Not only did I have to do that but I also had to get my Rhogam shot. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, let me explain it.....
My blood type is B- which means that I do not have the Rh factor antigen on my red blood cells.
When Rh negative blood is exposed to Rh positive blood the Rh negative person begins producing antibodies to fight the invading blood. Antigens trigger your body to produce antibodies. Antibodies are usually a good thing and serve to protect a person from foreign invaders.
Now the problem lies when a pregnant women is carrying a baby that is Rh positive. If the mother has antibodies to the Rh antigen, those antibodies can attack the baby's red blood cells. This can lead to complications to the baby including anemia, jaundice, and other blood related problems.
Rh incompatibilities can be prevented and treated.
Part of the normal blood work up for the pregnant woman is testing for blood type and Rh factor. Her blood is also checked for the presence of Rh antibodies. If antibodies are present, the mother has already been exposed to RH positive blood at some point in her life and her body already has antibodies to the Rh factor. Treatment for Rh incompatibilities may be necessary.
Rh factor incompatibility can be prevented by administration of the RhoGAM shot. Because baby's blood does not usually mix with the mother's until birth, first pregnancies usually have no risk for problems to baby. During birth, bits of the baby's blood will mix with the mother's blood. The RhoGAM shot should be given within 72 hours of birth. This shot will stop the mother from developing antibodies to the Rh factor. Because there is a slight risk of placental tears during the later part of pregnancy, the RhoGAM shot is often given at 28 weeks of pregnancy as well. If your baby's blood type is Rh negative, the RhoGAM shot is not necessary.
So, I had to get the shot and I will have to get another one after PGA is born so that I won't develop antibodies for future babies. Let me tell you, that shot HURT!
Ok, now back to the glucose test....
This was the first thing I had to do when I got to my appointment. I signed in and went straight back to drink the dreaded orange drink. She gave it to me and said I had to drink it in less than 5 minutes. I took a big gulp and thought to myself "oh, well, this isn't so bad. I actually kind of like it" but the more and more I drank, it started to taste NASTY!!! I felt like it was building up on the back of my tongue. EW! Now, I had to wait an hour before I could get my blood drawn.
So, I finished that and then had my regular appointment with my Midwife. There was a student Nurse Practitioner in there so she did most of the appointment. She measured my belly, which I was measuring at 26 weeks but I was actually 27. This could be good.....I'm hoping it means he won't be a big baby. They said my weight, BP and everything looked normal and good. BIG sigh of relief.
Then I had to sit in the waiting room and wait for my hour to be up so I could have them draw my blood to test it for high levels of sugar. I began to read my Hypnobirthing book. I didn't get very far before my time was up. They took 5, count them, FIVE vials of blood. WOW, I couldn't believe they needed that much. The phlebotomist said she has to tell me it takes 5-7 days but usually it's a lot quicker for the results.
I got my Rhogam shot, made my next appointment for March 7th where we get to see PGA one more time for a full 3D ultrasound and then I left.
Yesterday, Thursday February 10th, I got a call that my results were in and to call them back. I was nervous, I'm not going to lie. I've eaten pretty darn good the past 27 weeks but I've heard many women fail the first test (1 hour) and have to go back for the 3 hour test. I REALLY didn't want to do that at all.
I called back and she said "we got your results back and everything look normal". YAAAAAAAAY! I even said that to her. What a relief. I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TEST!!! No gestational diabetes for this girl!!! :-)
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