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How to AVOID Gestational Diabetes??? Anyone? HELP!!!

MyDreams888

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Hi ladies,

I just found out I'm pregnant with #2 on Saturday. OK I still need to go to the Dr to confirm, but I have had 2 very clear positive tests so...

BUT almost immediately, I'm ALREADY worrying if I'll have GD again this time around. :(

So my mom has diabetes and I'm over 35 so that already put me in the high risk category. The 1st time I was pregnant, I had to be in partial bed rest because I was bleeding (SCH). Also I had severe nausea the only thing that made me feel better was sour/ sweet candies, I think that made things worse- eating sweets and no exercise. I ended up having borderline numbers for my GD test and I was diagnosed with GD.

Then the nightmare started... seeing 2 nutritionists several times and one of them was not so nice. Then starting 34 weeks, I had to go to the clinic every other day to have the baby heart beat scan (forgot what it's called exactly). One time the midwife made me go to the hospital immediately cuz she couldn't get a good heartbeat at the clinic. She was saying my baby may have a problem. I was pissed and super nervous because I somehow thought their old machines may have a problem. But anyways, when I went to the hospital, BOTH the nurse and my ob/gyn (she happened to be there that day) told me my baby is perfectly fine and there's nothing to worry about!!!

Now this whole GD thing has made me feel SUPER NERVOUS and stressful. Last time I gave birth to my healthy baby and he's 6 lb 12 oz, not overweight at all.

I REALLY hope that I'll have a smooth pregnancy without all these problems this time, ESP. NO GD!!!

Anyone knows how to PREVENT being diagnosed again??? HELP!!!

Thanks for reading!
 
https://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_prevention.htm#Can Gestational Diabetes Be Prevented?

Found this article about preventing GD. Hope it helps.
 
I'm 12 weeks with my second pregnancy and like you, I had GD the first time around. It was a mild case, discovered fairly late, controlled with insulin (with the lowest possible amount in a daily shot) and despite all the high-risk fears, my son was born in the 49th percentile of weight which was spot-on fine with no glucose problems or anything like that. This time, my doctor has already told me to meet with a nutritionist and to cut out the sweets and switch to whole grain breads & pastas. She made a point of telling me to switch from eating a fruity-flavored yogurt for breakfast to a plain one with no sugar and stuff like that. No more than 2 fruits a day. AND YET...what I read is that there is no evidence that diet can prevent GD. As soon as I take the glucose tolerance test (at 16 weeks) my blood sugar will probably shoot up no matter what I have been eating - - maybe it will even be worse if I have been avoiding carbohydrates. Anyway, I was always treated as if I was in a high-risk category and it IS embarrassing because they make you feel like you've just been pigging out too much. So basically I think that GD needs to be redefined and what I had was not actually a real medical problem but my body's way of handling the fetal demand for sugar. Of course there is no harm in being as healthy as we can be....but...ugh!!
 
I'm 12 weeks with my second pregnancy and like you, I had GD the first time around. It was a mild case, discovered fairly late, controlled with insulin (with the lowest possible amount in a daily shot) and despite all the high-risk fears, my son was born in the 49th percentile of weight which was spot-on fine with no glucose problems or anything like that. This time, my doctor has already told me to meet with a nutritionist and to cut out the sweets and switch to whole grain breads & pastas. She made a point of telling me to switch from eating a fruity-flavored yogurt for breakfast to a plain one with no sugar and stuff like that. No more than 2 fruits a day. AND YET...what I read is that there is no evidence that diet can prevent GD. As soon as I take the glucose tolerance test (at 16 weeks) my blood sugar will probably shoot up no matter what I have been eating - - maybe it will even be worse if I have been avoiding carbohydrates. Anyway, I was always treated as if I was in a high-risk category and it IS embarrassing because they make you feel like you've just been pigging out too much. So basically I think that GD needs to be redefined and what I had was not actually a real medical problem but my body's way of handling the fetal demand for sugar. Of course there is no harm in being as healthy as we can be....but...ugh!!

Yeah I know... I think it's our pregnancy hormones acting up! I liked the part my nice nutritionist (not the mean one!) told me about diet and nutrition of different foods, but I DON'T like the over-the-top stress they gave me! I am pretty sure they will get me on the glucose test earlier this time around, and yeah maybe the same as you, see the nutritionist again. Sigh... last time the nice nutritionist told me I did well and I didn't even have to take medications. My main problem was the fasting sugar level. I really hope I can avoid having the GD this time. With a toddler boy, I don't think I can go to the clinic every other day, that's just crazy. Not to mention the stress they give me there! :(

btw, I did really like my ob/gyn and the high risk Dr. They were really loving and they told me their own experience and told me I'd be fine. But all those scans/ meetings with nutritionists they said it's the clinic policy. Ob/gyn always told me to relax and have confidence. I just hope that there's something I can do now to avoid GD...

btw, Congrats to you pregnancy! Hope you'll pass the test this time (Good Luck!)! If you don't mind, please give me an update on your test.
 
I had GD with my first pregnancy too (diet controlled), though it was discovered after the normal testing period as I was measuring large. Before that I had no risk factors. I'll be waiting for the GTT to see if it happens again. As far as I'm aware though there isn't anything that can be done about it, but I do know that there is a tiny chance of not having it again. I'm counting on having GD again to avoid any possible disappointment. I'm already cutting back on carbs and sugar in preparation.
 
My first pregnancy at 28 weeks I failed the GD test miserably.. Had to take medication in the morning so my numbers wouldn't be so high and the rest was diet controlled. I gained a lot and wasn't healthy though. My second pregnancy I started exercising earlier.. Probably like beginning of second trimester as I was exhausted before then and cut down on carbs and sugar but still ate some. I kept barely passing the GD test but they kept testing me every few weeks starting at 10 weeks. I didn't fail it until 36 weeks and barely failed it lol I don't know if the exercise and eating healthier foods helped or because it was just a better pregnancy or what.. But I started making sure I was exercising at least a few times a week starting at 11 weeks and have been making healthier choices. We will see where it goes. I was healthier beginning this pregnancy as I was working out a lot and already eating better so I hope it helps. I'd say just try to live healthy and see.. It won't hurt even if you do end up with GD. :) exercising.. Even just walking really helps to regulate blood sugar. :) I was told taking cinnamon tablets helps as well but I haven't researched it much yet so ask your Doctor or midwife before taking any :) good luck!
 
I had GD with my first pregnancy too (diet controlled), though it was discovered after the normal testing period as I was measuring large. Before that I had no risk factors. I'll be waiting for the GTT to see if it happens again. As far as I'm aware though there isn't anything that can be done about it, but I do know that there is a tiny chance of not having it again. I'm counting on having GD again to avoid any possible disappointment. I'm already cutting back on carbs and sugar in preparation.

Hm... seems like that's what I found out so far too (hard to prevent :( ). But me too, since I found out I was pregnant the other day, I'm already trying to cut down my carbs and sugar, also take a walk after each meal...

I am also wondering if drinking lemon water can help? I know cinnamon and apple cider vinegar can help and I do have these at home, but I am not sure if these are safe for pregnant woman, so I won't take them for now.
 
My first pregnancy at 28 weeks I failed the GD test miserably.. Had to take medication in the morning so my numbers wouldn't be so high and the rest was diet controlled. I gained a lot and wasn't healthy though. My second pregnancy I started exercising earlier.. Probably like beginning of second trimester as I was exhausted before then and cut down on carbs and sugar but still ate some. I kept barely passing the GD test but they kept testing me every few weeks starting at 10 weeks. I didn't fail it until 36 weeks and barely failed it lol I don't know if the exercise and eating healthier foods helped or because it was just a better pregnancy or what.. But I started making sure I was exercising at least a few times a week starting at 11 weeks and have been making healthier choices. We will see where it goes. I was healthier beginning this pregnancy as I was working out a lot and already eating better so I hope it helps. I'd say just try to live healthy and see.. It won't hurt even if you do end up with GD. :) exercising.. Even just walking really helps to regulate blood sugar. :) I was told taking cinnamon tablets helps as well but I haven't researched it much yet so ask your Doctor or midwife before taking any :) good luck!

It's good to hear that you made it till 36 weeks in your 2nd pregnancy! I'm also trying to cut down on carbs and take a walk after each meal too. I hope this can help. I also know that cinnamon can help with lowering blood sugar (I have some at home actually), but not sure if it's safe for pregnant woman. I'll have to confirm that .

I do read that lemon water is safe and may be able to help too. So I may drink a few cups of lemon water each day. I hope it can help.

My biggest concern is the frequent visit to the clinic if I have GD again. Last time it gave me a lot of stress... going to the clinic every other day certainly doesn't help...
 
My doc said you can't prevent it.

I went ahead and startes taking cinnamon capsules because they naturally lower blood sugar but thats about it lol
 
My doc said you can't prevent it.

I went ahead and startes taking cinnamon capsules because they naturally lower blood sugar but thats about it lol[/QUO

How much do you take each day? (how many mg?) I think if I ask my Dr, she'll refer me to the nutritionist, and probably another stressful visit... So I hesitate to ask now.
 
Gestational Diabetes is tricky and misdiagnosis is fairly common. The oral blood glucose test administers an abnormal amout of sugar that can make blood sugar spike even for the healthiest people.
In Germany you can wait until 27 weeks to test and have the baby monitored to see if it measures too large or if there is too much amniotic fluid. Mothers can even refuse the test if there are no signs for diabetes or problems. I might actually do that. The oral Glucose test got me extremely dizzy, I almost fainted, then threw up and last but not least had violent diarrhea. The second time they were able to measure before all that happened and it was negative. Mind you I was a carbovore back then! All I ate was carbs.

Nowadays I eat lower in carbs. It resolved all of my health issues including hypoglycemia. I would have never been able to fast in the past, but now I can fast two days without problems (had to at the hospital once for a stomach scan).
Anyhow...I avoid foods that spike blood sugar like bread and pasta. They don't make me feel bad but I think I might still get a false positive and then not be allowed a natural birth :dohh:.
Eating less carbs is definitely a way to prevent any type of diabetes. I don't eat many high glycemic foods at all but I can see how it would cause this test to fail.

It seems there is a more accurate way of testing. I am still looking into it but these articles have some good info:

Robb Wolf's explanation re gestational diabetes in healthy women and false positives.
https://robbwolf.com/2008/06/25/gestational-diabetes/

A husband's story of how his wife received a false positive due to restricting carbs.
https://robbwolf.com/2013/05/15/6-letter-word/

More info and experiences:
https://www.paleohacks.com/blood-sugar/possible-gestational-diabetes-misdiagnosis-15820
 
Gestational Diabetes is tricky and misdiagnosis is fairly common. The oral blood glucose test administers an abnormal amout of sugar that can make blood sugar spike even for the healthiest people.
In Germany you can wait until 27 weeks to test and have the baby monitored to see if it measures too large or if there is too much amniotic fluid. Mothers can even refuse the test if there are no signs for diabetes or problems. I might actually do that. The oral Glucose test got me extremely dizzy, I almost fainted, then threw up and last but not least had violent diarrhea. The second time they were able to measure before all that happened and it was negative. Mind you I was a carbovore back then! All I ate was carbs.

Nowadays I eat lower in carbs. It resolved all of my health issues including hypoglycemia. I would have never been able to fast in the past, but now I can fast two days without problems (had to at the hospital once for a stomach scan).
Anyhow...I avoid foods that spike blood sugar like bread and pasta. They don't make me feel bad but I think I might still get a false positive and then not be allowed a natural birth :dohh:.
Eating less carbs is definitely a way to prevent any type of diabetes. I don't eat many high glycemic foods at all but I can see how it would cause this test to fail.

It seems there is a more accurate way of testing. I am still looking into it but these articles have some good info:

Robb Wolf's explanation re gestational diabetes in healthy women and false positives.
https://robbwolf.com/2008/06/25/gestational-diabetes/

A husband's story of how his wife received a false positive due to restricting carbs.
https://robbwolf.com/2013/05/15/6-letter-word/

More info and experiences:
https://www.paleohacks.com/blood-sugar/possible-gestational-diabetes-misdiagnosis-15820

Yeah I also think that test is ridiculous. I doubt even a healthy person can't take that much sugar in such a short time! Last time after an hour drinking that, I started to feel dizzy, nausea and had to threw up too! I really don't understand why everyone (my clinic requires all pregnant woman to do the 3 hour test at 24 weeks I think) has to do that. Worse still, I don't think we can reject to do the test unless we have very obvious reason.

And my worry is not the C-section (I will have to have a c-section because of another reason), my worry is how they think you're super high risk even you only have a slight spike of numbers. Last time I only had borderline numbers at the test results and i was diet controlled, nonetheless, I had to see the nutritionists, high risk doctors (I do like that one cuz she's nice and I got extra ultrasound :)), mid-wife/ ob/gyn every week and the worst was the baby heartbeat scan every other day! Not to say that the mid-wife sent me to the hospital once cuz she claimed that she couldn't get a good heart rate of my baby from their old machine (she didn't think it's that machine's problem). It was very stressful and a total nightmare.

Anyways, I hope everything will be fine this time, no bleeding and GD. And thanks for the links I'll check that out.
 
From what I got from various websites, it seems that in order to pass the 3 hour test, one will have to load up on the carbs in the few days before the test so to get used to it. So I'd imagine if someone's eating very healthy, she may fail the test big time cuz she will probably get really sick from drinking that sugary drink?

Hm... then I just don't get how accurate the test is ...
 
From what I got from various websites, it seems that in order to pass the 3 hour test, one will have to load up on the carbs in the few days before the test so to get used to it. So I'd imagine if someone's eating very healthy, she may fail the test big time cuz she will probably get really sick from drinking that sugary drink?

Hm... then I just don't get how accurate the test is ...

Yeah that is actually one way to "possibly" pass the test...though I think many would feel pumped up in sugar and unwell. I can cheat on my diet for a day or two but I will start feeling unwell if I would eat too many carbs for a week or so. I also don't digest them very well and get constipation and IBS like pains.

Maybe you can say you don't feel well on carbs for such health reasons and they may let you skip the test.
There are other ways to monitor a baby and mother for gestational diabetes, just the test is cheap.

In the links I posted other, more reliable nethods of testing are described. Maybe that is a possibility too.

I don't want another C-Section because I fear problems with wanting 3+ kids and my C-Section was painful, took long to heal. I had to get it because my son's heartbeat was not detectable during a check up. I think I would have done fine with a vaginal birth.
 
Just found this link about 6 fruits to help control blood sugar:

https://healthagy.com/type-ii-diabetes-6-fruits-to-help-control-your-blood-sugar/
 
My doc said you can't prevent it.

I went ahead and startes taking cinnamon capsules because they naturally lower blood sugar but thats about it lol[/QUO

How much do you take each day? (how many mg?) I think if I ask my Dr, she'll refer me to the nutritionist, and probably another stressful visit... So I hesitate to ask now.

I take 3 per day, one after each 'meal' (i snack thruout the day) i'm not sure of mg, I'll check and get back on that!

Also, exercise naturally lowers bloodsugar. Walking is recommended for those with GD. When I was pregnant with our son I went to a friends baby shower and ate too much yellow rice and a few cupcakes too many lol my blood sugar was 186! I walked 20 mins around our neighborhood and it dropped to 110 or somewhere around there. So another way to help pass the test would be to walk while you're waiting for the blood draw.
 
The walking tip sounds great! I'd jog to my appointment lol.

Just found this link about 6 fruits to help control blood sugar:

https://healthagy.com/type-ii-diabetes-6-fruits-to-help-control-your-blood-sugar/

They are low glycemic but idk if it would help pass the test since they will still make you drink and abnormal amount of sugar. See if you can ask for the other testing methods mentioned maybe?

And if walking truly helps walk before your appointment and maybe eat a small meal with a moderate amount of carbs. Banana mashed with oats and a few fruits so your blood sugqr won't spike. Otherwise moderate carb until the test will surely help prevent actual diabetes.
 
I had to do the tests twice last pregnancy and twice again this pregnancy because I'm plus size. SO unfair. Of course my sister had GD and my mother is diabetic... Sister's GD turned into full blown diabetes after pregnancy, but she never takes care of herself. I was borderline on both 1 hour tests, wanted to vomit. Fine on both 3 - 4 hr draws.. Still wanted to vomit. And the other OB I had made me fast for the 1 hour! Not supposed to! OF COURSE MY SUGAR IS GOING TO SPIKE IF YOU CRAM THAT MUCH SUGAR DOWN MY THROAT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH FIRST THING IN THE AM!!!!!

Ridiculousness. Even my husband is baffled by it and he's been through several pregnancies between his ex-wife and myself.
 
Yeah I was always told to quit eating at a certain time the night before and not to eat anything before going in so basically doing it on an empty stomach which led to vomiting twice my second pregnancy and having to keep rescheduling and doing it again until I got through it without getting sick and then I passed but barely and so was tested more until 36 weeks when I failed. It was horrible they started the tests in my 1st trimester expecting me to fail it. Ugh. I have a different midwife this time and we will be doing it at 28 weeks like normal. I didn't know there were other ways to test. I wonder if they'd do any.. Ever since that pregnancy I can't drink or eat anything orange flavored because it makes me feel sick. (the orange flavor is all they had so I was stuck with it)
 
Thanks for all of your replies!

The problem is... my clinic is a pretty big one and they are strict about a lot of things. So I don't think they will let me choose any other way. I actually suspect they'd have me done the test earlier this time cuz I had GD last time.

AND they WILL NOT do 1 hour test!!! Every pregnant women do the 3 hour tests. They said they think the 1 hour test is not accurate.

I also agree that there's a high chance that we'll throw up after drinking the gross drink because of the fasting. And yes, I remember my clinic asked us to have a fasting, AND just sit there while waiting for the blood draw.

Hm... so if I don't do fasting and walk while waiting for the blood draw... it's like cheating the test? And I mean will they find out?

Sigh... hate this test...
 

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