Let the fetal monitoring begin!

Starting at about 32 weeks, my doctor recommended I come in for fetal monitoring to make sure that Cletus and his or her placenta were doing well. This is no small commitment. Between the drive, the 20+ minutes hooked up to the machine and the drive back, we're talking an hour and a half twice a week plus all the other normal appointments (which are now weekly or more than weekly).

At first, I resisted the frequency of this monitoring thinking that if I kept up with my kick counts and made sure Cletus was active I couldn't possibly need to come in for fetal heart rate monitoring every Monday AND Thursday.

But, after going a few times, I realized that the process was just so reassuring that it was worth it. When the uterine real estate market heats up, Cletus' fetal movements changed somewhat dramatically, so it's nice to have a professional me everything is okay.

Monitoring also helped me learn what contractions feel like. One of the sensors tracks baby's heart rate while the other tracks any compression of the uterus. I've been contracting for weeks now! Cervix please take note.

There is also nothing as soothing as lying in a dark room surrounded by the heart beats of fetuses. It's more nap-inducing than the ocean.

Weird Tests

Pretty early in your diabetic pregnancy, your doctor will want to check you for the three major groups of complications that can effect pregnancy: your eyes, your kidneys, and your heart.

Diabetic eye disease can sometimes mean you need a c-section because pushing could further damage your retina. A recent diabetic eye exam can rule that out.

For the heart, I had an EKG to make sure I had experienced

no 'hidden heart attacks' which sometimes strike diabetics, and women in particular. This involved 10 minutes of getting sensors placed on my chest, followed by being hooked up to a machine and about 20 seconds of actual testing. Totally non-invasive.

The worst funny test, by leaps and bounds, was a 24-hour urine collection to make sure my kidneys were working well. Kidney disease and pregnancy can interact to increase high blood pressure or preeclampsia for moms.

During the test, you must collect every single drop of urine for a day by peeing into a toilet 'hat' then running through the house with your 'specimen' to a big plastic jug you keep in the... wait for it... refrigerator! Wrap that sucker up in as many plastic bags as you want, it won't help that icky feeling. I think I ate out for a week afterwards, despite disinfecting everything!

Hopefully you'll only have to do this once and can pick a day when 1) you don't have to go anywhere with your toilet hat and pee jug and 2) no one is coming over to your house.