Pregnancy: How Much Weight Did You Gain?

I was reading a blog entry about Maya Rudolph gaining 70 pounds with her first pregnancy. And I’m thinking, “OMG! That’s a lot of weight.” But I don’t think it’s completely out of the ordinary. A lot of my mommy friends gained around 50 pounds, and some up to 100 pounds. And these women are small and petite.

When I was pregnant (both times), my doctor suggested that I gain no more than 25 pounds. The first time around, I said, “Sure, no problem.” But as the pregnancy progressed, my total weight gain was around 35-40 pounds. It wasn’t like I pigged out on everything, nor was I “eating for two.” But I definitely couldn’t control my weight gain. With my second pregnancy (since I had gestational diabetes), I was put on a low-carb, no sugar diet, and I followed this diet to a T for the health and well-being of my unborn child. Trust me. It was HARD not to give in to my cravings. Yet, I still gained about 30 pounds. My point is, whether I followed a nutritional diet or not, I still gained over the recommended 25 pounds.

Just out of curiosity, how much weight did you gain?

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Jamee Reports: It’s a Boy!

Happy Birthday, Paulo Antonio!

le•top welcomes Jamee’s newborn into the world…Happy Birthday! We had a little fun trying to guess when this little sugar policeman was going to make his world debut, so here are the actual stats on Paulo Antonio‘s birth:

Monday, March 30th
9:28AM
7.9lbs
21 inches

One person got the date right (Kristin), and seven (of 15 guesses) correctly guessed the gender. Matt came closest to guessing the weight (his guess: 7.8), and one person (Jen) came within 28 minutes of the time of birth (her guess: 9AM).

Since no one guessed correctly on more than one birth stat, we’ll have to wait until someone else who’s having a baby wants to have a guessing game with us to give away any prizes (yes, of course this was a secret contest!).

Meanwhile, we congratulate Jamee (very tired, but very happy), her husband and new big sister, Miranda! And, a big ‘Happy Birthday’, Paulo Antonio!

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Gestational Diabetes Update at 38 Weeks

I am extremely tired and exhausted. And it’s not from nesting. It’s from carrying my gigantic belly, keeping my glucose levels down, and from not sleeping. I’m SO done with this pregnancy that I can’t stand it. I don’t want to sleep because it’s uncomfortable, and I get carpal tunnel. I wake up with numb, painful fingers. Plus, I have to pee at least twice a night.

As for the gestational diabetes diet, I’m SO done with it! I don’t want to take my medication and wait an hour before eating. I don’t want to think about what I’m eating. I don’t want to schedule my eating and schedule everything around my eating. I’m tired of checking my glucose levels an hour after I eat. AND, I’m tired of going to the hospital twice a week for non-stress tests. I’m tired of seeing my nutritionist every couple of weeks to prove to her that I’m not cheating on my diet. I just want to live blissfully, eat heartily, and be happy. (Is that too much to ask? Give a pregnant woman a break!)

I have, at the most, two more weeks left and that doesn’t seem to be passing quickly enough. Ughh… I need to stop complaining. Most likely, I’ll be complaining about something new after the baby arrives. 🙂

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It’s Mommy and Me Week

I’m at 35 weeks and may have less than a month before my little munchkin arrives. It has been an easy pregnancy for me, despite the gestational diabetes, but it has been very difficult for my daughter. She has started seeing the difference since two months ago. I can’t do the things that I used to do with her. I can’t carry her, help her tie her shoes, or ride our bicycles to the park. Her Daddy has to do all of that. She has also noticed that I don’t have a lot of patience these days. When she has spilled yet another glass of water or has dropped her snack all over the floor, I have to take a deep breath and ask her to go somewhere else before I lose it. She cries because I’ve hurt her feelings, and I cry because I feel guilty for hurting her. (I’m crying just writing this!) It just isn’t right, and I want to make it up to her.

This week is, what our household calls, “Mommy and Miranda Week!” It’s a 5-day event where my little girl and I will do something fun each day – just the two of us! (Daddy’s jealous.) I have been planning and researching our daily excursions for weeks now and it’s finally here! Obviously, this post has been written prior to this week because Momma ain’t working this week so I can devote my time with my precious first born. (I might sneak a post every now and then, if you’re lucky. ;-))

Here’s a list of some of the things that we’ll be doing:

• Miranda loves the “Wizard of Oz” so I’m taking her to San Francisco to see “Wicked.” We’re even going to ride the BART train. That’s an excursion in itself.
• She enjoys learning about how things are made, so I’ve planned a trip to the “Jelly Belly” factory.
• We’ve had a couple of tea parties with her friends before, but she’s never been to a real tea house. For lunch one day, I have made reservations at a local tea house where we will be served sandwiches, crumpets, scones, and, of course, tea! We’re even going to get dressed up for this occasion.
• She has always been fascinated with outer space, planets, stars and rocket ships. She and her Daddy could look at the night sky for hours! So I have arranged to visit the Chabot Space and Science Center and see a show in the planetarium.

Hopefully, spending an entire week together and giving her my undivided attention will help her feel more secure, as well as reassure her of  how important she in our lives. Our family may be growing, but our love for her will never change because a new baby will be entering our world.

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Gestational Diabetes Update at 33 Weeks

It’s been about six weeks since I last wrote about my gestational diabetes. That’s because things have been smooth sailing. Everything was under control with diet, exercise, and medication. However in the last couple of weeks, my glucose levels have been out of whack. (I was cautioned that it would get worse later in my pregnancy.) I would wake up in the morning and my glucose levels (fasting) would already be high! My nutritionist and perinatologist are both confused as to why. (They call me… “The Anomaly.”) I thought that, perhaps, because every night I would dream of eating a cupcake or a banana split, it would seem so real that my brain would send messages to my body that increased my sugar levels! Ha! If that were the case, then I think I should just eat a cupcake or a banana split so that the high glucose level in the morning would be worth it.

So it was suggested that I take a dose of my medication (Glyburide) the night before with my evening snack and see if that would bring down my fasting levels the next morning. Success! After a couple of days, though, I discovered that my glucose levels were high an hour after breakfast. So I started cutting down on my carbohydrate intake. No luck! I could eat two servings or one serving of bread, and would still get the same results… high glucose levels. So my nutritionist has suggested I take another dose when I wake up in the mornings, then eat breakfast an hour after. That worked for a couple of days, but then it stopped. More confusion! We even upped my medication to two doses, and still my glucose levels were high.

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Pregnancy Update: I’m the Seven Dwarfs All Rolled into One

Don't mess with me, Buddy! Ooh... and hand over the cookies.

Yup, that’s me! I’m Sleepy, Grumpy, Dopey, Clumsy, Forgetful, Hungry, and Hormonal all in one. This last trimester is catching up with me! There’s so much I need to do during the day, yet, as I sit here typing out this blog entry, my eyelids are dangerously half closed…and it’s only 11:00 AM! If I’m not sleepy, I’m definitely grumpy. Probably because I want to sleep and crawl back into my warm bed and forget about all my responsibilities for the day.

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Le Top Chef Series: No Sugar Pineapple Coconut Sorbet

Here’s another quickie, no sugar added recipe from my good friend Sharon. I just made it today and I love, love, LOVE it!!!  The best part of this delicious frozen treat is that it barely made a dent in my glucose levels. How “sweet” is that?

All you need are a few frozen fresh pineapple pieces and 1/2 cup of coconut milk. The coconut milk has only 1 gram of carbs! (Pineapples, coconuts, bananas? Hmm… I see a theme here. I think I’m having a tropical monkey baby.)

Blend all the ingredients together until slushy, and BAM… Another sugar-free treat! If the mixture isn’t slushy enough, you can put it back in the freezer for a few minutes. You can also add a bit of sugar-substitute is you prefer it to be a little sweeter.

I had this sorbet for a snack this afternoon, and it was yummy! I also had some for dessert after dinner. I was so pleasantly surprised (both times!) that my glucose levels stayed low. Now I have two fruity, no sugar snacks to choose from: this one and the banana with cocoa powder.

You’re the best, Sharon! Keep sending me more recipes.

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Confessions of a Preggy with GD

Hmm... what should I eat?

I wake up, and I want a bowl of cereal with fruit. But nooooo(!), I can’t have any of those things for breakfast. So I have to muster all my willpower to eat eggs and a hotdog despite the fact that my mouth is really craving a deliciously cool, refreshing, invigorating, sweet glass of OJ to wash down all that protein.

Come snack time (with my hotdog breath – even though I brushed my teeth!), I feel a false sense of liberation – like I can eat ANYTHING (but not really)! It’s just that I can eat fruit or have a glass of milk if I so desire. So I grab a little tub of baby yogurt, but realize I also want a banana, but I can only have either dairy or fruit. So I stand in the kitchen contemplating what I REALLY want for a treat, and have to remember that I need to also follow it with a handful of nuts or a hard boiled egg (Mmm… not!). Can you picture this? I stand there almost walking around in circles… ARGHH.

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Le Top Chef Series: No Sugar Frozen Banana Treat

Since my announcement (okay, whining) that I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and banned from sugar, I have been missing my No. 1 pregnancy craving: banana splits!! A good friend of mine passed on an excellent substitute, which I love!

Take a frozen banana, add a tsp. of unsweetened organic cocoa powder, and either mash it all together or run through a food processor. Voilà…it’s a sugar-free dessert! The banana makes this a nutritious treat while the added cocoa powder makes this a guilty pleasure.

It may not be a banana split, but it sure does hit the spot!

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My Gestational Diabetes Update

I’ve been on my new nutritional plan for my gestational diabetes for five days now. And guess what? My glucose levels are still a bit high. The diet alone isn’t working, so my nutritionist and perinatologist want to see me NOW – as in, before Christmas – because they see this as an “urgent matter!” This doctor’s appointment is a total bummer and has added more stress to my already stressful holiday week (running around in circles, anyone?).

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