GD support thread

[pinktiara]

Hey everyone this is my second pregnancy and I was just told I have gestational diabetes i'm kind of freaking out and not sure what my case is. I wont know much until i see my dr and she refers me to a specialist. Maybe someone can explain if these numbers are horrible or just mild.

Glucose load 75 g
fasting glucose H5.7 mmol/L range = <5.1
Glucose 1 hr H11.4 mmol/L range= <10
Glucose 2 hr 7.8 mmol/L range= <8.5

I am hypoglycemic so this is a whole new ballgame for me I have been reading all these terrible things this could mean

Where in the world are you? Different places have different cut-offs, and at the hospital I am at your fasting would have been fine, as the normal range is <6.0, and your 2 hour would have been borderline - the range is <7.8. They don't test at 1 hour. And the glucose load is the same, so it's comparable. My 2 hour was 9.4, and so far diet is doing the trick, although breakfast is becoming difficult. I am trying to learn to love eggs, but honestly I'm not a huge fan. Looking forward to a nicebig bowl of cereal when things go back to normal.

Good luck, hope you get your appointment soon - I hated the limbo feeling, waiting until I could start testing and know what was going on. I didn't want to eat anything for fear it would be doing harm x

im in BC canada the range for fasting is under 5.1 thats what the
fasting glucose H5.7 mmol/L range = <5.1 is I am 5.7 so it isn't too crazy. Here they do the base rate than test at an hour to see the spike than test at 2 hour to see how you come down. Apparently its more accurate with my son I only had a one hour test. I am really hoping its controllable by diet guess I will just wait till I hear back from the dr. thanx for the input girls

 

[Newt4]

I hope so too AP! I was induced with my first too. Due to placenta failure (I didn't have gd). It wasn't pleasant but I've read more horrible natural birth stories lol.

Pink I'm in Alberta but from bc.

 

[pinktiara]

I was induced with my first ended in c section not fun but im doing the c section again lol thats awesome my brother is moving to alberta next month !

 

[SuperKat]

Hi girls I'm new here. I was just diagnosed with gestational diabetes about a week ago. I am supposed to have an appointment with a dietician to discuss what I am supposed to do/learn about it..but am still waiting on a call back.

My dad is a type 2 diabetic and had an extra meter/supplies- so he came over and gave me that along with info on diet changes. I was really bummed out when I first found out I had it, but feel as though I've accepted it and am not as afraid of it as it was...that may change when I meet with the dietician though! Haha

I feel like there is so much I don't know- as far as what I should be expecting. My numbers seems to be pretty good. I've cut out sugary drinks and that has seemed to make the biggest difference. The highest reading I've had so far is 165, that was an hour after eating (I was naughty, I had a turkey sandwich on a deli sub roll, and a piece of brownie cake, and a diet root beer). Two hours later it was in the 150's, then and hour later it dropped to 73.

Is it really bad to be getting readings at 165 an hour after eating? Two days in a row, mid morning, that is the reading I get. It's seems to be around the same time of day. (With the exception of today, but I wasn't hungry for lunch so I just had a snack instead).

Anyway...it feels overwhelming to think about it sometimes...I'm worried about the big baby thing- if diet is controlling the levels, should that keep the baby from being giant? (I will be having my 5th c section, and they had issues getting one of my babies out- had to use the vacuum because the scar tissue made stretching too difficult).

 

[shambaby]

I am so sick of eggs! I don't even like them that much, but it's all I seem to be able to eat for breakfast without sending my sugars through the roof! Anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[daisy72]

Hi SuperKat, I had GD in two out of three pregnancies, my levels were well-controlled by diet alone, and both babies actually turned to be under 8 lbs.
Unfortunately, the targets for pregnant women are much tighter than those for people with "regular" diabetes. Mine were under 90 before breakfast and under 130 one hour after meal. Two hours after meal you shouldn't be above 120. So yes, 165 is not ideal, but you had a big meal with probably no less than 70 g of carbs in it, so once you get the guidelines from your dietitian about how much and what to eat you should be fine.

 

[CelticNiamh]

I love the positivety that it will hopefully go away after birth.... however most of the information i read, most aren't diagnosed to after 28wks. I was diagnosed at 10w3d (first scan) so i do have a feeling that i may have alredy had diabetes and didnt know. I guess i'll find out 6wks after our little man is born and deal with it then.

When were you diagnosed? Thanks xx

I have been diagnosed very early as well, they just put me on diet at 8 weeks this time and so far the last 3 times GD went after I gave birth. FX for this time as well


So was not able to eat my dinner last night, so had a bowl of bran flakes skimmed milk and fasting this morning was 6.9

I am going to keep an eye on it and if they keep misbehaving and increasing then I may ring my midwife I am not due back to see the diabetic team on till the 19 of March

 

[SuperKat]

Thank you so much Daisy for that info! It seems that at around lunch it spikes like that an hour after eating. Yesterday it hit 165 then two hours after eating it dropped to 107.

 

[Fergie]

Ladies

I was diagnosed yesterday with diabetes (not sure yet if gestational or not as i've family history and a dodgy pancreas), but i have no idea what to even have for breakfast. I've been told i can only have 1 piece of bread a day so bang goes the toast . Any helpfull advice on what i can have ?. Also does this mean that i'm more likely to have a c-sect ?.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Newt4]

Totally doesn't mean your more likey going to have a c section. You have more of a chance being induced early but that's it. If you're lucky you'll be diet and exercise controlled and other than the strict diet and the poking its not that bad. I eat eggs and bacon or sausage for breakfast with a small piece of high protein low carb toast. Pretty much for two months now I've had the same breakfast.lol

 

[shambaby]

lots of eggs for breakfast here, too! at first for me weetabix was fine, then switched to granary toast, but then 2 slices of that would be too much. Tried shredded wheat, as it is just about the only cereal with no added sugar, but I had the smallest bowl (it was the bitesize kind) and was hungry again by the time I checked my sugars after an hour, and my reading was high! And it tasted horrid, too! so started having one slice of toast with either omelette or scrambled eggs with mushrooms and tomatoes, sometimes a bit of bacon. For a while I could have my one slice with some reduced sugar and salt baked beans, but not any more. I have recently discovered Burgen bread (recommended by one of the lovely ladies on here) and I can have 2 slices of that with no problem. It is high fibre, and low GI so doesn't cause such a spike. Much more convenient when I haven't got so much time to make breakfast in the morning. Have to say I don't find it all that tasty (although there are several varieties and so far I've only tried the soya and linseed) but it will do. Won't continue to have it when I don't have to, though.

 

[NatalieW]

This might be a UK only question but is anyone doing colostrum harvesting?

 

[kintenda]

This might be a UK only question but is anyone doing colostrum harvesting?

I've been advised by the diabetic clinic to start at about 36 weeks. X

 

[CelticNiamh]

This might be a UK only question but is anyone doing colostrum harvesting?

why I am intrested to know more please

 

[NatalieW]

You hand express colostrum into syringes and freeze them from 36weeks incase the baby doesn't latch or needs additional colostrum to stabilise their sugars.

 

[shambaby]

I haven't been advised to do it, but was thinking about it the other day, as I know the policy is that babies must feed within an hour of birth and then have blood sugar tested. I worked really hard to make sure Hayden had nothing but breast milk and it would be a shame for this baby to have to have formula because of my diabetes. Think I will look into it. Have you been given the syringes to use, or did you have to get them yourself?

 

[CelticNiamh]

This might be a UK only question but is anyone doing colostrum harvesting?

You hand express colostrum into syringes and freeze them from 36weeks incase the baby doesn't latch or needs additional colostrum to stabilise their sugars.

What a great idea, never heard of it before that would be very handy for yellow jaundice as well do you need a certain amount or just as much as you can

 

[NatalieW]

I think it's a good idea too. Just wondered what other people thought and are doing.

The hospital are giving syringes at next appointment.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Hi ladies - I will do a full update when I can but my little girl has arrived! 7lb 7oz st 39+5, all perfect with her sugars etc.

I did colostrum harvesting and will happily share my experience of it, it worked brilliantly for us.

 

[NatalieW]

Amelie congratulations. What a fab weight!!