So what happened?

The final days

I had hoped to give a day by day play of how we were handling the Gestational Diabetes and the results. Basically we obsessed over the baby's weight knowing that if he reached 9 pounds the odds of being required to do a c section greatly increased. Splenda was our saving grace! The search for sugar-free, low carb drinks ended in frustration with the main choices ending as Atkins Shakes and tea sweeted with Splenda.

Money became tight and eating correctly became more difficult. A daily diet of salmon and steaks falls outside of our tax bracket.

Birth

Evan was riding so low that I joked "we could play patty cake" and we were told that "if the water breaks call 911 because Evan is coming before the ambulance." When he did come the labor lasted 7 hours or so. It was an adventurous labor with promises that "he will come any moment" while our midwife was unreachable on a roller coaster and family popped in and out. In the end Evan was born on May 27, 2005 at 9:38pm with support staff of 3 siblings (curtained off), a grandmother, father, midwife and one or two nurses cheering Mom on. Evan weighted in at 7 pounds 3.8 ounces and was very health.

Now

He is now 3 months old and wearing 6 month size clothing. I think that his size in the womb had little to do with the gestational diabetes. I think he's just a big guy! Perhaps had we not been so diligent with the diet he would have been larger at birth and we would have experienced complications. I think Mom was heroic and we were lucky.

In summary, we managed to control the gestational diabetes through a diet of primarily meat and green leafy vegetables. We monitored sugar levels twice a day and for the most part remained in range. Occasionally things were out of balance and we tried to bring in under control with some walking and adjusted diet. It was intriguing to find some "healthy" things shot the numbers way out while some "unhealthy" things had no impact. Our baby was born heathly at seven pounds three point eight ounces. Mom is incredible!

Self-pity whine from Cathy

I'm hungry. I crave sweets and I am sick of worrying about everything I eat. Eating and sarcasm are my coping mechanisms for stress. I want to eat foods that are comforting again.

Self-testing whine from Cathy

Even though it is completely against my self-preservation instincts to deliberately do something that I know is going to hurt, I test my blood several times a day. It is easy to do and the noise of the testing pen going pop is probably the worst part (I still jump a bit each time I hear it). I do get really annoyed if I don't have the pen close enough to get a good break in the skin and end up making a second hole in my finger. Seeing all the teeny marks on my fingers is a little depressing and I do find myself feeling each finger to pick the least sore before each test.

Test strip question from Cathy

Why do the teeny tiny test strips cost about a dollar each? The machine, test strips and testing needles are just the beginning of the expense, too. I wonder how different it would be if we had insurance.

Gestational Diabetes Rising in U.S. Women

This March 25th Reuters Health article (BugMeNot) contributes the rise in number of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to the obesity epidemic which absolutely makes no sense for us as my wife is in no way obese. Regardless of the cause the trend is on the rise.

"The prevalence of GDM has been increasing over the past 8 years" -- by about 12% per year, Dr. Dabelea told Reuters Health

An interesting warning can be derived from the article also. The study shows our daughters could be at a greater risk.

"Moreover, women born more recently were at increased risk for GDM compared with women born earlier, probably reflecting an increased exposure to risk factors operating before childbearing years, such as obesity,"

Again, the mention of obesity but they are guessing. Could other factors be causing an increase in GDM in younger women?

Pin Pricks to be replaced by contact lense

Boing Boing informs us that bioengineers at the University of Maryland are developing contact lenses that change color in response to changes in blood sugar. Original article

The system is not the first non-invasive glucose monitoring system to be developed. The US Food and Drug Administration approved another system, called GlucoWatch, in 2001. GlucoWatch, which is worn on the wrist, applies a small electrical current to the skin, drawing the fluid between cells through the skin to test it for glucose. But the company that makes GlucoWatch still recommends occasional blood sugar monitoring through finger pricks.

In the news

Waistline better indicator
of diabetes than BMI