Could this pregnancy BE any more different?

I have spent the last two week on the verge of throwing up. It’s been a “fun” new experience for me since both previous pregnancies (when I was pregnant with each of the boys) I had no nausea. Not a day. And I was a bit tired – it was what prompted my nurse sister-in-law to encourage me to test for first pregnancy – but nothing to the level of this pregnancy. I nap twice a day if I can get away with it.

My wake up is early. My 3-year-old Lucas wakes up at 6:45 a.m. usually and pretends to snuggle in my bed for a total of 2 minutes before he’s up and over me and out of bed asking for something to “eat, mama?” I can sometimes persuade him to play in his room “quietly” but he’s so quiet that he usually wakes his 6 year old brother Benjamin. That produces two monkeys on my back, one ravenously hungry and the other failing terribly at whispering. So by 7:30 a.m. I’m up.

I pack a lunch for Benjamin and get him on the bus by 8:45. It helps that he can dress himself and even set the table (as long as there are clean bowls in the cupboard). So between breakfast – usually cereal, an absolute favourite at our house… even though I’m T1D – and getting Benjamin out the door in time for the bus, I get exhausted. He’s off and riding the yellow mobile to school and I find myself sleep-walking, and it’s only 9 a.m.

This morning I had an endocrinologist appointment at 10 and since the whole house was spinning under my feet I laid down to make the dizziness stop. Lucas was happy playing on the iPad in his room – which is the habit when I have to get Benjamin out the door for the bus - while I planned on getting ready for appointment… But once I lay down, I slip off to dreamland within seconds. Next thing I know it’s 9:45 and there is no way to avoid being late for the appointment. I rush around and throw some jeans on (non-pregnancy and they are feeling tight) and change the monkey and get us out the door in record time. I drop Lucas off at Apko – AKA grandpa – and I am on my way at 5 minutes past the start of my appointment. Steady nausea as I drive. Not throw-up kind, but enough to make me uneasy. Like I drank stale milk… or ate questionable tuna. Both of which make me gag a little just thinking about.

After waiting for 1 hour and 15 min in waiting room, I am finally in to see the diabetes nurse educator, Jacquie. She is fabulous and I love her. Really. She looks at the downloaded info off of my pump and does a few changes. She’s glad I had a Constant Glucose Sensor a few weeks ago and uses the info to tweak the changes. I tell her about the box of sensors that arrived on Wednesday of last week. It’s now Monday. I still have not started a new sensor nor opened the box. Busy? Lack of will? I’m not sure. But tonight is the night.

I have been having amazing BGs so that’s exciting. I am so much more aware of my T1D when I am pregnant. It’s so silly but so true. My recent A1C is 0.073 which is not optimal but still good. I want perfect, I want amazing – I want 0.059 or lower. I’ve done it in the two previous pregnancies and I will do it again.

I am looking forward to this new baby. Very, very excited to be pregnant which is very, very good.

Being nauseous - not so good, but I guess you win some you throw up some. Everyone says it’s a girl since it’s so different. Statistics say I have a 75% chance of having another boy if I already have two at home… but so what? It’s a 50% chance otherwise… so what’s another 25%? Come on Valentines Day (I’ll be 20 weeks then) and that’s when we will find out the gender of the baby!

Again I am hoping for a girl – but can you blame me? I have two of the most active, most BOYish boys I know. A lot of my close friends have young kids and none compare to the level and volume of mine. I am hoping for someone that doesn’t care about Angry Birds or Star Wars or playing swords. I am hoping for pig tails and pink tutus and dolls and slumber parties. God says to present out requests to him with thanksgiving. So I have done that. If he chooses, in his infinite wisdom, that another boy is best for my family then I completely trust his call.

We’ll just wait for V.day to find out.

Baby Number 3 in the Oven

It takes a special type of mom to patiently wait to find out if baby number three is coming along.  I am no such mom.  I am a Type 1 Diabetic mom.  Waiting to find out - say, until you miss a period - means precious time was lost.  The T1D roller coaster does not slow down.  Once you're seated and you've heard your endocrinologist's announcement over the loudspeaker, "Welcome to T1D - the Coaster of your life.  Please remain seated at all times.  Keep all pumps, testers and Ginger Ale cans inside the train at all times and enjoy the ride!" you're off.  There is no stopping the highs or the lows.  But there is some control.

The other day my three-year-old toddler, Lucas, and I headed over to the nearest walk-in clinic since he was having a sever cough for many days.  I handed him the iPad, seated him down in the empty waiting room and headed over to the glass window to announce our arrival.  A receptionist in her late 30s slid the glass window to the side and greeted me warmly.  I gave her Lucas' health card and explained the cough, the fevers, the chills, the works.  She took the info and told me to have a seat.  As I turned to leave, I quickly turned back and she paused mid-slide.  She opened the window all the way once again and I asked if it's possible to also be tested for pregnancy, since I am there.

In the last month there may have been a few fun nights with Hubby that may or may not lead to baby number 3 for us.  Again, as a T1D I have to find out as quickly as I can so I can start being proactive and diligent about my numbers.

The receptionist took my health card, my info - T1D for 8 years, not on any contraceptives, Hubby and I are trying-ish to conceive - gave me a pee cup and I did my thing in the ity-bity waiting room bathroom.  She graciously kept her window open and one eye on Lucas while I peed... not very graciously, but either way there was enough there for a dip stick.  I was in a rush to see that Lucas was still in Zombie-mode with the iPad and had not wondered off into the Pharmacy or down the street.  He is an adventure seeker and explorer at heart, so it would not have surprised me.  I washed my hands with the door open while watching him continue playing Sonic.

I delivered my "specimen" and sat down next to Lucas.  Within a minute, we were in.  Again, in the smallest examination room conceivable.  So small, that once the doctor came in, I had to step aside and behind the door he had just closed to allow him room to walk past the exam table and over to one of the two chairs in the room.  It was awkward and he apologized.

He asked me what would be my response to being pregnant.  I responded that I would be excited and I meant it.  He said, "Well good because you are definitely pregnant.  Very, very early pregnancy but very surely pregnant."

I truly was excited.  I wanted to hug him... but that would have been awkward and the spacing of the room did not allow for such a gesture, nor would it be welcome.  I resolved to wait till I saw Hubby in a few minutes.  I barely heard what he said from there on.  Something about seeing family doctor, taking vitamins, blah blah blah.... I am pregnant.  I am making a baby.  God has blessed us with another little tiny life growing inside.  He checked Lucas and said he has a simple cold and sent us on our way. That's good news, times two.

This is baby number three for Hubby and I.  Both my boys, my 6-year-old Benjamin, and my toddler, Lucas and were conceived while their mama was T1D.  Thankfully both pregnancy were magical, with no complications and no issues.  Labour and delivery were all natural (both pregnancies were considered high risk and so I wanted as little intervention as possible) easy-ish lasting 6 hours and 4 hours respectively, and so finding out about baby number three could do nothing but cause joy and excitement.

One simple problem that I may have is the lack of a family doctor.  But who needs them anyways?  I have an appointment with my endocrinologist at the end of the month and maybe he'll be able to refer me to the high-risk OB that I had both times before.  But then again I guess I could call up the family doctor that I claim I have... I have not gone in to see her for two years.  I think technically she is still my family doctor.

Tomorrow I will attempt to call the office that does not answer phones and takes no voicemails either...

I went to: http://jdrf.org/blog/2013/t1d-pregnancy-planning/ and requested the T1D Pregnancy Planning Toolkit and borrowed the beautiful pic at the top.  Over the coming days, I will be pouring over the contents of that Toolkit like the eager mom of three that I am.




STATS:

Last Period - early October. I have a regular 28 day cycle (sometimes 30, but who am I kidding?  It's regular)

How Far Along - 4 weeks.

Symptoms - Stupid tired (needing nap early morning and another nap when my toddler naps), bloating, one single 15 min period of mild nausea (yesterday) - Thank you GOD! This may be pregnancy #3 with no nausea, no vomit.

Weight: same as I've been forever it seems.

Due Date: July 2014

Heart's Desire: Girl.  But a boy would be x 1,000 easier.  I am trusting that God has picked out whatever gender it is that He thinks is right.  But He tells me in the Bible to "present my requests to Him" so I did.  But not my will but his.  Besides, I have all the clothes I need for a boy, I have all the toys, the boys will naturally play well together, I know how to change boy's diapers, how to play chase/swords/tag/hide and go boo/Super Mario Galaxy with boys... whatever would I do with a girl? Braid her hair, do our makeup, talk over tea, do dishes together?  Sigh...

A girl can dream...