Because there hasn't been enough drama in this pregnancy (enter sarcasm here), I am so not happy to announce that about a month ago I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. But before I go on about that, let me give you a little background first.
I make big babies. I weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces when I was born. My husband weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds 12 ounces (kudos to my mother-in-law for having him naturally)!!! So, when Ethan came into this world around 11 pounds, I don't suppose I was really surprised. I say around 11 pounds because after 23 hours of labor, when my doctor decided he wasn't coming out the natural way, I had a C-Section. Chad saw the nurses put E on the scale and it read 11 pounds 2 ounces. They said, "that can't be right", messed with some buttons, put him back on and declared him to weigh 10 pounds 10 ounces. The next morning when the pediatrician came to visit me, he indicated that one of the scales must be wrong because he had E weighing 11 pounds 5 ounces that morning!!! So, around 11 pounds.
Because of that, I was supposed to have Gabriel a couple weeks early in a scheduled C-Section the week of Thanksgiving. Then we found out about the clefts. My doc told me at that time that our best chance of keeping him out of the NICU and having him be able to eat without much issue was to not deliver him until he was full term (40 weeks). Well, I went 41 weeks with E, so I figured why not? If it meant less chance for the NICU and possibly not having to worry about my son not coming home the same time as me - I was all for it.
Then came the gestational diabetes. I had my first appointment with my doc since being diagnosed today. While I have been doing exceptionally well at keeping my blood sugar under control, there are still many risks that can impact the child of a mother with diabetes. Some include, respiratory distress, excessive birth weight with larger than average heads and shoulders, hypoglycemia, jaundice, type 2 diabetes later in life, and those we do not speak of. Because of these risks, my doc would normally deliver these babies at 37 - 40 weeks and not a day over.
So do you see the predicament here? Either we wait the full 40 weeks for the clefts or we deliver early to reduce the possible risks as a result of the diabetes. I am putting my trust into a man who I believe will do the best thing for my child, but I do have to wonder what the 'best thing' is. Either way, I now have to see my doc once a week to keep close tabs on the diabetes, how big Gabriel is getting, and any additional drama that might be thrown our way.
By the way, when I was pregnant with E, he always measured one week ahead of where he was supposed to. Gabriel today measures three weeks ahead!!!! Big baby coming!!!! I just wish I knew when...
Not to be flip about this very serious subject, but truly this pregnancy is turning out to be quite a "growth" experience in more ways than one.
ReplyDeleteYour writing is outstanding, Jessica. These posts are well organized and very moving in their honesty. I would suggest that when all is said and done, you consider working with a publisher to convert it to a book. You might even find a nonprofit sponsor for it right now.