The GD test

Monday marked a big milestone in my pregnancy, 28 weeks, and coincidentally my 3-hour glucose tolerance test.  I had a lot of mixed feelings about this test, some of them stemming from my own fears and others from the word on the street of high rates of false positives, test inaccuracy, etc. 

 

Being overweight the majority of my life, these types of tests tend to freak me out.  I mean, if you look at me, I might seem like a likely candidate for someone with pre-diabetes.  Certainly now pregnant, I might look like a case of gestational diabetes (GD) waiting to happen.  I'm nearly positive that is why my midwife chose to skip the 1-hour screening test altogether and just send me in for the 3-hour test.  "That way, we will know.  You'll either have it, or you won't."  Talk about pressure! 

 

The test consists of arriving at the lab/blood draw clinic after being fasted for 8-10 hours. My blood was drawn to test my fasting glucose level, and then I was given a oh, so syrupy sweet giant bottle (12oz? 14oz?) of lemon-lime flavored "drink" to consume in 5 minutes.  I'm a slow drinker to begin with, and this stuff was like sludge going down my throat.  It might have been better over ice, or if I could sip water in between.  I got it down, and then I had to wait an hour before my next blood draw.  Immediately I sucked down water and soon enough my stomach was pretty acidy feeling with all the additional fluids.  My blood was drawn again, and then I had another hour to wait before my last blood draw.  During this hour I drank water and paced up and down the halls of the office because I was bored and the magazine selection sucked.  After my last blood draw I raced out of the office and immediately downed some toasted coconut before arriving at my office and eating some chicken sausages.  Next up, waiting for the results. 

 

So, the few issues I have with the test are that for me, its a pretty unreal situation.  As far as, I can't think of a time where I would just willing ingest 75g of straight glucose in 5 minutes.  I mentioned this to the lady taking my blood, and her response?  "Oh, its really not that hard to do, its like eating 2 candy bars, one after the other."  Me- blank stare.  Clearly this was not the right audience for a discussion about the flaws of the test.  Also, even if one was to ingest 2 candy bars in a row, there is other stuff in the bars that slows the absorption of sugar, and just being in food rather than liquid form, your body metabloizes it differently.  So, back to my original statement, its a pretty unreal situation.  I was also worried about possible artificial ingredients in the drink, as I had seen some were bright orange colored or red colored.  Luckily, I didn't get a choice, but my lemon-lime drink was clear. 

 

Once the test was over, I just quit thinking about it.  I sort of made peace inside my head by thinking of all the things I do right in my current lifestyle.  I lift weights.  Heavy weights.  A lot.  I walk a lot.  I don't eat a standard american diet filled with easy carbohydrates and processed crap.  I consume tons of healthy fats (fermented cod liver oil =gold!) and I can go relatively long periods of time between eating without wanting to rip someones head off.  Deep down, it was settled for me.  I was not going to have a positive result, despite always having carried around a few-many extra pounds. 

 

The day following the test I was traveling for work and received a voicemail from my midwives office when I returned to cell service.  "Just letting you know the results of your glucose test- your blood sugars look great, you don't have GD.  Also, your iron levels look great, see you in 2 weeks for your scheduled appointment."  As much as I knew deep down I wasn't going to have it, I was SO RELIEVED because there is always that "what if?" factor.  As my good friend told me, I essentially have a parasite living in me.  A parasite that is changing my body, my hormones, and taking whatever it wants from me.  My parasite could alter stuff enough to kick me into GD territory, but luckily that doesn't appear to be the case.  Bring on the candy bars!  (kidding)

 

Now I'm officially in my 3rd trimester.  I can't beleive in 2ish months our family of 2 will become 3.  My thoughts now settle around having a healthy baby, and not being crazy parents.  Separate post to follow regarding crazy parents- what is a crazy parent, what makes parents crazy, things I hope to avoid, etc.  

 

6 months...

I know everyone says it, but I can't believe how fast pregnancy goes by.  Ten months sounds so long, and it is long...but it still goes by lightning fast.  I've been pregnant since January.  Well, December technically, but I didn't know till January.  So yeah, I've put in the time.  I have roughly 3 months to go.  Maybe 3.5 if in true fashion of a first child, it shows up late. 

 

According to my handy iPhone app, my fetus is the size of a hot house cucumber- 14 inches?  And about 2 lbs.  So crazy to think something that size is inside of me now.  I regularly forget that I'm pregnant and have this big round belly in front of me.  Then I see myself in the mirror or in a store window, and remember.  Or I feel some little kick or punch and I remember.  All in all, I think it's a pretty good sign to have moments where I don't feel pregnant.  Like I've mentioned before, I feel really good.  Sometimes I feel guilty for feeling so good because I know that is not the experience of every woman.  I know I still have time for things to take a drastic turn, and I could be faced with a few months of discomfort, but for now, I am focused on enjoying myself!

 

I insist on making it to as many of my noon time CrossFit classes as possible.  I'm averaging 3 times a week instead of my usual 4 days, mostly due to increased work duties, not because of pregnancy.  The workouts I feel the best after are the ones where we lift heavy weights and work up a sweat versus what people might consider traditional cardio such as running or the elliptical.  I've noticed that if I lift heavy enough weights fast enough, it IS cardio!  Just last week, I even hit a PR that I was not meaning to...strict press.  I was able to get 95# up overhead without any help from my legs.  My previous PR was 85# I think.  I like to think I had 2 extra arms helping me out.  However, I severely decrease my working weight on things like deadlifts, cleans, snatches, OH squats, and thrusters.  On the weekends, I've been walking a lot.  I just feel so much better when I move.  I know what I'm doing probably isn't the most conventional, but I feel like I'm listening to my body, and not pushing too hard while still holding onto some of my pre-pregnancy abilities.  I think the fact that I had been crossfitting for quite awhile before becoming pregnant helps immensely with knowing what I'm capable of, and when to back off a little. 

 

Heartburn occasionally rears its ugly head at 2am, but usually after I stand up, use the rest room and prop my head up with another pillow, I can return to sleep with no issues.  My fabulous sister got me a body pillow for my birthday, and wow, that thing is a pregnant woman's dream.  It has helped so much with the hip/pelvic pain I was experiencing during sleeping and rolling over.  There are also like 1,000 ways to contort the pillow so I see it has a future in my life post-pregnancy too.  On the eating front,  I can't seem to get enough fruit.  As all my favorite things come into season- nectarines, cherries, strawberries, melons...all I want is fruit, fruit, fruit.  Chocolate is not appealing to me (very weird) but fruit...I think I had 3 bowls of melon today and easily could have had 3 more. 

 

Food- food is the most amazing thing, especially after a workout.  Food tastes so good.  Especially things like mexican spiced chicken breasts (cumin and chili powder) on a salad with guacamole.  Or hunks of meat and vegetables cooked in the crockpot.  Or a plain burger patty.  Even the simplest things taste like they have been sent from heaven. I notice that I get full a lot faster, probably due to this thing pushing up on all my organs and stuff, so I really have to be careful to slowly enjoy what I'm eating and wait for those first cues that I've had enough.  Digestion is slower, and I'm just more comfortable when I have less food in my stomach at a time.  Pro-biotics have been a must, and I've been taking one with every meal rather than just one a day. 

 

When I started telling people I was pregnant, I was most often told about the physical changes that take place.  Perhaps people talk about those most because they are the most obvious.  However, I have been so suprised at all the mental work that goes on as well.   First, when I  discovered I was carrying a life, I wanted to know everything immediately.  I read, googled, talked to moms, trying to get everything figured out so I could be the bestest mom ever.  Then, as time went on, I realized there are more questions than answers, and everyone has a different opinion on what is best.  I relaxed a bit and began to come to grips with the unknown.  Next the drive to protect something that Ive never seen kicked in (literally, once it started kicking) and I panic if there isn't any movement for what seems like a long time.  Usually movement is felt shortly thereafter, but this cycle repeats itself several times throughout the day and night.  I imagine that this protective instinct is getting fostered during pregnancy, and will only get more intense after the baby arrives.  Currently, I'm at peace.  I've had 6 months to realize that I can not predict what may or may not happen in pregnancy or child rearing.  I must just take everything as it comes, and react appropriately for each situation.  I immediately felt so relaxed once I took the pressure off myself to LEARN everything and KNOW everything.  I've completely accepted that I do not know what is ahead of me, but whatever it is, it will be exactly what I need at the right time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 Weeks, 34, and New Perspectives

Happy Birthday to me.  Thirty-four years old, and 24 weeks pregnant.  I kinda wish those numbers were flip-flopped.  Except for the part about me having a baby at 24.  Yeesh.  I was in no condition to have a baby at 24, so maybe we better leave those numbers where they are. 

 

I can see now why this great universe of ours gives us 10 months of pregnancy.  Through the advice I've received (solicited and unsolicited), talks with my midwife, watching friends finish their pregnancies, and my own research in the past 24 weeks, so many of my perspectives on pregnancy, birth, and raising a child have changed. 

 

I spent the first few weeks of my pregnancy obsessed with birth.  Reading about birth, watching videos, asking people about their birth stories in an attempt to figure out the exact birth I wanted.  At some point I came across a piece of advice, and consequently, my intensity surrounding my birth ceased- "birth is one (maybe two) days.  The important thing is to focus on the 18+ years that follow that day."  Right?  I mean, I was spending a lot of time focusing on this event, and in reality, there are so many other things that came along with a newborn.  I began broadening my research to include sleep training techniques, breastfeeding, and general baby- raising things.

 

Recently 2 good friends of mine have had their pregnancies come to an end, and the next chapter of newborn alien invasion has begun.  I think I have learned so much from their experiences, and I'm so grateful to have such wonderful friends tell me things that only one pregnant person can tell another pregnant person.  I've enjoyed the days leading up to their births, their birth stories, and the days immediately after birth immensley.  Once again, I had a huge shift in my thinking regarding birth, and coincidentally came across a great piece of advice in the current book I'm reading.  "You may not have the birth you want, but you will have the birth that you need."  Isn't that true of everything in life though?  When I think back on my life, all the times I have thought I wanted something, or even pushed for something only to have it backfire or not workout, whatever took its place ended up being exactly what I needed. 

 

Today, I'm taking comfort in the fact that I feel amazing these days, and whatever needs to happen will happen.  I've been sleeping well.  My workouts have been great, and making me feel great (155# front squats the other day for dayz made my hips/back/core feel amazing!).  I've been eating such good food, and my general disposition/mood is sunny.  (that might make some people that know me irl laff a little).  But seriously, it is true what they say about the 2nd trimester- it is the golden phase of pregnancy.   

Pregnant Ramblings

It's no surprise that after a few weeks of cleaning up my eating, I'm feeling pretty damn good. My nighttime heartburn episodes are a memory. Even in pregnancy my body does not like too many refined carbohydrates. It is a slight mind fu*k to watch my belly grow at what seems to me a super fast pace, yet not have the scale move. My only slight discomfort now is round ligament pain in my groin area, which is crazy because the ONLY time it hurts is when I'm rolling over from one side to the other, and when I'm picking up my legs one at a time to put on pants/leggings/skirts. It feels like I'm super sore from a workout, but when I do things like squat, or stretch my inner thighs, to try and loosen up the feeling, I can't get the discomfort to be there. It's hard to explain, but I did some googling (I know, I know) and it sounds like its pretty common for this exact time in my pregnancy, and it doesn't go away till after birth. Yay!

We did the obligatory grilling over Memorial Day weekend- chicken fajitas. Grilled chicken breast, grilled peppers/onions served on lettuce leaves with guacamole, fruit for dessert. So easy. So satisfying. So real. Just for fun, let's count the ingredients in the entire meal (not counting ingredients used twice, like salt and lime)- chicken, lime, olive oil, salt, pepper, orange and green peppers, onion, lettuce, avocado, tomato, jalepeno, pineapple, melon, strawberries. 15 total ingredients for an entire dinner and dessert. Count those ingredients on that "SmartOne" that is soooo healthy and low calorie. Yeah, that's what I thought.

It sucks that I spent so many years making this eating right thing more complicated than it had to be. I just didn't know any better. I fell for any buzz word at the time. Low-calorie? I can eat ALL the things. Low-fat? Sounds logical! High in fiber? Yes! I'll poop it out! Vegetarian? I'll try it! Gluten-free? Sounds legit. Oh, extra protein? That'll make my fat turn to muscle immediately. Sigh. Meat, vegetables, fruit, naturally occurring fats (nuts, avocado, coconut, heavy cream, olive oil). Also known as, real food. Yes, it means more preparation on my part. Yes, it means many convenience foods are a thing of the past. But the feeling? The lack of being controlled by food? Can't be beat.

This pregnancy seems to be zooming by sooo fast. I can't believe I have roughly 17 weeks left. That just seems like no time at all. I completed a registry over the weekend, wow, that was rough for me. I mean, I don't want our house to become swamped with baby stuff. I don't even want my kid to have a lot of toys (really, how many can they play with at once?). So I tried to just think of the absolute necessites. And even that was sooo much. I do think it helps not finding out the sex of our baby, because that helps stay away from accumulating too much stuff in general. Who knows. I might be in denial, in one year I could be laughing at my current naivete as I stare at my living room littered with multi-colored plastic things listening to "the wiggles." Barf.

Ok, I think this post is sufficiently representative of my brain right now- all over the place. I've got a hot gym date to head to (400m of walking lunges are on the agenda) and then some meat and vegetables to consume. Make today awesome, I plan on it.

Whole147

Let's talk pregnancy nutrition. Well over a year ago, I stumbled across this blog post (apologies if the link doesn't link, blogging from phone. Copy & paste, its worth it):
http://hawaiianlibertarian.blogspot.com/2011/05/paleo-baby.html
and was truly inspired. I think he does a really good job of explaining things that stand out to him that could be attributed to the diet he feeds his baby, without sounding self-righteous. He is well aware that the experience he is having maybe unique, but still decided to share in case anyone was curious.

I mentioned in an earlier post that upon first discovering I was pregnant, I began eating like rock star. My nutrients were spot on, and I was feeling great. Until I wasn't. Hormones began doing their thing, and I was suddenly so tired, nauseous, and/or puking. Luckily for me, that stage only lasted 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately for me, 3-4 weeks of soothing myself with food turned into many more weeks of half-hearted good eating (but still killing it at the gym!). I knew I needed to get back to what I know. I knew I was not feeling my best. I knew that if I continued down that road I would end up with A LOT of post-baby weight to lose. Around week 19, (or May 1st) I threw the brakes on. I decided I needed to go back and do a Whole30 to 'reset' and get my head (and body) back in the game.

It was getting too easy for me to justify things just because I was pregnant. I know myself, I know I need routine, structure, and a plan. I also know I'm perfectly capable of all these things. However, in the back of my head I kept telling myself that I was supposed to be gaining weight, and that my baby needed a few extra calories (yeah, like some extra protein, not sweet potato fries). But deep down, I knew I was slipping back into familiar patterns and making poor choices using the baby as a crutch. Yesterday, and my regular midwife check up, I had a long discussion with her about my feelings on gaining weight and struggles I've had. She was so incredible. She confirmed that a "whole30" diet is perfectly nutritious, AND that honestly, the current weight I'm at is fine to support a baby and if I didn't gain another pound over the next 18-19 weeks it would be just fine. I felt so relieved. Full disclosure, I have gained 17 pounds so far with my sub-par eating. I'd like to keep my gain in the 20-25lb range since I had plenty of pounds to lose at the start of this whole deal. I must remind myself, the less weight I gain, the less I will have to lose.

So, my goal is to follow the Whole30 guidelines (with grass-fed butter) until the bitter end, or roughly 147 days (133 left). However, the day I go into labor, I'm having an effing glass of wine.

My day(s) now look similar to this:
2 chicken sausages
1 granny smith apple w/ 2tbsps almond butter
CrossFit workout- scaled for momma
6oz turkey taco meat, braised cabbage, few baby carrots, few strawberries
sweet potato w/ Kerrygold butter, 6oz turkey taco meat, veggies, 1/2 avocado

The protein switches out between whatever I have cooked off. Sometimes its pork shoulder, sometimes its straight chicken breasts, sometimes chicken thighs, you get the idea. The veggies rotate between what's on sale, and what sounds good to me. So far in this pregnancy I've had a tough time with vegetables, but I'm really trying to get them in. I'm loving apples and almond butter right now, as well as yams, so those aren't going anywhere for awhile.

Some other good resources on pregnancy nutrition I've been following:
Peggy at Primal Parent- http://theprimalparent.com/
Weston A. Price Foundation- http://www.westonaprice.org/

Not Alone

Before I get to my real post, I just want to say a few quick words about the 'Sh*t Moms Say to Their Pregnant Daughters' post. Thank you for all the comments. My mom is my mom, and I know she means well (in some twisted universe where its always opposite day) and I'm used to it. The post was meant to be funny, but I'm not sure it came across that way. I don't want to bash my mom, she is an amazing woman that has had a tough life, and accomplished so much. Luckily, I've got plenty of smartz running through my head that I can see her comments for what they are- her issue(s) and not internalize them anymore. Now, I just like to share them with people for their sheer ridiculousness, oh, and also to remind myself of what NOT to do in the next coming years.


...Sunday we were invited to a Cinco de Mayo party/BBQ. It was an AMAZING day in Seattle, upper 70's, light breeze, just a perfect day. The hubs got home from work around 3:30p, and we headed over around 5pm. It was a BBQ held by friends/co-workers of my husband. Being a Sunday night, and also me being an 'outsider' non-co-worker I didn't plan on staying super late. I ate my bun-less burger and grazed on some raw veggies. We brought our dog, so watching him gave me plenty to do as he made his begging rounds and I yelled at him to quit it. There is nothing more annoying than a dog owner that thinks everyone else feels the same way about their dog as they do. No one likes a dog begging while they eat, even the cutest dog on the planet. I digress.

Many of the hubs co-workers came over to wish us congratulations, and ask us all the typical questions. I was enjoying myself, but noticed the party was slowly starting to get more drunk, and the daylight was quickly fading. I asked the hubs what time it was, and he said "just about 9p." "Crap. I gotta go." I said. The hubs wanted to stay longer since he didn't work the next day, and would take a cab home later. I grabbed the dog, said bye to the few people I knew, and headed home. The BBQ was really close to our house, only one freeway exit away. I hopped on the I-5, with the last rays of light on the horizon and the top of the sky starting to darken. The windows in the car were down, and the air smelled so clean. Just as I approached my exit, I felt something. A slight twitch or like a little bubble popping in my stomach. I knew exactly what it was.

Immediately everything was so clear. I didn't just know I wasn't alone, I felt I wasn't alone. I mean, so many times in my life I have been driving to my house, by myself, comfortable with being alone, and this time it was different. My future flashed before my eyes and I knew that I would never be truly alone again. This thing, this bubble, was going to be a part of me for the rest of my life. I was in awe and oddly comforted at that moment as I let it all sink in. Just when I thought I might have been imagining things, almost as if on queue, I felt another little tap inside my belly. Yup. Not alone.

Sh*t Moms Say to Their Pregnant Daughters

"It would be nice if some of your weight turned into the baby's weight"
"No, you don't have to name it after me. Unless you want...you know, its up to you."
"I hope this baby gives you all the headaches you gave me."
"So, have you thought about how much weight you want to gain during your pregnancy?"
"You're going to have to give your dog away"
"I've got some of my old clothes that are too big for me for you to go through, you know, so you don't have to buy maternity clothes."
To her friends/strangers while I'm standing right there "yeah, she THINKS she's going to have a natural birth- chuckle- we'll see..."
"I only gained 18 pounds when I was pregnant the first time."
"I don't want to be called grandma."

Lastly, to put the cherry on top of the cake, here is a gem of a story that a mom might tell her pregnant daughter:

"So, I'm going to tell you something, take from it whatever you want." Oh, great I think, here comes another lecture about my weight. "I was having tea with my yoga instructor last week, and she..." Oh, no, I was wrong I think, here comes a plug for doing yoga while pregnant. "She has a daughter who pretty much has a parallel life to yours, she was living in the Pacfic Northwest 3 years ago, got married to a chef 2 years ago, about a year before you did. They had a baby about a year after that. See? Just like you, but a year ahead. Her and her husband moved down to Napa after the baby so they could be closer to family." (slight guilt stab there if you know my mom) "They like to garden, and be in the yard and stuff. My yoga teacher watches the grandson 2-3 times a week. One day, she (yoga teacher/grandma) was watching the baby who was about 3 months old and the baby just went limp. She knew something wasn't right and they took the baby to the hospital. They ran a bunch of tests, and nothing came up. The baby seemed to return to normal, so they were sent home. A few days later, the daughter was with her son, and the same thing happened. The baby just went limp. This time, the baby was sent to a larger hospital so more intesive studies could be ran. After a bunch of tests, they discovered the baby had contracted infant botulism. The baby had to be given a blood transfusion, and it was all very expensive and scary- costing tens of thousands of dollars. So, you know, just watch out for that. The baby was like 3 months."

This is 1) a true story, and 2) true that my mom TOLD me this story. Maybe its just me, but WTF. Why would you ever relay this story to your pregnant daughter? Well, I guess with all the previous quotes, it might just be my mom that says this stuff. Anyway, curiosity got the best of me, and I googled infant botulism. Turns out, there are less than 100 cases contracted each year in the U.S. To put that in perspective, my baby is 25 times more likely to die from SIDS than to contract this thing...as if I don't have enough things to worry about!