3D U/S

We had our 3D & 4D ultrasound session last night, it took us a while to decide but we feel that it's worth it.

We got a whole bunch of pictures in a CD, all of them are taken from this angle because Swe-Cha was sort of folded in half at the waist and had his feet crossed near his face. He seemed like he was sleeping and he didn't move the whole time.

We also have a 20 minute DVD of the entire session - this would be boring for most people but we had fun watching Swe-Cha do nothing. Guess this is what being a parent does to you. *smile*

We saw a lot of yawning from both the 2D and the 3D perspective. Of course, we both thought that he was so cute.

We were also lucky enough to get a smile from him (check out the 2nd picture) and yes, he is a boy. No doubt about it as we got several good shots of his ... um... stuff.

Mom and Dad commented that Swe-Cha looks so round and has hubby's nose (haha, malaki siguro).

FYI: Car Seat Installation Inspections

To those living in the state of NJ, you can bring your car seats & your vehicle to your local police stations and / or state police locations for inspection. A certified car seat expert will be there to make sure that your seats are installed correctly.

An appointment is usually required.

For those in the area of Totowa, NJ:

Thursdays 9am - 12pm (no appointments needed)

250 Minnisink Rd

Totowa, NJ 07512

Always late

What is it with me these days ? It seems like I (we) always decide at the very last minute and by the time we make up our minds, it's too late.

First was that seasonal flu shot. From the time that I got a go-signal from the OB, it took me a couple of weeks to decide to want to get it. I finally decided that I did want to do it when I realized that the supply was running low. By then, there were no mercury-free shots available - none that I could find anyway.

Now, it's the 3D / 4D ultrasound session. I called up a facility last week to inquire and they still had plenty of open slots for this week. Who's to know that when we finally decide to go with it, they are fully booked till the 2nd week of November! By then, it'll be too late for me since I'm already at 31 weeks now - ideal time frame is between 24 to 32 weeks.

Not wanting to let this go,... I called up different U/S facilities and by the 3rd try, I did get an appointment for tomorrow evening. So excited :D

Dr Spock's

Hubby and I attended child care classes last weekend, we practiced on baby dummies - picking them up, burping positions, carrying positions, breastfeeding positions, passing them from one to another and we also did diaper changes - minus the poop.

After the class, I realized how *not* ready we still were and I decided to order a new book online and it arrived in the mail last night. It was Dr Spock's Baby and Child Care book. Every so often, I'd find myself re-reading my What to Expect... books and I figured that with Swe-Cha's arrival in the near future, I should jump on ahead and start reading up on Child Care.

Breastfeeding Class

We attended breastfeeding class for two hours last night, the speaker wasn't as entertaining as the one we had in Childbirth / Lamaze class so the two hours felt more like four. Hubby was yawning all the time and I had to keep poking him to make sure that he wasn't napping.

All in all, I wouldn't say that the class was completely useless but I don't remember hearing anything that I haven't heard or read about before.

Some useful information:

- La Leche League - breastfeeding advocate & support

- Infant will lose weight the first few days

- Hospital (where I am supposed to give birth) has lactation consultants available and they do give away free manual Medela breast pumps. Ask for it if you aren't given one.

- If in doubt, ask.

- To see how your baby is doing with regards to feeding, check his pee / poop.

- Do not use or share breast pumps, only hospital-grade breastpumps can be shared among different people

All in all, it wasn't a bad class - just probably not worth the $50 we paid for.

Beautiful!

"Beautiful," he said.

That was the most beautiful thing I heard today, it was the endocrinologist's comment when he saw my glucose level chart. "Beautiful" was then followed by "you don't have to go on insulin if you keep this up" and I swear, my smile must have reached my ears.

I was worried about my fasting levels as I have been having a hard time keeping them within the target range of 70 to 95. It turns out that my scores which have been falling consistently in the 96-100 zone are still okay. Apparently, even if these numbers aren't good, they're not *that* bad either.

Yay for me, swe-cha and hubby (who has been very patient in walking the hallways with me at nights so that I can get some exercise).

Diaper Stockpile

I have to admit that I might have gotten a little bit carried away with the diapers. You see, they were on sale and I couldn't resist - what else can I say ?

I could also claim ignorance as an excuse because we had bought the two boxes of size 1-2 diapers first (up to 15 lbs), thinking that newborns take a while to get past 15 lbs. It wasn't until we were getting the Pampers newborn size and saw that it was for babies up to 10 lbs that I started getting second thoughts about the 2nd box of size 1-2 diapers.

After all, each box had 216 diapers and should last us a month. At least. Right ?

Uh, right ?

In any case, we can always return and or exchange the box for a bigger size later on.

Dealing with GD

My first week living with gestational diabetes went well - or so I think. I've been able to keep my numbers within the target range most of the time and have come up with some strategies (with a lot of help from forums, blogs and articles from the web) that help me keep my glucose levels in control.

Here are some helpful things I've found:

- It helps to have small, frequent meals throughout the day.

- Fastfood is bad. Really bad. I eat my fill when I eat throughout the day and I never go beyond the target range, but I eat at a fast food joint (even sparingly) and my glucose levels shoot up.

- Exercise helps and now that I'm in my 3rd trimester and that it's cold outside at night, we just do some walking in the hallways of our building.

- Eat a balanced diet! Vegetarian meals tend to give me high readings but meals with equal amounts of vegetables, meat and rice will give me a nice number in the middle of the target range.

- With my routine, it helps to have a light protein snack sometime between dinner and bedtime.

- No napping after meals!

- Keep a food diary, it will help you keep track of what food combinations trigger high glucose levels and which ones are okay.

I am due to go back to my endocrinologist next week. My glucose levels the first few days have not been good but they've steadily improved over the last few days. Hopefully, the doc will give me & swe-cha a break and not have to put me on insulin or any medications.

Playing with the Meter

Day 1 with my brand new glucose meter and diet plan went relatively well. There was a bit of confusion and scrambling around when I found out that the brands that my insurance covers do not include what the doctor prescribed for me but this was resolved quickly afterwards.

On the up side, the results of my first test at home was great.

On the down side, I sort of trashed a test strip and only got a decent sample on the 2nd test strip after 7 pricks on my finger.

Had dinner at my current favorite - Moe's - with hubby tonight. I have a 10 more minutes before I'm due for a test. I wonder what number tonight's streaker vegetarian burrito (no tortilla) will bring me ?

GD

So it's official. I just got in with the 3 to 5% of pregnant women who get diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.

During my Glucose Screen Test at the OB's, I didn't feel bad when the OB told me that all her patients in the past week failed their GSTs but most have failed the 3 hour GTT afterwards.

During my Glucose Tolerance Test at the lab, I consoled myself with the idea that "most" of my doctor's patients have passed the GTT.

Last week, when I was told that I failed the GTT too, I consoled myself with the fact that 99% of women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes respond to diet and won't have to get insulin.

Now, I thought about checking the stats and find out that only 3 to 5% of women get diagnosed with gestational diabetes... I'm starting to feel anxious. I guess this shouldn't be much of a surprise because my maternal grandfather lived with diabetes for decades and my mom's blood sugar levels have been playing in the borderline for a while now.

I'm seeing an endocrinologist tomorrow, please pray for me and the baby.

I saw him move!

I've been feeling Swe-Cha's movement for a long time now but today was the first time I actually saw my belly move.

I was sitting with my hand on my belly when he moved. I felt him move and saw my hand jerk up at the same time. He's been moving a lot lately so I thought that if I stared at my belly long enough, I just might see him move.

and I did. He moved and rippled across my tummy.

and it was awesome. Much like the time when hubby put his ear to my tummy to listen and talk to Swe-cha, when he touched his face to my tummy, Swe cha kicked his startled Dad.

So cool, in a sci-fi sort of way (think Alien).