This is how I am feeling today. I haven’t been sleeping well this week. My #glucose numbers aren’t so great even though I am working super hard on controlling them with my diet. And I’ve been so alone throughout my whole pregnancy (well, with the exception of my three screaming meemies 😜). It’s very hard. I am having a difficult time getting excited about this baby. I know that in the end, I will love and adore her just as much as my other three. But with everything I’ve been going through, alone, it’s just.so.hard. Of course I know how this makes me sound. And I know how desperate other women are to have children, so there is enormous guilt associated with my admission and my feelings. And I really do believe she is a gift. I’m just being real. This is where I am at. Alone. Frightened. Worried. Sad. Angry. Exhausted. #truth #pregnancy #pregnant #advancedmaternalage #pregnantat41 #gestationaldiabetes #emotional #chronicandpregnant #fibroandpregnant #chronicillness #fibromyalgia #scleroderma #ibs #fml #depression #anxiety #blogpost #momlife #momoffour #canirunaway #wouldanyonemissme

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This is my go-to #breakfast most mornings... 2 eggs Diced onion (usually red) Spinach 4 diced kalamata olives 3 slices of Roma tomato diced Sometimes I add a smidgen of cheese with it, too. Today wasn’t one of those days, though. 😜 This dish is so low-carb I don’t even bother to count the #carbs anymore. It’s literally probably three carbs, maybe? It definitely comes in way below my targeted 🎯 range. #gestationaldiabetes #manageyourglucose #pregnant #pregnancy #chronicandpregnant #fibroandpregnancy #advancedmaternalage #chronicillness #liveneggsup #newlifestyle #eatinghealthy #spoonie #mealplanning #lowcarblifestyle #lowcarb #eatyourveggies #eatyourgreens #yummmm #blogpost

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Today I am trying a new smoothie for breakfast that has a combination of vanilla protein powder, strawberries, almonds and almond milk, and spinach. It’s not bad. It tastes a little bit sweeter than I thought it would. But the carbs are still pretty low....close to 26 (the goal is to be below 30 for breakfasts and snacks). But this #smoothie has a lot of protein in it, too, so that helps combat or balance the effects of any carbs that are in it. For those interested, here is the #smoothierecipe : 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 1/4 cup almonds 1 cup frozen strawberries 1/4 vanilla protein powder Handful of spinach Fill the rest of a single serve blending cup with water That’s it. Super simple and easy, but tasty and filling. So, my endocrinologist is wondering if I may actually have #type1diabetes (which, I am learning, is different than #type2diabetes in that it is an autoimmune diabetes). Typically, this is the type of diabetes that children are diagnosed with. However, it can, according to the endocrinologist, remain dormant in your system until it is triggered and then can be a diagnosed as late as even 60 years of age. Once all is said and done and the baby is born, they usually test a patient with gestational diabetes for two months after the pregnancy to see if the blood sugars return to normal. So I will be doing all of that, but once that postpartum period is over, she is going to look into whether or not I have type one diabetes, as well. Long story short: I might as well embrace this as a new lifestyle, rather than just a temporary change. 🤷🏼‍♀️ #chronicillness #chronicandpregnant #diabetesawareness #diabetesawarenessmonth #diabetesawarenessday #gestationaldiabetes #pregnancy #pregnancyproblems #advancedmaternalage #fibroandpregnancy #fibromyalgia #momlife #spoonie #blogpost #momof4 #pregnantat41

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Today’s breakfast (brought to you on a Christmas kitty plate), consists of 1/2 of a whole wheat sandwich thin, 1 tablespoon or all natural peanut butter, and 1/2 of an avocado. Coming in at around 20g of carbohydrates, but with plenty of protein and healthy fats to satisfy the appetite, this breakfast is an interesting combination. The avocado actually helps cleanse the palate a smidgen in between bites of the peanut butter, but I long for a fresh glass of orange juice. But whaddya gonna do? 🤷🏼‍♀️ It turns out that the #gestationaldiabetes diet didn’t work too well for me, so I am now on the #insulin shots. But the diet remains in place . I’m getting a little bit bored of my regular meals, so I’m starting to switch it up a bit, trying new recipes and combinations of foods...measuring and counting every #carbohydrate along the way. The finger pricking is going alright...it’s starting to feel a bit more painful than it initially did (probably due to the frequency of irritation on my fingers??). I do test different fingers each time, and never stick myself in the same spots. So I wonder if the #fibromyalgia is causing the sensitivity, or if it’s just the way it is. Does anyone have any insight on that? TIA I hope you all have a great day! 🌞 #blogpost #preggers #pregnant #pregnantat41 #advancedmaternalage #fibroandpregnancy #fibrosucks #diabetesawareness #diabetesawarenessmonth #manageyoursugar #momlife #chronicandpregnant #chronicillness

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Hoping to walk out that door in the next few minutes. It was a rough day of too many #preterm contractions. It didn’t matter what I did to ease them, cuz they just kept coming! I made a “quick” trip to the hospital to get everything checked out and since everything looks good, I will be on may way soon. Once they finish the paperwork, of course! 🙄 Oh the joys of #pregnancy 🤷🏼‍♀️!! #blogpost #preggers #contractions #advancedmaternalage #pregnantat41 #pregnant #pregnancyproblems #pregnantlife #pregnancyjourney #chronicandpregnant #fibroandpregnancy #sotirednow

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Yesterday was my first full day of monitoring my blood sugar levels as a momma with #gestationaldiabetes . So here’s the breakdown in how it works. First thing in the morning, before I have any breakfast, I test my blood sugar level and log it on a recording sheet. To prep for that test, all I have to do is make sure my hands are clean and that I have inserted a new lancet in the finger pricker. I can then have breakfast, and from the moment any food touches my mouth, I have to set a timer so that I can take another test exactly 1 hour after the start of eating. I’m learning a lot about controlling the carb intake at various times throughout the day. For those of you who have never gone through this or any other type of diabetes, it’s interesting to note that, although you have to be aware of your carb intake throughout the day, morning time is of the upmost importance. My diabetes educator explained to me that at breakfast time, I can have between 15 and 30 g of carbs (but no more than that). That basically eliminates any type of cereal (due to the carb count in the cereal, as well as the milk). It also eliminates traditional pancakes, French toast, bagels...pretty much everything most Americans have for breakfast (except for eggs). The focus during breakfast, she explained it to me, should be to have a lot of protein. Yesterday morning, rather than cook up an egg, I opted for half of a 100% whole wheat sandwich thin With 1 tablespoon of all natural peanut butter. I also had a quarter of a cup of cottage cheese, and approximately 1 ounce of Colby Jack cheese. For that breakfast my carb count was around 17 1/2 g. I was aiming to... #blogpost

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