Yes, You DO Lose Your Balance! (Gore alert)

I should have posted this earlier, but just, well... didn't.  This is just a reminder to all preggo's out there that, yes, you can and WILL lose your balance the larger you get (with your pregnancy, that is).  A month ago, I was getting out of the car to bring my son to daycare, and bam! I tripped on a pot hole and down I went.  My bump was too big for me to keep my balance and there was nothing for me to reach out for.  Luckily, I kept my head about me and did my best to 'fall well.'  So instead of falling bump first, I fell knees and then hands and side of bump.... and then proceeded to bash my head well and truly into the ground.  Luckily there was a father who saw it all and came over to me, who lay bleeding on the ground, who was able to call the ambulance (who arrived 30 minutes later... gotta love Tallaght), and a grannie who brought Jacob into the creche.

Well, a 13 centimeter gash and 5 staples to my scalp later, I am living proof that your balance does go WAAAY off when you are pregnant.  So please!  Mind yourself.  Watch for pot holes, slippery things on floors, etc, and TAKE CARE!

(And baby is fine, don't worry. I went straight to baby hospital to have babaloo2 checked out after I was stapled up at the first one)

GORE ALERT!  I've posted pics of the day below, so if you don't want to see a bit of blood and head staples, don't scroll down.

 Triage did a fine job of temporarily bandaging me up.

Me and my bloody-matted hairdo 

 Post-stapling and loving my new bandages...sexy.

 Very thankful I wore a hat (and a red one to boot).  I had to rinse it well to get all the blood out, and it was still wet, but it was better than walking around mummified.

My staples.

"Bump" Pic

Taken on Christmas day, 36 weeks pregnant.  As I said, you can barely see a baby bump!  But the baby-grow helps with the whole "Yes! I AM pregnant!" thing.  :)

Knicker Wars

So I've come to the realization that I'm probably not going to get to a proper Knicker Wars like I did Battle of the Nursing Bras.  BUT, I will talk about my experience this go around.  And to be honest, the pregnancy knickers have won.  Although I haven't gained any weight, thus meaning I can TECHNICALLY still wear my old knickers, and I do when desperate, I find the pregnancy pants MUCH more comfortable, especially around the bump.  Now, if I HAD gained like I did with Jacob, I'd be in trouble, because I'm not sure the preggy knickers would have fit and I probably would have had to buy some from a speciality shop for the even larger pregnant woman.  But thankfully, my Motherhood 3x Maternity Underwear did the trick, so I thank my father for actually going in a buying me new ones and bringing them to his wedding for me!!

The Final Countdown

Ok, so I have been a horrible blogger this pregnancy.  I admit it's mostly because I've been living off my iPhone and typing out a long blog on a phone is just not all that appealing to me.  But the laptop is up and running today, the internet is smooth, and I'm awaiting a skype call, so I've got a little time.

As of tomorrow I will be 37 weeks!!  Happy New Years to me, my baby will be full term!  Of course, have we gotten ready at all.... heck no!  The changing table, sterilizer, etc, is all still in the shed, waiting to come out and be cleaned up.  The moses basket needs to be assembled, and most of all, I need to back my hospital bag!  Of course, with GD, you generally know when you'll go in to labor because they tell you!

So far, I haven't gained a single kilo.  Yes, I know I'm American and I'm using kilos, but that's what they use at the hospital, so it's what I'll use for now.  I'm still the same weight I was at my 8 week initial check up.  This pregnancy has definitely been different.  I can still wear many of the same pieces of clothing, bar trousers.  I've given up my jeans as they have no give, but can still wear my baggy black work pants.  I pretty much live in them now.  With Jacob, I HAD to wear preggy clothes because even going a size up in normal 'fat lady' clothes didn't fit.  I was too big in the boobs and bump.  THIS pregnancy, I still just look mainly fat with a big tummy.  So I try to wear clothes that emphasize the bump to make it clear that I'm not just a royal fatty, but a very pregnant one to boot!

I also feel more fit this time around.  With Jacob, I'd walk across the street to the shop and have to sit down before shopping for my groceries.  This time, I can go into the shop, get all my shopping done WITH over active two year old in tow, and MAYBE need a break once going through checkout.  The benefit to not gaining tons of weight.

And it's not like I'm not eating.  Oh I am.  But I suppose this time around I started BEFORE I knew I was pregnant with the healthy-ish eating.  Wholemeal bread, very little processed sugar, etc.  I suppose that whole eating healthy thing really just works.  This Christmas has been tough as I really want to stuff my gob with mince pies, cookies, etc.  And I think my couple indulgences have backfired on me.  So I'm back to avoiding the 'naughties.'

Babaloo2 (what I'm calling bump) is getting huge I think.  My bump is pretty solid and I'm now really starting to feel the weight, especially when I stand up and the baby sinks onto my bladder.  This past week has been more difficult sleeping and I've become reacquainted with my dear, dear friends, the pillows.  What I would give for a memory foam mattress and a body pillow!  But my wedge pillows and fluffy down pillows are a definite help.  Not to mention the baby belt the physiotherapist gave me...that I can actually wear!  Last pregnancy I was too big to wear it, but it actually fits this time!

So I guess what's the moral of this post?  Well, I suppose it is really to eat healthy. It makes a difference!  And that I'm VERY ready to meet Babaloo2!

Love to all and Happy New Year!!

Water, It's Not Just for Fatties

I was thinking of calling this post 'Survivial of the Fattest' but I think I may save that title for later. :)  I arrived home yesterday after a week away from my husband and 2 year old.  The longest I've been away from Jake ever!  My dad is now happily married to a lovely woman in Calgary, Canada and now that I'm out of their hair they can enjoy the beginning of the honeymoon. :) 

I ended up surviving the multitude of flights to and from Calgary for the wedding, at 20 weeks pregnant.  Starting the diabetic diet at conception or before has actually helped me maintain my weight or lose a healthy amount (for a fat pregnant lady, I do NOT recommend losing weight pregnant unless you are severely obese and have your doctor's blessing). 

So I took my baby aspirins, donned my anti-embolism compression socks and hopped aboard.  Thank God for small blessings, the pharmacy didn't have the full-leg style socks, and the doctor gave permission for me to wear just the knee-length ones.  I wore the full-leg ones when pregnant with Jake and found them very uncomfortable for a 7 hour flight.  And this time, on my way over, I had a 7 hour flight, followed by a 2 1/2 and then a 3 1/2 hour.  So, yea, little miracle there to only have the knee-highs.  Thank you pharmacy!

Travelling fat and pregnant can be pretty difficult.  I ended up twice with non-aisle seats.  Once a very nice gentleman was willing to swap with me with the promise that I would let HIM out to pee if he needed to (he didn't. I on the other hand went about 4 times on the 7 hour flight).  The second time the lovely flight attendant at the gate found me an aisle seat about 5 minutes prior to boarding.  Ladies, if you are in this situation, make SURE you get an aisle seat and do NOT be afraid to play the pregnancy card.  AND, point out that you WILL have to use the toilet frequently.  I think that helped more than anything else.

That being said, the reason I had to pee so much was because of the amount of water I drank.  I brought with me a 1.5 litre water bottle I filled at every possible opportunity.  And I kept drinking.  I honestly think that helped keep me from disintegrating into a pile of dry ash on the floor of the planes.  I've never drank more than on these flights, and I highly recommend to all fliers to do so.  Water isn't just for fatties! 

And on another bright side, my father (gotta love the man), braved the Motherhood in our hometown to bring me my pregnancy underwear!  Let the Knicker Wars begin!

Solidarity, My GD Sisters

Today was a day to dread.... the glucose tolerance test.  Now, because I had gestational diabetes (GD) during my first pregnancy, I was 'lucky' enough to get to forgo the evil tasting glucose drink (Lucozade for the Irish) and get my bloods taken every hour for 3 hours.  Hurray!  I got to go straight to what I've named the 'Tea and Toast Test.'  The TaTT consists of fasting for at least 8 hours, getting your blood drawn and getting a green voucher for "breakfast" (toast with butter and tea or coffee). You go eat your toast, drink you tea and come back in an hour. 

I found it kind of weird walking into the hospitals canteen for my TaT, surrounded by other women with that same green voucher.  It was like a ticket to the TaTT sisterhood...all these women who knew exactly what I was going through.  All these women had either failed their Lucozade test or had had GD in a previous pregancy.  We were all wondering, 'will I have to start insulin tomorrow?' and 'Have I failed that badly at trying to eat healthy?'  We all saw in a solidarity silence and munched our toast, drank our tea, and read our respective choice reading material. 

It's funny how we all kept to ourselves though.  I really wanted to sit down next to one of them and strike up a conversation.  But that probably would have gotten me weird looks... I suppose something I used to, really. 

Now, the waiting room for the Diabetic Clinic is a bit different.  You're jammed into this smallish area awaiting your charts, your pee-cup and your chance to hear the good or bad news.  I've found success in having some pleasant chats with mum's to be in similar situations, which has been really nice.  To find someone to bitch about maltitol and insulin about; someone who gets your story.  But still, you do feel like cattle waiting for the slaughter. 

But today, my success; my light at the end of the 5 and a half hour tunnel.  My temporary reprieve.  My results.  While my body currently doesn't want to process glucose at night properly, it's doing it during the day after eating.  The endocrinologist says this is common in GD women (which I'm probably considered as I've had it before) but that since my body is processing the glucose after meals, I won't need insulin... yet.  And then I may only need it for a while just at bed time!  To some the idea of having to stick oneself ONCE with a needle is just horrendeous, to me it is marvelous!  I have 3 weeks of reprieve from insulin!  Three more weeks I won't need to stick my fingers 7 times a day!  I'll take it!  So if Dr. Endo tells me in three weeks that I need insulin at night... that's it? JUST at night?  You mean I won't have to give myself two different types of insulin four times a day yet?!? Yippie! 

I'm sure as the pregnancy progresses I'll need more, but I'm taking my small victories as exactly what they are...victories. 

Knicker Wars

I have decided to continue my cntrats and comparisons into my second pregnany.  Last time, nursing bras were put to the test.  This time around?  Underwear! 

The question for the pregnant larger lady is what underwear to don while heavily pregnant.  Will I be able to tolerate my granny panties rolling down under bump?  Will I be able to find a COMFORTABLE pair of pregnancy knickers in my size?  Or should I just buy underwear a few sizes larger and deal?

My goal is to help answer this question for my larger readers (and for those curious).  Keep an eye out here because Knicker Wars will begin soon!