Gestational Diabetes Group - Us vs. the Carbs

[oneway]

Interesting point from your nurse northern. The only thing I am worrying about now is whether baby will be born with low blood sugar. I could find no info on the incidence of babies being born with low blood sugar to GD moms who are on insulin.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Are you having a c-section Oneway?

 

[Amythyst]

I'm worried about my baby having low blood sugar as well. I also was not able to find much about it but just know that it is a "risk". Most of the threads I read about women that had babies born with low blood sugar were easily corrected though. The just had to stay in the ICU for a few days.

Honestly, I think getting tested for GD earlier in your pregnancy than later is a good thing. I often get pissed that I had to start doing this at 16 weeks as opposed to other people that don't have to get tested till 28 weeks. However, having to have done this diet for SO LONG makes it easier to stick with it, at least for me. I also wonder what might have happened to my baby if they had just waited till 28 weeks. The other thing that makes it really easy for me to do is that its not just MY life I'd be messing with... I could potentially hurt a life inside me. So, that right there was a HUGE motivator for me.

I mean, I'm obese... I already love food and I have struggled with will power my whole life. If I wasn't pregnant and some doctor told me I had to go on a low carb diet I'd tell him to shove it and still do it anyways. But just something with this little buggar inside me gave me complete will power to basically almost cut carbs completely from my diet. I never would have thought I could do that. Now, after 18 weeks of being on this diet, I am used to it! I have lost 35 pounds and it has actually helped the GD.

So, while it may seem like something completely horrifying and impossible to do now, you may find it isn't so bad. Once you find the foods that you CAN eat and substitutes for the stuff you think you can't live without... it really isn't that hard to eat low carb. I know its a tad bit harder overseas because for some reason they don't have the selection of stuff that we do in the US but its not terrible. I eat ice cream every night - its a special low carb version that has more protein in it and uses splenda but it takes just like regular ice cream and it does nothing to my sugars. So, its not really about depriving yourself from the stuff you love but just either finding alternatives and/or changing your portion sizes.

I just realized I always write really long posts! LOL. I think its because by the time I come back to the thread you guys have 1-2 new pages and I have too much to say.

My high risk doctor also told me that most of their patients with GD do not do what they are supposed to do. They ignore the diet and can't resist the temptation of the carbs and they end up with either really big babies and have to get c-sections or they have to take the babies way early. I was surprised when she told me that.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

If I'm honest 90% of the women I hear at GD clinic have an awful attitude

Both of my girls had temporarily low blood sugar a few hours after birth. I took 14ml of expressed colostrum in with DD2 and it prevented the need for any intervention. DD1 had some formula. Neither of them were taken away.

In the UK they check the baby's blood sugar pre and post feed until they have 3 good readings.

I'm considering declining that though this time if all goes well with the birth, baby feeding well and on the basis I have antenatally expressed colostrum again.

In terms of GD onset, I think if I had another baby the GD would begin as soon as the morning/all day sickness stopped! DD2 it was 16 weeks really I was glucose tolerance impaired and full blown GD at 20 weeks. This time is was 17.5 weeks and it just began overnight.

 

[oneway]

Yes, I am having a c-section this time Amelie. It seemed the best option after the damage from the first time round. I don't want to risk lifelong incontinence. Good to hear that your babies were not taken away even with the low blood sugar! That is something I need to ask at the hospital before the surgery. Last time I couldn't hold LO for 2 hours while I was in surgery. Poor LO had to lie on my husband's bare chest and they gave him some sugar water to keep him going. My husband, on the other hand, greatly enjoyed the bonding experience, so it was not all bad

I do have some colostrum when I squeeze but I never thought to collect it and store it. I figure if I have it now, I should have it when I give birth? What are your thoughts on that Amelie?

Amythyst, you have a great attitude to GD and just like you I have always struggled with willpower. But knowing what I am eating is really doing to my body and knowing that I don't want to do this for the rest of my life makes me want to take control and have a healthy diet after the birth. I don't think I can go back to where I used to be. I have also found an ice-cream that does not affect my numbers. But I really don't care that much for ice-cream. What I really want is cake I guess I won't have to wait long now. Have they talked to you about an induction or will they allow your birth to progress normally? I am having my c-section at 39+1 day.

 

[Pink1981]

Hi all, can I join you please? This is my 3rd GD pregnancy but I seem to be finding it a lot harder this time! I'm on insulin 4 times a day x

 

[northern_me]

I struggle with willpower BIG TIME! I'm surprised I've been able to eat as well as I have, and I've certainly had my slips, especially this week.

I think once you go through this experience it's impossible to go back!

 

[Amythyst]

They are letting me continue till the baby decides he wants to come. I am well managed and they said my placenta is looking great and everything is "normal". So, unless something changes I will be allowed to go into labor on my own. I am having another growth scan on Wednesday, so perhaps they will change their minds after that... but as of my last scan at 35 weeks he was only estimated to be 6 pounds. So, he was fairly on track.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I would have thought with a scheduled section Oneway that you will fast before and can ensure a nice low number in the hours before delivery - that should mean baby is fine.

Lot of babies with non GD mums have low blood sugar as it is really common as baby is adapting to feeding.

I found having the colostrum helped to get that bit extra into DD2 when she was tired and fussing and learning to breastfeed. It also kept the (unhelpful) healthcare professionals off my back! With DD1 they threatened to take her to special baby care unit to have a drip if I didn't give her formula.

The back story with that was that DD1 had a tongue tie and I was a first time mum learning how to feed. A midwife helped me express into a syringe and I fed her that but she puked it back up - then the midwife was busy and my baby was screaming and I was being told her BG was low it was all a bit crappy.

I think my GD delays my milk arriving a little bit too - it normally isn't in fully until day 4/5 and the girls both lost close to or at 10% - DD2 less maybe because of the colostrum.

I just expressed direct via hand expressing into 1ml syringes and put in my freezer and then into hospital freezer prior to induction.

 

[oneway]

Yeah, my fasting numbers are always low. I have adrenal fatigue and that drives down my blood sugar overnight. So I have never had a problem with high readings fasting. I guess there is always a silver lining to health problems! I will not be having my night time insulin the night before and I will certainly not take any the day of. My surgery is scheduled for first thing in the morning so I will be able to hold DS2 sometime between 8 and 10 AM.

Amythyst, I hope you go to term and have a lovely, healthy little boy! I think you are next in line in our little GD group here!

Northern. I am "marked" by this experience. Just like you, I will never, ever go back. It has been quite humbling to see the direct effect of how food affects my body. I can no longer treat food as casually as I did before.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I feel quite pissed off about my GD if I am honest. I am slim and healthy and prior to conceiving this time I was running 5k 3 x week. No family history and I was 28 when I conceived. (24 with DD1 and 26 with DD2)

I try and ignore them but I do get a lot of 'WHY ME?' moments.

Especially after having DD2 I really got a lot more healthy and made better food choices, so I guess the experience will stay with me forever. I really don't want to be diabetic 'proper'.

 

[oneway]

Yeah, life isn't fair! You are so young Amelie! I am 39, which is why this will be my last child. But to be honest, I always wanted 2 kids. My husband wants 3 but I told him to get the last one from his next wife

 

[oneway]

Hi Pink and welcome!

There are 44 pages documenting our individual struggles and triumphs as we try to get through this journey. I hope you find something useful in our posts and please feel free to post whatever you would like to talk about or discuss. I hope you find us to be a supportive bunch. At the very least, we identify with what you are going through. Hope you stick around

 

[AmeliePoulain]

Raspberry leaf tea and green tea are doing some wonderful things for me.

I read up a bit on RLT and it does seem to help some women a fair bit.

 

[Amythyst]

What exactly is it supposed to do? I'm too lazy too look it up.

 

[eventerjj]

Welcome Pink! These ladies are awesome stick around and post any suggestions or 'why me!' That you have.

Amelie, I am with you. I'm 30, which does not put me at 'Old' yet. I do have a little bit of type 2 super late onset (fathers father and mothers mother) but they were both in their late 60s when diagnosed. I was eating healthy (except for Christmas, but who eats healthy then?) and working out 5 days a week. I have no idea why I have it and neither did the nutrionist I met with.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

It seems to improve my fasting numbers, they weren't bad before but I am back to low 4s in the morning since I started having a cup before bed. That has been the only change I can relate it to.

 

[RubysMommy]

So I had my appointment with the diabetic nurse and nutritionist yesterday. I have no problem poking my finger all the time, but I'm getting frustrated already. I'm supposed to be under 130 after my meals and I was at 123 after lunch, which I was super happy about. Then I was 131 after dinner and 134 after bfast. I had to force feed myself 2 pieces of toast with bfast (so I had enough carbs) and only had room for 1 egg. I'm not used to eating like this in the morning. Then my number was too high! It's so irritating. I'm supposed to call the nurse if I have 2 high numbers, but idk if they are considered too high if it's less then 5 points above the base? I'm going to give myself until Monday to hopefully figure it out before I call.

I was waiting to go grocery shopping until after my appointment, so we don't have any good food options at the moment. I'm hoping that's what my problem is. I made my list last night, so I'm going this morning. My main issue is trying to eat the 'right' amount of carbs at each meal. I don't seem to eat that many in general. Maybe I just need to stick with 1 carb serving instead of 2 at bfast and snacks? And 2-3 instead of 3-4 at lunch and dinner?

Amelie: I'm only 27 this pregnancy (almost 28) my sister got gd with her last 2 pregnancies, but she was over 30 both times and obese, plus my mom has been recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (she's 59). So I have a higher likely hood to have gd. In the research I've done it says over 25 is greater chance of getting gd and family history. Its too bad, but it's manageable.

Does anyone take the diabetic pill? I can't remember what it's called but something that starts with a g. They told me if I can't manage it with my diet, they will put me on that or I can get insulin. I'm still breastfeeding my dd and don't know if it's safe to take the pill. Anyone have any idea if it's safe?

 

[Tridda]

There are a few pills for diabetes. I am T2 and was on metformin prior to getting pregnant and they have recently put me on glyburide 1.25mg twice daily to help with my morning fasting numbers which they want below 95. So far it has done its job, morning numbers are in the 80's, but you do have to make sure you eat enough to keep up with it. I have dropped in the 60's quite a few times since starting it, which is low for me. I usually hang I'm the 80-95 range fasting during the day. I also had a headache the first few days, I think my body was adjusting to lower sugars. It sounds like a pill safe to take in the short run, but I wouldn't want to be on it outside of pregnancy for longer periods of time.

 

[AmeliePoulain]

I really think a lot of us here could never have the recommended amount of carbs.

I can only have 1 very small slice of bread with 3 x eggs. I haven't lost weight this pregnancy and never have ketones.

Yes adapting to a very low carb diet was hard but I don't feel hungry now I'm used to it. I'd go with what works for you and err on the side of caution initially.

In the UK metformin is the medication of choice. It is the first option when diet control isn't working out. I've always wanted to avoid it as in the UK, or at least at my hospital, it means I would have to be induced at 38 weeks.