I won! Passing the glucose tolerance test

Now that all of the genetic screenings and major ultrasounds are done and we know that the baby is developing quite well, there’s nothing else to worry about, right?  Wrong!  Nothing puts fear into a sweets-loving pregnant lady than the glucose tolerance test.

I passed the test easily when I was pregnant with Jenson, but I was working out every day on my lunch break, and had gained less weight so far.  I wasn’t terribly nervous this time…perhaps anxious is a better word.  I mean, Halloween and Christmas is going to (probably) happen before this babe pops out, so if I had to limit sweets and monitor my blood sugar, well….that wouldn’t be very much fun.  I’ve already had to give up gluten, and temporarily alcohol (dying for a margarita over here), and the only things that could hurt worse would be sweets and cheese.  (fresh blueberries are hard to find year round, so I usually have to take a winter break from them anyway)  I was super excited to get the results just hours later that I passed the test this time too.  I raised my arms in victory and said “I won!”.  If I had failed, I still wouldn’t have been super worried because many women who fail the one hour test end up passing the 3 hour test.  But still…a 3 hour test sounds awful.

My tips on the glucose tolerance test:

• Appointment time: Schedule your appointment for as early as possible and fast or eat very little (as long as the appointment is early enough).  The more food you have in your system, the higher your blood sugar will naturally be…so adding the glucose drink to that could put you just over the limit.  I was told that I was allowed to eat, but obviously nothing super sugary.  Stupidly, I scheduled for afternoon (3:15) because it’s easier with Jenson to go after his nap and less of a chance for carsickness.  And he didn’t nap before we had to leave anyway…
• Food: If you do eat, stick with mostly protein.  I ate breakfast and lunch but was still starving most of the day.  I had 2 eggs with cheese for breakfast and coffee with a splash of milk.  For lunch I had a leftover turkey burger (that we made for dinner the night before) topped with some avocado.  My body wanted some carbs, but I made it.
• The Drink: CHILL it.  Make sure you time it right because if you drink it too early and get to your appointment late, you’ll have to reschedule.  This was a risk because I needed to drink it on the way to my appointment, drop off Jenson with the sitter, and hope that traffic wasn’t terrible on Sawmill Road (more terrible than always, anyway).  Drink it as fast as possible.  It’s time to revert back to your college beer chugging days because if you sip it or take too many breaks, it gets rough.  If you chug it, it mostly just tastes like weird orange pop (until the aftertaste).
• Food, again: Have a snack ready for right after your appointment…not something sweet – you’ll have enough of that.  I should have taken some almonds, but Jenson’s lack of nap left me with less time to prepare.  So I had a cheese stick with me that I ate as soon as I got in the car.  I also had some date/almond balls that I’d made last week that I ate on my way to Chick-fil-A.  I told you I was hungry!  Chick-fil-A never tasted so good, even though I forgot to ask for ketchup and I had to eat my fries plain.  I felt a little sugar sick for the rest of the day.  I mean, it didn’t stop me from having ice cream, but not until much later, and then I regretted it.  So don’t go crazy.  I bought gummy bears at Fresh Thyme and didn’t even open them.
• Don’t worry too much about it (easier said).  If you fail, put your big girl pants on and take the 3 hour test.  If you fail that one, you HAVE gestational diabetes and need to monitor things for the health of you and your baby.

So that’s that.  I’m not doctor so I have no idea if these tips work or not.

My appointment was super-fast.  After the medical assistant did my vitals, the doctor was ready to see me right before the phlebotomist was ready for me (an hour after I finished the drink), so she had to rush for him.  She measured my belly, did the baby’s heartbeat for approximately 2 beats, said my weight gain and vitals were good, asked if I had any questions or concerns, and sent me to my blood draw.  Since I had no concerns, I was happy with the efficiency.

So all is well in the baby’s home.  Bring on the dessert!