Just a Little Scary

StandardJuly 5, 2012July 17, 2012Amber 10 Comments

We made it to our 28 week doctor’s appointment today. Thankfully, Dr. Tabor was happy with my blood sugar levels so I don’t have to monitor daily anymore. He does want me checking Monday and Friday to make sure they don’t go crazy. I can handle that. My vitals were also in check.

Then we had a scare….

You see, each week, all of the babies are monitored via ultrasound to check fluid levels and for movement. In addition, something called a Doppler is used to check the blood flow and pressure on Sydney’s umbilical cord. Since we hit the 28 week mark, today each baby needed to demonstrate “practice breathing”, or moving fluid in and out of the lungs. Rylin, Harper, and Mason all passed as they had good fluids, moved, and practiced their breathing. Our tiny girl, Sydney had adequate fluids, but did not perform. We could hear and see her heartbeat, which offered a piece of mind, but this usually acrobatic girl did not budge. Our ultrasound tech, Celeste, persisted for 15 minutes, but Sydney did nothing. Finally, Dr. Tabor came in and said we needed some movement within 30 minutes, which meant Sydney had 15 minutes left to perform. If she didn’t, I would head to the hospital for observation, and we would possibly have to deliver today. Because we were past 28 weeks I didn’t meltdown, but I was really worried about the possibility.

Celeste didn’t give up on Sydney and kept searching for movement another 15 minutes. Everyone tried to help. I poked my belly, George directed her to “move”, and even Harper kicked Sydney. Nothing. This girl was not moving. She was happily curled up and that was that. I literally prayed, “God, please help Sydney move.” It was simple, but that was all I had. Dr. Tabor returned and I figured it was to the hospital with me. Fortunately, I was wrong. Dr. Tabor used the Doppler and noted that Sydney’s cord and pressure were good. The she did it, she moved! Hallelujah!!!

Dr. Tabor said we caught her during a nap. Apparently babies at this stage go in and out of sleep cycles like that and she was conked out, and they don’t breathe while they sleep since it is practice anyways. She woke up just in time to pass her test. Whew! That meant, I got to go home and the hospital was averted for a bit longer.

Why the monkey picture? George insisted I include it since we had a scare today. I hate this monkey because I think it looks deranged and scary. However, I got it as a gift for George from an antique store when I found out he really loved it. It has a home perched on a bookshelf in our study because I told George it was far to scary for the boys nursery and he’s ok with that. Hey, this monkey is lucky to even have a home!

Hugs,

Amber

28 weeks, 4 days

Test, test, test, and test again

StandardJune 29, 2012July 12, 2012Amber 9 Comments

After two days of waiting for results, Dr. Tabor’s nurse called about my glucose tolerance test. She said that since it was a two hour test she wasn’t quite sure exactly how to interpret the results, but Dr. Tabor ordered a glucometer for me with no dietary change yet. So, I either have gd or am borderline. I get to prick myself and test glucose levels 4 times a day, when I wake up, and two hours after each meal. If my levels are consistently above 100 fasting and 180 after meals, I need to call Dr. Tabor about it. Otherwise, I just record the readings and bring them to my next appointment.

Testing two hours after meals means I will have to watch between meal snacks so I don’t flub up results. I probably rarely go a full two hours with nothing to eat. Since I was a child, my mom called me a hummingbird because of the way I eat little bits at a time, all day. The pricking part isn’t so bad, the harder part is going to be keeping tabs on testing and not eating again before I test. I did my first reading this morning and will repeat in two hours. I hope the babies appreciate all of this 🙂

George pointed out that all this testing will help pass the time. Ha!

Here is all my new paraphernalia, picture quality is not great, but that is a iPad picture for you.

Hugs,

Amber

27 weeks, 5 days

Re-Test

StandardJune 22, 2012July 12, 2012Amber 6 Comments

blood glucose monitor (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well, the babies got a good report card on Wednesday, but I got the one hour glucose test results back today. I got a big fat “F”! Not only did I fail, but I apparently failed pretty badly. I can’t remember the last time I got an “F”. It was probably when I had to take Calculus II with engineering majors in college (I was a psychology major with no mathematical skills whatsoever!).

This means I have to re-take the glucose test, only next time it will be a longer, more difficult test. I will fast Monday night and go to Dr. Tabor’s office first thing on Tuesday morning. Lucky me, I get to drink another delicious fruit punch glucose concoction within 5-7 minutes. I bet that will be great on an empty stomach. After I finish chugging that lovely beverage, I will have a blood draw every hour for three hours. The blood draws will be extra fun after fasting (I can only take sips of water so I won’t be well hydrated and the blood draws will be a real treat). The last time I had a blood draw after not drinking water, they couldn’t get my vein and I ended up with bruises on my arm. If I thought keeping that red stuff down for one hour was dicey, three hours will be super fun!

From what I’ve read, gestational diabetes is twice as likely to occur with multiple gestation pregnancies due to the increased levels of hormones. Yippee! I can’t tell by reading the symptoms of GD whether I may have it or not. Primary symptoms include: unusual thirst, frequent urination, and fatigue. Well, I figure I’d have all of those due to carrying four babies anyways! The risks to the babies seem minimal. Babies of mothers with GD tend to be larger, which can force a c-section. Well, I want my babies to be as large as possible and we’re having a c-section anyways so that’s no biggie. Maybe GD would be a good thing if it would fatten the babies up! Unfortunately, exercise is one of the best ways to control GD and I can’t do that. I’m hoping that if I actually have GD that I won’t need insulin shots. I can manage dietary changes, but will miss some of my cravings. Goodbye cookies and ice cream! Oh, and peanut butter!

hugs,

Amber

26 days, 5 days