Gestational Diebetes......Scary or...........?????
At 28 weeks along in our pregnancy, I was tested positive for gestational diabetes. Now this is quite a shock for myself. This is our fourth pregnancy and thus far, the best ever. I have been the healthiest I have ever been and with only 13lbs gained up to this point we were super excited. Until....they said it was a worry. So, my husband and I got on all the research we could possibly get to. I also received my Trim Healthy Mama book, and we had just recently finished a six week course (yes, my hubby and I took it together :) ) on Nutrition, Health and Disease Prevention. (Diabetes was one of the specifics we learned about.) We felt we had a pretty good grasp on the how to's with eating.
After a 8 day observation period, (this means checking my blood sugar seven times a day, peeing on the stick every morning to rate the level of ketones in my urine and documenting each morsel of food and drink I had) I was placed on Insulin. My body just wasn't doing what it needed to do despite my strict regime and efforts. I was at a loss, and quite devastated. Insulin...injecting myself....what's in the insulin? I take absolutely ZERO medication while pregnant unless deemed no way around it medically necessary no arguing at all, all other possibilities are exhausted. I am an all natural mama! I don't even take Tylenol for heavens sake!
My dear hubby and I again, got down to researching. Turns out the insulin injections are simply a pig's hormone, nothing else. Although, not ideal, not what I want.....
But Lord together we can do this!
Until, the needle was out! Until, I had it in my hand and something happened....
I freaked. I couldn't do this. I cannot inject myself. This of course is silly, it's a tiny needle nothing to it. Nope, No way, No How FORGET IT!
Thankfully, God gifted me my amazing husband. God gifted a very precise love that wells deep with in my husband that can snap me from hysterics of the fear that otherwise grips me and calms me. He I able to soothe my fears, get me back to a must and keep on keeping on. He gives me the strength when I need it. He prays over me to help me relax.
Ok....so now I can do the insulin no problem. We started out with small amounts and have only had to increase it slightly over the past six weeks. I am at 8 units and only at bedtime for the moment!
Now, usually switching your eating habits to such a strict and drastic way would be a very hard feat. But, because we had already started Trim Healthy Mama the transitions was not bad, quite satisfying! In 6 weeks I lost most all of the 13 lbs I had gained during my first 28 weeks of our pregnancy.
Praise the Lord, for this gift of health! For the last weeks of my previous pregnancies meant high blood pressure, weight gain...scary!
Fast forward to week 33 I was scheduled for an Ultrasound to check on baby's size etc. The technitian was awesome and the heartbeat was beautiful and all measurements were bang on for my weeks!
Week 35, I had my check up with the midwives.......because I am taking insulin they want me to have a consult with the Specialist.
.....because of my history of high blood pressure, my bmi and the gestational all together, they want to be safe than sorry. They want to ensure the best medical attention as possible.
I should have received the news with no shock. I should have received the news with thanksgiving and gratefulness for the amazing attention that the midwives were giving to me.
Should have....
I am so sorry that is not what happen....I crumpled. I cried. I couldn't help it. I wasn't in fear. I know that God is holding me and this precious baby tightly. I worked so hard. I have been so good. I am on the strictness diet. I am walking 10-15 hours a week. I have lost weight. I am in excellent health. I feel fine...WHY? I don't want to go see a doctor (please read my prior three blogs about my pregnancies to help understand why).......The poor midwife. I feel so sorry, that I did that. That I crumpled. Then my blood pressure, that has been of optimal awesome was now up. She took it 5 times to make sure and to have an accurate reading! (My midwives are the best team of women, I have ever had. They are amazing. They take every precaution always. My health and the babies health is the utmost of importance to them. For that I praise the Lord, for gifting me each and everyone of the team!) We were surprised to see my blood pressure up (but not really all that surprised, this is when it does that normally in my pregnancies). So as a precautionary tool, she sent me for blood work to check my liver functions. We also found out from the last ultrasound that our baby is right on cue. All measurements awesome. Right where they aught to be. The only thing is the umbilical chord is missing the third vessel. Not to worry, it doesn't and is not affecting the baby at this time. So....all in all I walked out to the car and explained to my hubby. He looked at me, and both agreed its not as bad as it looks, and praise the Lord that the baby is healthy and great!
After we got home, I calmed down. My hubby and I got to researching (if you have not noticed by now, we are crazy about learning, LOL) Turns out that God planned it. He knit together our precious baby with only two vessel for a reason.
That reason...GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!!!!!! A common occurrence with two vessel umbilical chords is a growth problem in utero with the baby not getting big enough. Wow, because a side effect of gestational diabetes is that the baby in utero gets to big and may have to much growing which results in early delivery amongst other things.
Wow, what a blessing. What a gift. What a miracle that the baby in my womb is knit together my a magnificent creator that has it all worked out.
Now that being said, it does not come with a yeah all is well and no worries. My blood pressure is elevating now (so we are taking all precautions to ensure healthy mama, healthy baby happy everyone!) But in the trials and scary moments I know that
Greater is He that is within me, than he that is in this world!
For God is my strength
For God is my comforter
For God is my refuge
For God s my deliever
For God hears my prayers
No matter what happens in the last weeks as I count down to meeting our precious baby, God has me safely where I aught to be!
So, no matter what the circumstances may make us grow weary in the moment but the race is only won through faith, hope and love!
May your week be a blessing to each of you!
Stacey Homemaker
