Wednesday, August 1, 2012

It’s a Girl!


The background
On the Friday where I was 38 weeks pregnant, I got a 24 hour gastro bug. 
That Saturday night, my husband got a 24 hour gastro bug of his own.  
Then that Sunday night, my son got it and he couldn’t keep anything down.  My husband and I stayed up taking care of him all night.  

Finally, it looked like it had abated some by 5AM and we could get a few hours rest, and then my water broke!

The hospital
So into the hospital I went, no sleep, no food.
They inserted a ‘power bar’ type needle into my arm to plug in various meds:
-          1 for ivy: to keep me hydrated
-          1 for Oxytocin: to speed up the contractions
-          1 for insulin: I had to remove the pump and let them handle the dosing
-          1 for glucose: to be given when I was in active labor

They checked my blood glucose every hour.  When I went low they wouldn’t let me take Dex4 or any food to fix it, they injected me with glucose, then diminished my insulin
When I went high, they increased the insulin drip.
 
The Reward
After 12 hours, my daughter was born!
A little Mini Me of 8lbs and 4 oz
So sweet, so small, so beautiful!

The dosing
My own insulin levels immediately drop by a third.  I had already programmed an insulin profile for this into my pump.  It’s the placenta that makes a pregnant Type 1 insulin resistant.

Closing thoughts
-          Hospital food is terrible!  Bland and full of fat and carbs, not a fresh vegetable in sight. Guess they don’t want you to overstay your welcome!
-          The nurses and staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal are fantastic! Warm and caring and helpful.
-          The epidural is a fantastic invention!