January/ February Snowflakes 2024

[Bevziibubble]

@Laurabub84 beautiful photos. So glad baby is doing well. That's understandable that you keep getting waves of sadness, it must be such an emotional time

 

[josephine3]

Aww @Laurabub84 what beautiful pics do good to hear you are home and all doing well. Must be very emotional for you. Can I ask was the tube for feeding? Or something else? So lovely for you to be home for Xmas!!
@Phantom great pictures so cute!!

 

[Teanna]

Had my 31 week midwife appointment yesterday and got some concerning news. The fetal heartbeat sounded like it was skipping random beats. Baby was moving away from the doppler a lot so didn't get a great reading. Midwife said it's common and usually resolves on its own but was going to send me for a special ultrasound on the heart to make sure nothing was missed at the anatomy scan. I've had similar scares in my first pregnancy although with the babies kidneys that time so hopefully it ends up being nothing major. My daughter does have a kidney issue but it doesn't effect her health or lifestyle at all.

 

[Teanna]

32 Weeks today!

 

[salamander91]

@Teanna hopefully it was just baby being a monkey moving away from the doppler. Lovely bump!

37+1 today I had my last growth scan. He's estimated at 7lb 9oz but I think he's probably bigger lol 6 days until my c section eek!

 

[littlewitch]

@Teanna hopefully it was just baby being a monkey moving away from the doppler. Lovely bump!

37+1 today I had my last growth scan. He's estimated at 7lb 9oz but I think he's probably bigger lol 6 days until my c section eek!

So exciting!

 

[MrsKatie]

@Teanna thread crashing to say my daughter had the same heartbeat-skipping issue during her NST. It was so scary but the minute she was born it resolved 100%. No issues whatsoever. She’s 7 now. Hugs!

 

[NDH]

I hope everything turns out ok with your baby's heart @Teanna

Eek 6 days til your c section @salamander91

 

[Teanna]

@Teanna thread crashing to say my daughter had the same heartbeat-skipping issue during her NST. It was so scary but the minute she was born it resolved 100%. No issues whatsoever. She’s 7 now. Hugs!

That's comforting, I heard it's more concerning if it happens at regular intervals which mine wasn't so hopefully it resolves on its own.

@salamander91 6 days, so close! I'm excited for you.

 

[josephine3]

@Teanna is that a tattoo on the bump that was there before? It's so pretty and hasn't stretched at all! Your bump is so far forward on your little frame lol it's adorable! Hope everything is OK with the heart scare sounds worrying x
I've got my 28 week growth scan tomorrow because of the low AMH levels. I feel like he's growing well though I can't imagine he's small but we will see!! Feeling tired and achey with swollen ankles x

 

[Teanna]

Yes, I got that tattoo when I was done breastfeeding my daughter. It has her name and birthdate. I'll be getting another for this baby. Probably won't know anything more about the heart until next week but my research has been comforting. Seems it more than likely will just go away on its own.

 

[josephine3]

I meant to say low papp-a not amh lol. I was very tired last night! On my way to the scan - 2 buses and a train ride away!

 

[Bevziibubble]

I meant to say low papp-a not amh lol. I was very tired last night! On my way to the scan - 2 buses and a train ride away!

Hope your scan goes well!

 

[salamander91]

@josephine3 good luck with your scan

 

[Teanna]

@josephine3 hope it goes well

 

[NDH]

Good luck for your scan @josephine3

 

[littlewitch]

I meant to say low papp-a not amh lol. I was very tired last night! On my way to the scan - 2 buses and a train ride away!

What is a low PAPP level, Josephine3? Good luck with your scan.

 

[josephine3]

Aww thanks everyone! @littlewitch I had to Google it I've never heard of it before. It's basically a hormone made by the placenta and if there's not enough of it it can indicate a problem with the placenta leading to low birth weight, early baby, late miscarriage etc..
Well I've never been convinced baby would be small, and sure enough he's not small. He's so big infact that now they are concerned about gestational diabetes and want me to have a glucose tolerance test. Sigh. His head circumference is at 98% and his abdomen at 96%!!! EFW 3lbs 6oz and I was 28+5 by their dates yesterday, weeks by head circumference is 31+2!!
Thing is it has to be an early morning appt cos of fasting from 10pm the night before, but it's almost impossible to get there for 7 or 8am with having to get the kids to school. This week is jam packed as well being the week before Christmas I've got so much to do.... Thurs is my only day with nothing on and I'm loathe to spend it travelling all day again.
@NDH why did you turn down having the gtt (if I remember correctly)?? Are there risks? I'm wondering how necessary it really is cos it's going to be a really hard day for everyone if I go. My oh would have to try and get time off work to get my youngest to school too and it's just a nightmare to organise. Plus I can't really afford more train tickets again. It's really causing me a problem!
Apparently I can't have it much later it should be 28 weeks and I'll already be 29+4 on Thursday so how skewed will that make the results?
Stressed!!

 

[NDH]

I'm sorry to hear they're now worried about baby being big because of GD

I declined the test because I've had it done before for a couple reasons, none of which being risks to the drink itself. The biggest ones being that I think the *label* of gestational diabetes is worse than having it most of the time. Since most people who get diagnosed with it find that their sugars are still within normal ranges when they test at home eating their normal diet, but now having the diagnosis means being pushed into early inductions that are totally unnecessary in their case. And that's the main thing I wanted to avoid. But also, like you, when you have kids already it's *so* inconvenient to sit around for 3 hours waiting for the rest to be finished. And I don't believe it's healthy or good to deprive pregnant women of food for that many hours . I am not a pleasant person when I am hungry, especially when I'm pregnant lol. Since I homeschool I can't even go in after school drop off.

Anyway I chose to test my blood sugars regularly at home instead, because GD diagnosis or not, that's the important part to actually be aware of - if blood sugar levels are out of range and if so, for how long. Gestational diabetes with normal blood sugar levels don't carry the risks of gestational diabetes, as it's *uncontrolled* sugars that cause excessive growth in babies, and can cause them to have blood sugar issues after birth.

So long story short, by testing at home 4x a day I've been able to see what my blood sugar is doing and take appropriate actions (avoiding eating trigger foods that do cause a blood sugar spike - which with GD are very unpredictable. I've discovered I can eat most things that are a no no for diabetics just fine, but that there are other foods that I wouldn't expect to cause a spike that do, which are easy enough avoided)

If my sugars were out of range and not able to be controlled with diet then I would have at that point been fine with having the diagnosis on my file because I would need the medications and extra monitoring that comes with GD. Luckily I have midwives who agree with my perspective and it's been a non-issue.


A glucose monitor can be picked up quite inexpensively from the pharmacy without a prescription - it's the strips that are crazy expensive though. Testing your fasting blood sugar and then either 1 or 2 hours after meals (it doesn't matter when as long as you record it since there are different ranges you're looking for at each time) for 4 days will give a good indication of whether your baby is big due to gestational diabetes or not, since it's the uncontrolled GD that causes that.

If your numbers come back high, then absolutely go through with the inconvenience of the test so you can get help getting them under control. But if all your numbers come back within range (and you didn't change your diet), then it's very unlikely that your baby is big as a result of GD

 

[josephine3]

Hmm OK thanks, @NDH. When I said i would struggle to get there she said she would ask if there was an option of doing a finger prick test for 5 days instead but came back saying the diabetes midwife wasn't in so I would have to go back anyway to get the monitor thingy. I don't know how it all works I've never been tested for or had to use a monitor before. She also said its not as accurate and that the blood test tests your 'long term' sugars? I don't see how when it's one test. Bit confused by it all. I do remember my lil boy having a big head and being somewhere in the 90's on percentile too.