Gestational Diabetes Group - Us vs. the Carbs

[AmeliePoulain]

Not long now Northern

If your gd is due to type 2 tendencies it could be linked with your bmi but usually that would mean if you lost weight it would improve. I know of women via gd clinic who lost a lot of weight between pregnancies and didn't get gd the next time.

My gd isn't weight related, it is genetic and the strain of the hormones released by the placenta is showing up a weakness as my body isn't producing the extra insulin it should produce in pregnancy.

Oddly no one in my immediate family has any type of diabetes though....

 

[Amythyst]

My fingers are also bruised from the testing. It is really annoying trying to find a finger that won't hurt when I do it. They gave me a different tester that was better quality and that seemed to help a little bit. I also have a problem where sometimes I prick my finger and no blood will come out so I gotta do it again! BLAH! I used to test like 6-7 times a day cause I was paranoid and always wanted to know where my numbers were... but now that I'm under control and only seem to get better as time goes on I test maybe 3 or 4 times. Sometimes I totally forget... which I know is bad but I'm always super below the cutoffs.

I also stopped taking my insulin again totally for my fasting number and its been just fine in the 80's the past few days. I suppose I could cut it down to 5 units and see what happens but I just hate sticking my damn tummy every night! Its worse than the finger pricking. Specially now that my stomach is so hard, I find it annoying trying to pinch some skin to do it.

I'm guessing since I've now lost 35 pounds this pregnancy that my GD is related to my BMI which is why its getting better instead of worse. Being that I have PCOS, I'm predisposed to type 2 diabetes anyways and it runs in my family. Even when I'm not pregnant I have to take my Metformin to keep my A1C under control. Which is why they tested me for GD at 16 weeks cause they pretty much guessed I was going to get it.

I also think taking the Metformin along with my diet is making a HUGE impact. I ate some of my low carb ice cream with half a piece of REAL cheesecake last night and some peanuts - number was just fine. *shrug*

I had my A1C checked when I was about 6 or 7 weeks pregnant and it was at 5.2 which indicated "non diabetic" ... but I'm not sure what it would be now. I just know this diabetes stuff is for the birds and I want it gone!

 

[Christina86]

Not since my last dr. appt. I could but it would do no good because I forgot what weight I was at. I have an appt. on Monday so I guess I'll find out then.

 

[eventerjj]

Northern, do oranges spike your sugar? They were on the list of fruits I could and should eat. I usually have half an apple as ours are huge! And then half an orange a day with my meals.

Christina, I had my numbers go wonky this weekend and a lot of it has to do with not eating or sleeping right. You really need to make sure you eat every few hours and don't push the fasting too long.

Example: We are on holiday for the next week for Chinese New Year, so my husband and I slept in today. I ate something around 11 last night before bed and test around 7:30 when I got up for the bathroom. Out of curiosity, I tested again at 10:15 when I actually got up and had gone from 5.2 to 5.7 just because my body released more sugar because it wasn't getting what it expected.

For my weight gain, I am still putting on a half pound a week or so, but if you looked at me from straight on front or back, you would never guess I am pregnant unless I have certain shirts on that emphasize it from the front.

9 weeks left!

 

[northern_me]

I can't eat any fruit basically without compensating with insulin. Actually, scratch that, I can't eat anything without compensating with insulin.

Sometimes I need way more than I would have needed the day before. So while my numbers are staying under 8.2ish now, that's still not under 7.8. It's a constant battle. 6 unit of insulin might do me ok for eggs, bacon and an orange one day, but I might get a high after that the next day, even with units. At least my numbers aren't hitting 12s and 14s now.

 

[RubysMommy]

Hi everyone! I am stopping by to join into this thread. I took my 2 hour glucose test last Thursday and failed it. I don't have my informational appointment until Friday. I've been just eating normally the past week, just limiting sugar. I didn't have gd with my 1st pregnancy, but dd was 10lbs 7oz. So it may have been missed that time.

I haven't had a chance to read the post from the beginning, but I look forward to getting to know you all!

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I got a 6.5 fasting pre lunch today

I'd had a sugar free hard sweet not long (20mins) before - something in that sort of stuff really messes me up.

I was 5.2 an hour after eating so it was a blip.

 

[Christina86]

Yeah, I think that's my problem. I haven't been sleeping well recently and I forget to eat when I get so busy at my internship. It doesn't even cross my mind. I need to get that straightened out. I am also really stressed out. Not even baby wise- but internship/ schoolwork wise. I have to have everything done by about April 9th-13th as a just in case so I can graduate in May. Baby is due on April 26th. I just need to relax because I know it will get done but since I need it to go smoothly (paper, presentation, etc.) I am stressing that it won't.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I got signed off work for a week today because I have a tiny fracture in my foot and - despite a week off last week - it isn't healed enough to drive properly, I went into work yesterday and I've really hurt it

I got a 7.3 after my very dull dinner tonight. It has made me grumpy. I feel woozy and sugar weird which is ridiculous at that number.

Feeling sad and scared I'm going to get how I did with DD2, at 32 or so weeks I went into an appointment and cried and begged for insulin. I actually got told to go away and eat normally for a few days so they could work out my dose, but I couldn't bring myself too. I remember being so determined up to that point and then how fast it all got emotionally far too much for me. I don't want to go there again.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Hi everyone! I am stopping by to join into this thread. I took my 2 hour glucose test last Thursday and failed it. I don't have my informational appointment until Friday. I've been just eating normally the past week, just limiting sugar. I didn't have gd with my 1st pregnancy, but dd was 10lbs 7oz. So it may have been missed that time.

I haven't had a chance to read the post from the beginning, but I look forward to getting to know you all!

Hi!

Before you get your supplies and can start seeing what does and doesn't work for you I would suggest avoiding the obvious sugary things like cake, sweets and juice but also switching to wholegrain pasta and brown rice, finding a bread with lots of seeds in it or a specific low carb bread.

You are probably going to have to reduce your carb intake - I know as a really basic rule some people look at a meal and aim for 1/4 carbs, 1/4 veg and 1/2 protein. That wouldn't work for all meals and those proportions wouldn't work for everyone!

Oh and beware fruit (unfortunately)

Maybe check out some list of low GI (glycemic index) food. I used that as a guide before I had my appointment after diagnosis.

 

[Christina86]

Hi everyone! I am stopping by to join into this thread. I took my 2 hour glucose test last Thursday and failed it. I don't have my informational appointment until Friday. I've been just eating normally the past week, just limiting sugar. I didn't have gd with my 1st pregnancy, but dd was 10lbs 7oz. So it may have been missed that time.

I haven't had a chance to read the post from the beginning, but I look forward to getting to know you all!

It really is almost a test and see what works and doesn't work for you in the beginning. I found foods that worked for me and foods that don't. Now I am trying new foods and it's not going so well (stress, lack of sleep, etc. can also affect the numbers which I am finding out this week as well). For example, I can eat mashed potatoes (1/2 cup) and be perfectly fine but I can not eat any type of rice.

I can eat an entire hershey bar but a banana or an apple makes my numbers go up.

I can eat certain cereal. I can have froot-loops but if I try special k my numbers are insanely high!

 

[Amythyst]

Hi everyone! I am stopping by to join into this thread. I took my 2 hour glucose test last Thursday and failed it. I don't have my informational appointment until Friday. I've been just eating normally the past week, just limiting sugar. I didn't have gd with my 1st pregnancy, but dd was 10lbs 7oz. So it may have been missed that time.

I haven't had a chance to read the post from the beginning, but I look forward to getting to know you all!

Hi there! "Welcome" to the thread! I hope you find it useful and learn a lot. I put a bunch of foods and things that I found to be super helpful to me in the first few pages of the thread and there's some really good information throughout.

I have pretty much blended into the background of this thread cause nobody wants to listen to my bragging tale of wonderful life with GD .... lol. But I'm sure you'll get on just fine. When I had my first "nutritionist" meeting they just went over some sample meal plans and told me what my meals should consist of and how many carbs I should have in a single meal. Which, back then, turned out to be way more carbs than I could actually tolerate. They will also give you the ranges of sugar numbers they want you to stay within and not sure if you will have the same experience as I did, but they also gave me a testing system.

If you're in the US, I also found a great website that sells low carb foods that I can't find the grocery stores. I buy my pasta, pasta sauce, deserts, and cereal from this site. Its not horribly expensive and I've had great experiences with the food there. The site is called netrition.com if you want to check it out. I peddle this site a lot, but for me being addicted to certain foods it was a great salvation to be able to find pasta that actually tasted good that I could still eat.

You'll also find that everyone is different and their body's react to this in different ways. So, some of it will be trial and error for you. In the beginning of my GD, I was fine eating but my fasting numbers in the morning weren't where they were supposed to be, so I had to go on night time insulin... but if you do find what works for you then its not so bad.

Good luck and talk to you soon.

 

[oneway]

RubysMommy, welcome to our thread! DS1 was 10 lbs 2 oz and I kept thinking that it was because I had undetected GD. But I looked through my pregnancy records and I was tested multiple times for GD and my son was born with normal blood sugar. I was not borderline or anything. I just didn't have it. My baby was big because of genes. Daddy is tall and broad and I am average sized. This time, I do have GD so I am careful to keep my numbers as low as possible but I have been far from perfect. This is a challenging journey and having a thread like this really helps.

Thank you Amythyst for starting this thread! I don't think you have blended into the background at all. At least not for me, personally speaking. I look forward to your posts and your stories. They always cheer me up! Maybe I need to say that more often . I think most of us use this thread to rant a bit because the going does get tough at some point. But please do continue to play an active part in this thread. I don't have long now and I promise to come back once baby arrives and post an epilogue to my story.

 

[oneway]

Amelie !

Sounds like an awful couple of weeks for you! Your numbers are so very good that a 7.3 should not worry you. The rest of us have seen figures over 8 on occasion, so you are doing very well! Getting a week of rest should help you a great deal. I did not know that you worked. I thought you were at home with your 2 little girls.

How many of you ladies are working? To work and take care of your GD, you get major respect from me! I am a SAHM and all I do is obsess all day with my numbers.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I only work part time 18 hours a week. It is hard, I have to take my lunch in as nothing they serve (in the very nice) restaurant at work it suitable - they have a nasty habit of putting potato in everything!

Also I work in a big team and it is always someones brithday...and there is always cake

I find work helps stop me obsessing a bit maybe, and gives me a set routine that can help.

Amythyst - I love reading your posts, I've learnt a lot hanging out in here from all of you and the support and understanding of good days/bad days/frustrations is completely invaluable x

 

[northern_me]

I've been taken off work for a while now. I wouldn't be able to do this properly working full time and dealing with DD after work. It's a full time job.

Welcome to the thread, I guess! It's a journey, that's for sure.

I had an ultrasound today. Baby is still measuring smack on, amniotic fluids are good and baby is engaged. Not sure how engaged, but engaged.

I've started taking EPO the past two nights and have been a little crampy both mornings. OB said that means my cervix is softening(I'm selectively leaving out the EPO tidbit) and it's good news.

 

[RubysMommy]

Thanks for all the advice! I've been googling a lot the past few days, which has given me a base line of what to expect. I'm so glad I have a place to go for help now!

 

[eventerjj]

Having you guys has been awesome and so comforting and helpful. DH has been amazing about sticking to the GD diet with me, but he definitely doesn't understand the frustration/anxiety/guilt that comes with high numbers and since he isn't confined to it, he can deviate occasionally without issue.

Amythyst, you give us all hope that maybe things will get better sooner rather than later and Amelie, you inspire me since this is my first and we planned to have 4, that it may be possible to stay diet controlled with all of them if I get it again. All of the others have been great along the way and little tidbits are helpful and make me feel better.

I am working full time still and traveling quite a bit for both job and pleasure. Meals with suppliers are so difficult because you have no idea what is in them and usually you have tea, hot water or coke to drink. Our work cafeteria is so bad that even the Chinese make fun of it and it is free. We usually bring in leftovers for lunch or go to Subway. Thank goodness I can still eat that!

Rubysmom, I'm glad you found it and I hope it is helpful! It is definitely trial and error. Subway, fruit( no bananas) and small pieces of bread are fine for me, but fried foods, especially French fries are absolutely not okay. Good luck!

 

[Amythyst]

Thanks for the reassurance guys... I know it can be hard listening to someone else rant about how great everything is when a lot of you are struggling.

Northern, Yay for good ultrasounds! I hope it continues to be that way!

I work full-time. I am a Database Developer for the government (contractor) and my company is beside themselves to know what to do when I leave. I do have an employee under me but he just started in January and he's sort of wet behind the ears. I am actually going to be working while I'm on maternity leave...probably like 10 hours a week or something like that. Just for stuff that is critical or that someone else can't do. My husband will be a stay at home dad, so I have it a bit easier to hand off baby duties to him while I'm working. Luckily, they let me work from home ... so since January 27th I've been working from home 5 days a week. I have a 1 hour train commute up to the DC area, so they were pretty understanding when I said I didn't want to trek down to the office anymore.

So, I actually tried Northern's "pizza effect" thing today. For the first time in nearly 18 weeks, I had REAL pizza! Hubby and I went to a pizzeria today and I had 1 slice (they were huge) of thin crust with sausage, bacon, mushroom and onion. I checked my sugars for 3 hours afterward... they were:

1 hour: 90
2 hours: 108
3 hours: 86

Soooooo.... since I did so well I had 2 slices of leftovers for dinner! lol.

EDIT: Hahahahahahaha - ok I will have to retract what I said a little bit. Just past 1 hour mark for the 2 pieces I had for dinner ..... 166!!! OOOPS! Guess 1 piece is ok... 2 pieces.... not so much! Oh well, its my first high reading in ages...hope its not worse in an hour!

 

[northern_me]

But did you enjoy it?!