Oh dear. My blood is too sweet.

The ultrasound made up for the excruciating blood extraction I had to go through last December 19.  I kept remembering the image of the little embryo with it's moving almost limbs and fast heartbeat.  The next day, however, I was a little nervous about my blood tests.  I got the results after work.  I got all of them except for the HIV test which would be ready by Friday.

I examined my results.  I understood that my blood test and my urinalysis were okay.  The other stuff were too technical for me to understand.  I did get a bit concerned with the Rubella one because it showed it was high.  I was wondering if I was high with the rubella virus.  I looked at the "What to expect when you're expecting" book Rowie lent me.  It did not really shed light on what the tests meant but I was hoping it meant that I had high rubella antibody count.  Only the visit to the doctor will tell.

Finally, I met with the doctor on Wednesday.  We first discussed that the internal bleeding which did increase but had no effects to the baby.  So that was good.  She almost forgot to review my tests until I pointed it out to her.  Good thing her secretary checked it before hand and mentioned something I needed to be concerned about.  This was why I remembered to ask her about it.

Rubella was the least of my concerns.  The results actually showed I had good immunity against it.  It was my glucose that was something to worry about.  My fasting rate was good, but after I took the yucky glucose solution, my blood sugar was too high even after two hours.  Since diabetes runs in the family, my doctor was not inclined to believe it is gestational, rather something that was there before.  

I'm hoping she's wrong, that it is something that will eventually go away after child birth.  But for the duration of the pregnancy, it is something I will have to watch out for.  Dr. Henson recommended I see a endocrinologist or diabetes doctor so I can be guided on what food I can have.

Thankfully, the doctor, Dr. Capellan, is covered by my extension HMO so one less consultation fee to pay for.  When she saw my test and found out that I was only 10 weeks pregnant, she was inclined to believe that I do have diabetes given our family history.  She immediately recommended that I monitor my blood sugar upon waking and after every meals.  I had to go to the Diabetes clinic to learn how to monitor my sugar as well as have a specially-planned diet made for me.

All these things cost! I had to pay for the sessions on the diet and the monitoring (around P1,100 total), plus the glucose monitoring kit (P3,700 for the monitor, P4,000 monthly for lancets and chips).  My diet was down to 1,750 calories/day broken down into 3 meals and 3 snacks.  The meal plan did not look depressing at all, at least.  It's just going to be difficult to eat out.  Or at the hubby's parents.  :P

I was a bit down, having to forego the ice cream and the cheesecake.  Plus the lechon and kare-kare.  Christmas season was coming and food is part of the Filipino celebration... so it was definitely going to be a challenge.

But this discipline that I have to learn is not for myself but for the well-being of my baby.  And for that, I will not be defeated. 

I can do this!

Take two!

I had to take another ultrasound on last December 19 to check on the hemorrhage.  Jan was unable to make it because we had a bit of miscommunication.  It was too bad because the form of the baby was much clearer.  And it was great seeing its little finger nubs moving about.  I also got to hear the heartbeat!  Such music to the ears. 

Every time I see those moving limbs and beating heart, I feel hopeful. :)

As for the hemorrhage, it was a little bigger.  When the doctor checked, however, she said she was not as concerned as before because it seemed that the bleeding did not affect the baby.  The baby was actually growing at a good rate.  She did ask me if I wanted to have further bed rest.  For that week, I said I needed to get back to work, but I would gladly take it for the next couple of weeks.

So officially, I am on bed rest again.  But I can be a little more mobile now. Yey!

Tests, tests, tests!

I was scheduled to have the standard battery of tests to be taken on December 19.  I thought it was just your typical time at the laboratory where they extract your blood and use the vial taken to be tested.  Well, my thoughts were correct.  What I failed to realize that for each test, they need a vial of blood.  I only had to have seven tests.  Frak.

The worst thing about it was I had very thin capillaries.  Every time I have blood tests, the nurses would often exclaim about extracting my blood is a challenge.  So when I had my tests, I had to be pricked several times.  One prick would just yield two and a half vials.  They had to take from the other arm since my veins collapsed.  Both arms ended up taking a beating.  Boy, was it painful.  I don't usually hurt from needles, but with the amount of blood they needed to take, it really hurt.

The most stressful test was the glucose 75 which was to measure the sugar in the blood.  For that I had to fast.  I was already so hungry by 9AM.  We got to the hospital around 9.30AM, only to find out that I left the doctor's instructions for the tests.  Jan had to go back to the condo to get it.  He got back to the hospital at 10.15AM.  By the time it was my turn, it was quarter to 11.  

When they got my blood, they had to extract one particular vial for my blood sugar after fasting.  Then I had to drink this bottle full of glucose that was disgustingly sweet.  Ugh.  Then they had to take more blood samples an hour after and two hours after.  Which meant, I could not eat until they got the third extract. Whuh?  I was so faint with hunger already!

Plus I had to run to my ultrasound upstairs.  The wait for that took too long.  By the time they took my ultrasound, I was late for my one-hour after extraction.  The secretary of my doctor also called me up to tell me that the doctor would be unavailable because she had to conduct a delivery, so we had to reschedule on Wednesday.

By the time my last extraction happened, I was absolutely dizzy with hunger! I thought I could eat a horse after, but I was also so faint, I could only eat a little.  I actually over ordered, but the good thing is, I had extra for merienda. Hehe!

What a day it was! I went home dizzy, with bruised veins. I guess that's part of the 'fun' and sacrifice of motherhood to be. :P

There's a but...

The ultrasound showed us that our baby was doing well with 164 heartbeats per minute.  Definitely a good heartbeat.  It was something to be thankful for.  To be honest, I had to hold back telling most people because I've heard a few horror stories of pregnancies around the first trimester.  It was a relief and a joy to see the baby having a healthy heart.

Ultrasounds do reveal other things.  It showed that I had something called "subchorionic hemorrhage." The doctor explained that there was minimal bleeding in my uterus.  It was like wet glue that did not stick that well yet, so we had to be careful.  She wanted to be overly cautious and adviced some bed rest for me.  There was nothing to be really worried about, but since it was the most sensitive stage of pregnancy, it was best to take extra precaution.

So rest I did.  And it was needed to be honest.  I was always sleepy.  And even if I was just sitting down, I felt tired most of the time.  I felt nauseous most of the time and would occasionally vomit.  So it was good that I listened because the past few days have been uncomfortable.  Because I was hormonal, I snapped at one point because... of lumpy pillows!  But after getting back to my fluffy pillows, there was a huge difference on how rested I felt!

If I have to be behaved and well-mannered and prim just to make sure the baby has a safe journey in my tummy, will do!

First picture!

I was pretty excited to finally have my ultrasound.  If there was something to see the moment we found out, I would have gotten that ultrasound immediately.  But of course, we had to wait for me to reach eight weeks to make sure there was something to see.

On December 6, we had a first glimpse of our little one. :)

There are no words to describe the excitement of seeing the vague form of your child.  Seeing the heartbeat gave me goosebumps!  There's not much to see, but already s/he is beautiful.

Jan and I feel so blessed. :)

11.11.11

It was truly a special day for Jan and I.  

It was on this day that we confirmed that I was pregnant. With four home tests.  At around one in the morning.  Because I could not help but want to be absolutely sure.  

All four showed two strips. :)

And boy, did my body act up once we confirmed it! But it will be all worth it. :)