GD

Last Tuesday PuddleMama took a screening test for Gestational Diabetes. The screening returned a higher than normal level of sugar in the blood, and so we had an extended test on Friday. Unfortunately, the results show that PuddleMama has Gestational Diabetes (GD.)

I won't go into depth on this posting about the details, but here is a brief summary. The placenta in pregnant women blocks the natural production of insulin. Pregnant women may need to make up to three times the normal amount of insulin to keep all blood levels normal. In some pregnant women, the body isn't able to keep up with this increased demand, and the result is GD.

GD has several negative affects on the mama and baby. Increased risk of diabetes for both mother and child exist later in life, the baby can be "big" because its getting too much sugar (the baby loves Gummies already- just like it's mama) which could cause labor difficulties, and the baby is at an increased risk for jaundice and breathing issues because the little stinker's kidneys are working harder than they should be.

Fortunately, the condition is very treatable and the diagnosis will help us keep everyone healthy. Here is a link I found on GD if you want to read a bit more about it:

http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp

We don't meet with a specialist until early January, but the interwebs has given us some reassuring information. We are planning to eat healthier and track intake. Diet and exercise can in most cases control the issue.

It's of course troubling to both PuddleMama and I, but we still are grateful that in the big scheme of things it could be a lot worse.

On a more positive note, I felt (and even saw) the biggest kick ever this morning. PuddleBaby is going to be a NFL kicker, I know it.

Names

On our way up to Duluth for a family Thanksgiving with my folks and brothers PuddleMama and I began to discuss a few potentail names for PuddleBaby. Well, I'm not going to share any of the favorites, but after throwing back names for an hour the conversation began to degrade to names of whatever we saw on the road: "Fir Tree Kleczka", "Stop Sign Kleczka", "Giant Voyageur Kleczka", etc. You get the idea. We were also inspired by the thought that the babies name should reflect something significant from our pasts. I thought I'd share some of the "better" ones:

Boof Kleczka: This was the only name that the baby actually kicked PuddleMama hard when I said (or shouted...) obviously meaning PuddleBaby loved the name (PuddleMama thought that it was displeasure with the name instead of excitement. Pish.)

Old Mexico Kleczka: Old Mexico (the restaurant) has a solid place in family history already, as both the site of our wedding rehearsal dinner and also the lucky spot where PuddleMama first took the positive pregnancy test for PuddleBaby. Yes, she took the test at Old Mexico (Walgreens had no public bathrooms, but that's okay- I much prefer Old Mexico Kleczka to Walgreens Kleczka.)

Cabo San Lucas Kleczka: Where we took our honeymoon.

Ted Splendid Splinter Kleczka: See previous blog post (if you don't know what I'm talking about here is a hint- look at the blog posts labeled with the "Photos" keyword.

Pacarrie Kleczka: Celebrity couple name, appropriate for a female PuddleBaby.

Capaul Kleczka: Celebrity couple name, appropriate for a male PuddleBaby.

Clancy Kleczka: Kinda like a reverse Indiana Jones scenario.

The Kleczka: Props to my oldest PuddleBrother for this suggestion. Brilliant. "The" also could be a middle appropriate for just about any first name (i.e. "Pacarrie the Kleczka.")

There ya have it. Send me any "suggestions" for names, and I promise PuddleMama and I will take it very seriously.

Oh, on an unrelated note- PuddleMama signed us up for a baby class and a breast-feeding class. She sent me Outlook calendar invites so that my boss knows not to schedule any important meetings during breasty time. The classes aren't till January, but you can start looking forward to a few "explicit" blog posts right now.