The dreaded glucose test. Ugh. In two weeks, at my next check-up, they get to tell me I have gestational diabetes again, and the days of gorging on cheese coneys (or whatever else I’ve been guilty of eating) are officially over.

Let me back up a bit. Before I got pregnant with Boston, I had gained a ton of weight. I was elatedly happy with my then-new husband, and ate, and ate, and ate some more. Why? Because he loves me and didn’t care what I ate. This whole structure was odd for me because I’ve always been athletic, and I’ve always eaten really healthy foods. I’m a firm believer that you are what you eat. I never ever eat at places like McDonalds, haven’t had fatty ground beef in this house in over 8 years, always buy free range chicken & eggs, eat lots of fruits and veggies, etc. So when I went for my glucose test with Boston, the thought of having gestational diabetes never crossed my mind. Until, I drank the gross orange drink and felt so sick to my stomach I had to lie down in the doctor’s office. When they told me the news, I felt like a failure. Like I had let myself and my unborn child down. I had no clue what to do or how to control the diabetes, or what would happen to my baby or me if I didn’t do everything right. It causes a number of things during pregnancy to the momma and the baby, one of which being kidney stones…again, something I got painfully stuck with in my third trimester. Luckily, I do have an amazing husband, who ate healthy foods with me after that, helped me check my glucose levels if I ever needed the help or extra supplies, and when I gained a healthy pregnant weight instead of overdoing it, Boston was born screaming and healthy at 7lbs. Because of the gestational diabetes, he was still jaundiced at birth and will always have a risk of developing diabetes sometime in his lifetime, but he’s otherwise extremely healthy!

So, what is gestational diabetes? Basically, it’s high blood sugar (glucose) levels in a woman during pregnancy. The fun part is, it only occurs in a low percentage of pregnancies, so I got to be one of the lucky ones. A woman’s body does some crazy stuff to keep her healthy during a pregnancy, including the placenta producing hormones to prevent the momma from developing low blood sugar (they work by resisting the actions of insulin (the hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy) resulting in something called insulin resistance). Insulin resistance makes it hard for the momma’s body to use insulin, which means she might need a whole lot more than normal. The pancreas produces insulin, and if the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to keep up with the insulin resistance, gestational diabetes occurs. (I’m no doctor, so you can find all of the information about it at http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/gestational_diabetes)

There are a number of risk factors that increase developing gestational diabetes including being overweight at the time of conception, or having gestational diabetes with a previous pregnancy…both of which apply to me. Which brings me to my next doctor’s appointment. It’s pretty much a given, and I’ve come to terms with it. After Boston was born, I got back on track with eating healthy, exercising regularly, and my husband and I both lost a considerable amount of weight. Because I developed gestational diabetes at one point in my life, I’ll always be at risk of developing type-2 diabetes if I don’t stay healthy. It was only when I found out I was pregnant with this little one that the ridiculous cravings warped my brain 🙂 We all make mistakes, and I while I’m a firm believer that you are what you eat, I also think you should be able to totally splurge now and again or you’d go crazy (My go-to splurge? I could eat pasta slathered in thick, creamy sauce for every meal…it’s a sickness really). Now that I’m half way through my pregnancy and the cravings aren’t so bad, I’m back to eating what’s right and keeping my fingers crossed that I hear good news at my 24-week appointment!

Baby boy update:  This week, he was as big as a papaya (about 11 in. and anywhere from 12.7 to 20.8 oz).  His eyes and lips are even more developed and he’s been sleeping in cycles (about 12-14 hours per day).  He kicks a lot and those sleep cycles are pretty routine as he’s always kicking around the same times every day when he’s awake. Until next week! XO