Post Partum

I've been reading up on lower blood sugars in babies of diabetics.  It seems to be that the poor little guy struggling to produce insulin during the pregnancy on behalf of the mom when sugars are high.  Once the baby is born his little body may continue to over-produce insulin, thus there is a huge concern with babies going hypo during the first day of their life.  

Well when Josh was born his blood sugar reading was 2.2 (36.9) which they said is perfectly acceptable at birth but that it needs to be above 2.6 three hours later.  So we got Josh latched on good and he started drinking little portions of colostrum.  I made sure we had a good latch, that he wasn't falling asleep (we had him down to a diaper right up against me - it was so sweet) and that I could hear little swallows.  The nurse came in and told us that she will be retesting him at the three hour mark and that if his sugar isn't up that she would like to supplement with formula.  I chose to nurse my boys and not to include formula.  So I told her I would like to try to nurse him further if at that time the sugar is low.  She took a few steps closer to me and in a semi-threatening tone told me that they would admit him if we don't get his sugars up stat.  I told her to hold her horses and lets get there and see what his BG is.  I was confident that colostrum was more than adequate to provide the baby what he needed after birth. My God knew what he was doing when he designed us.   

Well when they came back to test him I was a bit nervous.  They poked and prodded him for a good ten minutes (as if it's so hard to take a sugar reading).  Josh was screaming.  I was nearly crying.  I offered to do it myself since they couldn't seem to squeeze a big enough drop from his tiny little heel.  But they wouldn't - it was necessary to be done with the hospital tester.  Finally, after three failed attempts, they got it.  The reading came back at 5.6  PRAISE GOD.  

By now I was a little annoyed with my nurse.  I did not appreciate that she was pushing formula on us when I had laid it out on the birth plan that I will be nursing my son exclusively.  And on top of that to threaten us and then to botch up the second BG test to the point that I was nearly crying.  Seriously.  I knew we needed to stay the minium amount of time in the hospital (24 hrs after the birth) then get outta there.  

For the rest of the night, sure enough, they (the nurses, the cleaning lady, the Health Card lady, a pediatrician, the lab nurse - everyone that had a post in the hospital) came in our room.  After a very intense labour, I got absolutely no sleep.  They had to check Josh's sugars every three hours (it was pretty much the same debacle almost every time) and they had to check my blood presurre and my temperature and check Josh and check me and Josh and me.  Please just let me sleep!  I get they were just doing their job but it was so rigorous and so much of it was unnecessary. I couldn't wait to take Josh home so people would stop poking and prodding us.

His sugar reading stayed around 5 or 4 for the rest of the night.  So that was great.  

My sugars on the other hand were totally outta whack.  The endo had asked me to remove my pump right after delivery.  Well I simply turned off the basals and kept the pump on so that my sensor would continue to work.  I saw the stable sugars that I had during labour completely go through the roof after Josh was born.  About two hours after delivery, I was 14.  Why?  It didn't make sense.  Was it the stress?  I wasn't sure.  I set my basels to run as they were pre-pregnancy, took a correction bolus and waited.  

During labour my sugars were great.  Both Hubby and the doula kept asking me to check my pump for the sugar reading and occasionally test to make sure the calibration was correct.  A few times, as I saw the sugars dip below 5 I would take a swig of Ginger Ale.  During the part that we were in the shower (I was sitting on the yoga ball and I was using the hand-held shower head to bring heat to my lower abdomen - where the pain was) I removed my pump and placed it on the counter - again for the CGM to keep doing it's thing.  I needed those readings.  Hubby at one point in between contractions told me that my sugar was 3.7 so I popped two DEX glucose tablets and jumped right into another contraction.

So although they were kindda wonky the first day or two my sugars have now completely stabilized.  My milk is in and that really helps.  I guess it's hard work for my body to be producing all this milk (and boy is there a lot! - I already have 6 feedings frozen in the freezer - a few times already I just HAD TO pump after Josh finished feeding).  

I did want to clarify one thing - I did not chose to go natural to be a martyr or a hero or because I think birth "needs to be experienced".  When I was pregnant with Noah I did lots of research on the upcoming birth.  I found a lot of evidence that the epidural is not as safe as we think.  Sure, a lot of women take it and everything turns out fine.  It wasn't the very small chance that I may be paralyzed from the waist down that freaked me out.  But rather the alarming rate of C section that happens if epidural is taken.  Or the fact that once you are on the epidural you are on the bed, with a catheter in your bladder, with an IV hooked up to your arm, and you are almost not even able to feel when your body needs you to push.  The labour slows down or doesn't progress at the same rate anymore.  Then the baby might not progress as needed so there is a need for forceps or vacuum.   There is so much medical interversion that happens that it made me wonder about natural delivery.  Which is funny.  Me?  Natural?  Come on.  I remember during my teen years I used to joke that I'd take the drugs as soon as I was pregnant.  There is no way that you would catch me dead going through that pain.  Why would you?  The drugs are there - they're totally safe, right?  

So anyways, I just knew that being high risk was bad enough.  If I could limit the amount of medical intervention that I allowed then I could keep some control.  That is why I was very clear with the doctors on what my wishes were.  My doula and I talked a lot about my choices and I read up a lot on it.  I was very confident that it would be doable.  Millions of women have been doing it natural for thousands of years.  Besides labour and delivery is designed to be durable by God.  Why else would we get breaks between contractions?  Why else would the stronger contractions that do the most work last the shortest?  Why else does the baby just know what to do too?  You are both working together to get through it.  His head has 5 or 6 plates that shift around as to be able to squeeze though the pelvis as it makes it's way down the birth canal.  How amazing.  And even the pushing part.  It's crazy how that part - even though the hardest perhaps - has some sort of accomplishment attached to it.  You are no longer just "getting through" the contractions but you are now working with them to cross the finish line.  

Don't get me wrong - I am not one to say that birth is beautiful because I think it's messy and scary and not pleasant at all.  I just wanted to get through it as simply as possible. 

I have a small confession to make.  While I was labouring with Noah I did break down and asked for the epidural.  I was later told that almost all women who choose to go natural, do.  I remember telling my doula that I can't do it anymore.  That I am too scared of the next contraction to be able to cope.  She reminded me of the reasons why I chose to do it natural but I wasn't listening.  I asked for the anesthesiologist.  So they started an IV in my arm and started rushing the contents of an entire bag of IV into my arm.  It was such an awful feeling.  It was cold.   As the anesthesiologist made his way through the hospital, I asked my doula if I'm making the right call.  She told me it was up to me, but honestly "No, you are not making the right call." And then she reminded me again (the exact thing I asked her to do if I ever get to that desperate point) the reason why I went this way.  As the anesthesiologist walked into the room I chickened out and told him never mind.  He was not impressed and neither were the nurses.  Oh well.  I got back on track and focused hard.  Within the next hour Noah was born and I had done it.  

This time around I didn't break down and beg for the drugs.  When the feeling came over me that this is too tough to handle I remembered that with Noah I held him within the next hour.  So I knew to stay strong and carry on and God would supply the strength that I needed.  

Looking back now, having gone through two natural deliveries, I'll do it the same with the next baby (if God blesses us with another).  It has all worked out wonderfully.