Gestational Diabetes-Insulin isn't working.

[BlueMoonBubba]

Hi all, I was diagnosed with GD at 27 weeks, they put me on a special diet, that didn't seem to help bring down the levels so the gave me insulin injection I started at 5 units and the numbers are still the same, I went to 7 units still the same. I'm now at 15 units and nothings changed

My midwife told me no matter what I eat or do my levels will stay high..THEN WHY AM I PRICKING MY FINGER 4 TIMES A DAY?? not to mention the insulin needle which is uncomfortable.. Do you advise me to keep doing so or stop?

Also does it always mean the baby will be big? At 26 weeks he was measuring 2lbs 7oz and was in the 95th percentile...I'm now almost 30 weeks and I feel my belly is really big for 30 weeker.

 

[Foxybabyhg3]

What kind of things are you eating ?
I was told it does get harder to control as you get closer to term. I only made it to 29w but I had other issues too. I was diabetic before pregnancy so hopefully I can help food wise

 

[BlueMoonBubba]

I'm eating whole meal bread in the morning, fruit salad (no bananas or apples) for snack for lunch I eat a piece of chicken with salad and dinner I have a light tuna sandwich. So I hardly eat any carbs or sugars.

 

[mills80]

Have you seen a dietician regarding your meal plan? Or a diabetes consultant? Thy are after all supposed to help you keep ur sugars in range. I found tht after 27 weeks, I needed to increase my insulin dose everyday, even with the same meals.also I could not eat carbs at all cuz it could make my sugars spike. There's must b sumthg u couldddo to control ur sugars, Mayb change the medicatio? Don't kno, u hav to speak to the consultant abt it.

It's frustrating having diabetes, hang in there!

 

[mhk425]

You definitely need to see a dietitian/nutritionist! The GD diet should NOT be a low-carb diet. (The ADA recommends about 175 grams of carbs a day.) Your baby needs glucose, and if you don't eat enough carbs, you will start spilling ketones. The important thing is spreading your carbs out and eating carbs that won't spike your blood sugar. It's generally recommended that you have 15-30g of carbs for breakfast and each of your 3 snacks, and 45-60g of carbs for lunch and dinner. However, carbs aren't the only thing you need to take into consideration. It's REALLY important that you pair your carbs with protein! Protein helps to slow down the digestion of the carbs so that your numbers don't spike. Believe me, GD sucks, but it's manageable.

 

[ledzep]

I had GD on my first and was on insulin. It is a pain!
I recall my dosage went up until the end. Its normal that you need more insulin towards the end.
Maybe you just have to find the right dose that controls it to start with.you might be someone who needs 20 units for it to work.
also are you eating more snacks than you listed? They are really important to keep you stable.

 

[FeistyMom]

Ditto what the PPs have said. It is completely normal for your numbers to creep up as the pregnancy progresses, and if you are on insulin that you'll need more just to keep the numbers even.

Are you eating protein with your breakfast? And are you finding that your fasting number (first thing in the morning) is high, or is it only after meals? If your first number is high, it can impact your entire day, so getting the breakfast combination right can really help make everything else more manageable. Pairing a good quality protein with your whole grain can help, and not all whole grain brands are as useful, so if you can try to experiment with different brands and read the labels. Carbs aren't really your enemy - you have to take into account the dietary fiber as well as the sugar content.

Sound like a hassle? Well, honestly it is, but I find the label reading to be less crappy than the finger poking, and I've managed to deal with that so far (this is go around #2 for me with GD).

Good luck, and I am happy to throw out more ideas for snacks and meals if you want the info

 

[Whitesoxfan41]

Hey BMB!

I can't believe the midwife said no matter what you did your numbers wouldn't come down. Sounds pretty negative and according to my doc, untrue for most.

I would DEF see a diabetic educator of some sort for a diet plan. I've lowered my numbers a TON with diet, but needed them lower so I'm on a pill twice a day. It's HARD for me to get the carbs in that they want me to eat, I automatically thought low carb was the way to go as well. They were worried about me going too low in carbs and also have me checking my urine daily for keytones.

Apparently it really is all about the food combinations. I have a sheet that tells me how many carbs I should have for each meal and snack, plus how many exchanges I should have for each like milk/fat/starch/fruit/meat. . . it really has made a big difference.