Exciting Expectations

7/24/15        23:06 I went to do my 3 hour sugar test today. I was able to avoid the trauma on my birthday. The solution was nasty this time. It was fruit punch flavored and probably the sweetest thing I've had in years. I think that if I didn't have diabetes, that solution was sure to give it to me. I'm now less anxious about the test results. I'm just trying to come to grips with just surrendering and realizing that I have to control either way. It just feels like someone stealing a basketball as I'm about to make the shot. I was having a completely "normal" pregnancy and this prospect of having gestational diabetes hurts that. On a different note, I'm becoming more aware that I am easily annoyed. Now, I don't think I am unnecessarily annoyed, buy I'm finding that things I would normally chalk up as a loss are now unbearable.  It 's hard to just shake things off. I also don't want to deal with certain things if I anticipate being ...

7/20/15     12:20 Felicity and I survived our first night float. Overall it was a great night and I can't complain. I'm hoping for good nights all week. While my shift was ending, I saw that the results of my glucose 1 hour test were received . I failed with 199; the norm is 90-140. I instantly became sad and concerned. How am I gonna diet while pregnant? Have I already harmed my baby? Is this my farewell to the birthing center, non-medicated birth, and pad thai? I instantly texted my husband the alarming news and had him promise to keep this to himself. Even as a physician, I was still ashamed as if I caused myself to have gestational diabetes. In fact, I shouldn't have been so surprised given my BMI and family history. Nonetheless, I was disappointed and concerned for my baby.  I called my doctor as soon as I got home and was informed that I'd have to take the 3 hour test at Quest Diagnostics. I looked though the available dates and BOOM : the next best time for t...

I have received Mother's Day gifts since I was about 16;  partly because I helped raise my siblings and partly because I wasn't a mother. Mother's day was a reminder that I wasn't a statistic and that I was moving in the "right" direction. This Mother's Day not only am I a statistic, I am also a mother. I can't even count the amount of women I know that have recently given birth or are expecting. The wave has come and I'm happily caught in it. I also want to share that I feel that Mother's Day is for celebrating expectant mothers as much as it is for mothers with live children. Pregnancy is the pivotal time when mothers sacrifice themselves to give their children everything they need. The cycle goes on indefinitely until the child must provide for the mother. However, pregnancy is the first exemplary model of what mothers do. We give ourselves totally to ensure that our children are secure, nurtured, and healthy. I am so honored to be a mother....

Second trimester has been amazing thus far. I feel more like myself. First trimester deserves a blog post devoted to my hardship. The first six weeks were OK. I started feeling shortness of breath and fatigue, but overall I was feeling well. I ate junk food like crazy and was concerned about all the weight I would gain. I remember going to the first appointment and expressing my fears to my physician. She laughed at me. She said that she had no worries about my weight gain and I would soon find out that my concerns would be the least of my problems. Within a few days it was as if a curse was put on me because the nausea started. My nausea was nonspecific, but constant. I pushed away meals. I couldn't eat much. I felt like I was being tortured. Before I got pregnant, I stopped drinking alcohol. To my surprise, most of the first trimester ,after the 6th week ,felt like a nonstop hangover. The nausea was bad, but around week ten things got worse. I started to have acid reflux. I was a...

3/20/15       8:32 Arlinton and I had our first prenatal appointment this week. Before the appointment I was asked whether I was nervous. I was not; I was excited. It was nice to finally go to a doctor and get medical care. It feels like it's really difficult to ask for appointment time despite me profession. Nevertheless, appointments are granted to expectant mothers with less push back. I plan to take the full advantage of this opportunity. Once I arrived to the office, I immediately ran to the bathroom. Two minutes later I was asked for a urine sample and had no problem delivering. My frequency of urination has been incredible recently. My OB is quick and efficient, but she took her time when she showed us our new family addition. I was ecstatic to see that our little one was healthy, reaching milestones, and had a strong heartbeat. I feel the experience solidified that my pregnancy is official and that life is absolutely precious. No tears yet, but I'...

One of the most exciting things this pregnancy is that a few of my friends are pregnant as well. At least 7 of my acquaintances are pregnant now. Two of them are really close friends that have due dates within weeks of my own. Some of the other mothers have deliveries in the next two weeks. It has been awesome to have this shared experience because it offers more support than I can receive on a forum. Granted, the chicks on the forum are all about tmi with talks about cm, but they don't know me. My friends know me and know what will excite or scare me from this experience. The shared pregnancy has also made me closer to these lovely ladies. Pregnancy has rearranged my priorities entirely. I value sleep and talking with loved ones more than ever. If work is the least bit optional it takes the back burner. I think the pregnancy has also helped me to realize what is really important and most important to myself. I am putting my needs first. My pregnancy partners have also helped me wi...

I can't honestly say I knew I was pregnant. My guess was probably as good as any other time I thought I was pregnant, but was not. One of my earliest symptoms was fatigue. I get tired early, but this was different. I would randomly get a feeling of impending pass out. I would feel so tired that I suggested stepping away for a nap. I didn't execute the power nap yet, but I feel I may in the future. The feelings of fatigue are beyond feeling sleepy. I feel like I have to sleep now or I will no longer operate. I've also experienced shortness of breath. It was to the point that I was afraid I was developing early heart failure. My exercise tolerance is about the same. I don't have to stop, but I am definitely more labored in my actions. I can't say that I developed cravings, but I have been surely sampling everything. In retrospect it seems like I was searching for what I may crave. So far, I've eaten most fast foods and I think I'm happiest with homemade food a...