Gestational Diabetes

[misspriss]

Ugh, got my highest reading 2 hours after dinner, 133 (7.4). I went a long time between lunch and dinner, which probably isn't the greatest. It was also a lower protein and fat meal.

 

[KRobbo]

I got a high reading from a sweet potato with tuna and salad the other week and I really panicked. Then I realised that it had been 5 hours since breakfast and I hadn't snacked at all - this can make a huge difference to a meal as your blood sugar was probably high before you ate from all the extra glucose dumped in your blood for energy. I bet if you try the same meal with a snack a couple of hours before hand it would be ok, even better et if you can tweak it a little.

High readings are so disheartening though.

 

[misspriss]

Yeah. But I am noticing a trend anyway, maybe something does need tweaking.

My fasting number has been great, as well as my post-breakfast number. But all the days I've taken it, my numbers have been higher after lunch and dinner. Sometimes just a little higher but still good, but multiple times right around 120 which is my limit. I think I'm doing something different in the afternoon and evening that I'm not doing in the morning. Now, lunch and dinner are bigger than breakfast, as my dietitian has instructed me. Apparently most people do better in the afternoon/evening and struggle with the mornings, I guess I'm weird!

I had a super high calorie, high fat, high protein shake for bedtime snack last night, because I'd been slacking on my calories all day. I don't think I've had enough protein and fat with my lunches and dinner.

Even after my super fatty high protein smoothie, I had lost a pound this morning.

 

[KRobbo]

I found my breakfast readings really good and I realised today it's because of the school run! I ate the same yesterday and Saturday and got 6.7 (120), yet when I do the school run it's always 5.9 (105). The afternoon school run is after lunch testing so doesn't have an impact. Could that be something for you?

 

[misspriss]

No, we are all home all day. I do usually do the bulk of thr chores after breakfast during thr week, but these were weekend readings.

My diet plan has me eating less carbs at breakfast, so that is the most likely reason.

 

[misspriss]

Ugh I had pizza today and I was a wee bit high, but not bad 124 (6.8). Pizza is just tricky. Next time I want to indulge I will go walking after!

Funny thing, I had the leftover pizza today. Same amount of same pizza for lunch again, only this time I had a diet soda with it....and I got a 105 (5.8) instead of a 124 (6.8). This stuff is unpredictable. Oh well, good numbers are good numbers!

Making sure I stay on top of eating my snacks today, and not going a long time between lunch and dinner. Dinner will be late tonight, so I may have two smaller snacks between lunch and dinner, one at 2 and one at 4, since dinner will be at 6 and lunch and 12, instead of a bigger snack at 3....

 

[misspriss]

Had a better day today, I did go to the store so I walked for a bit.

85 (4.7) - fasting
87 (4.8) - 2 hr
106 (5.8) - 2 hr
92 (5.1) - 2 hr

Dinner was a little light on the carbs, I had steak, maceroni and cheese, and broccoli, but only 37g carbs worth, I'm supposed to shoot for 45-60g. Otherwise I've been spot on my goals and my numbers were good.

 

[KRobbo]

Sounds like a fab day! I'd be so happy with those numbers. You sound like you've really got this!

 

[misspriss]

Thanks for the encouragement, this is all new for me and it is stressful. I can;t help but worry this time next week it could be different.

 

[KRobbo]

They say 32-36 weeks it can get worse, there's a whole section on the website I linked to you the other day. It can be disheartening when that happens, it you do have wiggle room in your diet as you seem to be able to tolerate a good amount of carbs at the minute. You'll likely be faced with a decision on whether to lower carbs or add meds- I'm sure you'll be able to lower carbs as you're used to a paleo diet.

I just ate a homemade pizza on a whole meal wrap with loads of meat and cheese - it was delicious! It was almost too good so I'm going to drink loads of water and vigorously clean the house to ensure my levels are low enough to eat it again. This weekend I'm making low GI brownies as well.

 

[misspriss]

Well, after reading around a bit on the site I decided to test at 1 hour after breakfast (in addition to 2 hrs) to make sure I'm not "missing the spike" - it was fine, 95 at 1 hr (needed to be less than 140, so fiiinnnee).

I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, if it comes down to it to modify later, it comes down to modifying later. I have my first OB appointment since my diagnosis on Thursday, (I've seen the dietitian in the mean time) and I have a lot of questions about what it will mean for the future of my pregnancy. What kind of extra monitoring I should expect, will I get more growth scans? (seems likely) what about NSTs? How will this fit in with the probably additional testing I'll get for pre-eclampsia? etc. What will this mean for my birth? I can find TONS of information about what it means for the birth in the UK, apparently things are a bit more standardized there, or maybe they just publish more online.

 

[KRobbo]

I don't really know what a NST is, I don't think it's something we do in the UK. We get extra scans at 28, 32 and 36 weeks - possibly more if measurements aren't right or issues are picked up.

It sounds like we both have big appointments on Thursday and I hope you get your answers. I expect to come away with insulin for my fasting numbers tomorrow. My numbers are 5.5 to 6.1 (100-110) over the last week so not one number under target. They won't actually expect me to monitor yet as I won't get my kit until tomorrow but I'm not sure what difference I can make in another couple of weeks.

 

[misspriss]

I don't really know what a NST is, I don't think it's something we do in the UK. We get extra scans at 28, 32 and 36 weeks - possibly more if measurements aren't right or issues are picked up.

It sounds like we both have big appointments on Thursday and I hope you get your answers. I expect to come away with insulin for my fasting numbers tomorrow. My numbers are 5.5 to 6.1 (100-110) over the last week so not one number under target. They won't actually expect me to monitor yet as I won't get my kit until tomorrow but I'm not sure what difference I can make in another couple of weeks.

NST = non-stress test. I think they just have you sit on the fetal monitor for an hour or something, not complicated.

My fasting numbers are in the 80s (4.4-5). My post breakfast number today was below my fasting number!

Sucks having to do insulin, have you had to do it in your previous pregnancies?

 

[KRobbo]

Oh I've been on the monitor but not routinely.

Yes I was on fast acting insulin with ds1 from 30 weeks and long and fast insulin with ds2 from about 10 weeks. I'm pretty sure in terms of food I can manage diet controlled for a bit longer at least but fasting is just so tricky. Tonight I am having a slightly later dinner and skipping the bedtime snack to see if that helps, I'm also going to take my immediate waking number so it's my true fasting number without moving. Wish me luck!

 

[misspriss]

Oh I've been on the monitor but not routinely.

Yes I was on fast acting insulin with ds1 from 30 weeks and long and fast insulin with ds2 from about 10 weeks. I'm pretty sure in terms of food I can manage diet controlled for a bit longer at least but fasting is just so tricky. Tonight I am having a slightly later dinner and skipping the bedtime snack to see if that helps, I'm also going to take my immediate waking number so it's my true fasting number without moving. Wish me luck!

Good luck with it!

I'm just logging my food and logging my food. I put my numbers in my food journal so I can see meals that go with high numbers, etc - for my appointments.

 

[misspriss]

Ugh forgot to finger prick for the first time. After lunch I went out shopping with MIL. About 10 minutes before we were headed to a fast food place to get treats for the kids, I made a mental note when we got there I needed to wash my hands and test real quick and then I could eat the snack I packed while they ate their treats. Good plan, right?

Yeah I just went right to eating my snack. I looked at the clock later as I was wrapping up my snack I realized I had forgotten to test and it was too late I'd already eaten. So I tested 1 hr post snack, and it was nice and low a 94 (5.2), so I doubt it was high after lunch. I also ate the exact same meal for lunch that I did for dinner the night before, and it did not cause high numbers then.

 

[misspriss]

Oh and I had pasta for dinner tonight and got a good number after, so maybe I don't have to completely eliminate pasta for now

I had a 111 (6.2) 2 hrs post dinner.

 

[KRobbo]

Yay for being able to eat pasta! I can't tolerate it at all but I've found some protein pasta and I'm going to see if I can tolerate that at all. If not it's time to get the spiralizer out.

It's so easy to forget to test especially when you have other children.

So my experiment didn't work 6.2 (112) this morning.

On an exciting note my low carb healthy ice cream has come today and the sun is shining.

 

[misspriss]

Yay for low carb ice cream!

 

[yoshy]

Can I join in the discussion ladies?

I'm 35 weeks today and just discovered I have GD a week and a half ago. I discovered at 31 weeks that I have polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid), and they had me retake the 3 hour glucose test (which I passed the first time), which then determined that the polyhydramnios was caused by GD.

My numbers are great so far (been tracking around 10 days so far), and I'm slowly testing to see what I can have more and less of (potatoes I can have slightly more, melon I need to keep to a max of 180g at a time, and pasta I can have a cup of pasta and still have great readings after an hour).
I even had Ben and Jerry's ice cream as part of my dinnertime carbs a few nights ago and while my reading was a little higher than I'd have liked 2 hours after eating (was 114 when usually it's under 110), it was still under 120.