Nanay Luring

It is said that you should do as she says, or else, you'll get scolded. Eventhough she's known to be "masungit," I've never seen her that way. She has always been concerned and thoughful, checking if we had lunch or dinner already or giving me chocolates and candies before we go home. She might be pretty straightforward when she says something, but understanding between her lines will just show how she truly feels.

There was one thing she asked, and always asked of us, a great grandchild. I hoped she was happy when she found out she'll be having one. And she will. I will not forget to tell my baby about her.

We will miss you, Nanay Luring. Thank you for everything.

My Little Messenger

This is how I told Ikoy that I am finally having a baby.
Me: Ikoy, alika, may sasabihin ako sayo.
He came close to me. I took his hand and placed it on my tummy.

Me: Sa tummy ni Nuni, meron nang baby sa loob!
Ikoy: Talaga?
Me: Oo!
Ikoy: Yehey! Yehey!
He jumped three times with arms raised up. I am not sure if he's really happy about the baby in my tummy or he's just relieved that he's not the baby anymore. He's actually been declaring lately that he's a big boy already, not a baby anymore.

Immediately, he went outside the house and excitedly called Papa.

Ikoy: Papa! Papa! May baby na sa tummy ni Nuni! May baby na sa tummy ni Nuni.
Papa didn't want to believe him.

Ikoy: Meron na Papa! May baby na sa tummy ni Nuni!
Papa still didn't believe him until I confirmed that it's true.

From then on, he started telling everyone that there’s a baby In my tummy, i.e. to sister on Singapore, on our video call. But of course, she knew already before Ikoy.

Ikoy, my little messenger. I let him do the honors of announcing to my bestfriend. “May baby sa tummy ni Nuni!” The first time Bing heard it, I think there was a surprised-shout that everybody in the restaurant heard, then she started crying. Ikoy kept on repeating, “May baby sa tummy ni Nuni!”, standing in front of her, which made her cry even more. She couldn’t stop crying and even Annika got worried seeing her mom cry. I had to tell Ikoy to stop talking.

Even to those people who shouldn’t know yet. We went to our neighbor’s party and he just simply broadcasted, “May baby sa tummy ni Nuni!” I was caught off guard and even if I want to hold off the announcement to the whole world I had to explain to our neighbors the case.

Since then, every week when I see him, he checks how’s the baby. He wants it to come out of my tummy already. He insists on seeing the ultrasound pictures and videos first, and asks me to explain. He’s worried when I inject insulin that the baby might get hurt. One time we’re both lying on the bed for our afternoon nap, he tells me he’ll sing a lullaby for me. After his first song, he puts his mouth in my tummy and sings the Lupang Hinirang, for baby to be able to sleep as well. He puts in fingers in my belly button and asks, “Nuni, nakikita ba ni baby yung daliri ko?” So funny.

He loves baby already. I think he’s pretty excited to be Kuya Ikoy.

August 6: Third Maternity Checkup @W11

I have survived the four weeks of bedrest after three birthday celebrations on my bed, a new Wi-Fi internet connection, a re-run of the 10 seasons of Friends, updated seasons of Pretty Little Liars, Cougar Town, Vampire Diaries, Raising Hope and HBO's mini series, The Pacific, after three weeks of Papa taking care of us, Denden taking over the last week.

It was time to go back to the doctor. This time, it was just me, Denden and MamaCherub. First was the check up with Tita Cel. As she told me to lie down, I thought it was just the same physical check up as before. But she placed a gel on my tummy and placed a gadget, after a while, I heard something. It’s like water gushing, or air breezing with an interval. And she asked if I can hear it. It's baby’s heart beat. It was heard all over the room. Denden and MamaCherub heard it too. I was shocked as I didn’t expect that. But it was the most beautiful sound! And it drove all my worries away.

Worries. It was a thing of the past. At least for the doctor. She said the bedrest is terminated, the baby is okay. She even said that there’s no need for the ultrasound again because she is that sure that the bleeding from last time is not there anymore. But I wanted to be sure, so we went ahead for the ultrasound.

The ultrasound was the exact opposite of the first time as well. Upon lying down, the sonologist came in and immediately saw the baby withOUT any signs of bleeding. From the monitor it looked like a fetus already, showing features of the nose on its side view. The arms and legs are already formed as well. And the baby kept on moving and moving.

Crown Rump Length: 4.9cm = 11 weeks 3 days.
Cardiac pulsation is regular and strong at 169 beats per minute

I paused for a minute and thanked Him for listening to my prayers.
Today is one happy and worry-free day.

Three weeks with Papa

The culprit of my diabetes is Papa. Okay, okay, my eating habits and my lifestyle might have affected as well, but I could easily blame it to his genes.

I knew he was glad when he found out that I was pregnant. I knew he was concerned when he found found that I have diabetes as well. But when I told him of the bleeding on the ultrasound, there was a different tone in his voice, deeper than worry, more of fear. Even if he never pressured us into having a baby, I knew he wanted an "apo". Thus, the fear that I sensed in him is for baby.

He volunteered to accompany me at home during the doctor-prescribed-bedrest. Can we say "no" to that? I needed someone to wake up in the morning to go to the market, cook lunch for me, cook dinner for us, to go up and down the stairs to bring me anything I needed. That, he did. And more. For the three weeks. This is the longest time I've spent with him ever since I left our house in Marikina. And believe me, the times in Marikina before were the exact opposite of the time we spent during the last three weeks.

Baby and I are both very lucky. We were both pampered and babied. Papa took very good care of us.

Insulin

Diabetes is failure of the body to make insulin or to respond to insulin. The first is the type 1 diabetes and the second is type 2 diabetes. Yes, that's me.

Insulin is a natural hormone made by the pancreas that controls the levels of the sugar glucose in the blood. It permits the cells to use glucose for energy. Thus making the cells unable to utilize glucose without insulin.

In type 2 diabetes, insulin is produced but the cells in the body do not respond normally to it. In shorter terms, making one insulin resistant.

My first prescription of insulin is a mixutre of the fast and slow reacting insulin, Humalog Mix25. I had to take varying number of units three times a day, before every big meal.

After a few weeks, I noticed that I rarely reach my FBS targets. So the doctor changed insulin. This time, instead of a mixture, I was given two separates prescriptions. One for the fast acting, Humalog Insulin Lispro Injection and one for the intermediate-acting insulin, Humulin N Isophane Insulin Human Injection. So now instead of three injections a day, I get five. Three times still before every meal for the fast-acting. And twice for Humulin N, morning and night.

The doses of the insulin varies. This is where the glucometer test results comes in. The insulin is adjusted based on the readings recorded everyday.

Glucometer

Who would have thought that my latest gadget would be an insulin meter, or the glucometer. The blood glucose monitoring tool to help manage my diabetes. This is the Optium Xceed Diabetes Monitoring System.

A first must-haves of a diabetic. Here's how: 1. Insert electrode test strip to the port. 2. Use the lancing device to prick chosen site to obtain a blood drop. 3. Touch the blood drop to the white area at the end of the test strip until it reaches the end of the electrode. A countdown will indicate that it is beginning to test. 4. Blood glucose result will display. Of course all these making sure that chosen site as well as your hands are clean. Needles of the lancing device are to be replaced also.

I am to check my blood sugar five times a day: when I wake up in the morning (this is called fasting blood sugar or FBS), two hours after breakfast, lunch, dinner, and one before dinner. Target goals vary as well. FBS should be between 80 to 90. Post meals should be between 100 to 120 and the one before dinner should be between 90 to 100. Note that these goals are more strict because the baby inside my tummy is taken into account.

It is very important the my blood sugar levels don't always go very high, or very low. It will cause long terms effects for the baby. High blood sugar might cause that baby to be very large, lungs might develop more slowly, risk of early delivery, risk of injury during birth, low blood sugar in the baby at birth, risk for stillborn, pre-eclampsia and the need for a C-section. Too low might cause the slower development of the baby's brains.

Too much information scares me. I have to remind myself to stop reading and researching.

For now, this will explain the tiny, tiny dots on the tips of my fingers.

Carbohydrate Counting

A major part of the being diabetic is associated with food. That is why on top of my list of things to do is to meet with the nutritionist. The appointment with the dietician has taught me all the information that I need for my diet and meal plan.

Based on weight and list of day to day activites, the number of calories needed per day is computed. This number is then broken down into the three basic food groups: carbohydrates, protein and fat. Since I am pregnant, the goal is not to lose/gain weight. Just retain my current weight. This is, until the end of the first trimester.

Since carbohydrates mainly affects the blood glucose, it should be monitored: thus the carb counting. 1 carb choice = 15 grams of carbohydrates. This conversion makes all the numbers simpler. The total number of carbohydrates, divided into choices, is distributed into six meals a day for me: breakfast, lunch, dinner and three snacks in between.

I should be able to count the carb choices in the food that I am eating, minding not to eat too much or too little. A list of common foods, with 1 carb choice is provided. Also, I should learn to read more on the nutritional labels on foods.

It seems complicated enough because of the numbers, but it gets more complicated due to the fact that you have to count the carbohydrates in whatever it is you're eating. But, I think I'm getting the hang of it. Goodluck to me!