Baking for breakfast

This morning's new gluten free adventure was from a new site that I found this week -- someone who, like me, wanted some whole grain gluten-free baked goods. I found a recipe for quinoa flake pancakes and since I still have a continuing obsession with the grain, I thought -- perfect! Not only healthy, but the quinoa flakes might make a baked (fried) good that was similar to oatmeal pancakes / oatmeal muffins. Worthy of an experiment, because those are pretty yummy.

(I'm not eating oats right now either; we didn't have time to experiment with oats before pregnancy, and now I don't think I'll be able to be sure if oats cause a problem or if it's a hormonal issue or something else, so I'm waiting until post-pregnancy to test.)

And they were ... meh. I can't pinpoint the problem. Maybe just TOO quinoa-y. Too much of a good thing, you know. Most of the recipes I've tried before have been quinoa mixed with other things; this one has a CUP of quinoa flakes and a bit of another flour to bind. Or maybe it was the baking powder; it tasted like too much baking powder.

Or maybe it was the fact that I substituted honey for the sugar it called for; breakfast pancakes, to my mind, should taste slightly sweet (not like dessert pancakes, but a little sweet.) In light of next week's test I've decided to try to cut out all refined sugar for the week and see if a.) I can stop craving it, because I've been eating a lot of it lately and b.) it helps me pass the test. (Of course, if I DO pass the test without refined sugars, I suppose it would be a good idea to keep it up ... and in which case I've kind of made the test pointless, given that I'm going to keep my diet strict for the remainder of the pregnancy, which was, ironically, the one thing I DIDN'T want to do.)

Anyway. She has another recipe for whole grain muffins which I intend to try later today or tomorrow. If they are good, I'll keep a watch on the site for more; if not, guess I'll just chalk it up to someone with different tastes than me.

But damn, I hope the muffins are yummy. I could use something carb-y that I could actually eat. Sigh.

Thank heavens for Friday

What a week! I had cramps, braxton hicks, a tiny amount of spotting*, a sick kid, a doctor visit, two calls to the midwife, and a positive blood glucose test. Yeah. I am SO ready for a new week. And this weekend? Two playdates, a visit with a friend from out of town, and a new whole grain muffin recipe! Should be a good one (the weekend, not the muffin recipe. But I hope that's good too!) And the last weekend before the Olympic madness, too. I'll try and enjoy it while I can.

But just so you know, there are crocuses coming up outside my front door. Lovely, beautiful purple ones. And the trees are starting to leaf. Seriously, warmest winter I can recall. Maybe ever. God bless El Nino. Life is fun.

* Everything is fine, so says the midwife. Just an anomaly. But not something you want to see at this stage.

Well.

So I got home last night and had a little cry about the situation (what can I say? I'm a tad hormonal.) And then realized that I kind of should have seen this coming -- the fact that I got tired easily (although I am, as ever, borderline anemic too), that I had to eat protein in the morning to feel ok during the day (and I'm talking eggs / bacon here, not just yogurt or shakes with protein powder, which have proved efficient for breakfast in the past), the fact that if I managed to get out for a walk I also felt better.

And don't get me wrong: I'm also in full appreciation of the fact that I really should have had this test last time. Ah, hubris. I'm so low-risk! ha ha! I won't even bother checking!

Well. As I've said before: the universe has a sense of humour.

Anyway this morning I'm trying to laugh along with it. The test itself was only borderline positive, which may translate into a false positive. Or it might mean that I'm just a borderline case, which is better than suddenly realizing I have diabetes for real. And there are worse things that a pregnancy which forces you to be healthy. I already eat pretty well; this will just mean cutting out the excessive chocolate gorging, but probably not removing it all together, and getting some exercise. And if I do this for three months maybe I'll develop some better habits in the future, and, crossed fingers, when the gestational diabetes goes away, I'll have some healthier habits to show for it.

I might also add that there are worse things to happen in a pregnancy that borderline gestational diabetes.

Anyway I'm off for the three hour definitive test next Thursday. I'm kind of dreading it, given the above -- I have found I feel nauseous if I don't eat well in the mornings and with this test I have to fast and then spend three hours taking the damn thing, and that won't be fun at all. (Funnily enough I can eat like crap most of the afternoon and feel just fine; it's only the mornings that are a problem.) Hopefully if I eat well between now and then my body will rally and I'll pass it.

But you know? Even if I do pass it, I think that a borderline result still merits taking into account, and being more careful with diet and exercise. And not eating pints of vanilla ice cream throughout the last trimester like last time.

Go baby! Make mommy healthy!!

FAIL

Failed the glucose screening test.

FUCK.

Awesome

So much for going back to work tomorrow. Now my kid has stomach issues.

Sigh.

The first year The Boy was in daycare, he was sick almost constantly. Most of the time it was mild -- it was just like one cold that got a little better and a little worse for months on end. He had a mild bout of pneumonia which we caught very early, thankfully, but other than that, nothing serious.

And then the second winter, he didn't have a single sick day. Seriously. Not. One. I was all busy patting myself on the back for this one. My extended breast feeding and his exposure in daycare meant that he had developed an excellent immune system! Excellent parenting!!

Ha ha ha.

This winter we've had two vomiting illnesses and we're on our second (or extended?) cold that's bad enough to stay home. I even bit the bullet and went to the doctor this morning, because this cold just will. NOT. go away. And it's just a cold, as I suspected, but it was good to rule out anything more serious. But he's worn out and tired from the coughing keeping him up at night. And we are home today. (which isn't so bad given I am also awake from the coughing and too tired to be any good at work today!)

I am more realistic now. The second year in the same centre was probably all it was; really now I just need to realize that each time he switches environment we'll have a winter with a few more colds. And I also need to realize that a few colds and mild vomiting incidents are really pretty good all things considered.

I am merely hopeful now that, next winter, the second in this care centre, will be a little less sickly. Especially important with an infant around.

In the meantime, given that now they've pretty much gotten rid of every damn thing you can medicate your child with, we're just bringing out the honey and the humidity, and hunkering down hoping for the best ...

Ugh.

This morning I went off to the lab and spent a very dull hour getting my glucose test for gestational diabetes. This was a first for me; when pregnant with The Boy, I opted out of the test. (I like midwives. They let you opt out of pretty much anything.) We figured that with no family history, not being overweight or having high blood pressure, the risks were tiny, so why go through that? So I was bizarrely nervous about this, despite it being probably one of the least invasive tests you can do. Drink something sweet! Sit for an hour! Get a small vial of blood drawn! How simple does it get?

This time around I am of course four years older, and the politics among the birthing community have changed. Now they frown upon not doing this test, so the midwives are more encouraging to get it -- especially since being over 35 means that my chances, simply due to age, go up (they go up as you get older regardless, I'm told, it's not just an over 35 thing.) And if complications happen later in the pregnancy, with the delivery, or with the baby, it's good to have the baseline test done.

Anyway what I really wanted to mention was: MAN, is that stuff GROSS. The stuff they make you drink? WOW. I mean, first of all, there's a LOT of it. The first sips aren't so bad, but by the time I got halfway through I was seriously thinking that this was the grossest thing I'd ever had to drink.

And second of all, it's a revolting sickly-sweet fake orange flavour. As someone who genuinely dislikes most soft drinks, especially those with artificial flavours, and who tries not to put such revolting substances into her body, the drinking of this was especially revolting.

And here's the kicker: can I just ask here why the medical community, which on the one hand tries to get people to stop drinking / eating poorly, then turns around and, for a test, gives you the exact same type of thing to drink that they've already said is so bad for you? I mean, where's the logic in that??!

It boggles the mind.