Gestational Diabetes Group - Us vs. the Carbs

[Amythyst]

Hello, I looked through the first page here and didn't see any groups for us GD ladies. I thought it would be nice to start a thread for support and helpful tips.

I was diagnosed early because I have PCOS and I'm "high risk". Sure enough, I have it. I found out last Wednesday and have been adapting to my new diet.

I failed both the 1 hour and 3 hour tests and have been pretty bummed about it since then. My baby, as of last week, was showing 1 week ahead and she said his tummy was 11 days ahead. So, I'm pretty nervous what he will be at when I have my next scan in 3 weeks.

My numbers so far have been good. The last few days I've had a problem with my fasting numbers though. Yesterday it was 110 and today it was 101. But, I'm not sure if I'm testing at the right times? I have a "late" schedule on the weekends and sometimes don't go to bed till 4 or 5 AM, so I have a hard time figuring out when I should test. IE: Last night, I didn't go to bed till 1:30 AM but I had to get up at 6:00AM for work. Right before bed, I had 1 serving of unsweetened apple sauce and 4 whole wheat crackers with some light cream cheese. I tested at 8:30 this morning and I was 101. But, I'm wondering if it wasn't long enough to be a "true" fasting number? I read that you need to wait at least 10 hours.

So, I'm wondering if anyone else is struggling with this, wants to share, has some good tips and/or just wants to go along this ride with others.

 

[cncem]

I was diagnosed with GD at 29 weeks, have to take glyburide and test my blood sugar 4x a day. The good thing is I have lost weight since eating better and I plan to still eat low carbs little to no sugar after baby is born. I feel like I have a head start on the baby-weight loss. My fasting numbers were high too, in the 100 range and I didn't know why. A friend on here explained that while your asleep you liver dumps glucose in your blood stream because it senses your sleeping and not eating. My doctor told me never to go more than 9 hours without eating something. My numbers have been excellent since taking the medicine, even fasting numbers, however I did wake up starving at 3 am one morning recently and ate a greek yogurt and when I tested my fasting glucose at 7 am it was high, so yes your problem may be not enough time "fasting". By the way, greek yogurt is great,the full fat kind. You need to eat fat together with carbs. It is a healthy delicious snack, I keep lots in the fridge. Good luck!

 

[SurpriseBub]

Just wondering if you ladies had symptoms that tipped you off for having GD? I am 23 weeks and suddenly have renewed nausea and fatigue. I also noticed bubbles in my urine the past few days (Sorry if this is tmi)! I am getting my test done in 2 weeks, so guess I will find out then. Just thought I would ask to see whether you had a suspicion before being diagnosed. Thanks!

 

[cncem]

Nope there were no symptoms at all. Gestational Diabetes is not like true diabetes where there are symptoms like extreme thirst or frequent urination, although we do have frequent urination because of being pregnant and having a baby sitting on our bladder. Good luck in your test, if it is non-fasting eat a healthy breakfast that morning, like eggs and whole wheat toast, No juice it's high in sugar, milk spikes my blood sugar too so try to avoid it if you can. Drink lots of water all morning, as water dilutes the sugars in your system and walk around the waiting room while you wait that one hour after drinking the sugar drink if you can, exercise helps your body burn the glucose. I'd try to cut down on sugar, candy and soda from now until your test if you eat and drink those things.

 

[Conina]

I was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago. They tried to control it by diet first but it just didn't work, so I'm now on insulin. Numbers are fine most of the day but the mornings are the problem-it's high first thing and again after breakfast.

They must measure it differently here, my measurements are supposed to be between 3.5-5.5 before eating and then less than 7.8 after

 

[SurpriseBub]

Thanks, ladies! I always get suspicious of anything new/any changes... we will see if I am just being paranoid, or whether those things were signs. I hope you are all doing well with it! seems like you ladies are on top of what to do!

 

[Amythyst]

yay! We have guests in the thread.

I do believe different parts of the world are doing the sugar numbers differently... Mine is just on a regular numbers scale vs. having 5.0 etc. Unless those are your A1C numbers?

I'm doing ok... the diet sucks, but I'm doing it because of the baby. My fasting number is still a bit on the high side and is always consistently over 90 and they don't want that. All my other numbers all day are fine.

So, starting tonight, they put me on insulin. I am doing the long acting kind and its at the lowest dosage. I have PCOS w/ Insulin Resistance, so they are pretty sure I will end up needing more insulin later... but for now, I think I should be ok.

Anybody have any great snack ideas or meal ideas you'd like to share that work well with your sugar? I seem to be able to eat potatoes ok as long as I don't go nuts. If I eat a baked potato with dinner it doesn't seem to spike my sugar at all.

 

[SurpriseBub]

I haven't been diagnosed with gd, and hope I don't have it... But I did see a recipe the other day for cauliflower pizza: https://www.pauladeen.com/cauliflower-crust-pizza

I thought it sounded awesome and will try it out. Forgive me if it falls outside the GD diet reqs- I only have a basic understanding of what the diet entails, and *think* it might fit the bill?!

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Thought I would say Hi here

I am 15 weeks now and on GD diet but my numbers are OK at the moment (have to be under 6 pre eating and under 7.8 one hour post eating)

I was diagnosed late on with DD1 - 35 weeks - I have no risk factors. Luckily I made it to the end (induced at 39 weeks) on diet and DD1 was 6lb 7oz.

DD2 it started at 16 weeks and I was on strict diet from 20 weeks. I had a really horrible time coping with the diet at 30-33 weeks but made it to induction at 39+5 and DD2 was 7lb 7oz and fine.

So here I go again!

 

[cncem]

I think I said it before, but I Love greek yogurt, it's a great snack doesn't boost sugars too much, has lots of protein and it's yummy. It really curbs my craving for candy. I also sometimes snack on trail mix or mixed nuts. Sometimes I'll have a couple pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter on it. Hard boiled eggs are great too. Since I can't drink regular coke anymore I drink coke zero occasionally. I like it, it's my favorite of the diet sodas. I have some popcorn sometimes, I don't think it spikes my sugar too much. For dinner if I'm making spaghetti for the family I'll have a piece of salmon, it's pretty good, and very healthy with all the omega fatty acids and such. You drizzle a piece with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper and pop it into a cool oven, set the temp to 400 and the timer for 25 minutes and when it's done it is perfectly cooked and delicious. I also make shrimp scampi with butter and garlic and sauteed shrimp, no pasta. I find if I eat just a little potatoe or french fries I'm okay. I can even have a handburger on a whole wheat bun or without the bun if they don't have whole wheat. The diet really isn't that bad, and you have to eat every couple hours so I never get hungry.

 

[Amythyst]

I can share some of my tips too:

Yogurt
Siggi's - love this yogurt. I was having a hard time finding yogurt with low carbs that didn't taste like crap. This yogurt has 100 calories, 11g of carbs and 14g of protein. It is thick and sort of custard like. So far, I love the vanilla one.

Snacks
B'More Organic Smoothie - liquid yogurt. 2 servings per bottle. Has 120 calories, 6g carbs and 23g protein per serving. This is pretty good too for a quick snack/meal.
Atkins Snacks - I'm trying not to buy packaged foods but with a very long commute to work everyday and stuff these are good for a quick snack.

Bread
Pepridge Farm Carb Smart Bread - 7g of carbs per slice and very tasty! I don't have a problem eating this bread on sandwiches or for toast. It is "smaller" than normal slices but still proper size for a slice of cheese or something.

Almond Flour/Coconut Flour - My husband bakes bread. Almond flour is great substitute for white flour. We're going to try this for making pizza dough as well.

Tips
Milk - For me, milk sets my sugar off. So, I've had to give up milk. I have switched to unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It has less than 1g of carbs per serving and I can drink a big glass of it without consequence.

Coffee - For some reason, I can put regular sugar in my coffee ... it doesn't bother my sugar. I use decaff most of the time but occasionally I'll allow myself a regular cup of coffee. I also use the non dairy plain creamers that have 0 carbs.

Potatoes - These don't seem to bother my sugar either. But, I'm talking about boiled potatoes or baked potatoes. I did eat some mashed potatoes last night with a bunch of stuff in it (I didn't eat a whole lot of it though) and that didn't bother me either. I also read about other women that were able to eat potatoes. They can be a nice "carb fix" if you were a former carbaholic like myself.

Pasta - I found "Pasta Zero". Its in the refrigerated section of most stores. Its shirataki noodles ... they come in a watery bag and you think they look really nasty but once you wash them off like the package says, they are really close to real noodles. Depending on how you prepare them. For me, I was a pasta junky so these sort of save the day for me. I believe they have 0 carbs or maybe 1 or 2.

Wraps - I found some veggie wraps that are very low carb as well. I can't remember off the top of my head what brand they were but I couldn't do regular tortillas or even the wheat ones as they had too many carbs. I will update when I have them in front of me.

Most of these foods I had to find at Wegman's grocery store. Its a higher end grocery store for those that don't have a Wegmans near you. My local Walmart grocery, target etc doesn't carry most of these low carb things. But, for the health of my baby, I was/am willing to spend a little bit more on some basic things to keep my diet going. I still buy all the rest of our groceries at the cheap(er) stores!

 

[oneway]

Thanks for starting this thread. I was diagnosed with GD on Monday. I have not yet had my appointment to discuss my diet and blood sugar testing. That is scheduled for next Wednesday. My numbers are quite high. 99 fasting and 190 after 2 hours and 75 gms of glucose. I really hope they don't put me on insulin.

I would love it if you ladies kept updating this thread and we could support each other. I've been feeling a bit down since the diagnosis, especially because I am in constant pain due to SPD.

Good luck to all of you and a big hug from Norway.

 

[Amythyst]

Hi there oneway! Welcome to the thread.... I thought the thread would get a bit more traction than it has but hopefully you found some of my tips useful!

Wow, your numbers are high! I am on my 7th week now of GD and so far so good. I am managing it just fine with diet during the day and I do have to take insulin at night time for my fasting numbers ... but I'm only on 12 units, so its not too bad.

I was also pretty bummed and really annoyed I can't eat anything (exaggeration). As a result, I actually have the opposite of cravings ... I don't crave anything cause all the good stuff I can't eat. But, I think of the baby and it helps me stay on track.

I do see you made the post back in November... so please let us know how your appointment goes tomorrow. Were you able to get your numbers under better control with diet?

I do have a new tip:

Calorie Countdown "dairy beverage". Can find it at Walmart or most grocery stores. Its made by HOOD. Awesome stuff... 3 net carbs per 1 cup and it really does taste almost like regular milk. I am in love with this stuff now cause I was getting really sick of drinking unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Hello

My GD came back properly at 17ish weeks, I thought I might dodge it until 20 but I'm ok about it.

My numbers are OK, and I'm adapting. My fasting in the morning can be higher it seems than in my other pregnancies. Still just 1 high in 3 weeks - my aim is to get through Christmas and in 2015 medication free.

I managed my pregnancy with DD2 med free and my GD kicked in with her at 20 weeks. It is scary when I think about how hard that long long long time on just diet control was - but it was worth it.

 

[oneway]

Thanks so much Amythyst!

I have now been on the GD diet for a couple of weeks and it's not as bad as I thought. My numbers are well under control. I did struggle a bit with portion sizes and ate too little a few days and had a few low numbers. But I am learning about how many carbs and what kinds of carbs I can consume each day. I do well with really solid multigrain bread. The breads we get in Norway and almost brick like. They are so solid and full of good stuff like linseeds and pumpkin seeds. I can do brown rice but not oatmeal. If I have an especially protein rich meal, like 6 to 8 oz of chicken, I can get away with more carbs.

I lost weight the first week but I have gained it back so I know I am getting in enough nutrition for the baby. My hope and prayer is that I don't have to start with insulin. I would love to control this with diet alone.

Good luck to all the mammas struggling with GD and the third trimester. The end is in sight!

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I'm still doing well on diet control - lack of sleep and viruses have been really tough but now I'm sleeping better and well things are good.

I don't think I am gaining much weight if any but I won't even think about that until 3rd tri.

 

[oneway]

Amelie,

You are so brave to go through another pregnancy with GD! I hope you manage this one med-free as well. Good luck to you. Viruses and lack of sleep are not helping me either. I have a terrible cold and that has affected my numbers for the last couple of days. Plus hubby is away with work, he travels all the time. And I have a rambunctious 3 old to take care of. I cannot wait for the Christmas holidays when my husband is home for 2 whole weeks so I can have some "me-time"!

 

[Conina]

Well my gd is over ladies! My beautiful little lady was born on Monday and it was all worth it!

 

[Amythyst]

Congrats! And lucky you for no more GD! That's awesome.

My GD is still doing well... I guess I've lost enough weight that its actually a little bit better than it was before. I've lost like 25 pounds now I think? I had been on 12 units of insulin at bedtime and I dialed it back to 10 and I'm still getting good fasting numbers. Sometimes after I eat I am struggling to get it over 100.

I am able to eat Cheerios now with my low carb milk - which is awesome by the way. If you guys haven't tried the Calorie Countdown (made by Hood) milk, then you should! It only has 3 net carbs for the fat free version and 4 net carbs for the 2% milk version (per cup) and it has rescued me from Almond milk hell. To me, it tastes just like regular milk. Diet still sucks but its doable... I have also been curbing my sweet tooth with Bryer's Carb Smart ice cream. So, I'm not feeling too limited. This diet is totally manageable as long as you do the research and find the right carbs and low carb stuff. I even splurged the other day and had a Big Mac from McDonalds... surprisingly, it did not spike my sugar but that was the only thing I could eat... nothing else with it.

Other than that, baby is great... they told me he was 1.5 weeks ahead last time I was there but it did not appear to be GD related growth. They said he was symmetrically larger instead of just a giant belly like GD babies will get if you're not managing properly.

 

[oneway]

Congratulations Conina! Both for the birth of your baby and for being GD free!

Thanks Amythyst! Your post makes me less scared of insulin if I ever need to take it. Good on you that you have lost weight! I have stabilized but not lost any. You're so lucky that you have a slew of low carb options in the US. I have to make do with what we get here in Norway.

Good luck to all of you GD ladies!