Don’t get angry

or enraged

or insulted.

Rise above the bullshit.

Flick your light back on

and shine it brighter than ever,

and fall so deeply in love

with your own life

that anyone who tried to wrong you

becomes a laughable, ridiculous

distant, memory.

I’m happy, hurting and healing at the same time. Don’t ask me how I’m doing it because I don’t know, but I’m doing it and I’m so proud of myself.

Quick update…I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 28 weeks. I’m now 29 weeks and I just met with my dietician / PN on Monday. I’m currently on a very strict diet and poking myself 4 times a day. A nurse is scheduled to call me every Tuesday at 12:30 for all blood results. I had the first call this week and the nurse said I’m not doing good, but great! Kudos! It’s been really tough changing my whole diet, but I have to do what’s best for my baby and I. I’ve been laying low on the carbs, eating tons of veggies, and cutting down on the dairy and sugars. I’m currently addicted to unsweetened flax milk. It’s dairy free and satisfies my craving when I want a nice cold drink.

This week’s meal plan and blood results:

Monday

Blood results

Breakfast: Whole sandwich thin with peanut butter

88

Morning snack: 2 cuties and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Lunch: 1 cup brown rice with steak and steamed veggies

124

Afternoon snack: 1/2 cup of hummus with 20 pretzel sticks

Dinner: 2 tacos (ground turkey, 1tsb of sour cream and a dash of hot sauce)

108

Evening snack:

Pretzel sticks with peanut butter

***After meals should be < 130 & fasting should be 60-90

Lao New Year is one of the most important celebrations in Laos. This major holiday is celebrated by nearly every Lao family. Lao New Year is commonly referred to as Pii Mai or Songkran. For most Lao people, this holiday is celebrated from April 14 to April 16. In some areas of Laos, the festival can go on for an entire week. For the standard three-day celebration, the first day of the festival is New Year’s Eve, and the last day marks the beginning of the new year. According to Lao traditions, the second day of the festival is in between the new and old years. For most people, Lao New Year is a time of joy and new beginnings.

Tradition:

• Cleansing with Water

On the second day of Lao New Year, school-age children are expected to cleanse their homes and loved ones with water. After they douse their elders with water, students go to temples to cleanse monks. The cleansing water is often perfumed with flowers or cologne. According to traditional Lao beliefs, this cleansing with water promotes longevity and peace. After the elderly and monks are cleansed, the students have some fun by dousing their friends with water. Playful fights with water guns and balloons are also common. Along with water cleansing, homes are cleaned by families. This helps eliminate the clutter from the past year.

Ahhhhh….so long second trimester and hello third trimester! I welcome you with open arms and a grateful heart. ❤️

Size this week:

Baby is the size of a head of lettuce (per my favorite app – What to Expect),  and about 15 inches long and 2.25lbs. 

Bye, bye 27 weeks It’s been real! I’m going to miss this 2nd trimester phase. I was feeling my absolute best. Talk about pregnancy glow! 😉 Tomorrow, I say hello to the third trimester of pregnancy. Time has flown and it’s hard to believe I’ll be meeting my baby in less than 2 months. It’s been quite a journey.

Hello, 6 months!!

Countdown: 13 weeks to go

Six months feels like a huge milestone in my pregnancy. I feel very blessed and thankful for my baby & body. My absolute favorite experience is when I feel him kick; it honestly makes me happy so many times throughout the day. I now realize where the “glow” comes from in pregnancy. At least for me, it’s the happiness and connection I feel with him that fills me with appreciation.

I haven’t talked much about my pregnancy because I’ve been an emotional wreck, but here’s a little update:

At my 26 weeks appointment, I took the “one hour” glucose test and did not pass. My blood sugar count was 156, which was abnormal (normal is less than 140 mg). I went back to the lab to take a 3 hour glucose test this weekend after an 8 hour fasting (water okay). The lab technician tested my blood clean, I then drank the orange sugary drink and they proceeded to test my blood every hour for the next three hours.

A few hours later, I checked my results online…I had failed the three hour glucose test and waiting to be diagnosed by the doctor. So many thoughts running through my head- did I do something wrong to trigger this? Have I put my baby at risk? What next? I can’t help but feel shocked, upset, stressed, worried, depressed and a whole of other emotions. This is TRULY a wake up for me. I will need to learn to cope with this. I will update as soon as I hear from my doctor.

Abnormal blood values for a 3-hour 100-gram oral glucose tolerance test are:

• Fasting: greater than 95 mg

• 1 hour: greater than 180 mg

• 2 hour: greater than 155 mg

• 3 hour: greater than 140 mg

**If more than one of your blood glucose results is higher than normal, you have gestational diabetes.**

Here are my results: