i'm just wondering how your births went and how big your babies were.

please don't spare any details!! i've been induced before and i really wanted to avoid it this time but i'm not too sure if i'll be able to. i'd rather be prepared for everything.

If you control it well, there's no reason to be induced and big babies usually only results from uncontrolled GD.

I had GD in my last pregnancy. I asked to be induced at 38 weeks for reasons other than the GD, to which my consultant agreed. However, I went into labour spontaneously at 37+6.

My GD had had to be insulin controlled and I admit I was extremely careful about what I ate. I did have the odd small 'treat', but it was always things I could get away with eating. (could eat small amounts of icecream and blood sugar was Ok, one slice of wholemeal, seeded bread made it go mad!) My daughter was 6lb 15 /12, so not big at all, especially considering I had had a previous 10lb'er at 38 weeks exactly without GD!

My labour was fine, pretty quick. Decided for definite I was in labour around 7am, only a few painless twinges until then, delivered at 1pm. Quite similar to my previous labours, although they were all shorter. I was supposed to be on a glucose/insulin infusion during labour, but they didn't have time/get round to setting it up. Breastfed baby around an hour after birth and as often as I could after. Her blood sugar became borderline between her first and second feed, but only because they were trying to make me wait to feed her, after that I just fed her when I wanted.

We did stay in hospital for two days, as she needed IV antibiotics as my waters had 'smelt funny' when they broke. GD can increase the risk of infections, but the bloods they took from my daughter showed no sign of infection after all and it may not have been related to the GD anyway obviously.

If it helps, baby had been estimated at around 2lb 12oz at 28 week scan and estimated at 7 1/2 lb at scan 5 days before I had her.

hopefully mine can be controlled. i think it will be diet controlled.
the thing is, my fasting levels were high to begin with. meant to be below 6.9 and mine were 7.1 to begin with. i've had a google, (as you do) and this is the fasting rate that they diagnose diabetes with in non pregnant people.

i am wondering if i had it before. will just have to wait until i've delivered to see if that's true i guess.

i have read up that babies can go to neonatal due to their sugar levels being a bit strange to begin with. is that quite common?

I had gestational diabetes and it was diet controlled, to be honest I was just border line obver with my GTT. I measured small through the whole pregnancy and had extra growth scans and LO measured behind. I went in for another growth scan and to speak to consultant at 36 week to decide what my birth plan would be. LO has been measuring behinf but consistent in growing and on the same centile (example, was around 2 weeks behind in all scan) until the last scan and she was measuring 3-4 weeks behind in scan. The consultant decided to book me in for induction the follwing monday ( I would be 37+1) because of suspected that the growth had stopped but she was doing breathing excersises at the scan as to be expected for a 36 week gest foetus. Anyway went in on the monday, has the pressary at around 1pm, my cervix was really not favourable though, nothing was happening on its own, nothing had happened when they examined me at 8 that night so had another pressary, and by the next morning I was 3cm so off to labour ward to have my waters broken, they didn't give me time to go naturally after breaking my waters because they were in a rush to get baby out because of the growth stop, so went straight onto the pitocin drip and had a canula ready for the skiding scale (where they give glucose or insulin to stabilise blood sugar, they also checked my blood sugar every hour and luckily I never had to use the sliding scale. Efa arrived 6hrs 45 mins after breaking my waters naturally, I had an epi and managed to push her out in 10 mins. She weighed 5lb 1oz and had an APGAR score of 10 after 5 minutes. She was not really that small, had she been born on my due date she would of been 6lb and a half which is around normal. She was very healthy. The whole thing was basically just being over cautious which I understad. I had a great birth and very healthy babba. They monitored her blood sugars and she was totally fine. I'm supposed to still monitor mine but have no time or never remember with a new baby. She was also my first. If I have gestational diabetes next time I'm pregnant I will refuse to be induced unless the baby is considerably measuring ahead or behind. Good luck hun, xx

Oh and they tried to give me a sweep at 36 weeks because the pro of giving a sweep early eas more than an induced labour, but they couldn't reach my cervix as it was so far back. Xx p.s sorry for spelling mistakes, I'm on my phone, its so slow that I can't go back and correct stuff, would take me an age!! Xx

edit

I had GD. I started off with it diet controlled, and I stuck to what they said I should eat/swap for about 80% of the time. All this time, I had to keep checking my sugar levels and what I was eating, so they could see how they were for 2 weeks. After this 2 weeks, I had another appointment, and they said I needed to use insulin to control it, as well as sticking with the change in diet.

I never got told until I was 34 weeks, that I was being induced at 38 weeks. i was told all women with GD have to be induced at 38 weeks. They estimated LO to weigh around 9lb mark. Fast forward to 38+3 (they allowed me to have christmas and boxing day at home, instead of comming in for induction) and I was brought in for an induction, although it never really took off, because they kept getting emergancy cases, so I had to wait for the next day. Once they broke my waters, I had to have a drip to control my sugar levels, as well as having to take my suge levels every 30mins-1hr, I cant wuite remember the times. I wasnt allowed to eat once this drip was in.

I also had to have an antibiotic IV because 1 swab showed +ive for Strep B, so that had to be dealt with.

I was told that they prefer women with GD to have epidurals early on, so that if problems arise, which they kept telling me was more likely, then it was easier to whisk me off to theatre, instead of faffing about getting an epidural. They also kept telling me how it will be hard for me to push, because of all my extra weight I was carrying, and for that fact that babies whose mums have GD will more then likely have wider shoulders, thus making delivery hard.

Anway, I never had an epidural, and I delivered naturally after 3 pushes to a 7lbs 11oz baby. Everyone was very suprised at how small she was. She had to have her sugar levels tested soon after she was born, and becasue hers were lower then they would like, and I was having trouble getting her to latch on, they said she needed some formula to get her sugar levels healthy again. They did this via syringe, to ensure it didnt interfer with BF. (Although she never did latch on)

I never had to take insulin again after her birth. I was meant to go back a few weeks after for my sugar levels to be tested to make sure it hadnt developed into full blown diabetes, but this never happened. But I do know my sugar levels are fine.

I also had to stay in hospital for 4 days, mainly because I had lost 3 pints of blood and my iron levels were low.

I think thats all I can remember about my GD. Hope its of some help

thanks for all your stories so far ladies.

i also had gd. was diagnosed at 28weeks at which point my bump was huge already. eventually over a month after being diagnosed i was put on insulin which just kept increasing,went from one shot of 2 units daily to almost 8units 3 times a day. but every scan i had showed she wasnt affected by it in her size and wasnt carrying extra water so wasnt allowed to be induced early. i asked to be induced when i got to 40 + 2 but my waters broke that night after it had all been arranged. contractions were on and off for more than 50hours in total but my labour stopped and i didnt feel her move after my waters had been broken 24hrs so decided to take me in for induction anyway. had the gel and was contracting nicely within 30mins at 11am on thurs and she was delivered at 6:17 am on the friday. i had epidural and episiotomy(sp) and she had cord wrapped round her neck,but she was born weighing 6lb 13,none of us could believe how tiny she was lol, she was a more hungry baby due to the diabetes and my milk wasnt enough, she had to be monitored as her sugars was v low on breast so they had to top her up with formula a few times but she was always with me at all times and we went home the day after. unfortunately for me it meant i stopped breastfeeding cos she simply wasnt getting what she needed but she thrived on formula and both of us are fine with no after effects from the diabetes x

I had GD. I controlled it with diet and a small dosage of a pill. I didn't have to do insulin shots.

I ended up having her at 37+3 after being observed in the hospital for a few days because she wasn't moving on her bpp. (ultrasound to check movements). She was 7lbs 4oz, so she probably would have been rather big if I would have went to 39 weeks (scheduled induction)

They didn't have to take her to the NICU. Her first levels were low, but they let her stay with me (once I got her - I had to have an EMCS) and they kept checking her. She only had the 1 that was off and she was fine. My DR told me that the only thing they might have to do is give her sugar water to bring her levels up because they would probably plummet after she was born.