Gestational Diabetes diagnosis

[squizzlet]

Hi this is my third pregnancy and my first was awful. I am replying to your low blood sugars, in all my pregnancys I have high and low blood sugars and they have no reason for them, they induce normally at 38 weeks as baby can be stillborn if left to go to term due to diabetes. It is fine as long as they have picked it up which they have.

When I had my first child they kept me in hospital from 35 weeks and at 36 weeks planned a c section and put me on a insulin drip and glucose drip slowly my sugars dropped and I had hypos but they would not do anything about it stating that they baby would be fine and that I would be going to theatre soon anyway (8am) planned d.c-section. I had my daughter at 2.55pm with no let up on the hypo. When born she had a blood sugar of 1.2 and was rushed into neonatal unit for 2 days. Please should you enter this area stand up for yourself. She was fine after a few days. AS long as you treat your hypos as and when they occur the baby will come to no harm but do not let hospital staff tell you that it does the baby no harm for a long period of time because it does.

My second pregnancy was much better controlled and they let me do what i wanted and I got to 38 weeks and my son came out perfectly fine with no sugar problems or anything else. Bearing in mind I have 4-6 hypos a day. So I hope that this reassures you.

 

[Rach27]

I only get low blood sugars (and by that, I mean around 3.5) first thing in the morning but have been sucessfully changing this by drinking a glass of full fat milk before bed.

I was under the impression that the babies who are treated for low blood sugar had done so because the baby was over producing insulin from the mother's high blood sugar - so after birth were lower than 'normal'.

I take everything I'm told by the NHS with a pinch of salt by the way

Plan is currently to induce me in 11 days time, (at 39 weeks). Not sure why they won't let me go to term...not sure they even know why!!! Roll on Mother's Day (I'll have him in my arms by then!)

 

[xxEMZxx]

Just had my first part of the GTT this morning (I'm 28 weeks) due to having very high amounts of sugar in my urine. I'm not too worried that I may have GD as I think the sugar is due to the fact I have had major chocolate and sweet cravings all the way through my pregnancy (never hardly ate this sort of stuff before) and I don't have any family history etc.

Are there any symptoms before hand??

 

[terridee69]

Just had my first part of the GTT this morning (I'm 28 weeks) due to having very high amounts of sugar in my urine. I'm not too worried that I may have GD as I think the sugar is due to the fact I have had major chocolate and sweet cravings all the way through my pregnancy (never hardly ate this sort of stuff before) and I don't have any family history etc.

Are there any symptoms before hand??

I was diagnosed with GD @ 28 weeks, I had no symptoms at all, and from what I read the most common symptoms are also pregnancy symptoms, such as Tiredness, needing to wee all the time, drinking lots...... If you have GD, the Diabetes nurse told me that there is nothing that I could do to prevent it or change it, it is my hormones blocking my body from producing the correct amount of insulin and nothing to do with the amount of sugar I eat or drink.

I hope you get good results

 

[angelstardust]

A variation of upto 2 weeks either side of your gestation is normal in scans. Not everyone is the same proportions, some have longer legs, some have bigger heads. PLUS, the measurements rely on a human to place markers, so human error plays a part too. So long as baby is growing in a consistent manner they won't worry.

I was diagnosed at 30/31 weeks. By 33 I had consistently high ketones in my urine meaning that I had an irritated uterus and was having non-progressive irregular contractions. I should have been put onto insulin really but as it turned out, everytime I went upto day care something else happened and it just got forgotten about.

I had an elective C section at 37 weeks, partly due to the GD but mostly because of my history (pre eclampsia and delivery at 35 weeks, pre eclampsia, placental abruption and em c section at 33 weeks, so basically me getting to 37 weeks was a first and they were just pushing my luck going further. I was on alert for C section from 35 weeks, so if my BP had went up for example it would have been an automatic C section.

Amber was born weighing 6lb15oz at 37 weeks so not exactly huge. The next morning her sugar levels had dropped and she ended up in SCBU on a glucose drip. She had a double whammy from my GD and me being on labitalol for my BP. She escaped after a week breast feeding and has suffered no long term problems.

The GD went after delivery.

The baby produces high amounts of insulin to break down the excess of glucose it receives from mum, so after birth it is producing too much insulin. This often results in the baby having low blood sugar levels. You can help stop this by feeding as soon as possible (breast or bottle, though GD mums breast milk often contains high amounts of glucose in the first few days which helps). I requested Amber have formula top ups to keep her out of SCBU, didn't help us but it has helped others. Look into it for yourself and decide.

Babies of GD mums are higher risk of still birth after 38 weeks because the placenta can stop working quicker than non GD mums, as well as the size issues. If a GD baby is born weighing a lot, then it's not a good thing, they will usually have hypoglycemia which amongst other things can cause brain damage. That is why they are so keen on getting them out early.

 

[baileykenz]

i had gd on both my son and daughter and my son was delivered emergency section at 32weeks weighing 6lb6oz and then my daughter was born elective section at 32weeks weighing in at 9lbs..i then was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago complete horror..i am now 16weeks preg on 3rd baby and started insulin 3weeks ago due to high levels and then started having hypos this week..it is a massive responsibility but you just have to look after yourself and keep monitoring as blood sugars can change dramatically..
emma