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All Things Physical

At 27-1/2 weeks, here's where I'm at:

I took the glucose test for gestational diabetes on Thursday. I was a little worried about the test for a couple of reasons. First, my midwife kept saying that it's hard to pass the test when you're pregnant with twins. Second, we have had a study going on for years following babies born to mothers that had gestational diabetes, because there is reason to think that uncontrolled diabetes during pregnancy can have adverse outcomes on brain development. I watched my sugar intake all week long, and found out on Friday that I passed the test with flying colors! I celebrated by eating a piece of chocolate cake :)

The hemogram did show that I am anemic, however. I was really surprised to find this out, because I feel like I have never eaten so many dark leafy greens in my life (thanks to the farm share this summer). But, having two babies cookin' does mean that they are sucking everything out of me that they need, which has apparently left me anemic. We have also had a study going on for 16+ years looking at the effects of pre- and postnatal iron deficiency on brain development, so I am not very happy to get my own news of anemia. The recommendation is that I take a ferrous sulfate supplement 2x/day, but I am also going to talk to our collaborator who is an expert on iron deficiency to see if there is anything else she recommends that I do.

We have an appointment with the perinatologist (i.e., high risk OB) on Wednesday. She will do an ultrasound and check to see how the babies are growing. The main thing is to confirm that they are growing concordantly, so we'll be anxious to hear that everything is okay on the growth front (although by the looks of me, this shouldn't be a problem!).

The finger I cut so badly 1-1/2 weeks ago is healing to the point that I can go without any bandage about 50% of the time. My knees are giving me some trouble, but that is probably to be expected given the Westerlund gene pool. I'm working on sorting out some carpal tunnel issues in my right hand/forearm (related to water retention), but the massage yesterday helped a bit and the weekly yoga class definitely can't hurt. I have gained ~ 25 pounds total, and only gained 1 pound in the last two weeks. The midwife was THRILLED with such a small weight gain, and told me how thankful I will be once the babies are born. She said they are parasites and will get everything they need, as long as I continue to eat healthy. I guess it's good that I am so busy at work that I don't have time to overeat. My goal was to gain 40 pounds total, so we'll see how that all works out. Considering the babies likely about 2 pounds apiece right now (if that) and the goal is to get them to 6# each, it will be interesting to see the final weigh in!

Pregnancy is definitely the strangest bodily experience I have ever had. I joke now that I look forward to the day that the eviction notice is served and that my body becomes owner-occupied once again.

Until next time, be well.

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