the pregnancy and all this time I DID have with them?
I brought all of the girl clothes up from the basement and started organizing them by size and season and I plan on setting up the bassinets in our room in the next few weeks and we made the sprinkle invitations and are about to order them. And I decided that I do want to see the completed nursery before the babies are here because the original plan was for my mom to take everything down if the babies died so that I would never have to look at it and never would have know what it looked like. I was thinking this would help it be less of a "blow" but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that I think I would be kinda depressed about it and regret it if I never saw their room. Never saw the effort and love that went into it. It's one of those things that may hurt more in the moment to see an empty nursery but in the long run would be better. I've learned that you can't hide from grief. It hurts and you have to just face it head on with full force or it will just drag on forever.
I can't just pretend these babies aren't coming. I need to get things ready, and just pray and hope that they will be ok.
pain improving
Surprisingly, my pelvic pain is actually getting better, not worse. I'm not sure if the babies have just grown and shifted into a better position, if it's the chiropractor, sleeping in the recliner or working less hours at work or maybe the combination of everything. But I am feeling quite a bit better. I still have plenty of aches and pains, but nothing like it was between 18-20 weeks. I was in so much pain I wanted to cry. It literally felt like broken bones. Now it just feels like sore muscles like it did with Corynn. Before I was functioning at about 30% with a pain score of 7 and now I'm functioning at about 60% with a pain score of 4. SOOOO much better.
I do notice that if I think I'm having a great day as far as pain goes, and I try to do too much, I will start to have bad pain again. So, I just try to relax as much as I can.
I do notice that if I think I'm having a great day as far as pain goes, and I try to do too much, I will start to have bad pain again. So, I just try to relax as much as I can.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
genetic screening
my second trimester screening results for my "risk" for Downs syndrome were great!
I got a 1 in 9500 chance of one of the babies having Downs and the very best you can do is 1 in 10.000 so this made me very happy! In my first trimester screening it was 1 in 8500, so we've improved I guess! Both numbers are great anyway.
The spina bifida results made me worry just a bit. I got a 1 in 1600 chance of one of them having SB. The geneticist said the very best is 1 in 6000. I told her I thought my number was a bit low/ my risk a bit high but she said this is actually a really good number for SB and that they don't even start to get concerned until your risk gets to 1 in 200. She said the numbers just work differently and that my level 2 US more than likely would have seen something if they had it and everything looked perfect on my US AND it was reviewed by the peri which is reassuring.
This did make me feel better but I still have that tiny hint of worry in the back of my mind, although it's very tiny.
Trisomy 18 risk can't be tested for in twin pregnancies. Something about the way the numbers work?
But we probably would have seen a defect of some sort if one of them had this.
I got a 1 in 9500 chance of one of the babies having Downs and the very best you can do is 1 in 10.000 so this made me very happy! In my first trimester screening it was 1 in 8500, so we've improved I guess! Both numbers are great anyway.
The spina bifida results made me worry just a bit. I got a 1 in 1600 chance of one of them having SB. The geneticist said the very best is 1 in 6000. I told her I thought my number was a bit low/ my risk a bit high but she said this is actually a really good number for SB and that they don't even start to get concerned until your risk gets to 1 in 200. She said the numbers just work differently and that my level 2 US more than likely would have seen something if they had it and everything looked perfect on my US AND it was reviewed by the peri which is reassuring.
This did make me feel better but I still have that tiny hint of worry in the back of my mind, although it's very tiny.
Trisomy 18 risk can't be tested for in twin pregnancies. Something about the way the numbers work?
But we probably would have seen a defect of some sort if one of them had this.
nevermind, I FAILED
So after my moment of joy, another nurse called me a few days after I was told I passed my glucose test to tell me that I had actually FAILED. She said that while the cutoff is normally 140, Dr Grounds actually wanted me to be below 130. What?! ugh.
Because I have a history and it was borderline, she had me take the horrible three hour test. BOOOO
It actually wasn't AS bad this time. With Corynn it was at labcorp office and all the had was room temperature lemon lime flavor and it was really the nastiest thing I've ever put in my mouth!
This time it was at my OB office and they had cold fruit punch flavor AND I took a straw to drink it out of and it was a smaller volume that was just more concentrated which is better I think!
I still felt super nauseous and could tell that my glucose was high because I felt horrible. Headache, tight jaw, warm tingly face, light headed.
And sure enough, I failed.
They draw 4 samples: a fasting, 1 hour, 2 hour and 3 hour post drinking the glucola. You can fail one number but if you fail two, you are considered diabetic.
I really didn't fail by much though compared to my test with Corynn. I was borderline this time.
Fasting was 85 and needs to be below 99 = PASS
1 hour was 159 and needs to be below 170 = PASS
2 hour was 173 and needs to be below 150 = FAIL
3 hour was 143 and needs to be below 140 = BARELY FAIL
So, I have to start the diet, but I have some reservations. Twins have more trouble gaining weight because they are sharing everything I eat with their sibling. I always lose weight and have trouble getting enough calories on this diet. I already wonder if doing the diet early messed up Brynns cord because whartons jelly is made mostly of sugar and she had none.
Twins can also be born early and and everything I've read says that because twins don't always get the full third trimester to gain weight, that it's important to eat as much as possible in the first two so they can gain and have a better chance if they arrive early.
The diet is normally not even tested for or started until 28 weeks which is when they would normally start to pack on fat. Right now they are scrawny little things and I don't really think them getting big is a real concern at 21 weeks.
I just don't want to deprive them.
So, I'm meeting with the nutritionist today and want to tell her my concerns and see what she thinks. I just know that I'm starving all the time and the low carb diet is difficult to find snacks that I can eat whenever I want that won't make me gag after I've eaten 20 of them (nuts, eggs, meat etc.)
Because I have a history and it was borderline, she had me take the horrible three hour test. BOOOO
It actually wasn't AS bad this time. With Corynn it was at labcorp office and all the had was room temperature lemon lime flavor and it was really the nastiest thing I've ever put in my mouth!
This time it was at my OB office and they had cold fruit punch flavor AND I took a straw to drink it out of and it was a smaller volume that was just more concentrated which is better I think!
I still felt super nauseous and could tell that my glucose was high because I felt horrible. Headache, tight jaw, warm tingly face, light headed.
And sure enough, I failed.
They draw 4 samples: a fasting, 1 hour, 2 hour and 3 hour post drinking the glucola. You can fail one number but if you fail two, you are considered diabetic.
I really didn't fail by much though compared to my test with Corynn. I was borderline this time.
Fasting was 85 and needs to be below 99 = PASS
1 hour was 159 and needs to be below 170 = PASS
2 hour was 173 and needs to be below 150 = FAIL
3 hour was 143 and needs to be below 140 = BARELY FAIL
So, I have to start the diet, but I have some reservations. Twins have more trouble gaining weight because they are sharing everything I eat with their sibling. I always lose weight and have trouble getting enough calories on this diet. I already wonder if doing the diet early messed up Brynns cord because whartons jelly is made mostly of sugar and she had none.
Twins can also be born early and and everything I've read says that because twins don't always get the full third trimester to gain weight, that it's important to eat as much as possible in the first two so they can gain and have a better chance if they arrive early.
The diet is normally not even tested for or started until 28 weeks which is when they would normally start to pack on fat. Right now they are scrawny little things and I don't really think them getting big is a real concern at 21 weeks.
I just don't want to deprive them.
So, I'm meeting with the nutritionist today and want to tell her my concerns and see what she thinks. I just know that I'm starving all the time and the low carb diet is difficult to find snacks that I can eat whenever I want that won't make me gag after I've eaten 20 of them (nuts, eggs, meat etc.)
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Nursery surprise
my parents came over this weekend and began to paint the nursery. They installed a new handle with a lock on the door and they have the key so I can't get in to peak. I can't wait to see the finished product when we bring the babies home!
increased worry
Now that I can feel them move, I love that it reassures me that they're ok, but at the same time I feel like I'm worrying a lot more. If I don't feel them move for several hours, I start to worry something is wrong. When I listen with the doppler, I still hear lots of movements that I still can't feel so I think I'm still only able to feel the big movements so it's not consistent yet.
I just can't wait for them to be here alive and healthy so I can stop worrying.
When I was pregnant with Brynn I was ok with the pregnancy going slow bc I needed more time for Corynn to become more independent. I was so nervous about having a baby and a toddler together and constantly wondered how I would handle it all.
It's funny because now that I'm having twins, people are always saying "oh man how are you going to do it?" And I do know it will be INSANE but the thought just doesn't get to me. I just don't care. The house will be trashed, someone will always be crying, I will be exhausted BUT I will have LIVING children. It doesn't matter. All the hard stages will eventually pass and it will all just work out somehow. I just need them to get here alive and healthy.
It's amazing what losing a baby will do to your outlook.
I just can't wait for them to be here alive and healthy so I can stop worrying.
When I was pregnant with Brynn I was ok with the pregnancy going slow bc I needed more time for Corynn to become more independent. I was so nervous about having a baby and a toddler together and constantly wondered how I would handle it all.
It's funny because now that I'm having twins, people are always saying "oh man how are you going to do it?" And I do know it will be INSANE but the thought just doesn't get to me. I just don't care. The house will be trashed, someone will always be crying, I will be exhausted BUT I will have LIVING children. It doesn't matter. All the hard stages will eventually pass and it will all just work out somehow. I just need them to get here alive and healthy.
It's amazing what losing a baby will do to your outlook.
chiropractor
So despite my skepticism and nerves, I took everyone's advice and went to see a chiro that my OB preferred and recommended for prenatal adjustment. I was a little nervous she would snap my neck like you see in movies, but it was nothing like that. She was very gentle and careful of my precious belly. It actually felt really nice to have her adjust my neck and back! After the first adjustment my sciatic pain was GONE!!! I have been able to lay back to sleep ever since. THANK GOD!
But the horrible pelvic/pubic/ groin pain I have when I walk just won't end. I had two more visits with her to try and help this but no such luck. At the last adjustment, she had her husband and coworker come do my lower back because he's stronger and he was able to get more movement of the bones than her which is what we needed but after that I cramped on and off all day and I got totally paranoid about it so I decided I'm not going to go back unless the sciatic pain comes back. I can live with the pelvic pain. It's very agonizing but I just try to rest and wear my support belt as much as possible. The fact that I can sleep again is what's most important.
I did get a pretty sweet ice pack from their office that I use to ice my groin area whenever I get a chance bc she said this will help with inflammation.
Overall, it was def worth it.
But the horrible pelvic/pubic/ groin pain I have when I walk just won't end. I had two more visits with her to try and help this but no such luck. At the last adjustment, she had her husband and coworker come do my lower back because he's stronger and he was able to get more movement of the bones than her which is what we needed but after that I cramped on and off all day and I got totally paranoid about it so I decided I'm not going to go back unless the sciatic pain comes back. I can live with the pelvic pain. It's very agonizing but I just try to rest and wear my support belt as much as possible. The fact that I can sleep again is what's most important.
I did get a pretty sweet ice pack from their office that I use to ice my groin area whenever I get a chance bc she said this will help with inflammation.
Overall, it was def worth it.
iron
When they drew my glucose level last week, my hemoglobin was also checked and came back low at 10 and they like to see it above 12.5. This explains why I've been a little short of breath and I did notice my hair was starting to fall out. I was started on an extra iron supplement for this. Need to make sure these babies have plenty of red blood cells to carry oxygen to them!
I PASSED
I passed my glucose test last week! I was in complete shock. As soon as my doc told me I had glucose in my urine, I got myself ready to start the diet. I made a grocery list of high protein, low carb meals and snacks and was ready to go. I didn't even think it was possible for me to pass.
With Corynn I didn't take the test until the usual 28 weeks and failed at a whopping 178. With Brynn, I decided to take the test early to be safe at 11 weeks and I failed with a 184!!
I opted not to take it so early this time because I worried that the low sugar diet may have contributed to Brynn having very little whartons jelly and may have contributed to her cord accident. I decided it's not necessary so early on because we're not worried about excessive weight gain in the baby until later.
So when I took my test last week at 19 weeks with TWO placentas helping to contribute to the insulin resistance, I just knew it would be bad.
But after drinking the glucola, I didn't feel horrible like I have in the past when I failed so I did wonder if maybe my number wouldn't be so bad.
I got the call the next day that my sugar was 138 and they like to see anything below 139, so technically I PASSED!!!!! My jaw hit the floor! I will probably have to repeat the test every four weeks until I fail but until then, I'm gonna enjoy not counting my carbs, eating whenever I want and NOT poking my finger four times a day :-)
With Corynn I didn't take the test until the usual 28 weeks and failed at a whopping 178. With Brynn, I decided to take the test early to be safe at 11 weeks and I failed with a 184!!
I opted not to take it so early this time because I worried that the low sugar diet may have contributed to Brynn having very little whartons jelly and may have contributed to her cord accident. I decided it's not necessary so early on because we're not worried about excessive weight gain in the baby until later.
So when I took my test last week at 19 weeks with TWO placentas helping to contribute to the insulin resistance, I just knew it would be bad.
But after drinking the glucola, I didn't feel horrible like I have in the past when I failed so I did wonder if maybe my number wouldn't be so bad.
I got the call the next day that my sugar was 138 and they like to see anything below 139, so technically I PASSED!!!!! My jaw hit the floor! I will probably have to repeat the test every four weeks until I fail but until then, I'm gonna enjoy not counting my carbs, eating whenever I want and NOT poking my finger four times a day :-)
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