I had my 28-week appointment yesterday (27w5d, but who’s counting?) and had the glucose tolerance test. I knew going into it that it would taste like a really sweet, slightly flat Orange Crush. I ate scrambled eggs that morning. It’s actually the first time since being pregnant that I’ve eaten eggs since they used to make me want to hurl. Seaweed was a little miffed she didn’t get her usual Cocoa Puffs, like, “What’s this crap?” but it was actually really good. To be clear, I don’t even eat sugary cereals, but starting at about 12 weeks, I suddenly started craving them and it was one of the very few things I could tolerate eating in the morning. So here came the Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs, and Honey Smacks. Seriously.
Anyway, so I actually did want to take a picture of me with the drink, or the drink with Seaweed, but I was instead led back to the lab and was told to sit in the lab chair to drink it. It was really awkward because the lab tech stood next to me the whole time I was drinking, which made me feel like a prisoner or maybe a small child. And you know the power of suggestion? You know when someone kind of guides your thoughts or thinking and then you start believing it? Well, this lab tech really needed to stop doing that already.
Tech: So here’s your drink, and you have five to ten minutes to drink it all.
Me: OK. (Start cautiously sipping)
Tech: Make sure you don’t guzzle it. That’s when women, you know… (Does impressive imitation of pregnant woman spewing drink everywhere.)
Me: Right. No, I don’t think I would drink this fast. (Awkward laugh. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! I NEED A GLUCOSE SELFIE!)
Tech: That’s it, nice and slow. Actually what gets women is the carbonation. That can make people sick.
Me: Er, right. Well, carbonation usually doesn’t bother me. (Slight panic wondering now if I really am going to throw up.)
Tech, cheerfully: Oh that’s good. Because if you throw up, you have to start over. So is this your first baby?
Me: Er…yeah. (Start taking smaller sips)
Small talk ensues.
Tech: Well, looks like you’re halfway through and you are at five minutes. You need to drink it a little faster.
Me: (Drink as quick as I dare)
Tech: There you go. (Helps me stand) Now, do you feel ok? Do you feel nauseous?
Me: (If I wasn’t before, I am now) (Start to tell her that if she keeps talking about me throwing up, then I will barf orange on her) (Decide to keep my mouth shut)
Tech: Ok, now you can go sit out there again in the waiting room until you’re called back for your appointment with Dr. W. Now, if you start to feel sick, just come back here and we can give you an emesis bag. (Gives me a wave)
I will be damned if I had to go back there and grab and a bag and barf in front of everyone. No way. So I go back out there, really feeling fine, but then started getting worried maybe I really would get sick. Seriously. She should have said nothing but, “Drink it slowly.” I would have drunk it slowly.
Luckily, I was called back about a half-hour later to my appointment. Blood pressure was good! Baby was good! HR was 142 and she even gave the doctor a kick when he was listening to her on the Doppler. She’s such a princess.
I got my flu shot and the doctor did a cervical check (about as fun as it sounds) and my cervix is high up, thick and closed. And badass.
I go back in two weeks for my growth scan because of the marginal cord insertion. Then at 32 weeks, because I’m on BP meds, he wants to start doing the non-stress testing every week on her to make sure the meds aren’t affecting her growth. I’m not completely sure what this entails, but I can do it right in the office and then I would see him after. I definitely feel like I’m in good hands. I’m trying not to worry, but I don’t think I will feel OK until she is here in my arms.
On the baby front, she’s definitely getting stronger in her movements. I used to only feel her move way down low and now I feel a lot of squirmy things around my belly button. There are times when my whole belly will bounce. I have no idea what she is doing in there. Probably baby things. My favorite moments with her is in the middle of the night after that first really big pee (the first of many nightly bathroom trips) when I come back to bed, move and grunt myself back into a good sleeping position and then suddenly, in the silence, feeling her start blipping and bouncing around in there. I don’t know if it’s that she woke up, or suddenly has more room to move around in there since my huge bladder deflated, but for some reason, I just get so happy laying there quietly feeling her move.
I never got the results of the glucose test, even though the tech told me I’d find out that afternoon. So here I wait.
Usually no news is good news on the glucose test, so yay! I had NSTs with my little one, they are no big deal. They just put you in recliner and put the 2 monitors on your belly-1 for baby's heartbead and 1 for contractions. Then they watch for 20 minutes or so, because they are looking to see a certain number of variations in the heart rates, ups and downs. If baby is sleeping, they sometimes last longer because they have to wake them up to get what they need. They'll become old hat and even boring pretty quickly!
I agree, no news usually means you passed!
No news is good news I say!! Talk about craziness with all of the monitoring of you drinking the orange stuff. I had no idea, they didn't warn me of anything, just said drink this and let me know when your are done so we can start the timer. The movement will get more and more intense, you will LOVE it!! You look fabulous with your cute bump!!
I love that same moment in the middle of the night after you've given your little lady a bit more room in there and you snuggle back into bed and feel those kicks and moves. I remember people saying that baby kicks as they try to fall asleep being so distracting, and yet I find them to be so peaceful. The tell me my little girl is happy in there, squirming away like she should and I easily drift back off to sleep.