Gestational Diabetes

Today I was officially diagnosed with GD. My hopes of being able to put away the glucometer were dashed, but actually the news that I need to start following the diabetic meal plan was far more upsetting. I don't think I'll be gaining any more weight the rest of this pregnancy. That is one good thing. In fact I won't be shocked if I lose weight over the next seven weeks. 45 grams of carbs per meal is really limiting. For example, a light yogurt (100 calories) has about 20 grams of carbs. I'm going to have to force myself to eat more protein, or I think I'll be passing out. I ate one breakfast in the past week that had only 45 carbs, and my blood sugar was less than 80 after that meal, and I felt like I was going to pass out, which wasn't a good feeling to have while sitting on a subway train. Veggies and protein are my least favorite food groups. I mostly eat fruit, carbs, and dairy. I wrote the NP back and explained that I had been out of town all week and hadn't been eating what I normally eat. This morning after my usual breakfast, my blood sugar was 117, which is a good number. She wrote back and said that if I wasn't diabetic it wouldn't matter what I ate and my numbers would be under 120. I had a banana and egg salad sandwich (on rye bread) for lunch, and my level was a littler over 120 so I guess even here at home I wouldn't be under 120 all the time. If my numbers don't stay under 120 while following the diet over the next week, I'll be put on an oral medication (which has the same effect as insulin shots). I'll also be meeting with a dietician sometime in the near future. The good news is that I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow and that means the c-section is exactly 7 weeks away if Ian doesn't decide to come sooner than that. I can do anything for 7 weeks, right?

I admit I cried a bit over this news. That's probably due in part to all those extra hormones floating around in my system. It's a good thing I ate lots of sweet potatoes on Monday as I'll have to skip them on Thursday. There have been years in the past where I haven't eaten any turkey on Thanksgiving Day because I'd much rather have stuffing, cranberry sauce, and sweet potatoes. I guess this year I need to stick with turkey and veggies. Ian is 100% worth it; I just wish I could have escaped this diagnosis, especially since those 7 weeks encompass Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's which typically involve lots of sugary foods. I had made some brownies for Paul before I left for Maryland, and he hadn't eaten all of them. I did have a brownie this afternoon as my last hurrah after I got the message from the NP. I will do my best not to eat any more sugary sweets until after he's born.

As nice as it is to visit family or go on a vacation, it's very exhausting when you get back home as you need to unpack, do a lot of laundry, go grocery shopping etc. I did accomplish two items on my lengthy school related to do list while I was in Maryland (graded at least 60 papers). I am glad I did or I'd feel even more overwhelmed than I do at the moment. Paul has a lot on his plate right now as well as he has a paper due to his advisor at PSU plus he needs to finalize his master's thesis (that he hasn't worked on for over 15 months) as he's trying to graduate in January. He was going to paint Ian's room while Nadia & I were in Maryland, but he said it would be better to do it this week; so that's also on his to do list. It will be fun to decorate his room!