The Naming Game

Now we know we're having a boy we have been able to do some focused thinking about what we are going to name him. The girls names have been shelved, although I haven't wanted to tell anyone what our top list was in case we ever have a girl, I don't want anyone to nab them in the meantime!

We didn't have that many boys names to choose from (compared to the list we had for girls) despite thinking about it for the last couple of months, we only really have one strong option at the moment. We think we'll go with said name, well we're about 90% sure, or should I say I am, Dad-to-be is 100% SURE. We've made a pact that we will change our minds if any big celebrities call their babies this or if suddenly in the next few months it becomes really common, or perhaps we will just get bored of it. If we still like it come June then it must be the name for him! Dad-to-be is already calling him by said name at every opportunity. So much so that we have had to come up with a pseudonym for him for when we are out with friends and family -we want to keep it a secret so nobody can say 'ugh, I don't like that!'

So we call him Batman. It works quite well, when people are around he is batman when we're on our own he is '-------' [insert your guess here]. Our own little superhero. It seems to be sticking and his sister-in-law is keen to get him his own little outfit when he grows up, funnily enough look what we saw on Saturday when we were shopping...

It's a....boy!

Well all has been revealed and we are expecting a little boy! The anomaly scan went really well with no problems to report at all. The little monkey wouldn't keep still and the sonographer had a lot of fun chasing him round my tummy to try and take all the measurements.

It suddenly seems a lot more real and even more exciting than it was before. Plus a huge relief to know everything is as it should be, all organs are in place, no deformities and our little baby is healthy and happy in there.

We're officially half way through now - eek! I thought I would post some scan pics. I love the pic clearly stating we are having a boy and pointing to it's boy area, just in case we forget!

Appointments and more appointments!

This week has been an appointment filled week! I knew that having diabetes would mean I would have my fair share of appointments compared to a 'non-d'. I thought I would be at the hospital every week but it hasn't been that bad I am glad to report.

Tuesday saw me at my diabetes antenatal clinic. I'm having my baby at Chelsea and Westminster hospital who have managed my diabetes with me since I moved to London in 2007. There are designated diabetes pregnancy clinics, mine always being on a Tuesday morning. Normally there is little wait but this Tuesday I waited a good hour to then be seen by three people I had never seen before in my life and who were obviously in quite a hurry because of the backlog of patients. It was very disappointing, all the questions I had written down ready to ask were shelved and I found it really frustrating. The doctor asked me when I had my pump 'fitted' and then told me he wasn't concerned about my high blood sugars just the hypos (of which there was none). The only thing that rectified it not being a complete waste of time was that the obstetrician had a feel if my tummy and we has a quick look at baby. I have my 20 week scan later this week so I really didn't want to see too much! I thought I saw a little something in that area and then decided I am useless with scans and for all I know it could of been anything!

Wednesday afternoon and I was off to Charing Cross hospital this time. In my last retinopathy check up there was a slight change that had been detected and they decided to refer me to a specialist just to make sure everything was okay. I was pretty prepared that this appointment would involve some intense waiting, after all the letter had told me to keep the rest of the afternoon free! The wait was another hour. Luckily everything was completely fine and I felt like a bit of a fraud being there. The doctor couldn't see any problems and said my eyes looked very healthy considering how long I have had diabetes (since Jan 1998).

So two down and just one more to go...my anomaly scan. The most important appointment of all! Really looking forward to seeing if baby is developing okay, hopefully everything will be healthy and as it should. Not to mention we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I'm so excited - it's like waiting for Christmas Day!! Next time I post all will be revealed...

Loadsa Money...I Mean Test Strips!

I test my blood sugars quite frequently, I always have done, but even more so now I am pregnant.

I've read the reports and heard the stories about GPs who refuse to prescribe a large amount of test strips and I used to not only think how ridiculous that was but also how thankful I was that my GP had never restricted how many (or the type of) test strips I could have. I went to see my GP when I was about 8 weeks pregnant and I asked whether he could up my prescription of test strips (Abbott Optium Freestyle, 50 strips per box) from 5 boxes to 6 or 7 boxes whilst I was pregnant. He asked me why I needed more and I told him that I was currently testing about 15 times a day, to which he was quite shocked even though I explained that this was what I had been told I might need to do by my DSN in order to maintain good control. This meant that a box was only lasting me about 4 days rather than a week. He was completely puzzled 'What do you do with the results?' he queried. 'Well I act on the result depending on what it is and I write down the results so I can see any patterns' I said. He didn't get it. He said he couldn't increase my prescription as I was already getting a substantial amount and there were people who simply didn't use their medicines, left them at the back of the cupboard and then they went out of date (I would think it was my lucky day if I found a box of test strips at the back of my cupboard!) He said I would just have to order them more often. I left feeling quite frustrated, I understood the cost issue for the NHS but what I couldn't quite fathom was his lack of understanding that I was merely trying to keep my blood sugar under control to try and protect my unborn baby - isn't that what every other doctor was telling me I needed to do??

The next time I went to collect another prescription of strips a few weeks later there was a note attached saying they hadn't prescribed the test strips as I had recently had an order. I was so angry and luckily the receptionist got me a prescription, after all I only had a few left, what was I supposed to do? Now whenever I order any I write in big bold letters that I am pregnant and therefore use more test strips at the moment, it's worked so far and hopefully will continue to do so.

Rant over, I cannot get anywhere near as annoyed with the lovely pharmacy staff who are completely the opposite when it comes to being flexible with prescriptions and my diabetes needs. This was what me led to post about test strips this week. I was worried I might run out of test strips this weekend (seeing as though I can't keep a spare box at home and need to wait till I have nearly used them all before I can ask for any more!) So I went into my local Boots on Friday evening and asked could they sub me a box till I brought my prescription in this week, it wasn't a problem, easy as that. It is this understanding and flexibility that goes a long way, it's hard enough and time consuming enough managing diabetes at times so every little helps. Thank you Boots, if only my GP was as understanding. Grrr.....

Back Issues!

Not the most exciting post here, but practical, and that is what sometimes we need as pregnant ladies!

I'm been suffering with back troubles for the last few weeks which hasn't been that fun. I didn't expect this particular ailment to hit me this soon, the baby is only around 15cm and my bump not taking over my body...yet.

It only happens when I am at work, at my desk, which admittedly is quite a lot of my life. We've checked the seat position, the desk set up, a different chair, a cushion all with little effect. I've finally found a small cure that keeps the pain off till at least the afternoon and keeps me nice and warm at the same time. My lovely hot water bottle. Now I really feel like a pregnant lady!

It seems to be helping and also in this arctic weather we are having in London at the moment it also keeps me warm, and I have kept the cushion as you can see from the photo for extra padding. It's quit a comfy set up I have going on, so much so I need to remind myself to get up every now and then and take a walk around.

Hopefully this isn't a sign of what is to come and I can get some medical help before it gets worse (for those interested - it's right side only, just below my bra - nowhere else) My pilates teacher took a look on Wednesday and told me my hips are misaligned, re-aligning them meant I couldn't put my left heel down flat on the floor. Perhaps a lovely special insole awaits me!