please accept an invite to my pity party

FEEL SORRY FOR ME! I am 33 weeks pregnant and, despite all tests to the contrary, I was told today that I have gestational diabetes. I am sure this diagnosis was driven largely (ha, ha - largely!) due to the fact that Sam was a ginormous baby. And I appreciate that my doctor is so concerned and invested in my health and the health of my baby. And I appreciate that many other women have much more difficult and scary things asked of them during their pregnancies. But still... feel sorry for me!

I have been testing my blood sugar four times a day with my handy little kit for the last week and, apparently, my numbers were just not awesome enough. Hence today's diagnosis. I am kind of in the depths of despair about it. If last week's numbers were off despite having given up almost all carbs and having eaten no treats (okay, I had three gummy worms on Tuesday night - I admit it!), then I don't know what to do.

For the next few weeks, I will pretty much eat very little and be kind of hungry, all while stabbing my finger and bleeding onto a strip of test paper four times a day. And if this weekend doesn't prove to have better numbers, they will put me on insulin starting next week. So add a huge shot in the tummy several times a day to that list. Hooray!

I think of my awesome sister-in-law who bravely gave up dairy, eggs, and other deliciousness for a year while nursing her baby, just to avoid giving her the food allergies her oldest has. She is amazing! A year! I can do a month or so without carbs and treats. But, really, what is there to eat other than carbs and treats?! My doctor suggested "meat" as a good snack today. Mmmmmm....meat! Have you met pregnant ladies before? We don't like to snack on meat. We like to snack on cold cereal, chips and salsa, fruit and other non-threatening but now forbidden items. (We also like brownies, donuts, and ice cream but that list makes me sound less unjustly injured.)

They sure scare you with all the stories of things that can happen to babies of gestational diabetic mothers. And they sure make you feel guilty. "His little pancreas is working over time to correct your poor eating choices!" But I know in the end it will all be worth it to have a healthy and hopefully not gigantic little boy, and a non-traumatic delivery.

This really has been my healthiest pregnancy yet. I had very little morning sickness, I've gained the least amount of weight of all my pregnancies (so far), my skin hasn't broken out, I still have ankles... a lot to be grateful for and a lot of good signs. This is also the only pregnancy where I have also been Young Women's president and that is causing me no small amount of stress, but I am confident that there a lot of blessings coming to our family because of that.

Thanks for coming to my pity party. I will accept your kind words of sympathy as well as any recipes or survival techniques you may know. Or any ideas on how to appropriately prepare meat as a snack!