Helping ace your Fasting Blood Sugar Testing

Blood sugar testing is usually done before your 24th-week check up. It is a screening for gestational diabetes.  You are at all like me who hates the thought of having to stick herself constantly or you have previous pregnancy history with gestational diabetes, you may want to preventatively take Chromium. It is a mineral micro-nutrient that binds with insulin and helps manage the glucose molecules that we take into our bodies.

The first step to acing your fasting Blood Sugar testing is : About 1 month before my blood test, I started taking chromium daily at breakfast and lunch to help my blood sugar levels.  The other reason I took it was I was craving lots of fruit specifically nectarines and peaches. While they are a healthier sugar than corn syrup, they still have an effect on your blood sugar levels causing me to worry that I may not be managing my blood sugar levels very well.

The next big thing for acing your blood sugar levels is to make sure that you are balancing all your meals with a protein component.  That means if you eat that piece of fruit you are craving, then you also must eat a small handful of nuts and so forth.

You must also never forget to exercise regularly.  This means 30 minutes a day where you keep your heart rate up and make sure that your metabolism is working at a rate that will metabolize whatever food you are eating.

The last tip for acing your fasting Blood Sugar testing happens on the day of the blood draw.  Make sure and have a high protein meal before your blood draw. Make sure to not have a lot of sugar or eat pasta 24 hours prior to the blood test.  Once the lab has you drink the syrup, excuse yourself to the restroom and walk in the parking lot for the 45 minutes till they draw your blood.  This whole process from drinking the syrup till the draw is usually 1 hour with them needing you to be back about 10 minutes before you are due to get your blood draw.  This works very well and simulates more like real life as we are never sedimentary - especially for us second time mom’s with toddlers.

For me, I make some of my Zara playtime my 30 minutes a day exercise and after I took my test, I found that I was 40 points higher than my first pregnancy due to my sugar cravings of eating lots of fruit.  But that means that I have continued to exercise regularly and also am still on chromium to make sure that I don’t have high sugar levels that would harm the baby.

Facial’s that are safe and helpful during Pregnancy

The worst products to use during pregnancy are benzyl peroxide, salicylic acid and retinols.  If acne or red-blotchy spots are what are plaguing you during your pregnancy, here are a few products you can use at home:  Sulphur-based topical products, glycolic acid or alpha-hydroxy acids and some at-home microdermabrasion treatments, as well as a lot of the natural based facial oils and products. Just make sure and test these against our list safe herbs during pregnancy.

While it may seem like a struggle to find these products, it is even harder to find aestheticians that use safe products so that you can pamper yourself or help out your hormonal, acne-prone, pregnant face.  I did find a wonderful aesthetician who does use safe products and even makes her own skin care products.


During certain holidays she even has a seasonal facial, like during October her wonderful pumpkin facial which you can now see a picture of me getting below.  I did this for my acne and just some swelling in my skin.  For a safe pregnancy facial check out: http://www.minottiskincare.com and ask for Michelle.

So here is the picture:  not glamorous during the process, but I did look better afterward.

Pregnancy Cravings

More than just for fun, sometimes cravings are actually your body crying out for nutrients you are lacking, according to Dr. Andrei Rebarber M.D.   Most craving fall into the following categories - sweet, salty, spicy or occasionally, sour.  Only 10% of women actually crave fruits and veggies, which means your doctor may show concern over some of your cravings.  The worst part of the cravings is that you may actually fill up on unhealthy foods and snacks and leave little or no room for nutritious foods.  Weight is also a factor, since the average desired weight gain is 25-35 lbs. Too much unhealthy or fatty food can cause abnormal weight gain, which can create health problems for mom and baby.  Too much weight gain can also lead a mom into gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia, which can be damaging to babies and even mom.  Rarely, some women find themselves with abnormal cravings, like dirt or cement.  Indulging those cravings can cause neurologic damage and even a drop in IQ. Be sure to cover your cravings during your doctor/practitioner visits, so that they can help you find some alternative ways to satisfy them. 

During my pregnancy with Zara the following are cravings I had:  Peaches in February, which are not easy to find, but Dr. Ho did!  Whiskey Chicken Burger from Red Robin’s and Licorice and cucumber salad. 

Activities you can do while pregnant

Running: we recommend only running until you are 25 weeks
Rock climbing  (not bouldering): you must wear a pregnancy specific harness called the Mountain Mama see link for ordering:  http://www.mountain-mama.com/products/the-mountain-mama-by-mad-rock#.Vh2CvstX5_w
Swimming: this is a good option during your entire pregnancy. Even if you just float or do water walking, it will help with swelling.
Yoga: select a prenatal yoga class if you are less experienced, but more experienced yogi’s can stay in regular classes since they are aware of body position practices.
Spin class: only if you have been biking prior to pregnancy . For some women who have anterior pelvic pain, this is not a good choice for them.
Pilates:  Try the Reformer Classes instead of the mat or floor classes
Hiking:  Set your own pace and make sure your breathing rhythm is even and not breathless (remember you are breathing for you and baby).
Body Sculpting classes: these classes prepare your body for labor and all the endurance of that event and pushing, but it may not be advised to start too late in pregnancy as you may have to much relaxation in your body.


With Zara, I ran 5 miles till I was 25 weeks along, then swiftly walked and also did yoga and power sculpting.  With my current baby, I am running 2-3 miles,  3 times a week and I do rock climbing and at home squats, step-ups and calf raises and lunges.

Review of Pregnancy Apps

My View of Pregnancy Phone Applications:

1. What to Expect App:
*Love About it:  The video’s and the healthy tips are great.
*Least Favorite:  This is an application that costs to update to the full version and it can be overwhelming that they do a running check list of all the things you can possibly do.

2. Sprout:
*Love About it:  The graphics are great and it was rated by Time magazine as the best pregnancy application.  I believe that this is due to the fetal development pictures and I did love this.
*Least Favorite:  Cost is expensive but it does seem to have better graphics.

3. WebMD Pregnancy:
*Love about it:  It was super geeked out with things mom can track from appointments, to work-outs and what they need to get ready on a weekly basis.
*Least Favorite:  The information provided was lacking and it was also a little heavy in pushing medical procedures that may not be necessary for mom’s depending on their age and condition.

4. Pregnancy +:
*Loved about it:  It had nice pictures and easy to use icon’s.
*Least Favorite:  It had limited and kind of boring information for mom’s to be overall and I felt like a new mom needs a little more excitement as she is excited about her new child’s birth.

5. My Pregnancy:
*Loved about it:  It was in the form of a check-list and I am a busy mom that likes check-lists and organization.
*Least Favorite:  The layout was not done by week but day by dad and I found it visually very busy and a little confusing.  Also for me a little too much parenting advice and it all centered around buying things for your baby.

6. Baby Bump Pregnancy Pro:
*Love About it: The baby image size and they give basic information about each week and what to expect.  They also give fun tips for dad.  This is my favorite for its simplicity and ability to not over suggest medical procedures.  I followed it for my first pregnancy and with the 2nd pregnancy I am still enjoying the application.
*Not my Favorite:  The emphasis on sharing with a larger community and some of the shopping features.  I think that you are bombarded enough with the urge to purchase un-necessary items.

Prepping for a new baby with Labs

When you are ready to have another baby, it is extra important to make sure that your body is not depleted of nutrients going into the pregnancy.  Being pregnant and depleted can lead to all sorts of problems for both mom and baby including an increase in morning sickness or a lack of nutrients to actually build a healthy baby and this can be the worst problem of all.

We recommend getting the following testing done in advance of trying to get pregnant.  Most tests are done with a blood draw, however different variations of this testing is done based on the patients needs.

Micronutrient testing – analysis for vitamin and minerals
MTHFR testing for Folate metabolism
Hormone Testing – Estrogen, Progesterone, FSH, LH, Prolactin, Testosterone (total and free), Thyroid Panel (TSH, T3, Free T3, T4 Free T4, Thyroid Anti-body)
Fatty Acid Balance Testing (Omega 3 DHA, EPA and Omega 6 ALA, GLA)

Multi-vitamins for Toddlers and Babies

The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t necessarily advise giving your child a multi-vitamin supplement unless your doctor recommends one.  However they also claim that giving your child a multi-vitamin that follows common RDA value practices won’t do any harm.  Two key pieces of advise when are as follows:

·      Multi-vitamin is not a substitute for real foods but can be a helpful adage.

·      Children with lots of food sensitivies or children on very strick diets ( some vegetarians, vegan families, paleo etc.) may need a multi-vitamin to supplement missing vitamin’s and minerals.

·      Optional:  Dr. Walker also advises mom’s of picky eaters to try doing multi-vitamins to supplement there children for both health and peace of mind.

Here is how to choose a vitamin for you:

·      Children under 4 years of age need to do a liquid multi-vitamin as the chewable can be a choking hazard.

·      Vegetarians need vitamins B12 and Vitamin D as they may not get this in their diet.

If calcium is a great concern choose green leaf veggies as the calcium in these foods is more bioavailable and digestible to the body than milk based calcium.

Dr. Walker Choose Dr. Advantage Liquid Children’s Multi-Vitamin for Zara and it has a nice citrus flavor to it.