Failed the one-hour glucose test

My pregnancy with Oliver went so smoothly that my OB told me she was waiting for me to come in with a complaint. I ran into a few unavoidable issues in the end, experienced some mild morning sickness in the beginning and generally slowed down and grew more tired as the weeks went on, but looking back, I realize it was, relatively-speaking, a smooth ride.

The downside of having a normal first pregnancy is that experience has become the benchmark for what a "good" pregnancy should be. Good, as in, everything I did "right" that time. It's been tough to live up to. Morning sickness? Worse and longer. Weight gain? Sooner and more. Exercise? Didn't happen for week-long stretches (due to fatigue and all-day sickness) and then sporadically since. So when I failed my one-hour glucose test at 28 weeks, I was defeated.

The glucose test screens women for gestational diabetes, which is a serious condition because of the complications it can cause for mom, baby and delivery. Even though women with gestational diabetes are well-monitored by their doctors and can have healthy babies and uncomplicated deliveries, what worries me is that researchers are now discovering that women and their children are more likely to develop Type II Diabetes later in life if mom had gestational diabetes. Even though the condition goes away upon delivery, there could be long-term effects.

Of course I haven't actually be diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and as Chris tried to reassure me, 85% of women who fail the one-hour test, pass the three-hour test, (at least, according to Google) so I know I shouldn't beat myself up over this first screening. Yet I can't help wonder if I could have done something differently. Could I have eaten better or gotten more exercise? Let's just say, no one thinks of lean triathletes when they think diabetic. Plus, if I don't pass this second test, the opportunity to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) is off the table.

But I'm also frustrated, because the three-hour test is a pain. When you already have a kid, a husband who travels, few morning childcare options and a window of three to seven days to take the other test, the scheduling and logistics of it was equally as stress-inducing as the fasting will be. Even Chris has joked about fleeing with Oliver before I come home from the test, because I'll not have eaten since the night before (or been allowed much to drink)....well, I don't blame him.