# Gestational Diabetes - second pregnancy



## Mom2Ben

Hi,

I had Gestational Diabetes and after I had my baby, I remember my doctor telling me that they will monitor me from much earlier on with any subsequent pregnancies. Does anyone know when they will start monitoring me or when it usually becomes a problem? I am currently 8 weeks and have been trying to eat healthily but with MS it has been quite difficult!


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## Emmea12uk

I was in the same boat. Don't stress about sugar levels yet if you are sick. It will cause more harm than good. They should do a tolerance test at 16 weeks, then at 28 weeks.

I really worried about it this time but my test came back clear.

Another thing, if you avoid sugars at this stage then the blood test which looks at your historic levels won't be true. 

Good luck!


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## capel

Normally the hormones that cause insulin resistance just start after around week 13. Even if you had diabetes before pregnancy these first few weeks the insulin resistance goes down. So don't worry, you can't get it before 13-14 weeks.


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## Kylarsmom

I had it with my son and got tested at 6 weeks this time and was diagnosed with it! So it's never too early. Everyone kept saying Ohh you must of had type 2.. well they are wrong bc the blood test revealed my last 3 months of sugars and those were fine. Its something to do with the hormones and and the placenta, sometimes causing the GD to start so early. If I were you I'd ask them to test you now. And if you don't have it, they will test you again at the regular time! Good luck!


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## capel

What my endocrinologist said if you get that early you probably had it before... I don't know if it is true or not. Just repeating what my diabetes doctor said :)


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## Emmea12uk

No one in the uk will do a glucose tolerance test before 16 weeks as the effect of having it before then doesn't do any harm to the baby really, not compared to the chances of having it that early.


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## capel

Having it that early can do the MOST harm for the baby. High blood glucose can cause all the kinds of birth defects. The thing is that MOST ( as every rule there are some exceptions) woman that have it that early already had it before. I am just so happy I passed the most dangerous fase and until now nothing is wrong with baby. 

If you are that worried you can have your home test. You can get a glucose monitor. Fast the whole night, measure your level. Then eat 1/2 l orange juice. 1h after test again, then in another hour. If you start with less than 5.5 and don't go more than 7.8 after there is no problem.


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## Kylarsmom

capel said:


> Having it that early can do the MOST harm for the baby. High blood glucose can cause all the kinds of birth defects. The thing is that MOST ( as every rule there are some exceptions) woman that have it that early already had it before. I am just so happy I passed the most dangerous fase and until now nothing is wrong with baby.
> 
> If you are that worried you can have your home test. You can get a glucose monitor. Fast the whole night, measure your level. Then eat 1/2 l orange juice. 1h after test again, then in another hour. If you start with less than 5.5 and don't go more than 7.8 after there is no problem.

I agree, that's when it does the MOST harm! I was so worried when I found out I had it so early! I thought that I HAD to of had it before, but my OB assured me that I didnt and I just got it with all the new pregnancy hormones. I may have been borderline before... but I had periodic checks between having GD with my son and GD with this pregnancy and never had elevated levels. Scary huh!? I think that this is worse than type 2 bc i wasnt already monitoring it like i would have been if it had been type 2 ! I am lucky to have found out early so i could start monitoring, but i cant get the fear out of my head that for 3 weeks before i found out i did harm =( Sorry, I know this thread isnt about me, I just want the post'er' to be aware of the possibilities


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## capel

I know how you are feeling. Even if you know in advance, go to preconception clinic at the diabetic center you can't help wonder if everything you it will harm your baby. As I was feling sick I did not eat much so not much problems. The opposite really.

I was reading some in the net and I found some graphs of insulin resistance in pregnancy. It says that is USUALLY goes doen in the first trimester (99.9% of cases), some stays the same and very rarelly it increases. Kilarsmom your case must be one in a million. So the chances is that the OP is just fine now. And that is why thay only do GTTs after the first trimestre, as always is not cost productive if only picks up less than 1%.

Again meters are not very expensives, you can always test your own, but again it is VERY RARE someone having GD in the first trimestre.


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## codegirl

Kylarsmom said:


> I had it with my son and got tested at 6 weeks this time and was diagnosed with it! So it's never too early. Everyone kept saying Ohh you must of had type 2.. well they are wrong bc the blood test revealed my last 3 months of sugars and those were fine. Its something to do with the hormones and and the placenta, sometimes causing the GD to start so early. If I were you I'd ask them to test you now. And if you don't have it, they will test you again at the regular time! Good luck!

I was not diagnosed the first time but was tested early just like Kylarsmom (Edward was large and my brother had type 1). I was diagnosed at 7 weeks but strict monitoring didn't start till 13 weeks. I think that had a lot to do with the fact that I didn't fail by a lot, I was borderline and it was just my fasting number.

The test that looks over the previous 3 months showed that I did not have type 2. Lots of medical people think that I must have so I have this converstation all the time :wacko: Luckly I have the best GD dr in my city :thumbup:


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## Emmea12uk

I passed my gtt test at 16 weeks by 0.1 point and the hospital don't want to test again until 28 weeks! In fact they didn't even tell me I was borderline, I read it in my mw'a notes. I called my doc and he agree I should start testing now and go to him for a gtt as soon ad I got a hig reading. Maybe you could do the same?

When I said it does no harm I meant gd only as the hormones levels are usually too low to affect blood glucose. Type 2 is totally different and I agree people who get gd really early prob are developing type 2.

Does anyone know what the odd are on getting type 2 if you have 2 pregnancies gd? Am I doomed? I can't improve my diet as it is good and I have always been healthy. Sorry to hijack!


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## Mom2Ben

Hi everyone, thank you for all the advice. I am seeing my midwife on the 17th Feb so I will speak to her about it then. Apparently they will test and monitor me from then according to my GP.

I read somewhere that apparently you have a 20% to 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes in the 5 to 10 years following the pregnancy. I'm not sure if that increases with 2 pregnancies. I don't think so.

I'm really dreading having to follow a GD diet if I have it again as the thought of those type of meals makes me feel sick at the moment. All I am craving is fruit and sweeter things! Hopefully this will ease off in the second trimester!


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## Emmea12uk

Good luck! I am really craving chocolate. I only ever crave that when I am not allowed it:(


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## HollyMonkey

Hello ladies, hello Kylarsmom!
I've just got my BFP and from the morning I got it I took out all my old gd dietry guidelines from last time and have been following my gd diet already- first doc's appointment tomorrow but I thought I'd rather err on the side of caution! My sis had it with all 3 pregnancies and it came on earlier and earlier each time. It would be lovely if it didn't rear it's ugly head too early though:shrug:

Sorry Kylarsmom to hear it got you early, were you insulin dependent last time?


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## capel

Emmea12uk it's not certain that you are going to have it. And to say the truth, the highest risk factor of all is family history. So many people are not overweigth, are following a good diet, but have bad genes :) So if you have lots of relatives with it and had GD I would say it is very possible.

Oh, if you get GD early you could be developing type 1 as well. That is what happend to me. I wasn't diabetic in my first pregnancy. Then got GD early (20 weeks), it went away after birth, one year after taken to hospital with DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). Blood test after, not type 2 as doctors thought but type 1.


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## Emmea12uk

It is both sides of my parent's family:( I didn't know you could develop type 1.


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## Mom2Ben

I had my first appointment with the midwife yesterday and she told me to get in touch with the midwives at the hospital to find out about when to start testing my blood sugar levels. She also did a random glucose test. I spoke to the midwives at the hospital and they have said they will only start monitoring me at 20 weeks (unless the random test comes back high) but I need to be following the correct diet until then. I am, however, thinking that I might start testing my BS anyway considering I have the tester from last time just to keep my eye on it.


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## Emmea12uk

I am doing just that. How can you follow the right diet if you don't know how things set your levels off? 

My mw agreed to do another gtt next week as I am getting loads of high readings after breakfast.

Good luck


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## happy_hayley

hi i had a gtt and my result came back as on the border now i am having to do my blood sugars 3 times a day 2hrs after a meal they have been fine so far they say altering my diet should do the trick but they say my baby already has a big tummy im having a growth scan in 2 weeks but it is all a lot to take in i have cut my chocolate out so hopefully that will help but it aint easy lol


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## Emmea12uk

Some people find it easier to test hourly after a meal - then it should not go above 7.8mmol, and don't eat a meal without seeing how high your levels are first - in case they are already high before you start.


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## baileykenz

i just to let you know i had gd on first 2pregs then borderine diabetic and now i am type 2 so my last preg i was monitored from 6weeks an was specialist care and not midwifery..
gl to u all


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## tempie

I have had GD with 2 of my pregnancies both boys the last one I had a GTT at 14 weeks that was clear then again at 24 weeks which came back positive I was scanned every 4 weeks to begin with then weekly after 28 weeks


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