My next appointment in mid-May is my 1 hour glucose test. I'm SO nervous about it even though my midwife assured me that she considers me low-risk for GD and she doesn't expect me not to pass. I don't know why I'm so nervous about it but I am. Also I'm getting the tdap vaccine and more bloodwork at that appointment so lots of needles.
My next appointment is May 3rd I couldn't get the essential pics for 1st anatomy scan so this is a repeat scan hopefully baby will cooperate and we will know the gender fingers crossed. Other than that I have 2 more in may .
Late May for regular appt and glucose test. I already calendared myself out of the office that day so I can go home and sleep/gag after chugging that crap.
I’m literally meeting my OB for the first time on Wednesday, and I imagine my glucose test will be very shortly afterwards.
I’ve seen some ultrasound images of this baby at 1 of my 2 scans, but I haven’t even heard a heartbeat yet (due to finding out so recently that I was even pregnant) so I’m looking forward to that.
Met my OB today, though I talked to a med student who’s working with her for about 4x as long as I did with the actual Dr. Got to hear a heartbeat, and also heard/felt baby punch the Doppler about 4 seconds in 😂 I have a requisition for my glucose test which I need to do before my next appointment (June 1), and she told me that because my first U/S was so late that my due date may be off by as much as 2 weeks (! so... basically the entire month of August is possible?!), but otherwise not much to report.
I have my repeat ultrasound and glucose test next week. I am really nervous for my glucose test. Last pregnancy I failed my 1 hour and barely passed the three hour. I think I'm going to go on a no carb diet for 3 days before. I have no idea if that actually helps but in my head it can't hurt
Had a fetal echo/growth scan on Thursday and met with the perinatologist again. Sorry for the novel, but I'm looking for advice.
Has anyone gone against a dr's advice? I was seeing a midwife for this pregnancy and I expressed how much I wanted it to be hands off, as my last one with DS was not. He ended up being evicted at 37 weeks because he measured under the 5% at about 32 weeks. But was born in the 10%. I saw a perinatologist for the AS and fetal echo at my midwifes request. With this baby having small limbs, the overall size is under 5% (4.8) and at the AS 3.8%, but the baby's head and abdomen are 20 something. We did all the blood tests they asked us to do and it all came back normal. She now wants to do every other week doppler's along with monthly growth scans and evict this baby at 37 weeks at the latest. She says she'll only let me go to 39 of this baby jumps over 10%. Which I believe they normally only kick the baby out at 37 if under 5%. I know from DS's pregnancy, the farther along you are, the more inaccurate ultrasounds are. I just want to ignore the perinatologist and stick with my regular midwives. How do I go about putting my foot down. The baby looks 100% healthy, just small like DS. Granted the overall is smaller than he was at 24 weeks, but the head/abdomen is bigger.
I have the glucose test Wednesday, and my 28 week OB appt is a week later on May 19th… and I will be getting my tdap shot. I absolutely hate shots and needles 😩
@Kenneylynn3 I would have a conversation with your midwives about the risks of doing that and understand what their recommendations are and if they are counter to Dr, what evidence they have for deciding those risks. I'm very evidence-based so for me it would all come down to understanding the true risks of the plan.
Married DW 08.2013; AI 2x; IUI 6x; IUI #7 05.2015; DD born 2.2016 ; Reciprocal IVF FET #1 on 11.18.2020
@Kenneylynn3 is it the same midwife you had before? My personal opinion is unless it’s life or death the mama should always have final say. Everything turned out okay with your first LO and even though this pregnancy could be totally different that would give me hope this time around. I don’t understand why they would want to induce early rather than let LO grow more and you go into labor naturally if baby is measuring small. Wouldn’t they want LO to grow a bit more rather than inducing early?
@ashsowers2020 I used to be like this until I had to do 2-3xdaily blood thinner shots. Now it’s just an everyday thing. I don’t enjoy needles but I’m much better than I used to be.
@Kenneylynn3 I agree with @claireloSC. They work for you and unless there is actual danger to yourself or the baby then you should have final say. I'm sorry that you are dealing with this.
FWIW, I went full term with DD and she was something like 7th percentile and perfectly healthy but I'm in Canada so I'm not sure if it's different here. This one is looking small too but nothing has been said about her size so far.
@ashsowers2020 no. I've never had a midwife before. After my pregnancy/birth experience with DS, I really wanted a more hands off approach to this pregnancy.
@Kenneylynn3 That's such a tough situation. I have no experience or advice to give, but I hope you're able to find a solution. I think like @claireloSC said, have a deep conversation with your midwife and go from there. There's plenty of time between now and 37 weeks to make decision. 💛
@Kenneylynn3 I agree with @claireloSC. I'd want to be fully informed about the true risks so that I could make an educated choice. I'm sorry you're going through that. Thinking about you and baby! 💙
I have my appointment this week to rescan for possible placenta issues. I'm less worried about it now that I've had GD to focus on 😉.
For those who are gearing up for your glucose test, I wanted to give my perspective after being diagnosed with GD, despite no risk factors: I've been researching a lot since my diagnosis, and I've come to realize that I'm actually grateful I was diagnosed. I would much much rather go through monitoring my blood sugar the rest of pregnancy, and eating a healthier diet than deal with all of the complications that would have come had my GD gone undiagnosed. There's a lot of unnecessary shame associated with GD, and of course no one WANTS to have it. But if I had somehow squeaked by with a barely okay blood sugar, I would be unknowingly putting my baby at risk for the next 12 weeks as I ate things that don't work for my blood sugar management. So I hope all of you pass with flying colors. But I also hope none of you go into the test feeling like it is anything other than a safety net to keep both you and baby healthy.
@shoogapoff that is such a great perspective! There are plenty of people out there who've done nothing wrong or different from the rest of us, whi have Type 1 diabetes and learn to live with it.
@Kenneylynn3 I think it depends on what your risk tolerance is. I believe the reason they generally recommend early delivery for IUGR babies is increased risk of being stillborn. I would feel that I can make better decisions if your docs can quote you some numbers? I am very risk averse so my thoughts always go to "could I live with it IF something went wrong?" but it is ultimately your body and your decision. It's always tricky in pregnancy bc by this point/past viability you really are making decisions for two people.
@shoogapoff yes! I don't think of GD testing as pass/fail. You're there to find out whether or not you have it so you can get proper treatment for the baby. It would only be a failure if it didn't diagnose you correctly. Hope you're doing ok with the GD diet!
@Kenneylynn3, I’ll echo others to say definitely have conversations, ask questions, and find out the exact risks vs. benefits. That is such a tough place to be in. I wish you luck in your decisions and conversations. I hope you are able to find a solution that works for your family and your healthcare practitioners.
@shoogapoff, thank you for giving that perspective. Diagnosis doesn’t feel good, but complications from not being diagnosed are worse.
@Kenneylynn3 ugh, I'm sorry you're having to grapple with this. No helpful advice to offer but I'm thinking about you and it sounds like you have multiple valid options to explore further, I'm sure you'll make the best decision for you and your baby.
@shoogapoff that's a great way to think about it and I'm glad it sounds like you're in a good space with your diagnosis. Let us know how your diet adjustments are going so far!
Well my appointment today went well. The placental cord insertion concern was resolved with the growth scan. Apparently the cord was just slightly off- center, but not marginal or anything else concerning. Also, baby looked good and is measuring just 2 days behind GA.
As far as GD goes, I'm adjusting to the diet okay. I've been worried about getting risked out of the birth center, but my sugars have been really good. My midwife praised me a lot for the amount of work I must be doing to keep them under control. I figured out I can't do any bread, not even sprouted bread. But apples are okay and it seems like sweet potatoes are okay. I always have fat and protein at every meal/snack so I'm mostly living off grilled chicken, nut butter and cheese sticks along with veggies. I'm going to try some other fruit now that I have a good number of "safe" meals in my arsenal. I definitely get sad I can't just have a cookie or something, but overall it's not too bad.
@shoogapoff That's how I felt about having GD with my first two. I honestly loved getting extra ultrasounds and not gaining a bunch of weight at the end. With my daughter, I ended up losing fat (but gaining pregnancy weight) and in the end was ten lbs less after I gave birth to her than I was when I got pregnant with her. It kickstarted a major diet for me and I ended up losing 80lbs after I had her. I was on insulin with her (my son was just diet controlled) I somehow passed the test this time. I was so sure I was going to have it again, I was shocked when the nurse said I passed. I asked her if she was sure and then asked her what the results were because I was convinced she was wrong somehow. I am glad I don't have it this time ONLY because we aren't finding out what this one is, and with all the extra ultrasounds I was afraid someone would slip eventually. So that's a plus, but I am a little sad I wont get to see the baby again before the end of the pregnancy. I have soooo many ultrasound pics of my first two.
So I got an email that my results from my GD test were available online. My level is at 164 (I believe above 140 indicates I may have GD, am I correct?) my dr hasn’t called me about the results yet, but does this mean I will likely have to take the 3 hour test? What was everyone else’s levels?
@ashsowers2020 It sounds like you'll have to do the 3 hour. My level was 147 on the 1 hour, and I was told anything over 140 required a 3 hour test. But I've heard there are lots of false positives on the 1 hour, so it doesn't necessarily mean you have GD yet.
The dr called this morning and confirmed that I failed the 1 hour. Surprisingly I’m not too worked up about it. I was a little worried yesterday but I’ve had time to process it and I’m really just thankful that these tests exist. I’m taking the 3 hour on Tuesday DH and I have already made the decision to make better eating choices regardless of whether or not I have GD. I also need to start exercising, time to get off my butt and at least walk a little each day. I’ve gotten so used to being lazy and laying around with how sick I was the first 1 trimester and half of the second that it’s been hard to convince myself to be active. So any good prenatal yoga/ workout videos or programs anyone recommends please shoot them my way!
@ashsowers2020 My level was 120 something, I forget exactly what it was. My drs cutoff is 135. It varies a bit between drs for whatever reason. I don't have it this time but did have it with my first two. It's honestly not bad. The diet is basically what everyone should be eating anyway. A little less fruit because of the sugar but I didn't really feel restricted that badly when I was on the diet. You'll get extra monitoring, probably some extra ultrasounds to check the growth. The three hour test will be four blood draws. They'll do a fasting baseline, then you drink the liquid, then another blood draw after 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours. Based off of those four numbers, they'll determine if you have GD or not. Mine was that I had to fail 2 or more out of the 4. I failed by like one number on two of the tests with my son. I was diet controlled with him. I failed SPECTACULARLY with my daughter and ended up on insulin. The only real downside, if you consider it that, is that they will not let someone with GD go beyond 40 weeks. So if the baby doesn't come on it's own before then you will likely be induced, which can lead to needing a c-section if the induction doesn't work. That's what happened with my son and I've been a repeat c-section ever since. Personally, I was always fine with that but I know that a lot of women have certain birth plan that they want so I just wanted to mention that part as it is something I didn't know in the beginning when I was diagnosed. But other than that, as long as your numbers stay in the normal range (and they will closely monitor that so they do) you and the baby will be just fine!
Had an US yesterday. Baby has been measuring a week ahead all pregnancy (which isn't an issue, I know I ovulate super early). But, then at my appointment, the sonographer said, "baby is measuring 11 days ahead." And now I'm *kind of* panicking. The doctor didn't seem concerned, but I am. My last baby was one ounce shy of nine pounds. And had a head in the 99th percentile. This baby is on track to be even bigger! And also, now I'm thinking GD. I know that US's aren't as accurate in third trimester, but I can't help but get a bit nervous! My brother was 10 pounds (and is now 6'5"). I was 9 pounds. DH was 9 pounds. Our families make big babies, and I am NOT looking forward to pushing out a baby any bigger than my last baby!
@cyanope I would try not to overthink it. The farther in pregnancy you go, the less likely ultrasounds are accurate. In reality, if you have been measuring a week ahead all pregnancy, I would look at it as you are really just measuring 4 days ahead of what is probably the correct timing.
@cyanope I had macrosomia with DD as well, and I'm so terrified of another big baby! Hopefully your LO either comes early-ish or isn't as big as they thought! Sorry for the worry!
Married DW 08.2013; AI 2x; IUI 6x; IUI #7 05.2015; DD born 2.2016 ; Reciprocal IVF FET #1 on 11.18.2020
@cyanope They told me my son was very large too, but he was 8.11 when he was born. Certainly no peanut, and I had a c-section so I cannot sympathize with pushing out his enormous melon head, BUT he definitely wasn't as big as they said he was.
Thanks, ladies! I just keep reminding myself that I have already birthed a 9 pound baby, so I can do it again. And if my Mom can do a 10 pounder, so can I! I just don't really want to...
Got my TDAP and checked out, all was well! Even talked about inducing between 39-40 weeks which I'm happy about as they made me go to 42 weeks last time and it was way too long and then i had a gigantic baby in fetal distress. She said by my fundal height I was a little big so she booked me for a couple more ultrasounds to keep an eye on size.
Married DW 08.2013; AI 2x; IUI 6x; IUI #7 05.2015; DD born 2.2016 ; Reciprocal IVF FET #1 on 11.18.2020
My 3 hour glucose test was yesterday. They did the fasting blood draw then gave me my drink. About 20 minutes later I threw it all up sugar just hasn’t sat well at all for me from the very beginning and I felt sick after the 1 hour test which was half the amount of sugar, so I am not shocked. Anyway, they couldn’t go through with it. I had my 28week appt today, they wanted me to try again but I told them I don’t think i would do any better with the drink if I tried again. So instead my dr asked me to come in one morning with my breakfast, eat it there and she would draw my blood to check my sugars with what I ate. She said for her patients that have had gastric bypass and cannot handle the sugar drink, she does the same and it is a good alternative for me since I can’t handle the sugar either. So I will be likely doing that Friday morning. I planned on just asking them to treat me as if I have GD, I’ll do finger pricks after I eat and alter my diet. I really just don’t want to go through the drink again. I’m thankful there was another alternative though so we will see how that goes! I felt pretty defeated yesterday.
@ashsowers2020 that's my plan if my doctor recommends the glucose test! I was sooo sick after the 1 hr there's no way I'd make it through the 3 hour test.
@ashsowers2020@grogu Have you heard of the Jelly Bean alternative? I'm not sure if they have done it for the 3 hour or not but there a quite a few studies on eating jelly beans instead of drinking the glucola for the 1 hour.
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Re: May Appointments
May 17 is my glucose test. I am not looking forward to it.... So gross.
I have a requisition for my glucose test which I need to do before my next appointment (June 1), and she told me that because my first U/S was so late that my due date may be off by as much as 2 weeks (! so... basically the entire month of August is possible?!), but otherwise not much to report.
Has anyone gone against a dr's advice? I was seeing a midwife for this pregnancy and I expressed how much I wanted it to be hands off, as my last one with DS was not. He ended up being evicted at 37 weeks because he measured under the 5% at about 32 weeks. But was born in the 10%. I saw a perinatologist for the AS and fetal echo at my midwifes request. With this baby having small limbs, the overall size is under 5% (4.8) and at the AS 3.8%, but the baby's head and abdomen are 20 something. We did all the blood tests they asked us to do and it all came back normal. She now wants to do every other week doppler's along with monthly growth scans and evict this baby at 37 weeks at the latest. She says she'll only let me go to 39 of this baby jumps over 10%. Which I believe they normally only kick the baby out at 37 if under 5%. I know from DS's pregnancy, the farther along you are, the more inaccurate ultrasounds are. I just want to ignore the perinatologist and stick with my regular midwives. How do I go about putting my foot down. The baby looks 100% healthy, just small like DS. Granted the overall is smaller than he was at 24 weeks, but the head/abdomen is bigger.
I would have a conversation with your midwives about the risks of doing that and understand what their recommendations are and if they are counter to Dr, what evidence they have for deciding those risks. I'm very evidence-based so for me it would all come down to understanding the true risks of the plan.
I'm sorry that you are dealing with this.
FWIW, I went full term with DD and she was something like 7th percentile and perfectly healthy but I'm in Canada so I'm not sure if it's different here. This one is looking small too but nothing has been said about her size so far.
I have my appointment this week to rescan for possible placenta issues. I'm less worried about it now that I've had GD to focus on 😉.
For those who are gearing up for your glucose test, I wanted to give my perspective after being diagnosed with GD, despite no risk factors: I've been researching a lot since my diagnosis, and I've come to realize that I'm actually grateful I was diagnosed. I would much much rather go through monitoring my blood sugar the rest of pregnancy, and eating a healthier diet than deal with all of the complications that would have come had my GD gone undiagnosed. There's a lot of unnecessary shame associated with GD, and of course no one WANTS to have it. But if I had somehow squeaked by with a barely okay blood sugar, I would be unknowingly putting my baby at risk for the next 12 weeks as I ate things that don't work for my blood sugar management. So I hope all of you pass with flying colors. But I also hope none of you go into the test feeling like it is anything other than a safety net to keep both you and baby healthy.
@shoogapoff that's a great way to think about it and I'm glad it sounds like you're in a good space with your diagnosis. Let us know how your diet adjustments are going so far!
As far as GD goes, I'm adjusting to the diet okay. I've been worried about getting risked out of the birth center, but my sugars have been really good. My midwife praised me a lot for the amount of work I must be doing to keep them under control. I figured out I can't do any bread, not even sprouted bread. But apples are okay and it seems like sweet potatoes are okay. I always have fat and protein at every meal/snack so I'm mostly living off grilled chicken, nut butter and cheese sticks along with veggies. I'm going to try some other fruit now that I have a good number of "safe" meals in my arsenal. I definitely get sad I can't just have a cookie or something, but overall it's not too bad.
I somehow passed the test this time. I was so sure I was going to have it again, I was shocked when the nurse said I passed. I asked her if she was sure and then asked her what the results were because I was convinced she was wrong somehow. I am glad I don't have it this time ONLY because we aren't finding out what this one is, and with all the extra ultrasounds I was afraid someone would slip eventually. So that's a plus, but I am a little sad I wont get to see the baby again before the end of the pregnancy. I have soooo many ultrasound pics of my first two.
Good luck Friday!