I think I need to post more often - this one is long because so much has happened in the last 4 days!
Last Wednesday I had to take a 3 hour glucose challenge test. I had failed the one hour the week before and diabetes runs rampant in my family. It was quite possible that I had gestational diabetes, but I had barely missed the cutoff by just 8 points. I also am still on prednisone for my rheumatoid arthritis which makes my sugar slightly higher. The 3 hour test was awful. I had to fast from 10 pm the night before. I got to the lab at 8am and immediately had blood drawn. If my sugar came back as 110, I would just be sent home, but it was 91 - normal range. I drank a bottle of 100g of glucose. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't something I'd ever drink under any other circumstances. The drink was lemon-lime flavored, so it tasted like super sweet, flat Sprite. Every hour for the next 3 hours I had my blood drawn. I have tiny veins, so every time I had blood drawn from a different place. I walked out with bandages on both arms and both hands. By the time the test was over at noon, I was so hungry I could hardly stand it. My stomach was growling and I wondered if the baby had heard so much rumbling before. Probably not! When I finally ate, I started shaking. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, even after I finished my sandwich. I had to lay down and sleep for a few hours to recover. That was not a fun test.
Friday, I went to the OBGYN. My blood pressure was perfect, my UA was fine, my weight gain over the last month was fine, my glucose challenge test came out normal on all 4 blood draws, seems like everything is doing great. I listened to the baby's heartbeat for a bit. Every time I hear the heart beat, it sounds a touch slower and a little bit louder. I can no longer hear my heartbeat in the background. It's all baby. My fundal height is 27 for 29 weeks. That's normal, though on the edge of small. I set-up my next 2 appointments, one in 4 weeks, then 3 weeks. After that I'll be going in every 2 weeks until I deliver. Because of my arthritis, I will also start start weekly antenatal testing in 4 weeks. Apparently, that is monitoring the amount of amniotic fluid, position and size of the baby, and 20 minutes of listening to the heartbeat. Sounds kinda fun!
Saturday, Mike and I had our Prenatal Partners Yoga class. It was a very good experience for us both. It was really about learning some positions for "momma" to open up while in labor and teaching the "partner" how to provide emotional and physical support. We connected in such a deep, tender way. It really felt like our souls were connecting with one another. We've been a bit out of touch with each other in the last 6 months and this class really forced us to get back into focusing on one another. I cried it was so powerful. Even if we forget some of the poses, I think it will help immensely for Mike to know how to actively participate in the birth of our child. He is very excited and so am I. Afterwards, we celebrated and went to Cafe Zoetrope for a nice romantic dinner.
