Jump to content

Menu

chanda7

Members
  • Posts

    368
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by chanda7

  1. For what it is worth, I listened to a podcast with a specialist on gestational diabetes. The doctor said anytime your blood sugar goes over 135, your baby is getting "snacks" that it doesn't need. Generally in diabetes, I've read that blood sugar over 140 starts doing damage to your body. There are more dangers to gestational diabetes other than your baby getting too big (or possibly too small). For example, your baby starts making insulin to help you, and then the baby becomes temporarily hypoglycemic after birth. Gestational diabetes isn't necessarily anything to "worry" about, but I wouldn't blow it off either, especially based on the information you have given.
  2. Your numbers would not be considered "normal." Your fasting numbers are borderline high, 1 hour after meals need to be under 140 and 2 hours after meals need to be under 120. You could probably get your after-meal numbers down by adjusting your carbs, but it is a lot harder to bring fasting numbers down. If the fasting numbers go regularly over 100, most doctors want you on insulin. I'm not "plus-size," but I found some of the best information at this site: http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_index.html. A sample diet plan is http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_nutrition.htm.
  3. Biologyjunction seems to have a lot of resources, but the animations are driving me crazy. :p
  4. From what I have read, pregnant women without glucose issues have lower levels of blood glucose than non-pregnant women. They want you to have numbers to mimic "normal" pregnant women.
  5. *Anyone* would not have shown that number even after a carb loaded meal. If your insulin, etc., is working the way it should, your numbers aren't going to go high regardless of what you eat. My guess is if you ate a meal that large and your blood sugar was 132, you have a mild case of gestational diabetes, glucose intolerance, whatever you want to call it. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes this pregnancy. I've never had large babies, nor have I tested positive for having it in previous pregnancies. I have no family history of diabetes, either. I failed both the screening and the actual test horribly. However, I have been able to control my blood sugar through diet alone (with walking thrown in for good measure). If you have gestational diabetes, you are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes at some point in the future, compared to the average person. It doesn't mean that you will, but it is something you will need to watch for. It isn't that the gestational diabetes causes the type 2, but that it is a warning that your body may not be working at 100 percent. My dietitian wants my fasting blood sugar to be below 95 and my 2-hour post-meal blood sugar to be below 120. I can eat about 15 carbs per snack, around 30 carbs per meal, always paired with protein. Lots of things can affect your blood sugar besides what you just ate: illness, stress, lack of sleep, etc. I wouldn't accept a diagnosis of gestational diabetes based on that one "test." It is as important for them to test your fasting blood sugar as it is your post-meal blood sugar. Even on the 3-hour test, you are allowed to fail one of the blood tests and still escape the diagnosis. Personally, I think screening yourself at home with a glucose monitor over a period of time is a lot more accurate.
  6. The search function has been driving me crazy since it was changed :(
  7. I've already bought those swaddling blankets to try out with our new little one. Thanks for the tips!
  8. Eh, the whole full moon thing is supposed to be a myth. However, I went into labor last time during full moon at this point of my pregnancy.
  9. This isn't exactly alternative medicine, but it is what worked for us. My daughter began having chronic ear infections around age 3. Each time she got a cold, it turned into an ear infection. We had an ER doctor recommended trying Claritin, on top of an antibiotic, to help clear things up. We started giving her Claritin every time she got a cold, and she hasn't had an ear infection since.
  10. I'm 36 weeks, is that close enough? I had a false alarm last week, and I'm already dialated. I've been calling tomorrow's full moon as my delivery date the entire pregnancy (I tend to go early), so we'll see. I'm having a boy.
  11. I have to drive about 45 minutes to get to a decent library. We go about once a month for books related to the kids' homeschool lessons. We have a smaller, local library about 10 minutes away.
  12. From what I understand, it is all going to those Journey books in 2012. I'm disappointed about it :(
  13. There is a trivia quiz they can take in the games area to earn Webkinz cash. My daughter came running to me yesterday saying, "Mommy, your training has paid off. They asked how many millimeters in a meter, and I knew the answer!" LOL
  14. This is what we do. My DH built us a computer the size of a Wii. We hooked up an antenna to receive over-the-air signals on a TV card that hooks into the computer. No monthly charge for the TV nor the DVR service :)
  15. I really like the book recommended by tadah. I checked it out from the library and ended up buying it for Kindle.
  16. I only have the Homer core, but there are instructions on how to outline by act and scene around writing project 5. This would not *exactly* be the same as paragraph/supporting sentences, etc.
  17. We usually take 75 to 40 to 27 around Harriman. Even when we used to take 75, we'd cut across 68 and come over Watts Bar Dam instead of going all the way to Athens.
  18. Some diabetics cannot eat legumes, as the carbs will spike their blood sugar. YMMV.
  19. Sounds like you are on the border, and you could very well pass the 3-hour test. I've read that the baby is putting on the fat layer between 28 to 32 weeks, so that is a critical time for you to have your diet under control if you are having glucose issues. Another vital period is the 6-weeks leading up to delivery, for weight but especially so the baby doesn't overproduce insulin and have hypoglycemia issues once born, etc. By dumb luck (or not), sugar showed up in my urine at my 16-week appointment after a hefty serving of OJ (something I rarely drank but we were out of milk that morning). I failed the 1-hour with a 170-something and the 3-hour really badly (my second hour score was 250-ish). Despite the awful scores, I've been able to keep my numbers down with diet alone, and actually, I tend to go hypoglycemic if I don't eat every couple of hours. You may be able to get away with more carbs, but the basic diet is 15 grams per serving of carbs, 7 grams per serving of protein. You can do 1 to 2 carbs and at least 2 proteins for breakfast, 2-3 carbs and 3-4 proteins for lunch and dinner, 1 carb and 1 protein for snacks. The important thing is to have proteins with the carbs to slow down their absorption. Without doing glucose testing after your meals, it is hard to know how certain carbs affect you. For example, I can eat pasta and, of all things, baked potatoes without a problem. Bread is more iffy, and rice sends my blood sugar higher than it should be (but not ridiculously high). I've only gained 8 lbs. this pregnancy because I had terrible morning sickness until around 4-5 months, and I've been on the diet since then. I had no symptoms, no history of diabetes in the family, 2 children born on the smaller side of average, etc. My case is actually pretty mild, which is a tad bit shocking based on my testing numbers. If you really have to wait that long for testing, you might want to buy a glucose monitor and start checking your numbers. Generally, they want your fasting under 95-100 (sometimes even 90), and 2 hours after the beginning of your meal, your numbers need to be under 120. The generic monitor available at Wal-Mart is supposed to be one of the cheapest (including strip costs) and has a reputation of being fairly accurate (as accurate as monitors get, but don't get me started on that). Sorry for the book, but this is coming from the trenches. I'm at 33 weeks right now.
  20. If he is exclusively breastfed and has no other symptoms, it is likely he is not constipated. Breastfed babies can sometimes go several days without a bm, no harm done. If he doesn't seem uncomfortable, I'd tell her just to wait it out. If she really feels the need to encourage him to go, tell her to put him in a warm bathtub up to his armpits, but be prepared for the consequences ;)
  21. No advice, just wanted to say that is a beautiful area :) I stay at South Fork once or twice a year. I'm guessing Knoxville would be your quickest trip to "civilization." I'm in TN, and I register with the local school board. No hassles.
  22. The important thing to remember is henna cannot lighten your hair. The lighter streaks could turn out strawberry blonde, but the darker hair will be whatever color it is with a reddish/copper cast. I would experiment mixing the straight henna paste with conditioner, 1 part henna to 2 parts conditioner, and applying for various amounts of time on your test strands until you get the color you want. I would start in 5-minute increments; you might be surprised how little time it will take.
  23. I use henna glosses (henna mixed with conditioner) to dye my white/gray hair a gold/coppery color. I have mostly brown hair, so it gives a coppery cast to the brown as well. What do you need to know about henna? Only use body art quality (BAQ) henna. Other types of henna can possibly turn your hair green if it has been chemically processed or it could actually be dangerous depending on the ingredients. The only color you can get with henna is various shades of red, anything from a strawberry blonde/coppery blonde to reddish-purple. How red you get depends on what color your hair is to start with, if you dilute the henna and how long you leave it on. You can get a blackish color if you layer indigo on top of the henna. You can dilute henna with other herbs or conditioner.*You must save your hair and do strand tests to figure out how long you need to use the henna and at what concentration.* Henna is permanent. It may fade naturally on some types of hair. There are ways to get it to fade. But, you need to go into it with a permanent mindset. If your hair is entirely gray/white, there will be a demarcation line. You can order henna over the Internet or purchase it at Indian groceries. Sometimes, they carry it at organic groceries. Do not confuse 100 percent henna with henna-based hair dyes. Henna-based dyes usually have very little actual henna. The process of using is henna is mixing up the henna powder with hot water and a bit of something acidic (like vinegar) to get a yogurt-like consistency. You leave it in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours (up to 48 or 72 hours, I don't remember at the moment) for the dye to release. If you want the brightest red possible, you apply the "mud" straight to your hair, bag it up and leave it on for a while, usually hours. You leave it on for less time for lighter shades. To get my coppery tint, I mix 1/3 henna mud with 2/3 conditioner and apply it for 8 minutes. Rinsing requires patience, especially if you use undiluted "mud." Using lots of conditioner can help rinse out most of the bits and mask the "grassy" smell. After rinsing, it takes a day or two for your hair to "oxidize" and reach the color it is going to stay. Usually, the red tones down a little once that happens. I'm far from being an expert, especially on using straight henna, but that will at least get you started. Good luck!
  24. Civil War for Kids is such a great book. My FIL even picked it up and read through it while we were vacationing last summer. If you have any Civil War sites near where you live, I think that really brings it alive, especially if you can visit during an "encampment."
×
×
  • Create New...