enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

28weeks

I am happy to be here. I am happy every day that we get a little bit closer to meeting our baby girl. I am happy every day that she stays put and my belly grows.

This pregnancy has not been as easy as I hoped. Nope. There was the CPC scare, which in the long run should be no big deal at all, but then on Monday I found out I have gestational diabetes. It's something I hadn't considered, but the one hour screening I took a few weeks ago came back elevated and my second 3 hour glucose test (I threw up on the first go around) confirmed that my blood sugar levels get totally out of whack when you throw a ton of glucose at them.

Wop-wop.

I am glad to know so I can hopefully just continue to control my sugar levels with diet and exercise. I met with a nutritionist yesterday morning to learn more about the food I should be eating and when I should be eating it …and it turns out I already basically follow the recommended diet (minus a grilled cheese sandwich here or there). I was also instructed on how to monitor my blood sugar levels four times a day through finger sticks.

So far (with a day of finger sticks and the "new diet" plan) this seems pretty easy to manage, but I will be working on getting back into moderate exercise (like 30 minute walks) and diligent about tracking for the next week. Then I will meet with my provider on April 1st to see if this is something I have under control or something that I need medication to help maintain. The hope is that following a healthy diet (eating at certain times, upping protein and limiting carb/sugar intake) will be enough, but if I need medicine to stay healthy and keep the little one healthy then that's what we'll do. Regardless of outcome, I will be monitored pretty closely for the remainder of the pregnancy.

It's frustrating, of course. It sucks to get test results back with anything less than "yep, everything looks great." I don't want there to be one more thing to think about. I don't want to test my blood sugar four times a day for the next 12 weeks. And I don't want to give up nutella and cake at my showers. 😉

I was panicking on the phone with my parents a few nights back. These past few months have been filled with bumps (some that have been shared on the blog and others that have not) and I am tired of fighting the small battles alone. (Paul! I miss you!) My parents commiserated and then my dad reminded me tactfully, 

"Leesee, I know it's hard. But none of these problems are things you can't bounce back from."

28weeks2

And yep. True story, Dadio. I am frustrated. But I am also blessed. There are about a zillion complications that can occur in the making of a human being and if this is mine, it's a relief that it's something relatively easy to manage.

28weeks3

And the reality is that I feel great. Now I am just more passionate about staying as healthy as possible. I love being pregnant. I am honored to carry our baby. Making it to 28 weeks feels like a big deal. Like we're in the home stretch. The Big Picture still looks pretty fantastic and my little one is as active and amazing as ever. AND OH MAN, was I doing something right when I choose brave for my one little word.

ps. dress from old navy (similar skirt here), tank from j.crew & nail polish is essie fiji. bookshelf is back in action and I am obsessed with the lighter feel. I will share more of the new house in a few weeks.

Other posts you might enjoy:

 

Posted in , ,

84 responses to “we are now entering the third trimester.”

  1. Marsaille Avatar
    Marsaille

    I love that you said you love being pregnant. I know many Moms, and you are the only other person to openly say it. Most of the time I get looks like I am absolutely whack-o.
    But I loved it too. Both times. And never was I (groaning and moaning) “so over it, I just want this baby out!” Blessings BabyCripe.

    Like

  2. elise blaha Avatar

    I had about two weeks of feeling awful. From week 8-10 were the worst for me. Hang in there! e

    Like

  3. Johanna Avatar

    Oh man, sorry to hear that! A friend of mine went through this twice with her babes – with medicine and everything. No advice or anything more than a heartfelt “feeling with you!” (although I obviously don’t know how it feels), but I did want to at least pass that on to you two girls in hopefully sunny Cali 🙂
    (It has been snowing here in northern Germany AGAIN these last two days.)

    Like

  4. elise blaha Avatar

    wow – I am so sorry to hear that. What a total shock! I hope you are able to continue to manage it well.

    Like

  5. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    Wow! I never would’ve guessed someone as healthy as you are would have to deal with GD. Pregnancy sure throws curve balls. No worries – you will rock the rest of the pregnancy!

    Like

  6. J3SS1C4 Avatar

    Sorry to hear your news about having gestational diabetes. That sucks! You’re so brave and strong, and I can tell how much you love your little girl that I’m sure you’ll do everything you can to get through this amazingly! In no time at your, you’ll have your happy, healthy little girl, and Paul will be home to love and dote on you both! I’m sure you will do amazing! I love your Dad’s advice, it’s so true! You always bounce back so amazingly! 🙂

    Like

  7. Jillian L Avatar

    Yay for you! Making it through and shining! Also on the baby topic- no clue what your personal plans are on this subject, but I just wanted to mention La Leche League International (www.llli.org) in case you hadn’t heard of it. It’s a breast feeding support group that’s all over the world, for women, by women (many of whom are Certified Lactation Consultants). My mom’s been a leader and LC for many years now, and I grew up going to meetings with her. When I’m home, I still enjoy going, even though I’m not anywhere near having kids, just because I’ve always been interested in maternal-child health and picked up the passion from her 🙂 Anyway, they’re free, informal meetings for moms and moms-to-be– many women go before the birth so they feel prepared– and it’s just a great, supportive atmosphere. You wouldn’t believe how many things there are to discuss about breastfeeding! The San Diego area groups are here: http://www.lllusa.org/web/SanDiegoCA.html Good luck in whatever route you may choose though! 🙂

    Like

  8. Anna Avatar

    Hi Elise. So interesting to read all the comments- so many have had GD. I also had it (gave birth in October). I was so upset at first- because like so many others I had no risk factors. I even cried at the first birthday party I went to, because I knew I couldn’t eat the cake. I coped with it by figuring out what kind of meals I could have that made my sugar stay low and then kept on eating them…that way I took all the guesswork out of it- even though it was a little dull.
    Also, I found that things higher in fat were lower in carbs. It was so hard to get used to because it wasn’t anything like counting calories, calories didn’t seem to mater. I was allowed to have 60 carbs per meal, but became obsessive and only allowed myself 30 per meal. I ended up losing weight at first and then only gaining a few pounds the last trimester. So, the weight did come off quickly after I had my daughter (who only weighed a little over 7 pounds).
    And although I was so obsessive (keeping a food journal really helped me see patterns) – when it came to my baby shower, I allowed myself to have a large piece of cake. I didn’t even check my sugar afterwards and refused to feel guilty about it.
    A few of my favorite low carb treats – snickers ice cream bars believe it or not are super low (way lower than a snickers bar and soooo good). Also- those 90 calorie Fiber One Brownies- pretty good too. Sometimes I just craved a treat so bad and these were two things that kept my cravings at bay. Oh and Cool-Whip has virtually no carbs- keep it in the freezer and it’s almost like ice cream.
    Good luck- stay strong, you will get through this! I ended up with a horrible case of PUPPP soon after I got GD…and going through that made GD seem like a walk in the park.

    Like

  9. elise blaha Avatar

    Yikes! Had never heard of puppp, just googled and it looks awful. Glad you got through everything okay. 🙂

    Like

  10. Rachel Williams Avatar
    Rachel Williams

    Being diagnosed with GD can be discouraging. When I found out I was like, but I don’t eat xyz (insert Twinkies, fried food, or candy by the pound. For some reason my body didn’t process sugar like other peoples. I was worried because I wanted to birth naturally and was afraid my baby would be too big and I would need a C-section. Our baby girl ended up weighing 6lbs 12oz and I was able to deliver how I had wanted. It sounds like you are doing what you need to do and that is all that baby girl could ask for from her momma.

    Like

  11. Kathy Avatar

    Only another two weeks and you’ll be at 30 weeks and then you’ll be on the home stretch. 9 months is nearly a year so it take time to grow and create a baby and your body is looking after you and growing a baby and sometimes it needs a little help…don’t take it personally. One little bit of advice and I don’t want to scare you either is towards the due date if your baby is having too much of a rest/sleep time, jump straight into the car to the doctor or hospital to get her monitored. With both my pregnancies at the end you think…when was the last time I felt him/her move and you do forget….you are better to go in and they say everything is alright than assume everything is alright. One of our mum’s from school’s her 4th baby was breech (the incorrect position for birth) so she was going to have a c section and then the little bub did turn but the cord got a knot in it and baby was born still born (very sad and I’m not trying to scare you) but towards the end don’t fill silly for being careful if you haven’t felt kicks for a bit…just monitor it. My doctor in Melbourne actually told me she was very proud of me for ringing up and they sent me straight to the hospital to get monitored. Everything was okay but she said it was the right thing to do than just ignore it or think it…knowledge is power and the test results had the answer not my brain so don’t think you may be over reacting because you can’t overreact when it comes to the end of your 9 months. So don’t feel silly..just be safe and I know you will but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of that. You are doing so well buying a house, moving etc on your own again and being pregnant….be proud but also if you feel like sitting in a chair in the fetal position (if that’s at all possible) crying that’s okay too……..it’s tough work growing a baby….tomatoes are way easier..plant, water and eat…but not as cute… Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia

    Like

  12. smcl Avatar
    smcl

    God Bless you, momma!

    Like

  13. elise blaha Avatar

    Yes, my midwife has me monitoring for kicks. 🙂

    Like

  14. elise blaha Avatar

    So encouraging. I would love a natural labor and birth and am glad to hear you got one with GD. 🙂

    Like

  15. Abbey P. Avatar

    Happy to hear you are doing relatively well! Welcome to the 3rd trimester! It will go by so fast! Praying for you and baby with your GD diagnosis. I remember being so nervous taking that test a couple of months ago, but it sounds like you have a great plan to deal with it! You are strong, lady!

    Like

  16. Lane V Avatar

    I totally feel for you. Ihave had GD with all 3 babes. I found though it really help keeping myself in check with eating and exercise. I was able to maintain my blood sugars with the first two with out insulin. It is a tough blow, and you feel like you are at the dr so much more, but it is SO worth it. Take care and keep up the positivity!

    Like

  17. maggi Avatar
    maggi

    Bummer about GD, but its no biggie if you just control it with diet. I had it with my 1st pregnancy with my son and managed it with diet which made my numbers super low. I am also vegan so going bread/pasta/rice/potatoes-free was somewhat tricky at times but substitutes did not satisfy my craving for starches so it was just avoidance that worked.
    Oddly when i was pregnant for the 2nd time with my twin girls I tested negative for GD, so it may be something you never deal with again. Best wishes.

    Like

  18. Vanessa OL Avatar
    Vanessa OL

    Hi! I also had GD for my second child. My eating patterns were good, so changing my diet didn’t have an effect on the GD. So I had to self medicate for 8 weeks. That a lot of needles! In the end, my son came early at 35 weeks (just like his sister did) and he was perfect. In the end, I was very glad to have gotten through it, it gave me the opportunity to know my body better and to realise that I in no way want to develop diabeties later in life. Good luck to you and try not to be too stressed about it 🙂

    Like

  19. Deb Avatar

    As far as the CPC goes. My now perfect 4 month old had it. We were happy to see it cleared up by 32 weeks but I’ve read that even some perfect babies are born with them still there. The Internet is scary when you get news like this from your Dr. We always read and feared the worst. But now we couldn’t imagine a more perfect or healthy baby than we have. Don’t panic. But don’t hold tension or fear in. Let it out. It’s ok to cry but then remember the beautiful blessing you get as a prize.

    Like

  20. Maria Stanley Avatar

    I’m another one who had GD with both my pregnancies. I was crushed when I found out. The first time I spent probably about 2 hrs feeling like “why me! what did do to cause this” but then I got over that. My second one was just an oh man not again 😦 I have a family history of diabetes so it scares me on a normal not pregnant level. I also had to go on medication – bedtimes only – because my sugars we just a notch too high in the mornings but then the medication brought me too low when I woke up. I’m not going to bs I did have a piece of chocolate or two but both my kids came into this world happy, very healthy and at a completely normal weight 🙂 Hugs for you and your sweet baby girl from the East Coast 😀

    Like

  21. Valerie Avatar
    Valerie

    Elise,
    GD turned out to be the best thing for me. I only gained 10 lbs because I was eating so healthy (I also was heavier than you to start) but I lost the weight so fast after I had my daughter. I was able to control with diet and exercise. And like someone above, I know you didn’t ask for advice, but my few tricks are this:
    1. allow yourself to cheat a few times – you will go crazy otherwise and a couple bad sugars won’t be the end of the world.
    2. health balance (smart balance?) bread and low carb tortillas
    3. If i was really hungry and didn’t want to worry about how much I ate I would have tacos there are hardly any carbs so i didn’t have to measure anything and just got to eat without worrying – never had a bad sugar
    4. Keep reminding yourself this isn’t your fault. It’s your silly hormones. I was very let down and disappointed in myself and it took awhile to stop blaming myself.
    Good luck, I know you will do wonderfully.
    On another note, you are my hero in other ways. Military wives are, i think, stronger than the men they support. You rock it for sure.

    Like

  22. Jen E Avatar
    Jen E

    I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I had gestational diabetes with my daughter and was so upset when I found out. Like you I had no risk factors besides being over 25. People would look at me funny when I told them I had it since I’m pretty thin like you.
    As overwhelming as it may seem right now, just try to soak everything in that your dietitian/diabetes educator gives you. At first I ate the same kinds of things everyday just to get into the habit of carb counting and measuring my meals.
    You are right that this does re energize your motivation for healthy eating and exercising for baby. Nothing like having a digital number after every time you eat to keep you accountable.
    I’ll be praying that yours can be controlled by diet and exercise and that your baby maintains a good weight. They caught mine at the same time as you and my daughter was 6.5 pounds at birth. You can do this! Thank you for being brave and sharing your story.

    Like

  23. Laura J Avatar
    Laura J

    So sorry you have GD. It sounds like your situation is like mine, your only risk factor being over 25 & growing a placenta. If your numbers are higher than they’d like, try walking after each meal instead of just once a day. It gets harder to manage the further along you get, something nobody mentioned to me until my numbers started increasing with no changes in my diet/exercise. I hope you are able to manage your sugars easily, and the finger pricks don’t hurt. Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy!

    Like

  24. elise blaha Avatar

    that is so strange! I hope I just have it with this one too. 🙂

    Like

  25. elise blaha Avatar

    Good to know! I will work on exercise post every meal and will keep an eye out for rising levels as the pregnancy progresses. 🙂

    Like

  26. Cheryl G. Avatar

    You really are incredible!
    And adorable!

    Like

  27. Jenn Avatar
    Jenn

    Elise-
    I sent you an email a few weeks ago as I was having a tough go of it. Your words inspired me more than you will ever know. You are an inspiration and you are one of the bravest women I have ever “met”. Keep your head up through all of these tests, your reward in the end will be worth it. Thank you for sharing your story, I hope its as therapeutic for you as it is for me (and the rest of us out here I’m sure)

    Like

  28. Pink Ronnie Avatar

    I have had gestational diabetes four out of five times so I totally understand all the emotions you’ve been experiencing. The up side, like you say, is that it offers even more motivation to embrace a healthy diet and exercise. Pregnancy is indeed a blessing – and children are a gift like nothing else – but it is definitely hard work as well in every way. And to be separated from Paul during all this must make it so much harder. You’re doing an amazing job.
    Thinking of you, Elise.
    Ronnie xo

    Like

  29. Maya Avatar
    Maya

    I trust Dr. furhman’s advice completely. He has a new book out, The End of Diabetes. I’m 99% sure there’s protocol in it for gestational diabetes. I apologize for the unsolicited advice, but it worked for me so I felt like I should share.

    Like

  30. Angie Avatar

    I’m sorry, lovely, but I am so glad you and your little one ARE doing good!!! Your dad is so right. 😀 Hang in there!!! ❤

    Like

  31. Deborah Avatar
    Deborah

    My blood sugar went sky high during my two pregnancies as well, and for an Asian, having the doctor say, “no white rice” was my worst nightmare! Add to that my insatiable sweet tooth and the fact that I had to go on total bedrest for both pregnancies at 24 weeks–and this was before iPads, iTunes, and HBO! 🙂 But, by the sheer grace (and power) of God, both times my babies and I survived those challenging few months. Mentally, I was a wreak–but, physically, I was in the best health ever because of the GD diet. So, no worries, Elise! Both deliveries were super quick and easy; both kids were born healthy, happy, and brilliant. 🙂 And, as an additonal little reward for surviving each pregnancy, I only gained 26 pounds during those nine months–all baby, nothing to lose after the birth!! Woo hoo!!

    Like

  32. eliseg Avatar
    eliseg

    I noticed in this post that “Leesee” must be a nickname of yours. My name is Elise too and I also have the same nickname (I spell it “Lisie”). 🙂 I never even thought about the fact that other Elises out there would also have the same nickname.

    Like

  33. Shelbie Avatar
    Shelbie

    Hello. 🙂 I love your dad’s advice to you. I had GD with my last pregnancy and while it’s a real pain to have to monitor everything you eat and to do the finger sticks, the reward of a healthy baby at the end makes it worth the difficult moments. I think that someone else mentioned that you will forget this over time but the difficulties are one of those things that define us right along with all of the triumphs. You will get through this. 🙂 The diet is pretty easy to follow once you figure it out. I learned pretty quickly that all kinds of pasta were out of my life for a little while. As was any dairy for my night time snack. 😦 I did find that I could have one mini peanut butter cup at the mid-afternoon snack. Yay! That made my afternoon vey cheery on days where I needed some extra cheer. And I wouldn’t worry too much about having a “big” baby with GD. Everyone had me fearing for delivery and my guy was 7lb 13oz and was a week early. You can do this!!! I would be more than happy to share some of my snack tips if you need any new ideas. 🙂 Have fun in Sac. this week! The weather’s been beautiful.

    Like

  34. Jaclyn Avatar

    Thank you so much. 11 weeks and feeling it still. Hoping that I am heading into a wonderful second trimester. Enjoy the rest of your time until you meet your baby girl 🙂 Cheers!

    Like

Leave a reply to elise blaha Cancel reply