Monday, July 25, 2011

Let the Hilarity Ensue!

Yesterday was spent cleaning.  And when I say "yesterday," I mean I didn't get to bed until 6am.  And even then, we had to finish this morning.  Any by morning, I mean around noon.

Went to my NST and doc appointment at 130p like I was supposed to.  I had frosted flakes for breakfast so she'd be more hopped on sugar when I got there, and in hindsight, I'm glad I did!

Had a great NST, then I had to get Examined to see where I was.  The look of shock on my doc's face was PRICELESS!  Her exact words were, "OH MY GOSH, BRANDY!  You're at 4 1/2 centimeters, at least!"  But because I was tired and pissy, I had a couple high blood pressure readings, so she sent me across the street to the hospital so they could run blood work and monitor my blood pressure.  Blood pressure was fine, but there was a little too much protein in the sample I left, so Doc ordered a quick ultrasound to check my fluid levels.  I then had to wait for the nurse practitioner on duty to finish up a C-Section since she was the only one that could do it.  So I chilled, watched some news, and when she got there, she said all was well, so I was sent home.  By this time, it was about 530p.  Yeah.  No bueno!

Got into my car, grateful that I didn't get a ticket since I was in a two hour, non-metered spot, and took off to get milk, since we were out.  Got home, gave Dante a cookie and some milk, and then we went to bed for a nap.  All of us!  LOL!  I woke up just now to hit the loo, and the mess was unreal.  I have never had "membranes stripped" before, but now I know what happens after the fact.  To be gross for a second, it looks like a ton of snot with a ton of blood.  But I checked, and since my contractions aren't regular, and because I know I can talk through them, I'm staying put.  I'm letting my boys sleep for a bit more.

So, that was my crazy, hilarious day!  How was yours?

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fellow Moms!! (AKA: *NOT* for the Faint of Heart. Or Stomach,)

I am having a few issues over here that are leaving me confused, since the days before Dante was born were a blur even before I was presented with a tiny bundle of joy I had no idea how to take care of.

First, I am taking bathroom trips more frequently than usual.  Not the kind we get credit for, the kind pregnant women NEVER get credit for.  It hurts, since even though I have yet to truly be blocked, I still have the battle wounds, if you will.  It strikes me as odd.  I think I have evacuated more than I have consumed.

Second, I am even more tired than usual.  I have been sleeping through alarms, snapping at poor Dante, and for the last couple of days, actually sleeping almost 3-4 hours between bathroom trips.

And can anyone actually remember what contractions feel like?  Yesterday, I know I had a good few that made me feel like I was a tube of toothpaste getting to the end, just squeezed like no other.  But yesterday during my non-stress test, one of the medical assistants couldn't believe that I couldn't feel the contractions that were showing up.  Huh?  I am very confused.

One more problem I've been having:  mucous!  Out of nowhere, it feels like there's a sneeze in my draws and it's making me a little nuttier than usual.

So, if you can weigh in, please do.  And let's keep this discussion off Facebook since I have so many male friends, please!

*facepalm*

Today has been one of those days that makes me wish I had a bubble to put Dante in while I sleep.

(Sidenote:  Last night, I set an alarm to wake up from a short nap around 8.  Slept right through the alarm til almost 9.  YIKES!)

So, this morning, after all my mid-rest treks to the loo, I woke up when Hubby's alarm went off.  It is set to go 8 minutes after my phone as an insurance policy.  Good thing!  We both slept through my phone's alarm!  Guess who else was up at 10 am?  You betcha.  Dante.  Yippee.

So I made breakfast, helped Hubby get out the door, and after he left, I let Dante dance a bit more before putting him back down.  I decided I got to go back to bed, too, and I set an alarm.  Slept right through it.  Got up, got Dante up, tried to see if my friend wanted to go for a walk, but it seems all I really did was wake her up from a nap since she slept through her alarm, too!

Dante woke up on the WRONG SIDE OF THE CRIB.  Everything I asked him to do, he ignored.  Instead, he fiddled with my Wii, ripped up some coupons I thought I had hidden from him, spilled a soda I forgot I had open, grabbed a knife off the counter, and went through my wallet that was hidden.  I tried calming him down with a call to my mom, and I think he broke my speakerphone!  It stopped working!  So he just yelled at my mom when before I dialed, I asked if he wanted to call his gramma to tell her he can't wait to see her, and he was excited!

So I put him back to bed, and he was out in mere minutes.  Now, even though I've blown a lot of time, I am going to try to lay down, too.  I reset the alarm AND turned up the volume.  Let's hope it works!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Hitting a Low

Today was crappy.  I woke up when Dante did at TEN F-ING FIFTEEN AM and took my fasting blood sugar like a good monkey.  Made breakfast, and after my first bite, remembered my meds and took them.  I was pleasantly surprised when I had a glucose level an hour later of 134, and put Dante back to bed.  Then I decided that I needed a nap, too, so I took one.

Woke up about an hour and a half later sweating and shaking.  I had a horrible nightmare that just kept repeating over and over again.  I got up and Dante was screaming, but my hands were shaking, and I realized it was my blood sugar.  I could barely walk, my eyes couldn't focus, and I snapped.  First I tried to eat crackers, but then I saw Hubby's cookies, and I grabbed a handful and a huge glass of milk.  Before I downed the cookies and milk, my glucose was at 67.  Too damn low, in my book.  I had to let my poor baby scream for 45 minutes as I tried to get back to normal.  At the 45 minute mark, I took my blood sugar and it was 119.  What in the...?

So I got Dante up and called my doc's office, and her medical assistant called me back, I told her what happened, and she suggested peanut butter to get me back to normal as opposed to cookies.  About an hour later, I felt it plummet AGAIN.  So Dante and I polished off a whole small cantaloupe and I had a ham sandwich, and I was ok again.  He went down for another nap, and I felt it slip for a third time, so I toasted a freezer waffle and dipped it in peanut butter.  I'm now wide awake, sore, and I feel like a zombie.  It's very weird.

So now I get to reheat what I made for dinner last night (Mole and rice) and I may call it an early night.  Not like it matters.  I wake up every two hours like clockwork to hit the loo and the Tums.  It's horrible.  I know it's training, but I really think it's Mother Nature's way of telling me that it sucks to be me.  Grrr.

I'd rather be sleep deprived cuddling a cute baby than sleep deprived and waddling to the loo.  Maybe I'm weird.

The Final Countdown...

Du duh duh duh, du duh dut dut daaaah...

Anyways, I had a great visit with the doc again.  I had another non stress test, and again, I had to hold the little doo-hickey to my belly because she was being uncooperative.  But I did get a little rest, and then the real doc visit started.  She looked at my glucose numbers and decided that it's time to double up my DiaBeta in the mornings.  Not looking forward to that, but as we all know, I love a good science experiment.  =D  She also reminded me that since today (er, yesterday) was the 18th, just 10 more days, TOPS, til my little girl is here!  WHOOT!

Left the doc's office and went to Sunflower for a peaceful shopping trip all by myself.  I picked up a ton of fruit and veggies for almost nothing!  Then I wanted Carl's Jr., but I think the one on Evans closed, because where I remember it being, there was a sign saying TWISTERS is coming!  YAY!  I will need to cruise by from time to time and see when it opens so I can get a bad ass burrito covered in NM green chile!  *happy dance*  So I ran by Good Times because it's been so long since I've had one of their yummy burgers and amazing fries.

Got home to a happy monkey and we had a fun until it was naptime...If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn that nap was only 10 minutes long, but the clock told me otherwise.

Got some dishes done, made some mole (YUM!) and all in all, I ate about a pound of apricots by myself, and the three of us polished off a quarter of a huge watermelon.  I feel better as a person.

All in all, it was an excellent day.  Tomorrow, Dante and I are going to walk to get some ice cream (since apparently the walk counterbalances the sugar in the ice cream.  LOL!)

One more game and I am off to bed....

Thursday, July 14, 2011

It's Not "Non Stress" ...

If you have a rambunctious 2 year old with you.

But I got hooked up to the machine again, and Dante was himself, no shocker there.  He danced, and sang the alphabet, and I noticed that when he sang, she moved!  So I had him stand in front of me and sing the alphabet so I could get her to kick!  LOL!  He thought it was SO COOL that his little sister likes to hear him sing!

After a bit, Doc came in and informed me that my induction is scheduled for July 28th at 4 am.  After talking to my mom, I am going to ask if we can bump that later by one day (or that evening) so we can have a good visit before shit hits the fan.

After the NST, I went across the street with Dante in tow for a quick follow up with my diabetes instructor, and her and Dante hit it off immediately.  It was cute!  He sang the alphabet to her, too, and had a blast drawing on scrap paper for her.  Made a few adjustments to my diet so I don't tank again, and had a good chat.

When we left, the sky opened up and started spitting.  So Dante and I booked it towards the car, parked about a block and a half away.  At first, I was annoyed, but then I realized that this was a "teaching moment" and instead I held Dante's hand and we splashed in puddles.  With every crack of thunder, I said "Listen!  It's Thor!" and he'd smile and splash right along with me!

Got us to the car, and had to take a couple pictures.  He was so cute, just soaked to the bone!  He was a little distraught at being so wet, but I got him home, got him upstairs and we changed into pj's and enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches and spagettios.

So, now he's napping, and it's my turn.  I am very tired!  And tomorrow, we are hitting Target with my bestie and her kiddos so I can get my Hospital Bag packed.  I am very, very excited!

On one hand, I feel an incredible sense of calm.  I know I GOT THIS.  On another hand, I am dumbfounded that my baby boy is going to be a Big Brother.  On yet another hand, I am incredibly sad that the greatest and most amazing person I have ever known won't be around.  I made *SIX* discs for labor and delivery from the music that he, Hubby and myself had shared over the years, and listening to a few of those songs made me incredibly sad.  I had to take a step back and just remember that I'm lucky I even got to know him in the first place.  I am counting my blessings.

The Game Plan

Birth Plan:

Upon Admittance:

I'd like to be checked as soon as possible for effacement and dilation.  I'd also like ice chips and sugar free popsicles, if available.  Please also check her heart rate and such ASAP so that I may get off the monitors and move around as much as possible.

During labor:

I am looking forward to using the squat bar, the birthing ball, the tub, pretty much anything that I can to let Gravity do its job, and natural, non medicated pain relief.

My husband will be my "coach," and my parents and other family or friends are more than welcome as long as they are comfortable up to actual pushing.  If they want to stay for exams, they are more than welcome to at the head of the bed so they don't get a front row seat to my girl bits.  (Husband excluded from that statement; if he wants to see, it's already his!  LOL!)

My two year old son, Dante, may be in and out with family and friends, and he is more than welcome to be with me up to the pushing stage, but I'd love to have him back in after her Apgar tests and rinse off.

I will boot pretty much everyone as soon as pushing starts, except for my husband and possibly my best friend K assuming she's in town when I "pop."  (My mom is more than welcome to stay, as well, but she may chose not to.  No biggie!)

PLEASE DO NOT OFFER MEDICATION OF ANY SORT.  I would like to avoid Pitocin, epidural, the whole she-bang.  I was very upset during my first labor and delivery with the results of both Pitocon and the epidural, and I'd like to try to avoid that kind of pain again.

Yes, I am a gestational diabetic.  So far, as of the typing of this plan, I am on 2.5 mg of glyburide (brand name DiaBeta) once daily.  Assuming I go into labor after breakfast, I will have already had my daily dose.  (Unless I'm taken off it before labor.  I will inform you upon admittance.  I'm a bit of a neurotic freak; please bear with me!)  I would very much like to avoid a steady drip of insulin.  Again, with the negative experience with my first labor and delivery.

IF DR. B (or the attending) need me to be on any sorts of meds, please make sure all the pros and cons are discussed prior to administering.  I am more than willing to have a hep-lock installed upon admittance or soon after (assuming I can still take a dunk in the tub as needed) so that I may move about and still have a line open in case of an emergency.

In a perfect world, I'd love to be able to at least suck on sugar free lollipops or candy during labor, or add a powder like Crystal Light to my water.  I will have these in my bag; if I am allowed, please let me know.  I tend to get dry mouth and I just feel better when I have a flavor on my tongue.  Otherwise, I'd have to be able to move about so I can brush my teeth frequently.

I will have music and dvds with me.  If the volume is too loud, please let me know.  Some of my selections may seem odd, but again, please bear with me.  The cd I have for hard labor is a bit....dancy and beat driven.  If it drives you nuts, I will be more than happy to lower the volume, but my son was born to a very appropriate song, and I'd like the same experience this time!

Also, I'd love to have a mirror when she crowns.  Or feel her head.  Preferably, both.  If it's possible, I'd like to spend as little time as possible in a supine position.  Thank you!

Upon Little Miss' Birth:

Again, in a "perfect" scenario, she'll be placed on my bare chest immediately after birth.  I'd love if her cord could please stay intact as long as possible as well.  I will try to breastfeed as soon as possible, and I'd like my husband to cut her cord as soon as it stops pulsing, or as soon as she gets the hang of breathing air!  Anything that can be done while I hold her as opposed to taking her from me, feel free to go for, just let me know.

Please don't offer her a pacifier or a bottle.  I am going to attempt exclusive breastfeeding.

General Info and Thanks:

Thank you very, very much for taking the time to read this!  I am actually a pretty laid back person (under "normal" circumstances) and my husband and I both appreciate a good dirty joke, so feel free to share one if you have one!  Crack a few jokes, make off-color remarks or just make an ass of yourself and we'll both warm up to you in no time!  I would love to keep an open and honest dialogue, so if something seems off, or weird, or if you need anything from me, don't hesitate to fill me in!  We are a fun loving and hilarious bunch once you get to know us!

Monday, July 11, 2011

SUGAR RUSH!!!!

Today was interesting!  (It usually is around here....)

Woke up and had a decent fasting blood glucose level.  I figured since as of late the DiaBeta was making my blood glucose sink like the Titanic I'd make pancakes for breakfast and put minimal syrup.  That worked like a charm!  One hour after eating, it's supposed to be less than 140, and it was 144.  I then got Dante and myself ready and we went to King Soopers with my friend Seth.

Had a blast, Dante recited the alphabet enough to drill it into my unborn child's head and he actually stayed in the car part of the cart without getting out.  I think the cheese bribe helped.  =D

Got home, put him down for a nap and played online until I felt my body get numb.  It was one of the oddest feelings I have ever felt.  This whole time I was working on an iced decaf Americano with soy milk, so I wasn't hungry, but the shakes were horrible!  So I got up quickly (big mistake) and made myself a sandwich.  That was ROUGH.  My hands were shaking like a leaf as I attempted to put Miracle Whip on my bread and sliced tomatoes and cheese and put on some honey ham.  I don't remember eating it, but I know it disappeared.  After I finished the sandwich, I took my blood sugar:  68.  YIKES!  So I slammed a couple oreos and a couple Hershey hugs and took a nap.  Woke up to take my sugar again, and it was 130.  Creepy, non?

It took him a few hours, but Hubby made an AMAZING stew with shredded pork and potatoes...Wow.  I think I may have overcompensated with the oreos because an hour and a half after I finished my huge bowl, I got a reading of 132.  Not bad, but it should have been better.  All that matters in my book is the fact that I didn't wind up in a coma.  *shakes head*

On the bright side, tomorrow (technically later today) I get a growth ultrasound and we'll see how low she is and if she's head down.  I'm fairly certain she is, so at the very least I'll get a few more pictures to add to my collection.

Then I get to ask my doc about this med, since it's doing weird things to me.  And I'm still having problems getting my fingers to stop bleeding after I check them.  THAT makes me worry!

And now I am going to play a few games, unwind my brain, and hope for the best!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

You Can't Just Leave Me....

This past year has been....interesting.  For those unaware, my best friend died last Hallowe'en, I got knocked up, and magically, Dante turned two.  Time flies, I guess.

But last week, one of my surrogate "moms" was in a motorcycle accident.  Not going to get into details, but I will say, since I finally got to see her today, she looks a lot better than I had anticipated.  Not ship shape, but damn, it was good to hear her voice.

On the way home, I heard the song "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence on the radio.  When that song came out, Chris, my best friend that passed, was the one that insisted I listened to it.  It wasn't until I saw them perform it live on Jay Leno that I realized she actually can't carry a tune in a bucket and I gave up on them.  It also didn't hurt that I had worn that whole album to shreds and was sick of it, and getting into harsh EBM and industrial.

But I've actually heard it a few times lately, and always changed the station.  But for some odd reason, I was compelled to actually listen to it again.  It's still over-rated, still a cliche, and basically, still blows in my opinion.  But I cried.  I couldn't stop myself.  It brought back some fantastic memories with one of the most amazing people I have ever had the honor of knowing.  It stung, like I'd been slapped in the face with a chain mail gauntlet.

So today was a weird day....such good things, like Mom being well enough to get to regular room and I finally got to see her, and being blindsided by one of the dumbest songs ever recorded.  Very odd.

Friday, July 8, 2011

ZAP!

So, today was yet another day that needed to be chronicled.  I woke up at 1215p to take a shower, got dressed, packed up stuff to entertain Dante and snacks and juice, etc., and then got him up and dressed and we ran out the door to my 130p non stress test appointment.

Parking sucked, as per usual, and on the second pass around the office, I found decent metered parking in the shade.  SCORE!  We ran inside and were miraculously only ten minutes late.  Unfortunately, they made us wait in the lobby for a bit.  *shakes head*  Dante took every pen out of the pen box by the receptionist, and when that got boring, he just took the whole darn box and attempted to count each pen.  He also decided to make me sing the alphabet song ad nauseum until I was sure the receptionist closest to us was going to belt out a show tune just to stop herself from shooting us.

We were finally called to the back, and I got to have the elastic bands and doo-hickeys stuck to my bump with that gods-awful gel.  But for some reason, the one that measures her heartbeat wasn't fond of the elastic and wouldn't quite pick it up, so I had to hold it in place with one had and the button to note when I felt her move in the other.  But Little Miss was asleep.  The next thing I know, the medical assistant takes out this device that looks like it could get the lint off a sweater, and she zapped my belly.  Oh.  My.  Goth.  Little Miss was LIVID.  I think that was the first time Dante actually noticed my belly move, and it seemed to unnerve him.  So as I got comfortable (ish), she took him to get pretzels.  I thought that was super sweet.

For the first few minutes, he sat in a seat, reading the ABC's and eating pretzels in silence.  The he decided that Mama needed a pretzel and tried to feed me one, but I couldn't because I had to test my blood sugar from breakfast first.  The problem there was that my hands were full.  And I couldn't reach my purse where the glucose monitor was, anyways.

After a total of about 15 minutes, a different medical assistant came in and MARVELED at how many times I felt her  move.  She even watched my belly in disbelief and realized I had probably missed a few movements because they were on top of each other.  Another ten minutes, and she's back, still dumbfounded by my daughter's in utero ballet.  She then told me that Doc wanted to see the printout, and lo and behold, just a couple minutes later, Doc was in there, also amused and amazed at how Little Miss can shake her hiney.  She gave me a funny look, and told me she wanted to do a quick ultrasound just to check fluid levels, and I realized her funny look was because Dante is not the "sit quietly in a corner" type.

She took the printout and told me she'd meet me in the hall.  I wiped the goo from my belly with a baby wipe since Dante threw away an entire box of Kleenex (hey, she handed it to him, not me!) and Dante threw away his pretzels.  Sigh.

So I waddled down the hall, Dante in tow, and we went to the ultrasound room that the docs use (not the super bad ass one that the ultrasound tech uses.)  Dante didn't want to sit and read, he wanted to cuddle with me.  So I maneuvered him into a semi-awkward position that allowed him to cuddle and see the screen (I didn't!) and she got full access to my peach fuzz covered midsection.  After just a few moments, she was able to tell that Little Miss' fluid levels were fine, and reminded me that my growth check up with the tech was on Monday.

So I put Dante down and wiped more of that disgusting gel off of me and got us out the door.  We took off, and I was going to hit 7-11 before meeting up with Rob and Donna-Ann, but as soon as I parked at 7-11, I realized my wallet was at home.  In the stroller.  UGH!

So I hauled ass back home and just met up with my friends after getting my wallet.  Our visit was  awesome until the rain started.  My blood sugar was in the 70's (thanks, DiaBeta!) and the half of a Fruit by the Foot and half of one of Dante's ZBars didn't help.  So my kind barista gave me one of their day old muffins and Dante didn't even notice that I ate most of it.

When there was finally a break in the rain, we said our goodbyes to our friends and ran through the parking lot into our parking garage.  Dante enjoyed some puddle jumping, and as soon as we got back upstairs, he was put in bed for a nap.

Got a nap, made dinner, and even after a dinner of baked chicken and mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, my blood sugar was barely in the 90's.  So I ate a couple brownies that Dante helped me bake.  Apparently that's what it takes to get a reading of 119.  Seriously.  An hour after two brownies and a pint of milk and my blood sugar was 119.  Apparently this is a wonder drug.

So now I am going to finish up my silly games and get to bed.  Not sure what we are doing tomorrow, but it would probably be a good idea if I got some sleep first...

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Knock Me Over With a Feather!

So, today started innocently enough.  I got up butt early (for me, at least) at 815a to get my happy ass to a diabetes class that my doc wanted me to take, and I did actually learn a few things.  It wasn't a COMPLETE waste.  Met another Mama with GDM, and she was so sweet!  She's due in less than two weeks, though, so she has less time than I do dealing with the finger sticks and such.

Decided to pick up a friend from the hospital they were at, and they were SUPPOSED to be out at 130p.  I got there at 125pm.  BIG.  MISTAKE.  Thanks to User Error, my friends paperwork wouldn't print, so the first 30 minutes, Dante and I waited in the waiting room out front.  When he refused to stop sticking his hands in the soda machine and refused to stop playing with the DirecTV box, I said "SCREW IT" and we waited in the car with the AC on.  Which kills my gas, but I figured it's easier to put gas in the car than it is to find Pedialyte and get him to the doc.

Finally got my friend, took them to the bank and then we went for gas.  As I was getting back in the car, I realized it was 8 minutes to 3 and I was 30 minutes from my doc's office.  Damn.  So I didn't get an ultrasound today, but that's ok.  Still got my GSB test and as soon as Doc saw my sugar levels, she prescribed me a drug called DiaBeta.  Better than taking insulin, but I still feel like an ass for not being able to manage it by diet alone.  So now, thanks to the prescription, I get to go in twice a week to get non-stress tests so they can see how Little Miss is moving and such.  Understandable, but frustrating, since that means I get to take Dante on one of them a week.  Yay.  (Can you smell my sarcasm?)  I get to take a rambunctious 2 year old to sit.  In a room.  With nothing to really entertain him and I will be strapped to something.

So today has been an interesting one.  While I am very tempted to rant about what I perceive to be a massive injustice in Florida, I am going to leave it be.  I can't let other people and their idiocy piss me off, or I'll be a walking time bomb.  It is hard to maintain decorum when I am this angry, but life is all about learning, and I"m trying.

I am debating whether or not I want a nap.  Part of me is amazed my eyes are open, but I'm not sure how I am going to sleep tonight...Ah.  Life is just a great big science experiment.  I am but a Bunsen burner in the chemistry lab of life.