30 weeks prego and my Pesto recipe!

I'm 30 weeks along-- completely into my third and FINAL trimester! My doctor as well as the doctor who delivered Maggie (and therefore saved my life and hers), both assure me that everything so far looks perfect. As it goes with Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome, I won't truly be in the clear until post-partum, but I cherish those words of encouragement. Here's a picture of my pregnant belly in my very messy bathroom:

In other news, I made Basil Pesto last night! This classic is an absolutely favorite of mine-- so much so that last summer I actually started to get sick of it from making it so often. It's SUPER easy to make (though it does require a LOT of basil), and such an amazing flavor when made fresh. Here's my recipe:

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
salt & pepper

Combine the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and olive oil in a food processor. Remove from food processor and stir in Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, and pepper. Do this in a small pan on low heat if serving immediately.

Voila! That's it! The most time-consuming part of making pesto is picking the basil leaves, IF you're picking them straight off of the plant. Many grocery stores sell packages of fresh basil leaves that will work just as well-- and so much less work for you!

 

Since I have Gestational Diabetes, I can't just sit there and eat a giant bowl of pasta like I really want to. So I have to find a way to transform my Italian dishes into something more blood-sugar-friendly. For dinner last night, I started with whole wheat ziti.

 

I then sautéed a large cubed eggplant with a pound of hot Italian sausage. I only needed to add a little EVOO to the pan-- no other add-ins were necessary. The sausage is plenty flavorful by itself!!

And that's it! I combined all of the above, with less focus on the pasta and more focus on the sausage, eggplant, and of course PESTO, and I had a very happy blood sugar two hours later! I love it when I can eat the pasta that I crave without my body punishing me for it! :-)

27 weeks

As of tomorrow I will be 27 weeks pregnant. I certainly don’t FEEL like I’m this far along. Depending on who you ask, 27 or 28 weeks is the mark of the third trimester. When I was pregnant with my daughter, time moved like molasses. Now, being pregnant while simultaneously caring for my daughter, time moves like quicksand. I still haven’t gained much weight, partially because of the Gestational Diabetes diet, and partially because I just haven’t had time to sit on the couch and snack like I so often did during my first pregnancy. Having a toddler running around and using you as a jungle gym sure changes things!

                So far in this pregnancy, I have experienced the following:

-Blood sugar issues

Unable to control my fasting blood sugar, my doctor prescribed the lowest dose available (1.25 mg) of Glyburide, which is the only non-insulin blood sugar medication known to be safe during pregnancy. This worked for about two weeks. I then moved to the next dose (2.5 mg), which again worked for about two weeks. I then moved up another notch (3.75 mg), which has been successful for about a month now. I have been able to eat bigger breakfasts thanks to the leftover medication in my body in the morning, and through experimenting I have discovered that I can safely eat a much more “normal” diet than I did in my first pregnancy—it’s just a matter of trial and error, and being willing to have some imperfect blood sugar readings from time to time. It makes for a much easier pregnancy when you permit yourself more freedom with your diet!

 

-Occasional headaches

I have experienced mild headaches from time to time. This is a great improvement over my daily headaches during my first pregnancy. Less Tylenol= less stress on my liver= a good thing!

 

-Epigastric pain

Twice during this pregnancy (at 11 weeks and again at 24 weeks) I experienced very severe Upper Right Quadrant pain. As a HELLP Syndrome survivor, I was absolutely crippled with fear and anxiety at the pain’s proximity to my liver. At 11 weeks pregnant, I went to the Emergency Room. At 24 weeks, I simply waited a day and went to my regular appointment with the OB at the department of Maternal Fetal Medicine. Each time, a blood test was ordered and my liver function was found to be completely normal. The diagnosis: gas, constipation, and anxiety. The solution: Colace, Miralax, a good probiotic, and lots of prayer. “I cast all my cares upon you!”

 

                Between working each day, cooking, cleaning, having a toddler and a husband, I haven’t had much time to really even process that there’s another baby coming. But according to my calendar, there isn’t that much time left! During the next few months I will probably experience much more anxiety along with whatever else this pregnancy has up its sleeve. I hope and pray that I can control my worries enough so that they don’t have too much of an effect on my family! And I hope and pray that any pain I experience for the rest of this pregnancy will continue to be attributed to gas J

22 Weeks and lots of thoughts

I, like many girls and women of all shapes and sizes, have “struggled with weight” since middle school. Right around that age where puberty begins, I became aware that I had smaller breasts, smaller hips, thinner thighs, and more visible ribs than any other girls my age. Now I don’t know if it’s just a part of the “haters gonna hate” rule of life, or if it were actual genuine concern, but as soon as I hit high school, my self-consciousness was magnified by a constant stream of, “Did you eat enough?”… “Do you have an eating disorder?”… “You’re disgusting. Bitch, eat a BAGEL.”… “Are you bulimic?”

 

I have never been anorexic. I have never been bulimic. I have never had an eating disorder of any kind—unless you count eating lots and lots of junk food because I hoped that it might make me gain weight so that people would stop making me feel so incredibly uncomfortable about my body. I have never been an athlete, either—so those who wondered if I had an exercise “disorder” were also incorrect. All of these questions, all of these comments made me feel uncomfortable, self-conscious, and ugly.

 

Somehow it seems like the overweight people of the world think that we, the naturally slender, have no feelings. Somehow it seems like the overweight people of the world think that we are robot super-humans who don’t have any normal human struggles—especially not in the midst of life’s most trying times, like puberty or pregnancy!

 

“Real men like curves—only dogs like bones.” Have you heard that one before? It’s one of the most offensive things I’ve ever seen on the internet.

 

How are things like this supposed to make HEALTHY women feel about themselves? Something is seriously wrong when the woman who has taken care of herself posts flattering post-pregnancy photos online and she gets attacked and banned left and right.

 

Something is seriously wrong when a pregnant woman is told to her face that she is causing harm to her unborn child by being thin.

 

I shouldn’t have to be armed and ready with my standby response of “well I have Gestational Diabetes, so with my forced healthy diet I haven’t gained much weight.” I shouldn’t have to apologize for being fit.

 

Teenage girls of ANY shape or size should not be caused by friends or by teachers to think less of themselves for something that they have ZERO control over.

 

It’s completely unacceptable to make negative comments about people who are overweight. So why is it acceptable to overtly make fun of, put down, and cause thin people to feel guilty, unattractive, unhealthy, and abnormal?

gestational diabetes

17 weeks.

I’m beginning to realize that what is intended to be a story about post-HELLP pregnancy may very well end up mostly being a story about pregnancy with gestational diabetes. I guess if I help somebody along the way, it’ll be worth it.

I went to my OB earlier this week, and was told that since I’ve been unable to control my fasting blood sugars I would have to begin medication. She gave me a choice between injections and a pill. I chose the pill, because, let’s be real here: needles are awful. I endure enough pain as it is checking my blood sugars four times a day, and I really don’t want to add to that! So, she prescribed Glyburide for me. I took it for the first time last night, and my fasting blood sugar this morning was not improved. At all. In fact, it’s exactly the same that it’s been all week. We’re not talking scary, I’m-gonna-die-in-a-diabetic-coma blood sugar, so don’t get all worked up. But just knowing that my body isn’t working the way it should, and despite my best efforts (working out, eating healthy, controlled portions) isn’t coming around at all, is extremely scary and frustrating.

And come on, let’s face it: Thanksgiving is this week! All I really want to do is eat stuffing and drink eggnog! Facing the truth that I can’t eat my weight in pie in a few days is devastating. Honestly, I’m tearing up at the thought.

I’ve never been particularly athletic, but I haven’t lived a sedentary life, either. I did theater for most of my life, which may not be as intense as training for the Olympics, but is fairly physically demanding. Up until a few months ago I always worked jobs that required me to be on my feet and briskly walking around all day. I love pie, eggnog, stuffing, and the occasional Big Mac, but I also love to snack on apples, carrots and peanut butter, and I drink so much water that I pee clear all day. I’m tall and slender and everyone who first meets me assumes that I’m a dancer or a runner or some sort of athlete and while it’s true that I’m not, I’m not unhealthy.

It doesn’t seem logical or fair that this should happen to me. So many women are overweight, sedentary, terrible eaters, soda drinkers, and so on. And yet so many of them go on to have completely “normal,” healthy pregnancies. Why me?

And then I slowly pull myself out of my pity-party. I remind myself that bad things happen to good people. God uses all situations for good. And while it’s easy to judge and think “life isn’t fair,” that’s the exact opposite of what is useful, good, and right.

…Right?