Flying Colors

On Tuesday I had my glucose screening test.  It is a standard test that every woman has to do at the start of their 3rd trimester to test for gestational diabetes.  I was not supposed to eat or drink anything really sweet for 2 hours before the test, so I figured I would do it first thing in the AM to ensure that nothing I ate or drank would throw off the results.  Upon arriving in the lab they gave me a 10 oz bottle of Limeondex, it is a clear sugary drink, and told me I had 5 minutes to drink it.  So with one eye on the clock, I got started, it actually did not taste that bad.  Apparently the lab tech thought I was taking too long and started asking me every 30 seconds after 2 minutes if I was done.  Tired of her questions, I ended up finishing it in a hurry (at 3 minutes and 15 seconds to be exact) sheesh, what happened to 5 minutes?? Then I was told not to eat or drink anything and I had to stay in the lab for 1 hour.  So I go in the back corner of the waiting room and get comfortable.  I had a bag of magazines, a book and my laptop.  The hour flew by pretty quickly and when it was up they called me back to draw my blood and I was on my way.  The Limeondex really was not that hard to get down, but it did leave a nasty aftertaste and I felt kind of gross for the rest of the morning, once I had lunch I felt better.  The next day I called my doctors office for the results and the nurses words were “Congratulations you passed with flying colors!” Whew, glad that part is over.
Next up was an ultrasound!  Yesterday I had to repeat the drink 32 oz of water an hour before and hold it (at least this time I didn’t have a lab tech hounding me every 30 seconds).  At first it is not too bad, but then as I am sitting in the waiting room waiting to be called back it hits me and it is so uncomfortable.  Then when they do call you back they start pushing the ultrasound probe thingy down on your full bladder, who makes up these rules?  Anyway, it is all worth it.  We got to see our little boy!  He  was laying on his side and moving his lips and sticking his tongue in and out.  It was so crazy to see how big he has gotten since our last ultrasound.  I have been able to physically feel how much he is growing since his movements, kicks and punches are getting more and more powerful, and my belly will randomly shift and bulge out, but to see him was a different story. I have to wait until my next doctors appointment in 2 weeks to find out the status of my placenta, so I’ll get back to you on that.

So without further adieu, here’s his profile.  Who do you think he looks like, mom or dad?
On a side note…this ultrasound is making me think about a fundraiser Justin and I went to last night for Turning Point.  Turning Point is a pregnancy resource center that is located here in San Diego.  Their goal is to prevent abortions and provide information, free pregnancy tests, counseling, support and resources to those women who are planning to have an abortion due to an unintended pregnancy.  There are many reasons why women decide to have an abortion, some of them being the fear of parenting alone, not being able to afford it, unsure of how they will finish school or work with a child, no insurance or simply being too young.  Turning point will offer information on how they can make life work and get around these fears with a child and provide them with information about adoption if they feel that they simply can not raise their child.  They also provide counseling to women who are living with the regret of having an abortion.  This is a wonderful organization and it was so amazing to listen to the speakers sharing stories of what Turning Point has accomplished, there were real clients there with their babies and a video of moms talking about how grateful they were to Turning Point for helping them to make a real educated decision to keep their child and you could see the love and joy in their eyes as they held their squirming baby in their arms.  One amazing accomplishment that Turning Point has done is their mobile ultrasound vehicle.  They have a large RV that has been outfitted with an ultrasound machine and a place to meet and counsel with women.  88% of women decide to keep their baby after seeing them on the ultrasound screen.  That is huge!  Just that fact alone, seeing your child on the screen creates an immediate bond and there is no way anyone can deny that is a real life growing inside you.  This ultrasound vehicle is such a huge step forward in preventing abortions.

We were at this fundraiser just a few hours after my ultrasound appointment so these emotions were very close to my heart.  I have never been in a situation where I was considering an abortion, but the exact opposite.  I remember thinking over the past few years, how can all these women be having abortions when there are so many other women who are struggling to get pregnant.  There’s always two sides to a story or two extremes in opposite directions.  Through this process I’ve learned that you can’t really say what you would do in a certain situation until you are in the middle of that situation.  There was a time when I thought there was no way I would do IVF, but I did.  There are so many women out there who plan to have an abortion but once they get a little love, support and see their baby with an ultrasound, make the decision to choose life. I am so thankful for this organization, they have a beautiful thing going on here.

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