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Week 28 - Well, that's just Swell!


When they said that the end of second trimester often brought swollen feet, I'm not sure we quite understood exactly what they meant. Swollen seems like such a small word for the drastic change that has taken place, here. At one point this week, Kiersten's ankles were wider than her calves! 

If you thought putting on lace up shoes was challenging while pregnant, you haven't thought through the care and keeping of a gal's feet and legs. This week, Kiersten tried shaving in the shower and trimming her toenails (honestly, how impractical, really). Needless to say, the pregnant body is not friendly toward these initiatives. Given the challenging emotional journey the past two weeks, we both agreed that some self care and physical pampering were called for. So, Ben sent Kiersten into the store and said "Whatever speaks to you, just get it!" She came back with a bag of Epsom salt, fancy razor cream and new razors. Mama D helped us find a shower safe stool, and she is finally starting to feel a bit more like a lady, again. We're currently aiming for a foot soak each evening, to help with the swelling, and the photo above is the much appreciated result. (She couldn't bear to post the "before.")

In other news, Kiersten went in for her glucose test this week. If you're like us and have no idea what this means, feel free to read the next few sentences. If you're a pregnancy pro, by all means skim forward a few lines! Basically, there's a very real concern among medical professionals that pregnant women will develop what is known as Gestational Diabetes. If you're at all familiar with diabetes, you know how concerning this condition is, independently and can therefor imagine the increased concern for a woman who's health is not solely hers alone. Accordingly, the current trend is to have pregnant patients complete a glucose test around the 28 week mark. The format is simple: eat your normal diet for the day (but, you know, nothing too carb heavy), drink this sickeningly sweet "gatorade" in 10 minutes or less, and then wait an hour for a blood draw. Kiersten was fortunate to be offered "fruit punch," but she still felt pretty nauseous after chugging down the 10 ounce syrupy beverage. She managed to relax for most of the hour, once the initial wave passed and managed well after the blood draw. Those of you familiar with her history know that blood draws, even just the tiny amount for testing, can be quite challenging for her. Unfortunately, PTSD doesn't differentiate between needle pokes - trauma to a vein is trauma to a vein whether its an ounce or a liter. So, ever since a donation gone wrong during her freshman year of college, she has had to be extra cautious to avoid post draw fainting spells. We consider this little victory a testament to the hard work she's put into her mental health over the past several years. She was able to leave the office and drive herself to work without incident! Also - good news - she passed the glucose test!


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