Hello there! Long time no talk! I had intended to continue with blog posts while I was away but I then decided that was too antisocial of me and time also completely escaped me. We were only away 2 weeks but it felt more like 2 months, we certainly packed a lot in! Madrid for 3 days, Menorca for 7 days, London for 6 days, it was a whirlwind of a great time. Definitely a busy trip but still felt refreshed nonetheless.
We landed back in HK last Sunday and since then have focused on getting back into some form of routine for the next few weeks. I had my glucose test (more later) on Friday and got 3 training sessions as well as all my steps in this week. Slightly lighter client load for my first week back which was good as it let me settle back in. Feels good to be back!
We'll get to training straight away and then I have more than usual to report in Life in General so keep reading on!
Training
After 2 weeks away I jumped straight back into a weights session on Monday. Normally a non-pregnant Caitlin would beast a strength session the first session back but this time I opted to make sure I got the most out of the week. 2 weeks away means I didn't lose strength, so I just upped the sets and reduced the reps all week. Monday I focused on full body, single leg work. Wednesday was upper body day and Thursday was lower body day. With the exception of my glucose test on Friday I hit at least 13,000 steps a day. This week I just wanted to make sure I got some movement in every day.
The heat difference between Europe and HK is no joke so I struggled being outside sometimes but it wasn't anything some ice cold water and cold showers couldn't fix!
Life In General
Lots to report this week!
I had a 3 days of morning headaches while in Spain which I did bring up with my midwife at my appointment on Friday and we decided it wasn't any cause for concern. The headaches weren't bad, just dull and annoying. They'd only last 10-15 minutes and were never bad enough to make me want to lie down. Blood pressure, iron levels, and dehydration wasn't a factor so it was probably hormone related. They also went away completely after a few days. This is a symptom I didn't have with Noah but I gather it's fairly common.
A mix of pregnancy hormones and a few conversations about mental health this week saw me get triggered by a seemingly innocuous statement on Thursday but a bit of rationalising, sleep, and then a walk and talk with a friend (shoutout to you, you incredible human!) helped a lot.
The big moment of the week came on Friday: glucose test day. As all my clients, everyone in the studio, and Jack can attest to - I've been complaining and dreading this test since the last time I did it in 2020. My experience in 2020 was emotionally scarring. Why can't we do this test with ice cream? I'd gladly down an ice cream. Heck, I don't like candy or sweets but I'd GLADLY do it with that instead. For those that have no idea what this test is, allow me to briefly explain....
You fast for 9-12 hours (already a bad start for pregnant people). You go in for a blood draw. You drink the 300ml of world's sweetest, thickest drink - it's literally 75g of glucose mixed with 300ml of warm water, that's it. Exactly 2 hours later you go for another blood draw. In that 2 hour window you cannot consume anything, even water. If you throw up at any point you have to redo everything. Basically, it's a terrible test but it's a necessary one to see if you have developed gestational diabetes.
I'm happy to report this time it actually went much more smoothly this time! In 2020 I made the almost fatal mistake of "trying" the drink before continuing to drink. Bad idea. Don't do that. This time I just downed the entire thing as quickly as possible. About 1 hour 45min later (ie. 15 min from my second blood draw) I did think I was about to throw up but I held it together. Unfortunately immediately after my test I was back to back with a few sessions and then a meeting so I didn't get to actually eat again until 3pm. By this stage I was beyond hungry to the point of being nauseous again and my head was not in a great space. I had a terrible first meal (you make really bad decisions when you're hungry but also not hungry at all) and then by the time I'd made it home I decided I just needed to have a very early, simple dinner and go to sleep.
On Saturday I got my results: I don't have gestational diabetes and my iron levels are fine. This was a sigh of relief as I did actually have a slight anomaly in my 20 week anatomy scan which could have indicated gestational diabetes but I guess I'm in the clear! For anyone interested: my amniotic fluid levels are on the higher end which my doctor said was either a transient episode of increased levels or could be an early indicator of GB. Looks like it was just transient!
Tests, mental health, and headaches aside - we're still cooking away and still doing well! We're up 5.6kg which sounds about right and we have no major tests or scans or anything for a while! The gestational diabetes news does also mean I'm in the clear for summer ice creams without too much concern.
On that note - you have enough to read and I have a toddler who wants me to play with her before bed time.
Speak to you next week!
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