C-Sections/Delivery/Diabetes Management...It's All Reality Now!

I know what you're thinking...Two posts in one week, whoa!  I'll admit, it hasn't happened much in the past several months.  When you're growing a person, everything else kind of automatically and subconsciously takes a back seat to their well being!  My last post was quite literally the shortest one I've ever written, mainly because I wanted to post something in the two seconds I had before I left work that day.

Any updates I could give today would mostly be reiterations from a couple of days ago; however, I did want to share that after my ultrasound and doctor's appointment yesterday, we are officially scheduled for a c-section on January 25th.  Yes, our sweet little girl is still in the breech position, and call it mother's intuition, but I just don't see her turning anytime soon.  After weighing our options, the hubby and I decided that opting for the c-section was the best decision for us simply because version seems like such an impossibility at this point...I honestly believe that due to the same reason she's still upright in there--according to the OB, my ab muscles are still pretty tight, which means that (a) my belly isn't very big for being nine months pregnant and (b) she just doesn't have much room to move.  Of course I know this because her head has been jabbing me in the rib off and on for the past couple of days!  Oh well, it's a pain that is well worth enduring =)

I also discussed what would happen immediately following delivery with my OB, and he said that as long as the baby is okay, they should be able to bring her to us while I'm in recovery...something that's very important to me since I plan to breastfeed.  He and I both believe that the low blood sugar common in babies born to mothers with diabetes should be a nonissue for us, especially because the surgery is scheduled first thing in the morning, when my blood sugar is normally hovering around the 60-70 range.  They'll check it nonetheless, though.  [For those of you who are unfamiliar with this phenomenon, it goes something like this: When the mother's blood sugar is higher than normal, the baby's body also produces insulin to process the additional sugar.  When the baby is born, and therefore no longer has that additional sugar to process, their own blood sugar drops from the excess insulin they've produced.]

In addition, I asked my OB about the necessity of the antibiotic eye ointment that is usually given following delivery. It just didn't make sense to me for them to do it following a c-section if the reason it's given is to prevent the transmission of STDs and other infections to the baby's eyes during a vaginal birth...therefore, the c-section eliminates this possibility entirely.  The reason this even matters to me is because again, I want to try to breastfeed as soon as possible following delivery, and the eye ointment makes the baby's vision blurry for a while--thus having the potential for interfering with breastfeeding and bonding.  My OB said that he didn't think they'd have a problem with not doing it, but that I'd have to tell them because it's pretty much standard protocol following every delivery.

What else?...Oh yeah, I asked him about returning to exercise following a c-section.  I'm sure I won't be as worried about that a few weeks from now, but I figure that if I at least think about it, there's a possibility I'll actually do it much sooner than if I put it out of my mind.  Believe it or not, I do miss the feeling of running, because I haven't been physically able to for the past nine months due to various reasons!  The closer I get to delivery, the more amazed I am by that woman who gave birth after running a marathon a few months back...granted, she walked half of it, but that's a whole 13.1 miles that she actually ran!  My hips and other joints hurt just getting out of bed in the mornings, so I can't imagine what they'd feel like after that kind of challenge!

Diabetes-wise, my CDE contacted me last week to discuss the changes I should expect in regards to my insulin needs following delivery.  I told her I couldn't believe how much insulin I've been using recently compared to pre-pregnancy...that whole "your insulin needs will double or even triple by the end of pregnancy" thing?  It's true.  Mine have slightly more than doubled, and even though I knew it was to be expected, it's still shocking to see the amount of insulin I use now versus before!  Not that it matters much (other than having to have my insulin refilled much more often)...it's just weird to me.  Anyway, my CDE said my insulin needs will at least be cut in half post-delivery, and that hypos are going to be a possibility.  I wouldn't be surprised if they're a reality, especially since I'll be nursing.

I mentioned it last time too, but I have to say it again...these last weeks seem incredibly strange time-wise.  During the day, I have a hard time focusing on anything at hand because my "before the baby gets here to-do list" is constantly running through my mind, and at the end of the week, I can't believe how fast time has flown.  It's a weird, weird dichotomy to be caught in the middle of.  At least at this point, I can start the countdown to being able to take off work...just four more business days left, and I have an ultrasound appointment on one of them!  I have two ultrasounds next week along with an OB visit and an appointment with my endocrinologist, so I have a feeling I'm going to be doctored-out by the time the week is over...but I guess I can't complain too much, because my OB has let me slide in that regard so far!  In the beginning, he told me that since I was high-risk, I'd have to see him twice a week at the end, but he's only made me come once a week up to now since everything has gone so well...and because we live two hours away.  Even going weekly wears me out, so I can only imagine the toll twice-weekly visits for an entire month would take!  Well, I guess I better go...the work day is finally over, so I'm going to go home and relax a bit!