Wild Wild Week

This week was supposed to be good. Three day weekend, with Monday off, two half days on Thursday and Friday due to parent teacher conferences, and only two days of actual school. (Not that the half days aren't actual school, but it's not easy to fit things into only two hours!)

However, that was before I got the call on Monday morning. The call was from my OB's nurse practitioner. Crap. Anytime that comes up on the caller ID, it's not good. Last time it happened it was the happy news that I had a high blood sugar count on my first glucose test and had to go in for the happy happy three hour test. Which was Saturday. The only good thing about sitting in the lab for three hours on a Saturday was that I got my report cards done.

So, anyway, the caller ID shows my OB. I failed my second glucose test. That means I have Gestational Diabetes. That means I have to go on a rather strict diet. That means that I have to monitor (prick myself) four times a day. That means I have to eat six 'meals' a day. That means NO MORE PETER PIPER PIZZA, PIZZA HUT, CHIPS AND SALSA OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I EAT. To say that I'm upset is putting it mildly. I knew this as soon as the nurse told me. But I had no idea of the extent of this diet. And because NOBODY in this office works past, like 2:30, I had to take another sick day to go to the doctor. (I am not happy with this OB!)

So bright and early on Tuesday morning the hubby and I are in the doctors office to talk to the dietitian. Then I came home and cried. And cried. And cried. Then hubby and I spent three hours food shopping. There was just about NOTHING in the house that I could eat.

I'm normally a very healthy person, who takes a sick day more because I need a 'mental health day' than anything else. Occasionally I'll get a flu bug, but I've never had to really watch my diet for anything other than losing weight - which is good, because I don't like a whole lot of foods. Well, now my health and the health of the baby depends on what I eat. Not a good scenario.

This is what a typical eating day is for me:
Breakfast: Pop tart and glass of milk on the way to school
Lunch: Cheese quesadilla on white tortilla, chips and salsa, low fat pudding (I'm trying at least!) and a Coke with Lime
Snack: Out of the vending machine - butterfingers lately, with a Coke with Lime. Maybe a glass of milk instead.
Dinner: Applebee's, Earl's (Mex Am), McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Peter Piper Pizza, whatever the mood strikes.

Real healthy, huh? Now this is what I have to eat
Breakfast : 1 starch (i.e. half a whole wheat English muffin), 1 protein (i.e. egg or peanut butter), 1 fat (i.e. butter) and 1 milk (8oz milk or yogurt).
Morning snack: 1 fruit. (FRUIT!?!?!?)
Lunch: 2 starch, 2 protein, 2 veggie, 1 milk, 2 fat (thankfully whole wheat tortillas are OK, as well as cheese. The quesadilla lives!)
Afternoon Snack: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 milk
Dinner: 2 starch, 3 meat, 2 veggie, 1 fruit, 1 milk, 2 fat
Evening Snack: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 milk.

I'm slowing going insane. And not just any starch, I've been warned off any white starch. Everything is whole wheat. Whole wheat bread, pasta, tortillas... No more soda (unless it's diet, and I'd rather drink water than drink diet soda!), no more candy, no more random snacking. Quite frankly it sucks. But there are risks to the baby if I don't follow this, the most serious (and most rare) being stillborn. But gestational diabetes causes big babies and early delivery (maybe I was borderline diabetic with Little Guy, he was 9lb 12oz and two weeks early!)

But it is so stinking hard. Thank god for hubby. He was right there next to me through it all. He's willing to change his diet and he was a godsend during the massive shopping event. He took labels and compared and read and put together things that I could eat (that I liked!) That has been the biggest challenge. Eating fruits and veggies. I don't like fruits and veggies. Ick, gross. And I have tried them. I guess before this pregnancy is over I will have od'd on peaches, banana's and carrots, because that is the extent of fruits and veggies I like. Of course, I like corn too, but that doesn't count as a veggie, it's a starch!

Thank god it's only two more months until Baby L is scheduled to come into the world.