Gestational Diabetes Group - Us vs. the Carbs

[AmeliePoulain]

I went to 39+5 with DD2 and I know that I started to get really scared of super good readings because I mainly worry about the placenta - not the size of the baby.

That is a really interesting article Oneway!

My levels took a while - a few days - to go back to normal after DD2, but seriously I don't think my body could handle the sugar I ate in the hours after delivery. I had a proper post birth binge

 

[Amythyst]

I'm officially off my insulin... I had a couple days where my fasting number was 91 and 92 but they told me that wasn't high enough to go back on the insulin. Then the past couple days I've been at 87 and today was 76. I am super thrilled to not be sticking myself in the tummy every night now.

Congrats Amythyst!

Do they have an explanation why your insulin requirements are going down? I was told that it just goes up until I have to give birth. I have been doing well except my post dinner number is now high, no matter what I eat and no matter how low the reading was pre-dinner. So I have to have a couple of units of fast acting insulin just before dinner starting tomorrow.

And congrats on your baby being in the 80th percentile this time. Last time, bubs was at 65% and this time he is at 75%! I have another scan on the 18th of February. Hope he is not off the charts at that point, lol!

No, they are totally baffled by me. I'm the only case of GD that they have seen that seems to be correcting itself the further along I go. They also know I'm not lying about my sugars cause there would be evidence in the baby's size or my amniotic fluids (if my sugars were uncontrolled I'd have excessive amounts of it and not low amounts ).

The only thing they can think of is that my "lifestyle change" and weight loss has helped it. I have lost over 30 pounds with this pregnancy and totally altered my eating habits. I'm also taking Metformin, which I don't think most of you are on? I've been on it for years and that also could be helping with the control. But they've never had a patient that had to start taking insulin and then suddenly didn't have to anymore. I'm actually starting to wonder if I ever needed it at all.

I'm not going to question it but just enjoy it... although it is really bizarre. I also have been able to eat more "normal" foods than I could before. Like we went out to a Japanese steak house the other night and I did have a lot of meat but I also ate fried rice and TONS of yum yum sauce (but I know that doesn't have a huge amount of carbs) ... when I got home, I thought for sure I'd be at or close to 140. What was it? 108!!! Or like I can eat a croissant now on my breakfast sandwiches and the number is fine.

So beats me....

 

[oneway]

How interesting Amythyst! Sounds like you might not have needed insulin after all. Well, enjoy the rest of the pregnancy eating more fun stuff than us for sure

Amelie, I am afraid I too might go on a sugar binge after baby comes. Well deserved and well earned I would say

 

[eventerjj]

Post baby binge!!!! I already have my coconut pecan icing lined up in the fridge for big spoonfuls

Overall my numbers have been trending down but man, nothing screws you up like 14 hours on a plane and changing 14 time zones. One meal my sugars were über low and the next they were crazy high. Hopefully they level out by this evening.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. I go in next Tuesday for my next appointment and see what they say then.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Where have you been travelling between Eventerjj? I can imagine that sort of journey really messing with your sugar levels!

Christina - how did your Fruitloops experiment go? I have been really curious about that today.

I am going to sound very English probably - but do you ladies in the US/Canada have Yorkshire pudding? It is like a flour, egg, milk batter that you put in a muffin tin with very hot oil and they puff up and go crispy but with a well in the middle... They go with roast dinners. Anyway, they are like my favourite thing, I happily eat them cold with jam in too...but seriously they are so flour filled I couldn't eat them at the moment.

I made them for my kids and DH tonight and I genuinely almost cried.

Then they all had rice pudding after that...the temptation is just awful

 

[Christina86]

Oh! It went good. I was at 79! More frootloops for me in my future

Then this morning I had an onion bagel. Well a full half and part of the other half of an onion bagel as my dog decided to jump up and steal the rest out of my hand... and I was at 115 two hours after.

All day yesterday I was ranging between 70 and 85. AND I had a hershey bar for a snack. I just don't get it.

 

[babifever]

Post pregnancy binge ha ha

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Some people process food v differently to how they handle the GTT, depending on what your doctor's policy is for GD - I.e would they induce you at 38 or 39 weeks purely because you failed a GTT, then I would question the diagnosis if you keep getting very good numbers.

I know in my first pregnancy I was very accepting and totally ok with being induced but I see now I really should have challenged it. Some of the GD interventions really can mess you about.

 

[oneway]

Christina,

Are you sure you have GD? You have mentioned so many foods that I could not even smell without my blood sugars shooting up. Maybe you can re-take the GTT?

Amelie,

I feel for you! You have been so perfect on your diet so far! I can't believe that you even stay away from sugar-free candies. You have an iron will! Can I ask why you are against early inductions? Did your babies get effected by the early inductions?

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Thank you

I had a nasty forceps delivery and DD1 went into distress and I was hyperstimulated on the drip.

DD2 they gave me the gel to soften my cervix and we both had a massive reaction to it. DD2 was bradycardic (heartbeat of 56 for 3 minutes) then I was hyperstimulated for 8 hours but no dilation. They did some very scary last ditch attempt waters breaking and DD2 arrived fine but I lost a lot of blood.

I just don't think my body likes being induced before it is ready!

 

[northern_me]

Yeah Christina, I would check with your doctor on that. I'm basically so restricted with what affects me that I don't know what to eat half the time. And I only failed the test by 0.1 of a number.

Amelie yes we have Yorkshire puddings here. Sometimes I'm glad for the insulin. I would be able to tolerate that on 4-5 units of insulin.

 

[oneway]

Amelie,

Your 2 previous births sound really traumatic, both for you and your babies! I can see now why you would want to go into labor naturally! I really hope you do!

northern_me,
Here is some interesting info I found on fast acting insulin.

While insulin dose requirements vary
from person to person, in a woman
of normal weight, one unit of mealtime
insulin (human or rapid-acting)
will cover approximately 10 g of
carbohydrate at lunch and dinner.
However, for breakfast in the morning,
the need for insulin is greater: roughly
1.5 units per 10 g carbohydrate.3

Source: https://www.idf.org/sites/default/files/attachments/article_312_en.pdf

 

[northern_me]

Hmmm interesting. I've been getting good numbers on 4 units the past two days. I stopped taking it in the morning if I don't have a high fasting number. Mostly because I usually just eat eggs which doesn't drive my numbers up. However, they did tell me different people are more carb sensitive at different times of the day and mine is definitely evening. I could eat the same thing for lunch and dinner and get two totally different readings.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Sometimes I think I am being too restrictive and maybe I can have more than I think, then a push it a tiny bit and have a miniscule amount of something a bit dubious - like let's say a tiny bit of yorkshire pudding and sausage the other day, it didn't take me high but I was so so close, and I really had probably one fork full of the dubious food!

I am totally nuts as well, I feel like I got to the end with DD2 on diet control after having it early - and I must do the same by this baby as long as the GD isn't affecting her. Obviously if I couldn't control it anymore or the scans showed the baby was being adversely affected I would do what I needed to do. That is just ridiculous maternal guilt though.

Wow Northern, I didn't realise you failed the GTT by such a tiny margin. With DD1 - the only GTT I have had - I was at 11 (198) still at 2 hours

I remember my post birth binge with DD2 vividly. I asked for tea with 3 sugars, toast with a lot of jam, then I ate a snickers bar, a chocolate chip cereal bar and a packet of crisps.

She was born at 10.46pm and the next day they wanted me to check my blood at about 9am - I was still at 13 (234) eeeeeeek!

I passed a GTT at 6 weeks PP but if I am very honest my blood sugar even when not pregnant is a bit odd. It has been mentioned that I might have MODY (maturity onset diabetes of the young) but the only factor that doesn't fit is no one in my family has it and it is caused by a gene mutation.

 

[Christina86]

I was told I did after they said I failed the 1hr and the 3hr tests. They just said my numbers were high but never actually told me what they were. I was told to call the hospital and set up the GD education class for that same week to get my monitor and start monitoring my numbers. The nurse told me they were going to start with monitoring w/ diet and then go to the pill if that did not work. However, during both the 1hr test and the 3hr test I was on antibiotics, which according to four of my aunts (who are all nurses) 2 cousins (who are also nurses), being on antibiotics can affect the results of the test. I was on an inhaler and amoxicillin for bronchitis and I had sinusitis as well. But my OB knew all of this when I did the 1hr and when I was told to go back for the 3hr I reminded them that I was still on medication and still sick.

I mean certain things shoot my sugar levels up. But out of testing 4x a day for a few weeks now, I have had 6 "higher" numbers and only 2 were over the "what it should be" number. I had a 140 instead of a 120 and a 96 instead of a 95! Other than that, I came close at a 117 or a 115 and then I had a 106 and a 101. Most of the time my numbers are in the 70's and 80's. I guess I should call. Though my eating has become a heck of a lot healthier....... I usually do not go above 89.

An example. I was at 82 this morning (fasting). I had 2 hard boiled eggs and a bagel - and a half (after my dog stole the rest) and was at 115 two hours afterwards (which is still lower than the 120 my OB said it has to be at). I was STARVING after I took my sugar had 1 full candy bar, 1 string cheese and some pieces of apple. I was having an IDC moment and had to stop to get something to eat. I then got to the other school and was still starving so I had lunch. 3 pickles, carrots and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread (two slices). Tested 2 hours I finished lunch (3 after the random snacking I did) after and I am at 84.

I called my OB's office so I am waiting for a call back. Though they are busy as they asked if I needed someone right away... so if it's not today hopefully they will call me in the AM.

 

[northern_me]

Have you done a 1hr test to see how you're doing at 1hr? I would be curious. I've done a couple of 2hr tests out of curiosity.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I was going to say the same about 1hr.

They do think the 'peak' may cause more damage than how long it takes for your sugar to come down - though opinions vary on that.

 

[Christina86]

Yes I've done a few at an hour and they atill are in the 80s.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Definitely talk to your dr! I agree infections and anti biotics screw most people up.

I know someone who failed a GTT as they had a car accident on the way to the test, the stress caused her to fail, the next two times she was fine.

 

[Amythyst]

Yea if I even look at a bagel my sugar goes up... it is very unusual if you have GD to be able to tolerate white flour like that.

I would also ask them what the results of your testing values were and what the cut offs were... I would be curious about that too.

Even I with my bewildering GD could not eat a bagel and not suffer the consequences!

I had my baby shower yesterday - yay! - and I had Palak Paneer (Indian food), so yummy. Its a spinach dish with cheese curd in it. I even had some rice with it and sugars were all good! I also cheated just a bit and had a sliver of my baby shower cake. Just a teeny sliver though.