A Confession On Pregnancy Health
Before I was pregnant I used to plan on having this super healthy pregnancy. I was to loose 40 pounds before getting pregnant and then getting pregnant and eating all raw vegetables and fruits. I thought I was going to run still and do yoga daily and have such an ideal and optimal pregnancy. This was a thought I had at 29 years old.
Let's fast forward four year to uh, now. I never lost the 40 pounds I intended on but I did run and run and run last year and the beginning of this year. I did hot yoga until I found out I was pregnant because I was getting dizzy and had hot flashes where I had to sit out most of the class. I slowly began to eat meat and during the early half of my pregnancy I ate Popeye's chicken with two buttermilk biscuits. Chips, which I hate, began to be so delish especially the hot ones. The hotter the better. My cravings varied and I gained four pounds within the first couple of weeks of pregnancy. I was terrible! I then went to Louisiana and gorged so much on fried foods that once I got home and began eating healthy again I vomited repeatedly. I was about 20 weeks then.
"Scares" during this pregnancy have been- increased pH in the blood within the first trimester, Gallbladder issues in the second trimester so I guess I should not be shocked that DIABETES in the beginning of the third trimester would not be on the list.
When I found out that my blood sugar was high on the glucose tolerance test at 28 weeks I feared for the worse. Vince was with me in the Midwife's office and he could see the tears welding up. We walked out of the office and I couldn't control it anymore. I began balling about how I was destroying our child and how I wouldn't be able to have the water birth I so desperately wanted because I have been eating like crap. I began to feel like I lied to people about the healthy cravings and how I thought shrimp fried rice was disgusting. Vince pulled over to an empty parking lot and just hugged me. I asked him how he felt that his wife was a failure. He looked at me and told me I was not and that they can not tell me I got it yet. He told me I was stressed and that the baby and I would be fine. He wiped my tears and I just hugged him. I tried to believe what he said. As we got food, I began to make a promise to myself that no matter what the diagnosis was I was going to be better.
Week one- I had salads for lunch every day and took the stairs to my office which was on the fifth floor. After breakfast and dinner I took a walk for anywhere between 15-30 minutes. Any time I thought I was too lazy to do it I thought about delivering a 10 pound baby via C section and waking up from the drugs two days later after they have formula fed my baby. Towards the end of the week it became more difficult as we had a wedding to attend. "No biggie. I will just avoid eating the wedding cake." The wedding was delish. Pasta, bread, starchy veggies and loads of creamy foods- I had been close to avoiding eating carbs except quinoa and oats. So, I had some energy and danced on the dance floor. So many people were shocked by all the energy I had but I needed to do something. I stopped eating at the proper time so it would be 12 hours before I took my second test. The next morning Vince and I woke up to drive out to the Western Suburbs to take my Three hour glucose tolerance test. We watched movies on my phone and relaxed out in the beautiful waiting area at Elmhurst. After the test, Vince smiled and said, "You deserve a reward! Let's go get pancakes." Of course the sweet drink really turned me off to sweets.
Week two- I still ate raw veggies and juiced with my Nutri blender. Stairs was still being walked by me as the people who worked in the office building swore up and down I was trying to have a very premature baby. I walked even more in the evenings and usually I gave myself a treat like window shopping on Milwaukee Avenue and instead of driving to a drive through to do banking I walked to the banks in Wicker Park.
Next Midwife Appointment- I sat there calm as I waited patiently reading "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens on my phone. I wanted to take a break from all the baby reading madness as I was on the last few chapters on one book and over half way completed on another. I even dosed off for a quick nap before I was called in. I lost two pounds since the last midwife appointment (the last appointment I lost a pound from a month prior) which I was told was okay. After the wait my first question to the midwife was, "So, do I have diabetes?"
"No, you are not a diabetic. We called you because I saw how upset you were about 'failing' the last test."
"Hurray!!!"
"Yeah girl! Go eat a cupcake. By the way, you look great whatever you were doing."
"Veggies- lots of them! Walking and little to no starch or carbs."
I think I am going to continue eating like this. Loads of veggies, small amount of carbs, no fried foods, little sweets, fruit, and serious complex carbs like oatmeal. I feel better and I am moving around having no issues with constipation. It may even go beyond pregnancy while I am breastfeeding and training up for running again. I am sure I will feel simply amazing post baby and able to drop the baby weight. This was posted for anyone to be inspired by my story as I continue through life to avoid diabetes which is something that both my parents had. This is something that will teach me a lesson as it has my husband who has two siblings with diabetes and a mother with diabetes.Our kid may actually have his/her parents to inspire to avoid diabetes as we are going to work to have it end with our parents. Now, off to making a healthy weight baby!
Let's fast forward four year to uh, now. I never lost the 40 pounds I intended on but I did run and run and run last year and the beginning of this year. I did hot yoga until I found out I was pregnant because I was getting dizzy and had hot flashes where I had to sit out most of the class. I slowly began to eat meat and during the early half of my pregnancy I ate Popeye's chicken with two buttermilk biscuits. Chips, which I hate, began to be so delish especially the hot ones. The hotter the better. My cravings varied and I gained four pounds within the first couple of weeks of pregnancy. I was terrible! I then went to Louisiana and gorged so much on fried foods that once I got home and began eating healthy again I vomited repeatedly. I was about 20 weeks then.
"Scares" during this pregnancy have been- increased pH in the blood within the first trimester, Gallbladder issues in the second trimester so I guess I should not be shocked that DIABETES in the beginning of the third trimester would not be on the list.
When I found out that my blood sugar was high on the glucose tolerance test at 28 weeks I feared for the worse. Vince was with me in the Midwife's office and he could see the tears welding up. We walked out of the office and I couldn't control it anymore. I began balling about how I was destroying our child and how I wouldn't be able to have the water birth I so desperately wanted because I have been eating like crap. I began to feel like I lied to people about the healthy cravings and how I thought shrimp fried rice was disgusting. Vince pulled over to an empty parking lot and just hugged me. I asked him how he felt that his wife was a failure. He looked at me and told me I was not and that they can not tell me I got it yet. He told me I was stressed and that the baby and I would be fine. He wiped my tears and I just hugged him. I tried to believe what he said. As we got food, I began to make a promise to myself that no matter what the diagnosis was I was going to be better.
Week one- I had salads for lunch every day and took the stairs to my office which was on the fifth floor. After breakfast and dinner I took a walk for anywhere between 15-30 minutes. Any time I thought I was too lazy to do it I thought about delivering a 10 pound baby via C section and waking up from the drugs two days later after they have formula fed my baby. Towards the end of the week it became more difficult as we had a wedding to attend. "No biggie. I will just avoid eating the wedding cake." The wedding was delish. Pasta, bread, starchy veggies and loads of creamy foods- I had been close to avoiding eating carbs except quinoa and oats. So, I had some energy and danced on the dance floor. So many people were shocked by all the energy I had but I needed to do something. I stopped eating at the proper time so it would be 12 hours before I took my second test. The next morning Vince and I woke up to drive out to the Western Suburbs to take my Three hour glucose tolerance test. We watched movies on my phone and relaxed out in the beautiful waiting area at Elmhurst. After the test, Vince smiled and said, "You deserve a reward! Let's go get pancakes." Of course the sweet drink really turned me off to sweets.
Week two- I still ate raw veggies and juiced with my Nutri blender. Stairs was still being walked by me as the people who worked in the office building swore up and down I was trying to have a very premature baby. I walked even more in the evenings and usually I gave myself a treat like window shopping on Milwaukee Avenue and instead of driving to a drive through to do banking I walked to the banks in Wicker Park.
Next Midwife Appointment- I sat there calm as I waited patiently reading "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens on my phone. I wanted to take a break from all the baby reading madness as I was on the last few chapters on one book and over half way completed on another. I even dosed off for a quick nap before I was called in. I lost two pounds since the last midwife appointment (the last appointment I lost a pound from a month prior) which I was told was okay. After the wait my first question to the midwife was, "So, do I have diabetes?"
"No, you are not a diabetic. We called you because I saw how upset you were about 'failing' the last test."
"Hurray!!!"
"Yeah girl! Go eat a cupcake. By the way, you look great whatever you were doing."
"Veggies- lots of them! Walking and little to no starch or carbs."
I think I am going to continue eating like this. Loads of veggies, small amount of carbs, no fried foods, little sweets, fruit, and serious complex carbs like oatmeal. I feel better and I am moving around having no issues with constipation. It may even go beyond pregnancy while I am breastfeeding and training up for running again. I am sure I will feel simply amazing post baby and able to drop the baby weight. This was posted for anyone to be inspired by my story as I continue through life to avoid diabetes which is something that both my parents had. This is something that will teach me a lesson as it has my husband who has two siblings with diabetes and a mother with diabetes.Our kid may actually have his/her parents to inspire to avoid diabetes as we are going to work to have it end with our parents. Now, off to making a healthy weight baby!
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