Photos: 29 weeks

 

Doctor appointment: Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)

Hip-hip-hooray! I passed the three-hour GTT! Man, oh, man, was I nervous. I am so happy this was the outcome and life seems a whole lot more joyful with ice cream in it again! My appointment was at 7:30 in the morning yesterday (Friday, March 22nd). I had four finger prick checks to get through and could only fail one. When I was doing this routine when I was pregnant with Viviana, my doc said I could go home if I passed the third check, but this time I was told they had to get a reading for all four. So, I'd give away another hour of my life, but I was somewhat more at ease with that knowing I was in the clear after my number checked out for the first three.

Here was the breakdown:

Check 1: Fasting glucose = 75 (needed to be less than 95)

Immediately after, I drank my 100 gram glucose fruit punch and was sent back to the waiting room for an hour. I was told to expect an intense sugar high and then to expect a crash. There was a place to lay down if I became tired. I only felt the slightest high when I was talking to the woman getting my blood sample during my check at hour one, but for the most part, I was just a little sleepy the whole time.

Check 2: Hour one = 153 (needed to be less than 180)

Check 3: Hour two = 140 (needed to be less than 155)

I was told hour two is when most people who are going to fail do, so passing this one felt fantastic - especially since I knew now I was in the clear!

Check 4: Hour three = 144 (needed to be less than 140)

Even though I failed the last check, it was still considered a pass and I could resume pregnancy life as usual. What a relief!

I thanked God and set out for a Chipotle lunch with Mirabella and Viviana.

We followed that up with a run for a pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie knowing I would dive in once I got the girls down for naps (translation: no sharing!). However, I did not eat the entire pint. There was enough to get me through that sitting, another sitting after the girls went to bed last night (after Rocky Rococo's pizza at my parents' house!) and enough for a few bites later today! Such self control. Ha!

I promise not to be a junk hog for the rest of this pregnancy and will continue doing a good job of supplying my baby with plenty of the nutrients he or she needs. But knowing that I can still pepper in an overload of decadence along the way makes me one happy mama!

Our baby at 29 weeks

 

At 29 weeks, the baby weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (think butternut squash), and measures just over 15 inches in length.

Doctor appointment: Glucose screening

Well, I failed my one-hour glucose screening today and it was disheartening. I slammed my bottle of sugary, 50 grams of glucose-filled fruit punch at home and an hour later I was at my doctor's office for the 28 week appointment with my nurse practioner, Jamie. I was very nervous about the screening since I had also failed this first test when I was pregnant with Viviana - prompting the three-hour glucose tolerance test (GTT) - but I had hoped that was simply a fluke and this one would turn out fine. So when I got the news, my heart sunk a little bit. Within a minute or so of my finger prick, the woman doing my test said, "Aw, you just (as in barely) failed." I was at 132 and needed to be less that 130. Then she followed up with, "Let's see what Jamie wants to do." I took this as a sign of hope, that maybe Jamie would let it slide. Not the case.

I was further kicked in the gut when I was taken to the scale and was informed of an eight pound weight gain from my last appointment four weeks ago. At that last appoinment I gained eight pounds from my previous one in January. Holy cow, 16 pounds over my last two appointments! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I conveyed my disbelief, chuckled lightly and saved the crying (more about the fail than the gain, but the combo did get me down) for the elevator ride down to my car, in the lobby, in my car, on the phone with Jeff and my mom and on the road. There were moments of clarity in between as I tried to think positively and not make such a big deal out of things, but my emotions were in charge as my brain took the back seat.

When I finally met with my nurse practitioner, she seemed genuinely bummed out for me. Still, I was not getting a pass. Interestingly enough, when I was pregnant with Mirabella and Vivi, I needed to be less than 140 (my number was 150), which means 1) the scale has been lowered and thus 2) my number would have previously been considered a pass. I guess there is some good news in there. Somewhere way down deep. Hopefully that translates into good news - a pass - for my next test, the three-hour GTT I will be taking this Friday (Friday, March 22nd).

Essentially what happens at that test is this:

1. Fast for eight hours.
2. At my appointment, there will be a finger prick to see what my fasting glucose is.
3. Drink 10 ounce bottle of glucose (double the amount of glucose, up from 50 grams to 100).
4. Wait in wating room with a timer that will go off at one hour increments, with a glucose specimen drawn each hour (after hour one, two and three) from when the drink was finished.
5. I will know the results after the test's conclusion. If two or more of my readings are abnormal, I will be considered to have gestational diabetes.

When I asked if there was concern about my weight gain, Jamie said no. My weight was at a good level when I started this pregnancy, then I lost some weight, so it seems like my body is catching up. My total weight gain at this point is 19 pounds. I also mentioned having some ongoing dizziness for pretty much the entire week last week which she did not think was anything worrysome. She thought it could have been that I wasn't getting enough liquid, or maybe it was even some sort of bug. I wasn't convinced about the latter, and though I had been good with fluid intake, but regardless, those feelings have lessened greatly.

I am of course hoping for the best of outcomes on Friday!

Home stretch!

 

Now that I have hit 28 weeks (as of Thursday, March 14th), the third trimester has begun and I am in the final stages of pregnancy! The date of our baby's delivery via c-section has not been determined, but it will be at the end of May, at about 39 weeks of pregnancy. That means I have roughly 11 weeks to go. That still seems like ages away most times, yet at others, it feels right around the corner.

 

Today I am working extra hard to limit my sugar intake (at least to that of a normal non-sweet-craving-every second-of-the-day normal person) in preparation for my glucose screening early tomorrow morning. On the menu this morning was four whole hard-boiled egg whites, a grapefruit half and decaf coffee with a splash of half and half substituting my favorite Italian Sweet Cream. I would be so relieved to pass my test on the first try as I did when I was pregnant with Mirabella. Please wish me luck!

 

And speaking of luck... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Yesterday did not play a role in my sugar reduction when Jeff, Mirabella, Viviana and I - all of which are 50 % Irish - indulged in the season's most notable delicacy: McDonald's Shamrock Shake! Hey, I held the whipped cream on all of them, so that should count for some self-control points, right?

 



 

Baby's travels

My third baby was a polished traveler for two back to back trips to Los Angeles, CA and then to Port St. Lucie, FL! My plane on the way to LA was grounded for four hours with all of us passengers left to stay in it before an additional three hours in the air. My tailbone was burning, my legs and arms were tingling and my stomach was begging for food, but the companion inside of me was a perfect angel. He or she swirled around contently while we tried to cope watching the movie Argo. I enjoyed a fancy schmancy NA beer that night on our hotel's rooftop with my friends and later stuffed my face full of Mexican food and all was mostly forgotten (though certainly not forgiven!).

It was a whirlwind trip to LA for the weekend (Friday, February 22nd-Sunday, February 24th) to celebrate my friend Christina's upcoming nuptials. A smaller group of us friends from Minnesota were able to spend time together Friday and Saturday before joining a larger group of the California locals for the bridal shower and bachelorette party Saturday night. Sunday morning came too soon and I was back to the airport in a jiffy.

There was a day in between and then our family of soon-to-be-five was off to Florida to visit Jeff's grandparents (Tuesday, Februrary 26th-Saturday, March 2nd). Spending the time with Nana and Papa is something we will hold near to our hearts forever. We can't wait for you to hang out with them too, baby cakes!  

I find it very interesting comparing this picture...

...to this picture. Above, I look like I'm ready to deliver this baby and below, it's tough to see I'm even pregnant! That is, until I stood up and you caught me from the side view. This front view is quite an optical illusion.  

Superman ice cream!

 

A very important note to add is that while we were in the middle of eating our ice cream on our first full day in Florida, I noticed there was a salon/spa next to the sweet shop. My husband took a walk inside and walked out telling me they were waiting for me to decide on the time for my pregnancy massage! How sweet! About an hour later I was back there immersed in relaxation bliss. Jeff has been so nice to give me this luxury with every pregnancy. Thank you, babe! It was wonderful. 

We were there over Mirabella's 4th birthday (March 1st) and I think I found myself uttering the phrase, "I can't believe you are four!" about a dozen times.  

Day two of a Superman ice cream fix for the girls.

My first ice cream cone was filled with chocolate brownie and my second was chocolate peanut butter (not on the same day, though I would not have been opposed to that!). I may or may not have acted like taking a trip to the ice cream shop was a special treat for the girls and not for yours truly.



Our baby at 27 weeks

At 27 weeks, the baby weighs around 2 pounds - about the same as a head of cauliflower - and is approximately 14 1/2 inches long.

Photos: 24, 25 and 26 weeks

Baby #3 was off gallivanting in LA and then in Florida, so there has been some blog neglect going on. Here are belly photos from the last few weeks to catch up...

 

24 weeks

 

 

25 weeks (in Los Angeles, CA)

 

 

25 weeks (in Port St. Lucie, FL)

 

26 weeks