Our bags are packed...

 

and we’re ready to go. Last night was only the third time that I’ve un-packed and packed our hospital bags, changing my mind about what to take and how much to take each time. I think I’m finally settled and know that anything I need along the way the hubs could always run home to get. When deciding what to pack I consulted other mommy friends, mommy blogs that I follow and of course the plethora of parenting emails you receive the minute you conceive. Below is what I’m taking:

Mommy & Daddy’s bag

(for mommy)

Flip flops- who am I kidding, my feet will fit in nothing else

1 pair of socks

Mini apple juice boxes and hard candy (blood sugar control)

2 nursing tanks, purchased from Target in a heinously large size! I’ve heard that Glamour Mom tanks are the hotness but plan to see what disaster size I’m working with post-delivery.

2 pairs of comfy pajama pants

1 nicer lounge outfit including a robe (thank you Nana)

Hair tie and clips

Make up (I know, I know, we’ll see if I actually use it)

Glasses

Other toiletries including a hair dryer and straightener (I have grand delusions)

My pillow

Comfy underwear (I’m told these are a must)

Nursing pads and absorbent maxi pads (I cried when I purchased these)

All current medicine that I’m on (insulin, etc.) and a list of these

 

(for Daddy)

Long sleeve shirt

T-shirts

Gym shorts

Toiletries

Singles and coins for the vending machines

Being a man is so easy!!

 

(for Distraction)

IPhones

IPad

Camera

Trashy Hollywood magazines

Flip Camera

 

Finley’s bag

2 Aden and Anias receiving blankets (Will these live up to the hype?!)

2 pairs of scratch mittens

Hand sanitizer

2 pairs of socks

Brush and hair bows

Nail clippers and file

Fleece blanket

The cutest going home outfit ever- photos forthcoming!

Don't worry, be happy.

Today I had my last perinatology appointment prior to delivery. It was bittersweet as I’ve grown friendly with even the receptionist after seeing them so frequently. Finley received a bio-physical and growth sonogram and had the following stats:

Weight: 7lb. 12oz. (+/- 1lb. variability)- measuring on time!

Hair: plenty of it!

Amniotic Fluid: 9.56*

*The AFI levels have me worried, as ideally they should be 10-20, and until now have been. My Doctor was unalarmed and told me that all women’s fluid levels decline at this stage in pregnancy, diabetics of course worse so. As the baby grows, the fluid levels shrink. He said that if I had been delivering next week, they might consider taking her early but since we’re delivering this week all is well.

At all bio-physicals they rate Finley on 8 points (including cord blood flow, respiration, movement, heartbeat, AFI levels, etc.) Today she scored a 7/8 due to the fluid levels and then I promptly fought back tears.

Moment of honesty, I’m a perfectionist and I don’t like that I couldn’t keep her at an 8/8 throughout the entire duration of pregnancy. I needed a quick reminder at how blessed I’ve been to date with good health and minimal worries and that God is in control- don’t worry, be happy. I also needed a reminder that there are going to be many things that happens in Finley’s life beyond my control and as her mama, I just simply need to try my best and place my trust in God.

So I leave you today with a bible verse providing me inspiration…

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Our birth plan.

First and foremost, we don’t have one! While I am constantly seeking to control things, I have been very calm and peaceful about the thought of birth and decided that the less information and the less planning I did, the better.

As I mentioned in my previous post I will be induced 1.5 weeks early as there are mixed reviews in carrying to term in moms with type 1 diabetes. Based upon Finley’s last growth scan, she should weigh between 8 and 8.5lbs. - a healthy baby girl! It’s weird to imagine, but this time next week I’ll be in the hospital preparing to meet our little girl sometime over the weekend. Finley’s fur sister Lola will turn 6 years old on Saturday the 13^th and we’re hoping that our girls will share a birthday.

So what I do know about labor and delivery is that:

-          I will most likely enter the hospital on Thursday for cervical ripening with cytotek. As my Dr. said to me this week, “she’s in your tonsils.” It appears that I’ve created too good a home for her and according to my cervix; she’s not ready to come out anytime soon. I will head to the OB’s just prior to heading into the hospital for one last check and see but mentally I’m prepared for this additional step.

-          I’ve been told that the process of labor and delivery (burning calories without eating any food) will be a lot like a “chemistry experiment” in terms of managing my diabetes. I will be in the high risk unit and will finger prick a lot, be on an insulin drip and glucose drip, and just try to work to balance everything. Both my OB and Finley’s Perinatologist will monitor both of us very closely.

-          Induction will begin early Friday morning and I’m told it could take 24-hours of pitocin prior to getting into labor- yikes!

-          The hubs and I are prepared for the long haul and don’t anticipate this being a speedy delivery.

What I do know is that as I’ve been reflecting on past blog posts, I’m very much looking forward to every drop off sweat and tear I shed in the process of bringing Finley into this world. Reading this post the world I know now from the world I knew then seems so distant and it’s merely been 37.5 weeks. I cannot explain how much my heart has grown these last 38 weeks and how much my love will grow for this precious baby I’ll meet so soon.

I ask that you pray for our next adventure and the journey getting there next week. God is so good!

The "skinny" on Drs.

The “skinny” on what? The only thing skinny on me these days is perhaps my pinky, on a good day. J

As promised, this blog is intended to present a very honest portrayal of pregnancy with type 1 diabetes, which has involved many Doctors, many finger sticks, many sonograms, many increases/ deceases in insulin and many growth and learning opportunities.

A brief background: mothers with type-1 diabetes often have pregnancies characterized by abnormally large babies with prematurely developed lungs and most often deliver between 37-39 weeks. Ironically, and thankfully, the risk of Finley getting diabetes from me is only 4%- you can tell how lucky I was to inherit this disease from my father. I kid, but I really think my parents should have played the lottery the day they discovered this.

So here goes, a brief summary of my pregnancy (to date) with type-1 diabetes:

1^st trimester

During the 1^st trimester the baby is growing tremendously and the mommy is not often feeling up to optimal eating in quantity or quality. That being said, this trimester is characterized by decreasing insulin needs and very LOW blood sugars. Like so many lows that you wonder why you’re even bothered to take insulin. During this trimester every calorie I was putting into my body was being sucked away by Finley so I lived a lot off of juice and frequent snacking to keep my blood sugar levels constant. Prior to this I was more of a breakfast, morning snack, lunch, dinner and bedtime snack person and learning to break these meals into smaller more frequent sittings was a bit challenging and a shift in the way that I knew eating.

At this point in my pregnancy I was seeing a perinatologist for monthly 3 and 4D bio-physical sonograms where they would check the heart beat and heart development. I was also seeing the OB monthly to measure my growing belly, weight and double check for the heartbeat. Finally, I was seeing an endocrinologist every 3 weeks to monitor my glucose control, adjust my insulin levels and discuss how things were going.

2^nd trimester

Once I hit the 20-week point of my 2^nd trimester the insulin demands of my body shifted drastically. As the baby continued to grow in size and in functional need, Finley demanded more insulin (a growth hormone in fetuses) from me to develop as she needed. Whereas I was mostly insulin sensitive during the 1^st tri, I became more insulin resistant as fat stores accumulated in my body. This resulted in a huge shift of insulin (an increase of about 30 units/ day) to continue to maintain my blood glucose levels while eating small, frequent meals to keep my glucose levels more stabilized.

At this point in my pregnancy I continued to see the perinatologist monthly for sonograms, bio-physical profiles, a 20-week fetal EKG and the usual OB things. Because babies do not begin to differentiate in size until the 25^th week, much focus remained on the development of Finley’s vital organs and heart.

 

3^rd trimester

About midway through the final trimester my body once again shifted from insulin resistance back to sensitivity- I’ve been lowering my insulin in 2 unit increments/ week ever since. As I understand, the baby is done growing and no longer demanding as much insulin from me. This has once again brought many low blood sugars, leaving me some days to struggle to get above 75 (post-meal.) As I’ve just hit 37 weeks (full term- woo hoo!), much of the focus has shifted on making sure that Finley continues to grow at a stable rate and that her lungs are maturing.

Throughout the 3^rd tri I’ve been seeing the perinatologist and OB bi-weekly for bio-physical sonograms and having a growth scan every month. At 34 weeks I began seeing both specialists weekly. The endocrinologist and I met weekly at the top of the 3^rd tri then tapered off to bi-weekly as insulin levels began to stabilize.

Finley had her final growth scan last week at 36.5 weeks and weighed 6lb. 15oz. (+/- 1lb.), measuring on time= great control of my diabetes! In her bio-physicals she’s been showing good practice breaths and my medical team feels that she will have mature enough lungs at birth to avoid the NICU on this basis.

The birth plan:

There are a lot of mixed reviews about type-1 mothers carrying their infants to full term so Finley will be greeting us at 38.5 weeks via a scheduled induction (date to be released in a later blog entry). I have chosen (against my wishes) to not argue with the Drs. and try for a vaginal delivery because her size appears on track. For those that haven’t gathered, I’m a huge control freak and I’m trying to be “zen” about the entire labor and delivery experience. More details on our birth plan will be coming in a future post. For now know that life with Finley is right around the corner, and to get her as a prize at the end of the journey has been worth every finger prick (avg. 15/ day), needle stick (avg. 4/ day) and Drs. appointments (avg. 1/ week) in the world!

The latter half of pregnancy

Well, its official between “baby brain,” loads of Drs. appointments (more on that later) and the challenges of summer always being busy- I’ve been an absentee blogger. That being said, I’m going to try better, to get caught up before the big day.

Starting with…. a recap of the latter 1/3 of my pregnancy in a photo review of the 37lbs. that have snuck up on me! Disclaimer: I’m sticking with 37, even though there’s likely 5 additional pounds in there from IVF ovary stimulation I feel as if I didn’t have time to get rid of that prior to pregnancy, so well, it doesn’t count.

Week # 21

 

Week #22

 

Week #23

 

Week #24

 

Week #25

 

Week #26

 

Week #27

 

Week #28

 

Week #29

 

 

Week #30

Week #31

 

Week #32

Week #33

Week #34

 

Week #35

That brings us to the ninth month:

Week #36

* Looking back this is an outfit of desperation, when you're so sick of wearing the same things, yet you dont' want to purchase new things for a few weeks....... it's really not a flattering nor pretty outfit, so to my fashion-minded followers, please forgive me.

Weird food cravings:

These really don’t exist any longer. I love food of all kinds at the moment and have even been exploring a few new foods i.e. the hubs cooked kale for the first time last evening.

*Throughout the past 12 weeks, my new pregnancy low point was an obnoxious craving for apple pie ice cream, right around week #30. I’m not sure if this even exists, I know that I could not find it. In lieu of making the hubs traverse the state of MD for this, I chose to bake an apple pie, purchase vanilla bean ice cream, and mush said products together. I know, shameful, but delicious nonetheless!

Food aversions:

None

Things that I miss the most:

-          Beer, and I’m not even kidding. Fall beer is my absolute favorite and I cannot wait to enjoy a Sam Adams Oktoberfest, provided I figure out a nursing schedule that allows me to do so, before you call CPS.

-          Shoes, currently my pregnancy “cankles” allow me to wear 2 pairs of flip flops only. I cannot wait to put my feet in new shoes again.

-          Breathing, Finley is still sitting quite high and I’m waiting for her to drop a little out of my ribs so that I can breathe. It’s both a painful and glorious feeling to be reminded of these little feet inside of me every day.

-          The ability to go more than 30 minutes without going to the restroom, enough said.

-          My clothing, as a new season approaches, of which I have no clothing for, I am missing variety. This is great motivation for getting back into shape post-baby as I keep reminding myself that nothing in the kitchen tastes as good as the clothing in my closet look!

Following up on my to-do list:

Is it just me or does summer always seem so far from relaxing?! After spending much of the winter in hormone hibernation (avoiding people and social situations so that no one knew how crazy they made me) summer has taken our life by storm. With vacations, weddings, social obligations and trying to squeeze in mini-trips to places that will be hard with a newborn next summer… time is flying and my to-do list is being severely neglected!

My fear is that the third trimester is going to sneak up on me and that I’ll be left with a ton to do and little physical motivation to do it! For my readers who have been pregnant during the summer, what was the best time in your pregnancy to get stuff done?

Month #5

My apologies for the lack of following up on my blog. Pregnancy has made me both distracted and lazy. I thought perhaps the nesting phase had kicked in last week when I felt the need to steam clean the interior of my car on a random Wednesday night but that surge of urgency (for cleaning and all other things productive) quickly disappeared by the weekend. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to nesting!

I’m now 22 weeks pregnant (a little delayed on the month #5 post) and still waiting on this little lady to let me feel her move. I sometimes wonder if I feel her and don’t know that’s what I’m feeling. I thought I might have felt hiccups last week but haven’t felt them since. I had an ultrasound and she had a fetal EKG 1.5 weeks ago (routine for high risk) and was kickin’ up a storm during this time. She also smiled at me! J My Doctor has assured me not to wish movement too soon because she’s quite the active bean and once I feel it, she won’t stop. I’m trying to be patient, which is very challenging for me, and not rush this last ½ of pregnancy along.

Here’s a picture timeline of me and my growing belly:

Week #17

Week #18

Week #19*Taken in Caesar’s Palace Forum shopping mall in Las Vegas, NV- baby girl’s first trip across country. 

Week #20

Weird food cravings:

-tomatoes

-avocados

- ice cream

*I also have momentary cravings that make no sense to me. My low point thus far in pregnancy has been eating chili cheese French fries at 9am (PST) in Vegas. To my credit it was lunchtime on the east and the restaurant said that’s what they were famous for.

Food aversions:

-Fish, I think that it’s a texture thing.

Things that I miss the most:

-          The ability to fit into normal sized clothing and/or my inability to walk into a store in the mall and not pine over the cute summer collections that don’t fit me.

-          Sleeping on my back.

To-Do...

Do you ever feel like life is getting away from you? I’ll be 20 weeks this weekend and can hardly believe that I’m halfway done the pregnancy. Physically I see myself expanding and know that Finley is growing; however, the thought of how our lives have changed so drastically in the last 5 months leaves me awe struck. I’m so excited to see what the next 20 weeks bring and can hardly wait to meet Finley.

What I can wait for is this never-ending to-do list of things to get done before Finley’s arrival. These include things like: the baby registry, finish (or start) the nursery, sign up and take breastfeeding 101 classes, sign up and attend the “how not to kill your baby during the first week class,” which I believe has a much more eloquent name in the course catalog at our hospital….. I know, I know, I have plenty of time; however, if these last 20 weeks go as quickly as the first, time is of the essence!

So, in addition to the mounting to-do list above, I’ve come up with my own to-do list of things to make sure that we’re doing things that matter instead of sweating the small stuff prior to our big, fall life change. Here goes….

1.       Plan a date night (or dinner out night) each week for the hubs and I

2.       Travel to see our families as frequently as we can

3.       Go to the movies at least 2x’s

4.       Spend quality time with our fur baby and take her on a walk (on her favorite trail) at least 1x/ month

5.       Take an afternoon nap 1x per weekend

6.       On Saturday mornings, do not set the alarm

Let’s see how I do in achieving these perhaps less productive but by far more fun tasks over the next 20 weeks!

Baby in the making!

Today I'm linking up with Kelly from Kelly's Korner for Show Us Your Life- New Moms! If you haven't visited her blog, she is a wonderful woman of faith raising two adorable little ladies.

For those of you just visiting me, welcome! I'm a mom-to-be due in October with a sweet baby girl named Finley. I began my journey to get pregnant in October 2010 and started this blog as a way to educate others about fertility issues by telling my story.

Below is my first blog post. Since that post a lot has changed for us with 1 successful round of IVF and now I'm chronicling the highs/lows of pregnancy and preparing for our little bundle of joy!

Despite my strong dislike for running, I’ve always been one who is running down the road of life.

October 2010, the month that I thought I would conceive….. Until then I had planned my life quite successfully and had secured the hubs and a job all according to my timeline (perhaps even ahead of schedule) and set up our happy little home in MD. I joke now, but had I known the difficulties we would have conceiving, I wouldn’t have spent the first 4.5 years of our marriage avoiding it like the plague.

Fourteen months later, the hubs and I are faced with a diagnoses that I never imagined, male-factor infertility. Although this is much more promising than lady issues, it’s equally as frustrating because there is no known cause other than genetics. So I resolve in 2012 to get pregnant, the unglamorous and scientific way via In-Vitro Fertilization.

This blog is a new year’s resolution of mine, a way of educating those who have provided support to me and as a resource to those facing similar issues as mine. It might not always be pretty, but I will try my best to be honest about what is going on and to maintain the humor and faith that has made it possible to take this journey thus far.

Welcome to my journey! It’s no longer a race and I’m no longer running; I hope that you’ll enjoy taking the journey one step at a time with me.

Month #4

The fourth month has brought a peaceful calm and normalcy back into this mommy’s life. So much so, that I often feel disconnected from the bean and am longing for it to move and let me know that it’s in there… any day now….

My appetite has somewhat stabilized, as well as my weight gain, and I’ve begun to do the things (consistently) that I once enjoyed doing pre-pregnancy, like working out. I still get very tired at the end of the day and often find myself asleep on the couch by 9pm, but other than that, we (the bean and I) are chillin’.

Here’s the month-by-month of my growing belly:

Week #13

Week #14

Week #15

Week #16

Weird food cravings:

-          Vanilla Bean ice cream, which I’ve been indulging in every night.

-          Avocado

Food aversions:

-          Sweet potatoes

Things I miss the most:

-          A frozen drink (non-virgin)

-          My ability to wear cute bathing suits, these maternity suits don’t look very flattering

And the winner is.......

Team Pink! Our little girl Finley..... still working on a middle name..... will be arriving this fall! More photos and details forthcoming when her mommy gets out of her dreamy, I cannnot wait to look at all things pink and purple daze!

What's in a name?

To date, the biggest disagreement we’ve had in our marriage (we’ll be celebrating 6 years on 05/20) has been the name for our child.  I think we both thought that we would open a name book and have that “aha moment,” but thus far that’s been far from the truth.

In three days we’ll be finding out the gender of our “bean” and would like to a have a name solidified before announcing it to the world. We’re 100% on the boy name ( initials are WJ) and finally 100% on the first name of a girl ( initial F) but are still challenged with a little girl’s middle name.

That’s where you come in….. send your middle name forth if you think it meets our requirements:

-          1 syllable

-          Cannot end in “ly”

-          Is not gender neutral

The great middle name hunt of 2012 commences now and we’re hoping to be inspired by you! Just leave a comment below and who knows, perhaps you could have a role in naming the little “bean”…. If it is a girl! You’ll know soon!

Good vibrations!

I've entered week #15 and am feeling great, but enough about me.

I'm calling all of my blog friends to conjure up "sticky pregnancy vibes"... remember those?

I've got a dear friend getting ready for a day #5 transfer and am hoping that you'll send them her way. So get those spirit fingers going and let the sticky vibes spread, it's time for another baby!

Oh the places you'll go!

Our little bean is becoming quite the traveled fetus. Although our pregnancy was most certainly planned, we were afraid to bank on the first round of IVF working and continued to plan our life as we normally would, filled with weekend and vacation adventures. As a result of this, we’ve got a few trips on the calendar this spring/ summer that we’re looking forward to.

This mommy-to-be is excited for the travel, but also nervous about finding the appropriate, expandable clothing for these trips and how the result of changing time zones will affect my sleeping patterns/ mood. Thankfully, this mommy-to-be is looking forward to exploring the many culinary adventures and not worrying about gaining weight while doing so! A girl has got to look at the bright side.

Our little adventure list:

-          March: Cancun, Mexico- Done! While 7 weeks pregnant, I was still learning to adjust to life without “all you can drink” at an all inclusive resort, life with sun-sensitive skin (hence the nice burn) and how to prevent food borne illness while in a foreign country.

-          May: Las Vegas, Nevada- We will be traveling with several of my “BFL’s”= best friends in life that I went to kindergarten with. We’re celebrating our 30^th birthdays. The question remains, where does a 20 weeks pregnant woman find club clothing? I keep replaying that scene in my head from Knocked UP:

-          July: San Diiiiaaaaggooo, California- Yes, I may say this the entire plane ride! I’m also hoping that they play Ron Burgundy on the plane ride out. This will be quite the tricky trip at 24/ 25 weeks pregnant because A) making a 4-hour flight through several time zones and B) it’s  a twofold work/pleasure trip that will last 9 days and that’s a long time for a temperamental woman to be away from her bed/ pillow. The first five days will be spent with the hubs traveling around California (we’re taking suggestions of what to see and where to go) and the second four days will be spent with a co-worker at a World Fitness Conference. Typically, I’d be spending 4 days working out 11 hours/ day- seriously 7am-6pm, but the brakes will be put on that just a bit this year. I’m going to begin apologizing to my colleague now for the incessant bathroom trips I’ll need to make during the middle of the night.

Anyhow, “the bean” (who will grow to be 6 inches this month, so I’m no longer referring to it as “little”) is becoming quite the little traveler. We know that life is going to drastically change this fall and that plane ride vacations are going to be much larger productions. In the meantime, I’m going to rejoice in our pack-and-go lifestyle and look forward to the day that the hubs is lugging a car seat and stroller behind me.

The first trimester (part #2)

The journey through the 2^nd half of the 1^st trimester has been much more pleasant. Morning (who am I kidding, all day sickness) virtually ceased after week #8 and I began to regain some of my energy at week #11. Prior to this, the hubs would joke that if I sat down on the couch for more than 5 minutes I was asleep. With the disappearance of sickness came an emergence of hunger and I’ve certainly had my fun indulging (when appropriate) and eating my way through pregnancy. I feel like the end of the 1^st trimester has finally brought about a leveling out of my appetite and a return to “normalcy.”

Week #7

We headed to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico (our little one’s first trip abroad) for a little sun, fun and relaxation. I experienced the joys of “all you can eat” while my hubs and our friends enjoyed the “all you can drink” experience. I left for this trip having gained 1lb. and returned from the trip (reference week #8 photo) up 3lbs.- No, I do not attribute this to the baby!

Week #8

Week #9

The joys of a maxi dress! At this point in time my pants have become uncomfortable and I had to start getting creative. Warm weather makes this much easier, so sun, keep shining!

Week #10

This week was a shift for me whereby my appetite started to steady and I stopped only craving hamburgers, pizza and other assortments of junk food! Additionally, I began mini-workouts this week, consisting of cycling and incline walking.

Week #11

I presented at my first fitness conference as an American Council on Exercise and Aerobics and Fitness Association continuing education provider, a long time goal for this mommy! Thankfully the bean allowed me to teach for 3 hours that week with little trouble.

Week #12

Although a bit larger and a bit more in charge, 10lbs. to be exact, I had a great sense of relief at the end of the 1^st trimester. Additionally, I started to get energy back and feel more like myself this week. Note: I have no clue how this 10lbs. crept on me it wasn't there one day and the next day, hello scale!

Weird food cravings:

-          Ice cream, strawberry specifically.

-          Hot and spicy things, we’ve been enjoying a lot of chili and tacos in this house.

Food aversions:

-          Salmon

-          Sweet potatoes

Ironically I ate both of these the 1^st week I found out I was pregnant, perhaps a coincidence?

Things I miss the most:

-          My waistline

-          Half of my closet

-          The ability to sleep through the night without having to go to the restroom 1-2x.

I have a secrete!!

Shhhhhh! 

While at our first trimester screening today, which went fabulous, the baby bean was quite active AND…. revealed its gender. Well, Daddy actually guessed its gender with some coaching from the sono-technician. Unfortunately, 12.5 weeks is very soon to be calling a baby he/she, so we’re going to wait until our next perinatologist ultrasound (in 4 weeks) to confirm. I’ll be having another growth scan on Monday with my OB (routine) and am going to see if she thinks the sono-tech, and the hubs were on target.

For now, I’ll leave you with this sweet face:

The art of ..... in a cup!

As promised, this blog remains an “unrated” and comical full disclosure of pregnancy with diabetes. That’s your warning, read on if you dare…..

This weekend I had the pleasure of practicing the art of peeing in a cup. You heard me correctly! Beginning early Sunday morning until early this morning I collected and stored (in the refrigerator) every ounce of urine coming out of me. For those of you who have been pregnant before, you know that this is quite the collection! Additionally, I had to keep the urine collection cool while traveling to my in laws for Easter. Oh what fun to tote around a cooler of your goodies!

This morning I dropped off the specimen at my OB’s office and had corresponding blood work. Instead of toting the large, orange urine container in the office, I stored it in a Wegmen’s recyclable shopping bag. The receptionist asked where my specimen was and thanked me for disguising it; she said that it often makes others in the waiting room uncomfortable to tote it around in your arms…. I thought, no $hit!

The above test/ collection is to measure the amount of protein being spilled into my urine. All diabetics have a small amount spilled into their urine and this is also how they test for pre-eclampsia in the later stages of pregnancy. My medical team wanted a baseline to work from so that they did not unnecessarily freak out if in month #8 when they saw protein in the urine. I for one got some practice in aiming this weekend which is helpful for the urine collection that occurs each time I’m at the OB and endured embarrassment (in my home, on the road, at my in laws, in my OBs office) all in the name of the bean. The things you’ll do for love! Hehe….

Pregnancy and Sickness

Yesterday marked the start of my 12^th week of pregnancy and finally the push toward the end of the first trimester. I know that this is really only just the beginning, but there is a certain amount of relief that comes with being beyond the “danger zone.” Unfortunately, along with this marker has come a sinus infection. I originally thought it was the onset of allergies, which I’ve never had before, but hey, your body changes during pregnancy. I knew last evening that it was more than allergies and that it was time to go to the Doctor. After consulting my OB this morning and visiting my PCP, I left with azythromycin “Z-pack” and a confident thumb up from both providers to begin the antibiotic regimen. After a confirmed sinus infection, they assured me that it was worse for my body (a diabetic body) to fight the infection, causing my blood sugars to wonk out rather than taking the antibiotics. I left feeling good about my decision to medicate, until I got home. It’s now 8 hours later and I have yet to take an antibiotic. I’m going to try a few other suggested remedies first (from my mommy friends) such as saline spray and resort to the antibiotics as a last resort. Thus far my blood sugars have remained steady and although feeling like crap, my focus has remained on the health of this bean cooking inside of me. Speaking of, now that the bean is the size of a plum, I may need to come up with a new, more appropriate name…. perhaps a bushel of beans?!

And I'm back....

Nearly two weeks ago my Doctor (finally) gave me the all clear to exercise again. For those of you that know me, you know that sitting on my rump for the past 3 months has been quite a challenge! So, upon gaining clearance I resumed my exercise routine with moderate-to-light activity of walking and spinning. Prior to getting pregnant I was in the process of getting my BodyPump certification and training for a 42-mile bike ride, so in total I was working out 6-8x per week. It’s quite a change to go from 100% to nothing and it’s been quite the change to go from nothing to something…. I honestly do not think that I was prepared for the reaction my body would have while exercising with the bean on board.

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned:

-          My body now demands a lot more water while exercising!

-          I can no longer bank on my exercise HR as an indicator of my intensity and must convert to using the RPE (rate of perceived exertion index.)

-          I have a fear of BodyPump (I know it’s possible to complete) and I really see no need for intense weight lifting while pregnant. Additionally, I’ve been discouraged to lift any kind of weight that would recruit my abs… so then what’s the point. I never have and never will be a girl that trains with 2.5lb. Dumbbell = waste of time!

-          What used to be my warm up is now my workout. It’s amazing how fatigued I get, quickly!

-          I have a crazy amount of flexibility, which I knew would happen, but now I understand the need to be cautious while stretching. I cannot imagine how this will intensify as my pelvic floor limbers to prepare for birthing.

-          I have a new found appreciation for the women that do magnificent things while pregnant (i.e. run a marathon, etc.) You go girl! That’s not me.

Today, I presented two workshops at a regional fitness conference as a continuing education provider. This has been a goal of mine since I began (professionally) in the fitness industry, nearly 10 years ago. I was a bit nervous that this old girl couldn’t get her groove back, but I did and I’m so excited to be feeling a bit more like myself at week #11 and a bit less like an alien has taken over my body. Of course moving forward I will continue to follow my Doctor’s orders of moderate-to-low intensity activity and have no grand delusions of returning to my prior workout status, but it feels great to be doing something good (aside from sleeping all of the time and eating well) for me!