It is Monday, which means we are looking at yet another week of my week by week pregnancy guide. Today I am looking at Week 23. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.
Week 23
About now your doctor will probably have you schedule a Gestational Diabetes Test. This test is not conclusive, but can indicate if there is a problem that needs further investigation. The part I hated most about the test is that it can be a fasting test (depending on how your doctor wants to administer it). Which means you don’t eat before taking it, and then you get to the lab, they have you drink a glucose mixture, which tastes like flavored fizzy water, and then you sit for an hour while it runs through your system and finally take the blood test.
When I was carrying Ducky I got the run around from the lab, and didn’t get a chance to get tested until around 1 p.m. Being pregnant and not having eaten since the night before I was feeling pretty light headed (and cranky). I drank the stuff and sat there trying not to pass out before the test. It was fairly easy the previous time with Munchie. So I guess it a matter of luck. Good luck with yours!
I never had Braxton Hicks this early. With Munchie I didn’t really have Braxton Hicks at all. But supposedly this is about the time they start. They are contractions that feel almost real. Especially if this is your first and you don’t know what real contraction feels like first hand. They are normal, and nothing to fret about. If they are super intense contact your doctor. Even if you think you are just being silly, contact him anyway. About 7 percent of women can go into preterm labor around the second or third trimester (anything before 37 weeks is considered preterm). Your doctor should be checking your cervix to try and identify if you are at risk for this, but in case you are getting these contractions before he has had a chance to do this, better be safe than sorry. You will not be the first pregnant woman to go to the hospital with a false alarm.
If you are at risk for preterm labor one of the first things your doctor will suggest is bed rest. Not moving around can at the least lag labor for a few weeks. There are also medications he can give you. So discuss it with him to find the best course of action.
Did you get Braxton Hicks? What was your first reaction?
If you want to catch up: