My new toys (week 28)

Last Friday I got the dreaded phone call telling me I failed my one-hour gestational diabetes (GD) screening test. Since only 15% of people who fail this actually end up being diagnosed with GD I tried to stay positive. So I went on to take the 3-hour, fasting GD test (which is not fun- 3 hours in the waiting room, starving and thirsty). 1 hour after the test was over and I was back at work it became clear to me that I wasn't going to pass. Even though I had a good snack before leaving the hospital, I shortly thereafter had what I assume was a hypoglycemic episode. I got dizzy, lightheaded and nauseous. My head hurt and I started profusely sweating. My hands were shaking. I couldn't concentrate. I knew I needed food but I wasn't sure I could even make it to the refrigerator without passing out. I finally got my food... and ate... and ate.. and ate. I ate all the food I had for the rest of the day (I was at work), plus 2 of my emergency Larabars. 20 minutes after that... I was wiped and could barely keep my eyes open. I knew I was doomed! Sure enough, I got a call confirming a diagnosis of GD the next morning. The scary thing is... although this episode was the worst I've ever had, I have gotten them before. I'm really hoping that the diabetes goes away postpartum, but I think that is a bad sign. I expect I'll be amongst the 50% of GDers who develop type 2 later in life. Or maybe I've had it all along...

Anyway, this week I met with a nutritionist and a nurse at the diabetes management office at Newton Wellesley to learn how to control GD with diet and take my blood sugars.  Meet my new toys:

I have to strictly watch my diet and carb intake (can't have too little or too much), take my blood sugar 4 times a day, and pee on a stick every morning to measure for ketones. Too many ketones mean I'm not getting enough calories.

In a week I meet with an endocrinologist to review my blood sugars and diet. If something looks off, they might decide to put me in insulin. I'm now considered a "higher risk" pregnancy and will have to start regularly meeting with the folks at the Maternal Fetal Medicine department as well as my regular OB. The big concerns are big birth weight for BBH and some potential complications for me such as Pre eclampsia. I'm nervous about both of those, because they both mean they might induce early and/or have to deliver via c-section. That's not how I want it to happen...