# GD and morning glucose levels



## mtnprotracy

Hi, ladies....

Well, turns out I do have gestational diabetes. I began monitoring my sugar yesterday and have a few questions. I've done a bit of research, and I think I may understand what's going on, but wanted to ask folks who were in the same boat :D.

My glucose levels are very much with normal ranges after lunch, dinner, and before bed. My "fasting" levels in the morning have been 112 and 108. I do think it is my liver kicking extra glucose into my system, or the Somogyi Effect. My levels are also still high one hour after breakfast, 158 this morning. 

I haven't been doing a nighttime snack, and from what I've read this could help. I'm a bit confused about exactly what type of snack I should have---more protein or some carbs? If any of you ladies have experienced this I'd love to hear what worked to lower these levels. I'm afraid the doctor will put me on medication if I can't get it below 100. I only have 5 weeks to go, so I'm hoping to control everything I can with diet. Any and all suggestions are most appreciated :D.

Thanks again,

Tracy


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## madmae

I wish I could help you but with this and my previous GD pregnancy the mornings were so hard to get sorted. I am on 14 units of insulin in the morning (8 for other 2 meals) and if I eat what is considered healthy my sugars are high. If I do remember to eat at night I try to have crackers and cheese and I do think it helps a little. My fasting numbers are also good.


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## TTC36

Tracey,
I've just recently been caught up in all of this, but my issue sounds similar to yours (not sure how the numbers translate but my fasting numbers are apparently the problem also, in the area of 4.9-5.4). When I met with the dietician, she said the key is a bed time snack and an after dinner walk of 30 mins. 

She suggested a nutrigrain bar, an apple with peanut butter, or half a Luna bar as late night snack options. 

Hope that helps!


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## sweetpeaxo

I sorta have the same issue - except my fasting level has been normal. It is my after breakfast sugar level that has been high. I just don't get it either, I follow the diet guidelines to a T and it spiked :( However, I only started all of this yesterday so I'm still a newbie. But I definitely don't want medication either! For my bed time snack, my guidelines suggested 1 cup of light yogurt, either that or 4-6 crackers with a piece of cheese. Last night I had the yogurt & I also had a couple of strawberries with it. For the hell of it I checked my sugar level an hour later and it was fine, and it was also fine this morning.


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## mtnprotracy

Thanks, girls......I really hate checking it like 5 times. I worry about it too much when the numbers aren't where they're supposed to be. Do folks who are diabetic otherwise check their glucose levels this much. My dad has Type II and might check his levels once or twice a day....but that's a man for you. I'm trying to stay positive....having a c-section on 4/19, so not much longer. But I really feel like I can't eat anything. If I have ANY carbs for breakfast my levels are high the hour after. So, the eggs in their various varieties are really getting old. I have a new-found respect for folks who deal with this on a daily basis....I feel I can only eat salad veggies, fats, and meats. I go back to the doctor Tuesday and am anxious to see what his thoughts are on my numbers. Thanks again for your responses; nice to know I'm not alone :).

Tracy


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## hopefulfor2

Hey all- I was just checking these threads because in my previous pregnancy I was GD and based on how it went, doctor anticipates I will have issues this time around as well (only 14 weeks and won't be tested till 20 weeks so don't know yet, but following diet etc. already- no symptoms and not tracking sugars yet as the less poking with needles to me, the better!). Anyway- this was my problem in my last pregnancy- high fasting and sometimes high breakfast- which the dietician told me was likely because my fasting was already high so it was just going up from there. I ultimately had to be put on insulin because it was way too out of control, but what the dietician and doctor had me doing at first was a serving of plain vanilla or plain chocolate ice cream right before bed (it gave me the sweet that I so desperately wanted and it met the carb requirements and had dairy etc. so all around a good "snack") and then set an alarm and wake up midnight-ish and drink 8 oz of milk. While it wasn't enough to get my fasting numbers in line, it really did help lower them quite a bit- so for a 108 or 112 it might help. The midnight wake ups were sort of annoying, but let's face it- at that point you are sleeping so well anyway and if you want to avoid the insulin, it might be worth trying. As for the breakfast numbers, if my fasting numbers were out of whack- which they were every morning till insulin, the dietician told me to stick to just the milk and no other carbs- so only one serving of carbs at that meal and that did help my breakfast numbers quite a bit.
Hope this helps! Goodluck to everyone!


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## Shylo

I don't know if this will be of any help but after dinner I usually wait two hours or right before bed have a 6 to 8oz glass of milk with a small piece of fruit and my fasting numbers are usually always between 70 and 84 depending on how roughly I've slept. My doctor told me if your numbers are bellow 110 after dinner you should have a snack. Also if you take anything for the GB, Sugar control it could very well be that. 

As for breakfast I've eaten the same thing for 9 months because what other few things I did try we're awful. I'm bored to bits with it but it's only until Sunday now :happydance: but I usually have 2 - 3 eggs, normally 2 with a sliced up tomato and sometimes a banana and a glass of milk. And their usually around 80 to 85. 

But what might work for one might not work for another. Trail and error, after this I doubt I'll want another egg again. :haha:

The best of luck!


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## Eleonora

Hi Tracy,
I hear you! I am still in denial about GD even though I had to pick up my first insulin shot thingy today. Last week I did 10 tests a day for 3 days and I thought it was all looking good except for those middle of the night ones (always between 100-110) and the morning ones (88-102). Even after big meals I never went over 140. But still, for my doctor, that's diabetes. I didn't even get a chance to try controlling it with diet. I am due the 22nd of April so, like you, I figure I can handle whatever it is for just a few more weeks, but I feel like a heavy cloud of "illness" has settled on my otherwise nearly perfect pregnancy.


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## Angelz79

My biggest challenge is my morning fasting numbers too and I have found that eating a bowl of healthy cereal with half a banana and unsweetened almond milk does the trick. Sometimes when I go to bed really early, I have granola bar when I wake up for a drink. But without a decent snack 6 hours before I wake up, I do experience the somogyi effect.

But everyone has their own foods that they can't handle with the GD and it's a matter of trial and error to figure those out. Mine are fruit and milk, so I pair fruit with a healthy multigrain and protein snack, dilute my small glass of calcium/vitamin D fortified OJ with club soda, and drink unsweetened almond milk instead of milk. 

It still sucks sometimes, but in the end, i'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for our son. I was diagnosed with GD early at 25 weeks and have be able to manage it with diet for the past 8 weeks. My pregnancy weight gain has been minimal because I'm not indulging in the sugars and so I won't feel guilty for doing so once our son is born


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## taterbean

My nutritionist has me eat a snack at bedtime of 1 carb serving with a protein. Normally, I have a piece of wheat toast with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. I could also do 1 carb serving of fruit with a few almonds or anything that pairs a carb serving with a protein.


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