I hear the all too familiar warning signal and then splash – there it is all over the floor – a big pile of vomit.
Fortunately, it’s not me that’s after releasing about two litres of unsightly orange gunk but another woman in the Big Chief’s waiting room. I look over sympathetically as she obviously wishes the ground would swallow her whole.
I offer a hand but two porters are already on task to clean up the mess and the nurse is sitting beside her, offering a sympathetic ear. The lady informs the rest of us who are waiting for our glucose testing that, even at week 24, she’s been sick as a pig for most days during her pregnancy and nothing seems to want to stay down.
I’m almost relieved to hear this explanation as I had real concerns that the two bottles of Lucozade I had to drink that morning could cause the same projectile vomiting. With no toilet in close proximity and five other women waiting to be tested, that could really have resulted in one disgusting sick pile!
The glucose test (which is done routinely by most hospitals now) checks for gestational diabetes and has become more mainstream over the years due, in part, to the increase in obesity in Ireland.
It’s nothing to fear really and involves an overnight fast. The next day, you drink two bottles of Lucozade and get bloods taken over a certain period of time. For me, the entire process took three hours and I got the results (all clear thankfully) that afternoon.
In my case, I feel I had all the symptoms: eating sugar non-stop, tiredness and peeing every five minutes. However, the nurse assured me that these are all common elements of pregnancy at this stage too.
Of course, it’s not all clear sailing. My bloods did show up a slight iron deficiency which I’m trying to tackle by taking supplements, upping vegetable intake and cutting back on my beloved mugs of tea. (The latter is the most painful sword to swallow.)
For now though, I think of that poor woman still vomiting at week 24 and my sacrifice pales in comparison.
Stay with us every week for more from ‘Big Belly’ as she continues her pregnancy adventure.
