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I was thinking it had to be something like that, CT. That kind of thing just doesn't happen on its own.
Posts: 957 | Registered: Aug 2002
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I'd be interested to see how long he was, too.
They seem to be concerned with his blood sugar level being low. Is that also a side effect of his mother having diabetes, or merely a problem of metabolizing enough food since he is so much larger than most neonates?
I can't imagine carrying a baby that big! Mine were all between 7-1 and 7-5, and I always felt really cramped by the time they were born.
Posts: 1021 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:They seem to be concerned with his blood sugar level being low. Is that also a side effect of his mother having diabetes, or merely a problem of metabolizing enough food since he is so much larger than most neonates?
.
Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes (especially if poorly controlled) have been in a high blood sugar and high insulin level environment during development. Their bodies adjust to this, and then suddenly the sugar tube (i.e., umbilical cord) gets removed. Takes about 24 hours for some of them to reach a new equilibrium.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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But somewhere there is a giant trying to diaper a 7.7 lb. boy with tweezers and a jewelers loupe. Stupid stork.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Wow, that's amazing, although for a second there I thought it was a dedication thread to Christy. It's all about proportions, after all.
Posts: 873 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Ouch. Mine was 8 lb. 2 oz., and that's plenty! Of course, my sister-in-law had a 9 lb., 15 oz. little girl, and my mother-in-law never had one under 9 lb., 2.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Sort of, Ralphie. The basic physiology is that women with GDM have insulin receptors that are somewhat resistant. Those receptors would usually respond to insulin by opening up the gates to let glucose into the various tissues.
But in the mom with GDM, there has to be a whole bunch more insulin floating around before the receptors get triggered. That means a whole bunch more glucose has to be around to stimulate the production of that much insulin. Her body kinda sets the thermostat extra high all around.
Now, the baby generally has normal insulin receptors (at least while it is developing), so it is constantly being bombarded with lots of sugar, and thus lots of insulin, and the floodgates are therefore always wide open.
Essentially, it's like sucking down pixie sticks for 9 months.
There are probably a lot of different things that happen -- e.g., babies of diabetic mothers not only are generally more weighty, but they also have a different body type. They are like burly, broad-shouldered football players in full uniform. In most babies, the head is the biggest part, so if that gets through, then you can be confident that the rest of the baby can be delivered through the vagina as well. With IDMs (infants of diabetic mothers), the shoulders can be the biggest part (not sure why, but there it is), so there is a very real chance of the baby getting stuck with its head on the outside and the rest trapped in, unable to squeeze out.
Adoption looks more attractive all the time. I mean, if I WERE to get my heart set on ruining some poor human being with my inept care.
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
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Shall I tell you about my tailbone that still hasn't healed, though? They all told me the pain was "normal" and I'd "get over it", and I was too tired to argue. It's 9 1/2 mos. later, and it still hurts... Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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So long as people are prepared for it, the delivery can still be fairly routine. Just requires some extra preparation and extra monitoring afterwards, most times.
And, it's worth noting that the better the control of glucose levels during pregnancy, the fewer side effects on the fetus. Good reason for good prenatal care all around.
[kq: after I broke my tailbone, it took about 6 years to feel mostly normal again. I still get twinges occasionally, but now -- 7 yrs later -- I mostly don't notice it.]
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I was on Medicaid for the pregnancy due to my insurance refusing to cover it, and now am uninsured. No one did anything, and they didn't listen to me when I said it hurt.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Ralphie, it's one of the coolest experiences ever. Seriously. I really think men are the unlucky ones. Even when it sucks being pregnant, it's still cool. There's nothing like it. And it's over fairly quickly in the grand scheme of things.
After I had my son, I knew I was tough. I'd had a kid. After that, if I mashed my toe or was sick with the flu, I could look myself in the mirror and say "Hey, I had a kid. If I can do that, I can make it through this."
'Course, my kids were both under 8lbs. So I'm half as tough as this gal.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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The problem, ketchupqueen, is there really isn't all that much they can do about broken tailbones. My sister fell once on her bike, and somehow landed with her tailbone directly on a pedal. They X-rayed her, said "Yup, its broken" and told her to be careful sitting down.
Same with ribs. Unless something is seriously out of place, there really is nothing to do. I'm pretty sure I broke a rib once, but after talking to the nurse didn't bother to have it checked. They would have treated it the same way broken or not.
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I've found some PT type things that help some; also, walking while pushing the baby in a certain stroller we have helps. When I do it for a week, I feel better. But it's still very painful; I worry about the next pregnancy and delivery.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote: Ralphie, it's one of the coolest experiences ever. Seriously. I really think men are the unlucky ones. Even when it sucks being pregnant, it's still cool. There's nothing like it. And it's over fairly quickly in the grand scheme of things.
I think it's really cool when other people have kids, and I very much admire them for what I know must be a hella lotta work. But I'm inching ever closer to thirty all the time, and I still don't have any desire to have kids.
Maybe it was something they fed us as kids. Even my sister - who did have a kid - didn't really want any more afterward.
(I secretly believe our DNA is screaming to our subconscious: "This gene pool MUST STOP HERE!")
Unfortunately, there is no way to "set" a broken tailbone, like there is to stabilize and set a broken arm. The tailbone is at the nexus of most of the muscles of the pelvic floor (the tailbone is the light purple triangle in the bottom center), and so it is constantly being tugged on from many different directions. Even if you were on bedrest for a year, every sneeze or cough or bowel movement could potentially offset it.
I never had mine X-rayed because there was nothing we would have done differently. If I still was in marked pain after a couple of years, I would have -- but the option would have been to rebreak it and hope it reset okay. (*ouch!) Seemed like as long as it was getting better, no matter how slowly, it was worth hanging on.
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The thing that ticks me off is that I had to find this out through my own research because a whole team of doctors and nurses at the hospital ignored me when I tried to tell them that it wasn't the other part that hurt, it was my rear end.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Oh, Ralphie, I didn't mean to come off as "you should have one". I do respect not wanting to have kids. Even though you would make beautiful babies. Dark hair, big eyes.
But the world is better off with a happy Ralphie, babies or no babies.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Oh, I know Jeni! I didn't mean to imply I felt pressure, or anything. I was reflecting on how obviously special it was to you, and musing over my complete lack of desire which, I think at my age, is not entirely normal.
But thank you for being so considerate to clarify. Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
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