I actually like the glucose drink and am looking forward to drinking it today. It will be my seventh time around, so I am familiar with the puckering orange hypersweet sensation in store for me and baby boy. It’s been chilling in our refrigerator since my last OB appointment. I’ve never had gestational diabetes and hope my streak continues.

Still, nothing beats my sister-in-law’s obstetrician, who has patients eat a certain number of Jelly Belly jellybeans or a Snicker’s bar for glucose tests. When I brought up the possibility with my OB, she looked a little horrified and laughed nervously. Really, I wouldn’t mind eating a candy bar in the name of pancreatic safety.

Side note: I was thinking of how many blood and swabby tests I’ve had in my eleven-pregnancies history. I’ve had ten (negative) HIV tests! TEN. I bet that is more than the average person in a high-risk population. And each time, my blood type remains and forever shall remain B+ (special Happy Blood! shoutout to 9% of the population—you know who you are). It’s not one of those things that changes with mood or whim. I wonder how much money is wasted in redundant blood testing?