Gestational diabetes

[lightweight]

Hi all

I had the Glucose Tolerance Test as I am 40 (our hospital tests on all over 37) and it came back positive although right on the borderline.

I've now seen dietician and am testing blood sugar 4 times a day.

Anyone else doing this and struggling with change of diet? I've had to take lots of drugs and things throughout, but this seems to be getting me down more than the rest of it! Am 29 weeks so not too long to go, and wonder if it will get better once I get into a pattern?

 

[jojo23]

hi dont have this problem but just wanted to say keep positive and best of luck xx

 

[capel]

Well, I am diabetic and I still remember all the adjustments I had to make in my diet, insulin injections. My life changed overnight. But think about the good side. I your case it will be only for 11 weeks, and this new diet can be so much more healthy. The baby is worth it. And nothing stops you as soon it is out to eat anything you like again. Some people had to change their diets for life. I know it is hard, i have been there. But believe me it is so much easier to follow a strict diet than use insulin.

And it gets better. I know I will have to control what I eat for the rest of my life but now it is just part of my life I don't think about it anymore.
Your nutricionist can give you tips and if you want to ask anything I am here and can say that I know some tricks to have some stuff that won't reaise your bloods too much

 

[caRISSasBump]

glad i found you! I just a call 30 mins ago that i too have GD I am reading as much as i can on google (bad idea i am sure!)

I have to go see a dietitian on Wednesday. I am sure i will have to monitor my blood sugar levels. Will up date again on Wed after my appointment.

 

[Tanikit]

Good luck to both of you - I am also a type 1 diabetic like capel and have been for 20 years. In some ways it is easier in pregnancy since we already know what to do and don't have to learn it all so fast (except it affects the entire pregnancy not just the last few weeks)

Firstly if looking on google try to look up things like "low GI diet" rather than all the complications it can cause. You will still have to test various foods and see what works for you, but usually using wholemeal starches and increasing protein helps and obviously staying away from high sugar foods. Some fruits like apples can help a lot and should be eaten, but grapes, bananas and watermelon are particularly high in sugar.

You will probably NOT deal with low sugar levels unless you are on insulin or skip a meal but if you ever test and it is low (less than 4) then try something slightly higher in GI (fruit juice, milk or something starchy) - if you are on insulin and it is low you may need something even higher in GI like sweets/regular Coke.

Its all about balance - you have limited time to learn it and then the GD will be gone, so don't expect perfection and just do the best you can. Your baby is fully developed already and should do fine - they may induce early to prevent the placenta deteriorating and baby will need monitoring to make sure the sugar levels after birth are normal and don't go too low but in general if you keep a close eye everything should be fine - and yes sometimes the babies are big but try not to let this stress you out too much.

 

[lightweight]

glad i found you! I just a call 30 mins ago that i too have GD I am reading as much as i can on google (bad idea i am sure!)

I have to go see a dietitian on Wednesday. I am sure i will have to monitor my blood sugar levels. Will up date again on Wed after my appointment.

Hi

nice to find someone else in same boat as me!

I went to dietitian last week and they did a group session on diet and how to test blood sugar. after one blip the first day when I forgot and drank some orange juice between breakfast and testing 2 hours later, everything has been in normal range. Just taken some adjusting to the diet etc.

I think the chat with dietitian helped more than google (as usual found some conflicting information - although also found some interesting low GI diet ideas)

Keep us posted with how you get on!

I've got a follow up appointment (and growth scan) on Wednesday - although they've kept me under obstetric medicine rather than joint diabetic / obstetric clinic for now.

 

[Emmea12uk]

I am borderline too - although I had it in my last pregnancy as well. I found it so hard the first few weeks as I tried so hard but kept getting high readings because I didn't realize what would send me high - runner beans for instance sent me sky high and I forgot about breaded chicken or fish containing carbs. I got the knack in about two weeks. It was mainly just trial and error and portion control. Lots of sugar free fillers like yogurt and sugar free jelly. Switching all my carbs to wholemeal varieties like pasta and brown rice helped too.

Good luck everyone. You'll get used to it! At least you don't have long to go, I am only 18 weeks

 

[Emmea12uk]

I didn't think gd suffers get low blood glucose or hypos ? As the problem is the placenta hormones blocking the signals for insulin which isn't required with low blood sugar. Correct me if I am wrong!

 

[capel]

If you don't take insulin or tablets that cause hypos (they are not recommended during pregnancy and metformin don't cause them) you can't have regardless of kind of diabetes you have. Hypos are caused by medication (if they are natural it is another illness). But if you take insulin you can have hypos. Normally they are caused by taking more insulin than necessary. So it is not the type of diabetes that causes hypos but which medication you take to control it. I hope all you ladies can control it with diet only. Using insulin is a steep learning curve and one that I would not like to do during pregnancy...

 

[caRISSasBump]

am partly looking forward to tomorrow but kinda not I cried last night, why cant i be one of those people who can eat as they please?! I guess i felt a bit guilty last night, i knew i was high risk of getting it but still ate as i pleased like it didn't matter

Only thing i do like is the idea of having Ella a little earlier- that's if they do that here.

 

[caRISSasBump]

so i have to monitor my blood sugar levels & write down everything thing i eat. I see then endocrinologist on Monday- hoping they wont change me to insulin. I have to have 2 or 3 serves of carbs each meal & 1 or 2 serves each snack.

Will ask more questions on Monday.

 

[Emmea12uk]

Good luck with it. I remember when I had to do the same with my son. It might not be as hard as you think once you know how things set you off. Remember to shrink portion sizes if certain carbs set you off and don't forget done Veges atlre high carb or sugar.

 

[Happy13]

Lightweight and Emmea, do you mind me asking what was it that made you borderline in general? I'm assuming the levels?

 

[nicetosmile]

I saw my MW today and she gave me a glucose tolerance test and it was off the scale. So she's told me to cut out all sugary things. Next app is in two weeks then she'll check again. I'm worried it's GD.

 

[spring_baby]

Hi all

I had the Glucose Tolerance Test as I am 40 (our hospital tests on all over 37) and it came back positive although right on the borderline.

I've now seen dietician and am testing blood sugar 4 times a day.

Anyone else doing this and struggling with change of diet? I've had to take lots of drugs and things throughout, but this seems to be getting me down more than the rest of it! Am 29 weeks so not too long to go, and wonder if it will get better once I get into a pattern?

Me too I havent seen the dietican have to wait 2 weeks but saw a nurse who roughly talked me through what I have to do and am now testing my blood 4 times a day, getting really stressed over it all, would of prefered a list od food i can eat and cant but will have to wait for 2 weeks so they cant think mine is that serious xx

 

[Emmea12uk]

Good luck with it. I remember when I had to do the same with my son. It might not be as hard as you think once you know how things set you off. Remember to shrink portion sizes if certain carbs set you off and don't forget done Veges atlre high carb or sugar.

My 16 week gtt was 7.8 after 2 hour

 

[lightweight]

Good luck with it. I remember when I had to do the same with my son. It might not be as hard as you think once you know how things set you off. Remember to shrink portion sizes if certain carbs set you off and don't forget done Veges atlre high carb or sugar.

My 16 week gtt was 7.8 after 2 hour

Mine was too. I think 7.8 is generally the cut off point.....

 

[happybeany]

Good luck with it. I remember when I had to do the same with my son. It might not be as hard as you think once you know how things set you off. Remember to shrink portion sizes if certain carbs set you off and don't forget done Veges atlre high carb or sugar.

My 16 week gtt was 7.8 after 2 hour

Mine was too. I think 7.8 is generally the cut off point.....

Eek, mine was 8.7!

So glad I found this thread. Have you all had growth scans? What were your measurements like?

I had a scan at 29+1 and his head was at 295mm, his belly at 285mm so his belly was WAY off the chart for where it should be.. eek xx

 

[Adelicia]

My 16 week gtt was 7.8 after 2 hour

Mine was too. I think 7.8 is generally the cut off point.....

I was 7.8 also, and yep... it's the cut off point.

I'm really upset about this as I had intended a birth centre birth, which is apparently off the cards now, and to avoid being induced, which is now a lot more likely.

I can't help blaming myself as I'm a recovering anorexic

 

[caRISSasBump]

mine was 10.5 after the GTT

Saw the Endocrinoligist who is happy with my control over my blood sugar levels so at this stage its diet controlled & i see him again in 4 weeks- also i wont need to be induced or have insulin.