30 Weeks: More of the Same

Things are starting to speed up on the pregnancy front these days.  I've began going to my OB every two weeks, and I'm still seeing my endo once a month.  So that means I have an appointment every week for 3 weeks out of the month.  But my appointments are as quick as going through a revolving door.  It seems that each appointment is simply checking for any problems (blood pressure issues, protein in my urine, weight check) and sending me on my merry way.  Thankfully, nothing is sending up any red flags, so I'm in and out very quickly.  

Endo:  

I had my 7 month endo appointment last week.  I wasn't that worried about my A1c because my numbers had been pretty stable over the past few weeks.  I've got into a groove where I'm changing my site every 3 days or less, leaving my old site in for a few hours to prevent any highs, and steadily increasing my basal rates once a week.  I've been in this groove since about 25 weeks, and it seems to be working.  Even though I have my bad days, I wasn't worried about the result because I had had an ultrasound the week before and I knew my little girl was growing as she should be with no evidence of diabetes on her.  So even if my A1c had crept up a little bit, my baby was not suffering for it.  

After waiting the excruciating 5 minutes watching the machine count down to 0:00 for my A1c, I was surprised to see that it actually went down to 5.3% (from 5.4% a month ago).  And considering that this A1c is mostly the 2nd trimester when my insulin resistance started to kick in, this A1c represents less lows and more control.  A major win!  My endo was, of course, pleased with this number.  He made some recommendations for changes to my pump, but to be honest I'm taking them all with a grain of salt.  He always wants to prevent lows for me as much as possible, but I'm not going to worry about it with that A1c.  That might make me a non-compliant patient, but sometimes I trust myself more.  Kids, don't try this at home (see Disclaimer below).  I made my next appointment with him for a month from now, which might be my last appointment with him before my little girl's arrival!  

OB:  

Yesterday, I had my 30 week appointment with my OB.  Due to some changes for me at work, I switched from morning appointments to afternoons.  So my wait was considerably longer due to the domino affect of previous appointments getting behind, but I don't mind when I know my doctor will give me as much time as I want.  Sign of a great doctor!  

The appointment started out with my usual "deposit" in the bathroom.  And I was surprised when the little cubby hole where I put my sample already had another cup in it!  Now I know why the nurse always asks me to label my cup before I fill it.  I mean, could you identify your pee if you had to?!  

Next was my weight check, which is getting more depressing each and every time.  I'm up a total of 31 lbs. so far, and I originally wanted to cap my entire weight gain at 30 lbs.  I still have 10 weeks left, so I can only hope that my weight gain at least slows down.  I told myself in the beginning that I didn't care what the number was as long as my baby was healthy.  But man that's hard when you see that number on the scale and require help getting off the couch (or at least a beginning roll to get some momentum).  Either way, as long as baby girl gets here safe and sound on the outside, I'll deal.  

Finally was my blood pressure check, which I loathe each time because it's always high at this office.  I have selective white coat syndrome because it's normal at my endo.  This time it was 140/80, but the nurse didn't make me lie down on my left side like last time.  That's only if the lower number goes over 80, so I was allowed to stay vertical until the doctor got there.  

The doctor comes into my room and greets me.  He asks me how my blood sugars are doing, and I gave him my report from my endo appointment and he was all smiles with that number.  He measures my fundal height, which came in at 33 cm--thank you, 5'2" stature--a little ahead but right on target.  He did make a note that my blood pressure has climbed a little bit over time, but he said he's not worried about it since my blood sugars, urine, and growth measurements are all fine.  If anything else was going awry, we might have to take some action.  But right now it seems to be a normal part of a high-risk pregnancy.  Huh?! 

I mentioned to him the swelling I've been experiencing in the past week or so.  I don't know if it's the summer-like weather or pregnancy or both, but by the end of the day my feet feel like they're going to pop out of my shoes and I have to move my wedding ring to my pinky.  He said it is simply a normal, annoying part of pregnancy that will go away after the baby is born.  The best I can do for now is to try and put up my feet as much as possible (yay!) and decrease my salt intake.  So I'm taking advantage of the weather and wearing flip flops as much as I can.  

I also brought up the fact that I have been having some contraction-like feelings throughout the day.  I really can't tell if they're Braxton-Hicks or not because I have no idea what "real" contractions feel like.  He said not to worry unless I'm having more than 6 contractions an hour, or one every 10 minutes.  I'm not sure if this will be the same rule when I get to full-term because my doctor has made it clear that he doesn't want me to go into labor on my own.  We'll see, I guess.       

Less than 10 weeks left to go, and I feel like I just want to hold my breath until she's here.  It seems like there's so much left to do (childbirth classes, showers, more and more appointments).  Being pregnant has become a full-time job, and one I'll be glad to give my two weeks' notice when it's time.  I'm so excited to have her here on the outside, I can barely wait.