35 weeks...

I don’t know if I will be able to write every week but I figured I would give another brief update while I can (and post some pics). I am just past 35 weeks. The baby is still breech. Other than that things are well I think. I am going in for BPPs every Tuesday and Friday. I have also decided that if she does not turn in the next few weeks I will opt for the ECV if still on the table (e.g. if fluid levels remain high enough, etc.) I plan to push the procedure as late as they will allow in order to give her the best chance to turn on her own and avoid early delivery as much as possible in case something goes wrong. If she stays breech regardless, I will plan for a c-section right around her due date probably. I keep reading stories of babies turning at the last moment so I really want to give her all the chances in the world and definitely don’t want to rush into assuming she will stay breech and delivering early in case she does end up turning. It would be really nice if she would just turn and then I could just go into labor on my own, etc. I keep reminding myself that if a breech baby is the only problem I am having, that’s ok, and the most important thing is that she is healthy. My diabetes is so far out of the picture at the moment…

So here are some pics, as promised: In no particular order, there is baby stuff, curious dog, recent Dexcom report, and me (taken 6 months apart). Have I mentioned I gained like 30 lbs??? I am getting there.

34 weeks

Well I have made it to 34 weeks and things are going pretty well I think. The problem I am having still is that the baby is breech. I am doing all the exercises that may or may not help her flip head down short of standing on my head and scrubbing all my floors on all fours (next weekend, maybe). I also haven’t tried the icepack to her head advice, but I am thinking I might as well. (Aside: my dogs get pretty excited when I am doing my inversions with my elbows on the floor and my butt high up on the couch, or laying on the floor with my pelvis elevated. At least *they are amused)… If she doesn’t flip I will be offered a version at around 37 weeks, which is a decision I am dreading making because with an anterior placenta and being a first time mom the odds of success are lower and the risks (although unlikely) freak me out. I haven’t decided if a guaranteed scheduled c-section freaks me out more than attempting a version first in an effort to attempt vaginal delivery.

My doctor’s appointment last Friday went much better than the last one – I was more agreeable to ceding control of my diabetes management (whatever, if they mess it up it’s one them!)  and he seemed pleased that I was going along with hospital policy and also with the twice a week biophysical profiles (BPPs) starting this week. I hope they don’t take long – so far they haven’t – she is always very active, practice breathing, and my amniotic fluid is and always has been “average”, which is great. I also had my first growth scan in over a month last week, and was very pleased that babe was still consistently in the 30^th percentile. I only get one more growth scan in 4 weeks and that’s it for that!

I am keeping an eye on my blood pressure at home and was pleased to find it at 110/65 this morning. I also have zero swelling. So far so good. My blood sugar management continues on its own curve of running averages in the very low 100s with a tight standard deviation (of less than 20 mg/dl), translating to a normal A1C in the low 5s. My morning I:C ratio is now up to 1:2 with other meals at 1:2.5, and I am up to 26 units of Levemir daily. Crazy! I am doing what needs to be done and also fearfully dreading the postpartum insulin adjustments to come. With lows under 60 mg/dl reported as less than 1% (according to Dexcom) I really can’t complain.

My baby shower/ B’s 30^th birthday went great – we got so much stuff and it’s really starting to feel real. My living room was temporarily transformed into a fortress of cardboard boxes (again, more amusement for the canines).  I promise I will post some pictures soon. Gotta run, meeting calls …

32 weeks: let the crazy begin

Well, here we are: 32 weeks along and 8 to go (give or take).

While I have been very lucky with pregnancy symptoms overall (no serious pains, heartburn, nausea, exhaustion, swelling, etc. *In fact sometimes I forget I am pregnant until kicked), I have to say that the third trimester hormones have been messing with my emotions (sorry B).

Also, sorry Dr. H. What can I say – I have recently turned into a bit of a control freak. The 40-minute discussion about whether all those twice a week appointments are really necessary for me (although I was relieved to hear that they are recommended after 34 weeks and not 32) did not amuse him. Nor did my obsessively strong desire to manage my own insulin during labor and delivery (apparently that is against hospital policy). I must say the latest “discussion” was not so much heated but just kind of antagonistic and repetitive (on both of our parts). We came to some agreements without much discussion at all: no early induction unless actual complications present (including going past due date, within reasonable limits), scheduled C-section only if baby remains breech (actually he said they do have limits on estimated fetal weight when it comes to vaginal delivery in diabetic patients but he seems to think that is a moot point considering my level of control and that the baby has been tracking in the 30-comething percentile). Looking back, I think maybe I am just over-reacting about giving up my own blood glucose management in the hospital. I am sure they can do a good job, and he said I can move around for most of the delivery (until the end when they do the Dex10/insulin drip to “clamp” my BG in the normoglycemic range for delivery OR if I have pain management, whatever happens first.) I guess that’s OK. I hope they listen to me when I tell them what I have been doing to stay in the normoglycemic range (92% of the time, according to the latest Dexcom download, translating to a 5.2% A1C). I know I am over-reacting, but something about not having a say in my own management protocol (which has been working so well) makes me a crazy pregnant bitch (maybe it’s just that I expected this would be a non-issue, since I have heard of other women being allowed to do so in labor, but where I am it’s a “non-starter according to hospital policy”). And I understand that it is policy and this doctor is not just trying to piss me off for no reason. I really do. But it just wasn’t what I expected. I was also hoping she wouldn’t still be breech (but she was). They will offer an external cephalic version at 37ish weeks to try to turn her if she doesn’t comply on her own. If she stays breech, it will be a C-section. Some things are just out of my control – might as well get used to it, I hear parenthood is full of that shit (and worry).

The good news is her first biophysical profile (BPP) took all of two minutes. She was doing all the things she was supposed to, and the fluid level looked great. My at-home blood pressure readings remain excellent, and Dr. H is not concerned about the spikes at the office (I guess when your pulse is 120, one can deduce a systolic high reading is an artifact of anxiety J

So, where am I/ What’s the point of this post? Oh yeah, I have to give up some control (a good lesson for impatient control-freak me). Also, after talking to B (who is very laid back and the perfect balance to all my crazy), I have decided there is absolutely no reason to not just go to the routine monitoring appointments. I am stubborn but not that stubborn? (read: I would never forgive myself if I went all apeshit AMA and something bad happened).

Until next time.