The Need to Write Something

What to write? What to write? It's been a while since I blogged, and I've been meaning to for the last little while, but there have been other things higher on my priority list. So, now that I'm here, I've drawn a blank. Figures, right?

So, what has been going on? Nesting is still in full force and I've been able to tackle a few projects that have been bugging me for a while. I've been organizing and cleaning and planning things out, but there's still a lot to do before the baby comes (5 weeks!).

I'm still working on the couch. Both the seat cushions are done and the slipcover is 90% finished. I just need to put on the skirt ruffles on the bottom. That won't take long and I'm thinking of taking care of that later this afternoon. Still trying to find fabric for the new pillows, but I'm narrowing down my options. Turns out Ikea sells some really cute, durable, washable fabrics that are really inexpensive, so I think I'll be going back there for the pillow fabric.

I did the math yesterday on the couch project. It surprised me. My total came to less than $200. That's for all the fabric (12 yds. for the couch and 4 yds. for the pillow covers), 5 pillows, 5 zippers, and 3 spools of upholstery thread. The slipcover was surprisingly easy to put together and it looks really good. I totally surprised and impressed myself. I'll post pictures, sans new pillows, once I get the skirt done.

I keep saying I'll talk about the diabetes, but I haven't, so now I will. Here's what I learned that I hadn't been able to find out from online research. For a person to develop Type 2 diabetes, there has to both be genetic and environmental factors involved. It's on both sides of my family (though, oddly, not through a direct relative like a parent or sibling), so I'm already inclined to develop it. For gestational to manifest, it's just genetic and just chance. I might be able to prevent it with my next pregnancy, but the chances are slim.

I can still prevent developing Type 2 later in life so long as I take care of myself, i.e. exercise and eat right. There's a chance that I just happened to develop Type 2 during the pregnancy and it won't go away after I give birth, but statistically, that doesn't happen very often (I do personally know someone this happened to though).

So basically, what's going on is my body is not producing enough insulin to digest the sugars that I ingest. The extra sugar goes straight to the baby, who produces his own insulin. Of course, if I ingest too much sugar for myself and the baby to handle, all the extra sugar that the baby's insulin doesn't take care of gets stored in his body as fat. That's how GD babies can get so large. Wanna see a really scary picture?

The baby on the left is a normal 6.5 lbs and the baby on the right was a whopping 19 lbs.!! Yikes!! These babies are a day old and were born on the same day. They remind me of a newborn Moses (on the left) and the giant baby from Spirited Away (on the right).

So, how do I manage? Well, I have to count carbs. The nutritionist gave me a chart that tells me how big a serving of something is and how many carbs are in that serving. I have to eat every 2-4 hours, three meals and three small snacks, per day. I have a carb limit for each meal and snack (30 carbs per snack and breakfast, 45 per lunch and dinner). I have to do a finger prick first thing in the morning and after every meal (4 times a day) to monitor my blood sugar levels. If the sugar levels are below a certain number, it doesn't affect the baby.

Some days are great and all my numbers are low. Some days are not so great. Sometimes, it's just me overestimating and it's my fault my levels are high. Sometimes, I try really hard and thought I did well and my numbers are still high. Those numbers can get me down and I can get hard on myself.

So far, my nutritionist feels that there is no need to put me on insulin (another needle, *shudder*). I'm having trouble keeping my fasting levels under the recommended number (which is not something I can really control, unlike the meal levels, which I can). There's still a chance I'll have to go on insulin, which could lead to an early induction, but only time will tell on that one.

The nice thing about having to diet like this is that so far I've only gained 27 lbs. this pregnancy. I'd gained between 47 and 49 lbs. with the other three kids. I should only gain a total of 35 lbs. max at the end of this one. That's nice to hear. I'm still afraid that the baby will get too big and we'll have to do a c-section, but I'm hoping the baby will be a normal enough size that we won't have to resort to that. C-sections scare me.

I'm carrying this baby really small, like I carried Akiko. People don't believe me when I say I'm nearly 8 months pregnant. Especially when I'm standing next to someone who is due the same time as me, like one of Akiko's friend's mom. I'm kind of hoping that the fact that I'm carrying small means the baby isn't ginormous.

I just want this labor to go smoothly. Labor was a breeze with Akiko and Moses. Asher's was harder, longer, and at the end, much scarier. His heart rate dropped drastically right at the end, the doctor called in the NICU nurse and came thisclose to doing an emergency c-section. I was able to push him out finally, at the last moment. His cord had wrapped around his neck really tight, which doesn't surprise me because he was the most active baby I'd carried in utero. Boy, that kid was a close call. We waited a long time and went through a lot of heart break before bringing him into the world.

I have no idea what to expect this time around. All the pregnancies have been so different. So were the deliveries. The kids themselves are all so unique, in both personality and looks. What does this little guy have in store for us? And what will the next one be like?

For the record, I only want to try one more time to have another girl. Unless Heavenly Father has other plans for us, of course. Pregnancy really takes its toll on a girl, especially the older she gets. I do love my kids though. They're a huge blessing in my life and I don't know what I'd do without them.