GD support thread

[madmae]

Hi all well I'm settled at the hospital, really don't understand why I've been brought in the night before, no sliding scale until 6am what's the point. Anyway I've got cannulas in ready coz I begged them to get it done with I hate them so much, got two of the buggers in. Just had tea and toast and testing bloods in one hour. Then insulin and glucose at 6am then she said I should be first on theatre list with having GD. Still all feels so surreal can't believe in 9 hours we'll have our baby.

Mammytoerin I had low Papp-a 0.24 it can be associated with placenta problems later in pregnancy as long as they scan you regular and do Doppler flow regular you should be ok. Also some studies have shown that it could be linked to GD too. Make sure you push for those scans.

So next time I speak to you guys I'll have a baby wow!! Can't believe it. Speak soon. 3G reception is rubbish here.

Just seen this....blimey you could have your baby by now.....hope its all gone well xx

 

[izzy29]

Good Luck Doodar!

 

[marley79]

How are you ladies today - this heat is tough!
Hope your enjoying lots of lovely baby snuggles doodar and not feeling too bad. I was told today that the hormones that cause GD have a half life of 15 minutes - which means basically by the time you come out of theatre it's almost 90% guaranteed that diabetes has already gone - it's good to hear!

What a day! had my appointment at hosp to dicsuss expressing my colostrum, then off to clinic only to be told that the scanner wasn't working to do my doppler - so had to go to another hospital to have that done and then back again to my original hospital to have my consultant appointment. lots of ketones and hypos on the way. they could have rang me to say the scanner hasn't been working for three days. Aw well - finally home after been out the house for 7 hours!

It was my last clinic appointment - so stretch and sweep on wed and they will try break waters then too and if nothing happens they are even considering allowing me a little bit of the drip but if no joy after 4 hours then section and if they can't do stretch and sweep or break waters they will try again in few days and then two weeks today defo section. I'm totally on the natural induction - so wish me luck.

 

[madmae]

Sorry about the being mucked about....but its great that they are going to let you try on you on your own.

I am so jealous you are so close.

 

[marley79]

Sorry about the being mucked about....but its great that they are going to let you try on you on your own.

I am so jealous you are so close.

thanks madame.

I know what you mean by the way - I have spent months being jealous of women that were ahead of me - even when they were only a week ahead and when i was having a bad day women who were a day ahead even lol!

 

[tracy143]

My doctor totally upset me today! He said that while we were hoping for a smaller baby, by the looks of me, that probably isn't the case... I don't think my bump is that big... Besides, growth scan says she measures 34w 3d when I was 34w 2d and that she weighs around 5.5 pounds.. that is right on target. She is also within the 50% percentile, too.

Got weighed myself today and I gained a pound in two weeks. Which makes sense because baby is gaining 1/2 pound every week and that would mean she gained a pound in 2 weeks, hence the pound I gained...

So pissed... I know he wants to do a c-section but I don't want one! At my last appointment he said as long as the baby was under 9 lbs I could have her vaginally. I fear he is going to change his mind at the last minute. No more growth scans for me until 3 more weeks when I am 38w 2d. At that point, he said we will discuss what is going to happen..

 

[marley79]

Don't worry tracy - baby sounds on target and unlikley to go over 9lb. He can't force you to have a c-section for macrosmia anyway, so you could always refuse - especially if baby is under that as that would be crazy to c-section for a normal sized baby. big hugs x

 

[madmae]

My doctor totally upset me today! He said that while we were hoping for a smaller baby, by the looks of me, that probably isn't the case... I don't think my bump is that big... Besides, growth scan says she measures 34w 3d when I was 34w 2d and that she weighs around 5.5 pounds.. that is right on target. She is also within the 50% percentile, too.

Got weighed myself today and I gained a pound in two weeks. Which makes sense because baby is gaining 1/2 pound every week and that would mean she gained a pound in 2 weeks, hence the pound I gained...

So pissed... I know he wants to do a c-section but I don't want one! At my last appointment he said as long as the baby was under 9 lbs I could have her vaginally. I fear he is going to change his mind at the last minute. No more growth scans for me until 3 more weeks when I am 38w 2d. At that point, he said we will discuss what is going to happen..

I know a bigger baby can lead to problems but I can't understand why it should automatically lead to a section. My first son was 9lb8 and he was honestly a lot easier to deliver than my 7 and 8 lbers. If you don't want a section fight your corner.

 

[madmae]

Well its 2.30am and its another night of not sleeping. My bump is so big I can't get comfy and if I do I end up feeling sick or my restless legs/feet start......pregnancy is such fun at times.

I got my daughter to take a 34 week pic of me and I am slightly bigger than when I was 38 weeks wit my last babe and the diabetes then was never well controlled. I'm even starting to out grow some of my mat clothes....I am thankful I am at most 4 weeks away from the end. Though he's still stubbornly breech and hurting my ribs.

My sugars after being beautifully stable for about 3 weeks have now decided to play up and I am having to up the amount of insulin I am on at every meal as well as my night time levemir dose as my fasting is up as well. Logically I knew this would happen but I loath it as just being within the right range for a few weeks was so nice and now I feel slightly out of control again. It doesn't help that I am constantly hungry again but when it comes to meals I really don't want to eat as I feel as though so much time and effort goes into what can I have thats ok that there's no enjoyment left to eating now. I have a total pity party going on over here....hopefully in the morning when I have had some sleep I'll feel slightly more optimistic

 

[mom of 7]

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 20 weeks though I don't get really high numbers I am hyper sensitive. I have had to keep my numbers between 5-6 in order to feel good. Most people are told to excersize when diagnosed however if I walk, have any pain, or stress my blood sugars get very high so I have spent most of my time laying down. Walking causes severe pelvic pressure as well as braxton hicks contractions. Nothing about the gestational diabetes has made any sense to my doctor or the diabetes nurse monitoring me. I am told I am Atypical and we are walking blind because what works for others does not work for me. If I want good readings all day I can not be up walking around. Any glucose readings outside of 5-6 creates ketones for me as well. The higher the numbers the more sick I become and the more severe the stomach pains. Not sure if anyone else has had these issues since I have been searching for anyone that has had something similar happen to them but so far there has been no one. Baby is not large so it does not look like we have to worry about a c-section but since my last pregnancy I was pre-clamptic they are monitoring very closely.

 

[marley79]

Well its 2.30am and its another night of not sleeping. My bump is so big I can't get comfy and if I do I end up feeling sick or my restless legs/feet start......pregnancy is such fun at times.

I got my daughter to take a 34 week pic of me and I am slightly bigger than when I was 38 weeks wit my last babe and the diabetes then was never well controlled. I'm even starting to out grow some of my mat clothes....I am thankful I am at most 4 weeks away from the end. Though he's still stubbornly breech and hurting my ribs.

My sugars after being beautifully stable for about 3 weeks have now decided to play up and I am having to up the amount of insulin I am on at every meal as well as my night time levemir dose as my fasting is up as well. Logically I knew this would happen but I loath it as just being within the right range for a few weeks was so nice and now I feel slightly out of control again. It doesn't help that I am constantly hungry again but when it comes to meals I really don't want to eat as I feel as though so much time and effort goes into what can I have thats ok that there's no enjoyment left to eating now. I have a total pity party going on over here....hopefully in the morning when I have had some sleep I'll feel slightly more optimistic

Hope you are feeling better. I think lack of sleep defo makes it all harder. Not too long though, you're in the final stretch at least and hopefully time will pass quicker. I'm bigger as well too despite baby being smaller than poppy and my sugars being more stable - never makes sense to me! x

 

[marley79]

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 20 weeks though I don't get really high numbers I am hyper sensitive. I have had to keep my numbers between 5-6 in order to feel good. Most people are told to excersize when diagnosed however if I walk, have any pain, or stress my blood sugars get very high so I have spent most of my time laying down. Walking causes severe pelvic pressure as well as braxton hicks contractions. Nothing about the gestational diabetes has made any sense to my doctor or the diabetes nurse monitoring me. I am told I am Atypical and we are walking blind because what works for others does not work for me. If I want good readings all day I can not be up walking around. Any glucose readings outside of 5-6 creates ketones for me as well. The higher the numbers the more sick I become and the more severe the stomach pains. Not sure if anyone else has had these issues since I have been searching for anyone that has had something similar happen to them but so far there has been no one. Baby is not large so it does not look like we have to worry about a c-section but since my last pregnancy I was pre-clamptic they are monitoring very closely.

Hey, I think porb everyone is so different with GD so even though you may not find someone who feels exactly the same - I'm sure there are others similar and can understand how you feel - if that offers any comfort at all. I understand your lack exercise - as I'm unable to as well and have felt ill all the way through this pregnancy. I feel sick and hot and tired a lot and it really has been a case of taking one day at a time. I get lots of ketones but also flit between them and high sugars and it is such a hard tightrope to walk. It is a case with going with the flow and trying not to get too upset about all the bizarre symtpoms (easier said than done I know). It's a wierd thing and some pople seem to run off high sugars or low and feel well - whereas with others just been a digit out can make them feel terrible. Hopefully its all temporary and once baby is here you will feel so much better. I'm sure everyone on here is happy to offer any emotional support if you just want to come on and have a moan. It's very hard at times coping with GD in the non-virtual world when everyone else seem to have such easy pregnancies. so at least on here you are not alone.

 

[madmae]

Well its 2.30am and its another night of not sleeping. My bump is so big I can't get comfy and if I do I end up feeling sick or my restless legs/feet start......pregnancy is such fun at times.

I got my daughter to take a 34 week pic of me and I am slightly bigger than when I was 38 weeks wit my last babe and the diabetes then was never well controlled. I'm even starting to out grow some of my mat clothes....I am thankful I am at most 4 weeks away from the end. Though he's still stubbornly breech and hurting my ribs.

My sugars after being beautifully stable for about 3 weeks have now decided to play up and I am having to up the amount of insulin I am on at every meal as well as my night time levemir dose as my fasting is up as well. Logically I knew this would happen but I loath it as just being within the right range for a few weeks was so nice and now I feel slightly out of control again. It doesn't help that I am constantly hungry again but when it comes to meals I really don't want to eat as I feel as though so much time and effort goes into what can I have thats ok that there's no enjoyment left to eating now. I have a total pity party going on over here....hopefully in the morning when I have had some sleep I'll feel slightly more optimistic

Hope you are feeling better. I think lack of sleep defo makes it all harder. Not too long though, you're in the final stretch at least and hopefully time will pass quicker. I'm bigger as well too despite baby being smaller than poppy and my sugars being more stable - never makes sense to me! x

Thanks. Lets face it nothing about GD makes sense so why the hell do we keep expecting it to.

I got a few hrs sleep after taking more painkillers last night and just had an hr on the settee just now.

I upped my insulin levels across the board yesterday and though my fasting was still up my after breakfast was nicely down so I feel slightly happier with that. I shall up my levemir again tonight but I suspect the readings are so off due to the bad nights sleep.

I am having strange cravings for crunchy things at the moment....so I am trying to stave that off with sugar free ice lollies and ice poles. I figure they're better than the sugary cereal I stood in front off drooling yesterday in the supermarket.

 

[tracy143]

Well its 2.30am and its another night of not sleeping. My bump is so big I can't get comfy and if I do I end up feeling sick or my restless legs/feet start......pregnancy is such fun at times.

I got my daughter to take a 34 week pic of me and I am slightly bigger than when I was 38 weeks wit my last babe and the diabetes then was never well controlled. I'm even starting to out grow some of my mat clothes....I am thankful I am at most 4 weeks away from the end. Though he's still stubbornly breech and hurting my ribs.

My sugars after being beautifully stable for about 3 weeks have now decided to play up and I am having to up the amount of insulin I am on at every meal as well as my night time levemir dose as my fasting is up as well. Logically I knew this would happen but I loath it as just being within the right range for a few weeks was so nice and now I feel slightly out of control again. It doesn't help that I am constantly hungry again but when it comes to meals I really don't want to eat as I feel as though so much time and effort goes into what can I have thats ok that there's no enjoyment left to eating now. I have a total pity party going on over here....hopefully in the morning when I have had some sleep I'll feel slightly more optimistic

I am at that stage now, too. I can't eat anything without my sugars rising to 130+. I don't see the doctor again until Wednesday so I have to stick it out till then.

 

[izzy29]

I got a 4 last night before bed. It's been the lowest so far and it nearly made me feel a bit worried going to sleep in case it dropped any further but at the same time I didn't want to eat anything as I wanted to see what this mornings number was. I don't know if it was in my head but I felt shaky and unsettled during the night and didn't have a good sleep at all. I actually checked my bloods at 3am and it was 4.8 so that put my mind at rest. I took 100mg of metformin for the first time yest but I think my diet control contributed more to the low number. Checked it this morn and it was 4.4. I feel so much better when it is a bit higher in the morning. Is anyone else's before bed and then fasting that low and do you feel ok when it is like that?was so glAd to get breaking this morn to get the sugars up a bit

 

[mom of 7]

Thanks Marley
My spouse felt it would be good for me to find a support group however we live in such a small community there really isn't anything unless you are a brand new parent and never had children. I feel very silly sometimes but this has been the worst pregnancy for me and I am really not good at the whole lay down and do nothing part. The hardest part with the diabetes is having the doctor and nurse tell me that the only thing that will make me feel better is delivering and that I am not like the norm so it is a guessing game. They can't seem to make heads or tails out of why my numbers are the way they are, or why I am so sensitive to the changes since I can have huge spikes during the first 5 minutes of a meal. None of it makes sense when reading the diabetes web sites. Not wishing for anything like it for anyone else but often wonder if someone else has had similar experiences with diabetes. Strangely after reading many posts it does make me feel better knowing that I am not alone in the strange things that happen with gd. I hope that you have more good days than bad I can surely empathize with the feeling ill as I have also. Thank you for your comments.

 

[marley79]

Thanks Marley
My spouse felt it would be good for me to find a support group however we live in such a small community there really isn't anything unless you are a brand new parent and never had children. I feel very silly sometimes but this has been the worst pregnancy for me and I am really not good at the whole lay down and do nothing part. The hardest part with the diabetes is having the doctor and nurse tell me that the only thing that will make me feel better is delivering and that I am not like the norm so it is a guessing game. They can't seem to make heads or tails out of why my numbers are the way they are, or why I am so sensitive to the changes since I can have huge spikes during the first 5 minutes of a meal. None of it makes sense when reading the diabetes web sites. Not wishing for anything like it for anyone else but often wonder if someone else has had similar experiences with diabetes. Strangely after reading many posts it does make me feel better knowing that I am not alone in the strange things that happen with gd. I hope that you have more good days than bad I can surely empathize with the feeling ill as I have also. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you too - nice comments. I think your doctors and nurses are probably the same as everyone else's in that they often don't treat us as individuals but follow a set diabetic textbook protocol - which can make us feel like we are failing in some way if our patterns of sugars don't follow what they think a diabetic mums should. I was on this thread with my last gd pregnancy and then back on it with this one and I can honestly say i have read so many comments from ladies, saying exactly what you have and myself included. So please don't feel like you are a wierd case - it is GD that is wierd and sometimes the doctors can add to that anxiety by shrugging their shoulders a bit and making us feel like we are not following the standard Gd pattern. i think with Gd sometimes its a case of nothing makes sense. a favourite saying on this forum is GD is stupid! because it doens't make sense. I hope the thread contiues to help you.

 

[marley79]

I got a 4 last night before bed. It's been the lowest so far and it nearly made me feel a bit worried going to sleep in case it dropped any further but at the same time I didn't want to eat anything as I wanted to see what this mornings number was. I don't know if it was in my head but I felt shaky and unsettled during the night and didn't have a good sleep at all. I actually checked my bloods at 3am and it was 4.8 so that put my mind at rest. I took 100mg of metformin for the first time yest but I think my diet control contributed more to the low number. Checked it this morn and it was 4.4. I feel so much better when it is a bit higher in the morning. Is anyone else's before bed and then fasting that low and do you feel ok when it is like that?was so glAd to get breaking this morn to get the sugars up a bit

izzy - I would not worry with those numbers - that is good control. If you've just upped your metfromin it may have made you feel a bit wierd as your body is just suddenly adapting to running at a lower sugar (but that is good). always check with your team if you are worried but I would be happy with those numbers. Also go off how you feel too. I'm sure the anixety will have contributed a bit to restless night. But it sounds like they didn't drop too low in the night at all and good morning fasting - so well done.

 

[madmae]

Well its 2.30am and its another night of not sleeping. My bump is so big I can't get comfy and if I do I end up feeling sick or my restless legs/feet start......pregnancy is such fun at times.

I got my daughter to take a 34 week pic of me and I am slightly bigger than when I was 38 weeks wit my last babe and the diabetes then was never well controlled. I'm even starting to out grow some of my mat clothes....I am thankful I am at most 4 weeks away from the end. Though he's still stubbornly breech and hurting my ribs.

My sugars after being beautifully stable for about 3 weeks have now decided to play up and I am having to up the amount of insulin I am on at every meal as well as my night time levemir dose as my fasting is up as well. Logically I knew this would happen but I loath it as just being within the right range for a few weeks was so nice and now I feel slightly out of control again. It doesn't help that I am constantly hungry again but when it comes to meals I really don't want to eat as I feel as though so much time and effort goes into what can I have thats ok that there's no enjoyment left to eating now. I have a total pity party going on over here....hopefully in the morning when I have had some sleep I'll feel slightly more optimistic

I am at that stage now, too. I can't eat anything without my sugars rising to 130+. I don't see the doctor again until Wednesday so I have to stick it out till then.

I guess I am lucky that my team let me up my insulin as and when....I couldn't imagine knowing it needed sorting and having to wait. Though I do have a number to call to speak to someone if needed so I can get almost instant phone help....don't you have anyone you could call rather than having to wait.

 

[madmae]

Thanks Marley
My spouse felt it would be good for me to find a support group however we live in such a small community there really isn't anything unless you are a brand new parent and never had children. I feel very silly sometimes but this has been the worst pregnancy for me and I am really not good at the whole lay down and do nothing part. The hardest part with the diabetes is having the doctor and nurse tell me that the only thing that will make me feel better is delivering and that I am not like the norm so it is a guessing game. They can't seem to make heads or tails out of why my numbers are the way they are, or why I am so sensitive to the changes since I can have huge spikes during the first 5 minutes of a meal. None of it makes sense when reading the diabetes web sites. Not wishing for anything like it for anyone else but often wonder if someone else has had similar experiences with diabetes. Strangely after reading many posts it does make me feel better knowing that I am not alone in the strange things that happen with gd. I hope that you have more good days than bad I can surely empathize with the feeling ill as I have also. Thank you for your comments.

I think when people talk about GD they expect it to follow a nice pattern....especially if they know about normal diabetes. The problem is with GD is that a lot happens in a relative short period of time so you are constantly having to play catch up with your body and its hormones.

I think we can all relate to the feeling of relief that we're not the only ones going through this crap. People not suffering think its just a matter of cutting out sugar and we're good....or they suggest cutting out all carbs which is just as bad for us....they don't know what its like for every day to be a constant juggling act, guessing game on what we can eat and what it'll do to our sugars. Your doc is right....really it is all one guessing game.....what suits one of us won't suit another...but this is where this thread is fantastic.....so many suggestions on what to try....things that even my diabetic team hadn't thought of. We tried everything to sort my post breakfast numbers and nothing happened....and I am on massive amounts of insulin to try and help them but nothing worked.....someone here suggested cheese on toast and the majority of the time that works wonders for me. I may never, ever want to touch cheese after I deliver but its a small price to pay to get good numbers.

Just remember we're here for you....to chat with, laugh with and to vent to and hopefully to help a little too