Hi everyone! :wave:
I also got diagnosed with GD last week and I also meet with someone on Wednesday (dietician) to go over blood sugar testing, diet, exercise, etc. I feel for you, Pip!
Mommy, thanks for the all of the good advice.
It came as kind of a surprise to me since I only failed my 1 hour test by 4 points (my blood sugar was 139, cut off 135) and everyone kept telling me I'd pass the 3 hour, even the nurse! And I failed 2 of the 4 blood draws. My bloods peaked at 183 during the 3 hour GTT. Is that really bad? What I'm struggling with is wondering how long I've had it and if I've harmed the baby at all? I have eaten okay, and exercised this pregnancy (well, walking a lot) but I've also consumed a TON of sugar, I've had major sugar cravings! It's been hard to go off sweets this weekend....I've been drinking diet juices/soda and reduced sugar yogurt, etc, to ward off the cravings but now I'm worried I'm ingesting too many artificial sweetners!
Okay, first things first...your not harming the baby right now so put your mind at ease. There are MANY women who get GD during their pregnancy and have lovely outcomes. While it can be stressful and overwhelming you have to keep in mind "moderation is the key". My gram shared that with me as a type I diabetic and I am type II so it helps as well.
While the 180's is high, it's not as high as it could be to be detrimental to your baby. We're talking 200's and higher. Women who go uncontrolled that high can have placental abruptions, HUGE babies..we're talking 11lbs or larger and can do damage to the babies heart. My numbers started out in the high 200's for the second trimester which can be bad IF I left them that high all day long. Bolusing insulin for me helps to bring down that high and watching what I eat is even better for keeping my levels maintained. AS a type II diabetic, it's mandatory that I have a pediatric cardiologist check my babies heart through scan. It's been determined she's fine.
I can tell you that GD usually is found once you hit second trimester because for some reason that's when your body starts to change with baby taking in more. So it's likely it may have started somewhere in the second trimester. Dr.'s are cautious and it's why they do the testing. The good news is it's found early this way and you can start to see a dietician who will share tips on how you can control your blood sugars with healthy eating and exercise.
As someone who loves chocolate myself I know how hard it can be. I've had to switch some things around. You can find plenty of low carb options out there for sweets. If your concerned about too much sweetener, how bout trying some natural sweeteners like Agave nectar (which is like honey) and low on the glycemic index so it won't spike your sugars....or stevia? You can also try to go without sugar...it's hard sometimes but it can be done.
I'd steer clear of juices altogether. They are no good. soda's that are diet are no good either...they are just calories with nothing in them that is of nutrient value. If you need one once in awhile, that's okay....but I wouldn't have too many. They actually cause weight gain anyways so it's better to go with something else. I drink Iced tea, LOTS Of water and I've purchased the stoneyfield single serving milks you can find in the organic section of your store....usually skim is what I drink.
My regular endocrinologist said if I get hungry for chocolate and need something quick for a snack or meal replacement to buy the extend bars. They're not bad....not the best, but not the worst either. They maintain your blood sugar levels for up to 9 hours and have enough protein and fiber in them that they work miracles on me for the day. I have one of those in chocolate flavor with a skim milk when I get cravings.
Be careful of fruit. While they're natural, some have natural sugars that raise blood sugar levels. Stick with berries, apples and pears for low glycemic index so it will keep your levels even and won't spike the. I also have a half of a small banana. It's high in sugar so I pare that with a protein like peanut butter and dip it in chopped flax seed for some crunch. It's pretty awesome.
Watch cereals in the morning. The only cereal I've found is Special K Protein plus that will give you more protein than crap carbs. So if your planning to have that, you won't spike...I sometimes add blueberries or strawberries to it.
Eggs are your friend if you like them. Hard boiled, poached, even fried if you need to...but they are protein. Pare them with a carb like oatmeal for fiber or even hashbrowns...but be careful...white potatoes can cause spikes too...so if you eat them you MUST pare with a protein.
Low sugar yogurts are great and even better if you can get greek yogurt which has higher the amount of probiotics in them than regular yogurt. Nuts, and legumes or beans are good. If you pare brown rice with beans they equal one full protein.
Turkey bacon, turkey sausage, ground turkey and turkey breast are lean sources of protein as well. Cheeses are good as long as you stick with pasturized.
So those are a few things to get you going...you'll most likely hear this schpeal from your dieticians and they will give you more insight to food parings that will help you.
Moderation is the key...if you want a cookie have 1, if you want a slice of cake, have a small slice. Just don't go overboard and know when to stop.
You'll be just fine, don't worry about harming the baby....you are being monitored and educated on what to do now and following those steps will help prevent your numbers from going through the roof to 200 or above which is why they do this.
Hope I've set your mind at ease.
I have a cerclage stitch in and thus cannot exercise as I would not being pregnant so while I've only gained 14 lbs and lost 2, I am going batty not being active to keep more wait from coming on. I'm very nervous but I have no doubt that it's worth it for our daughter and I'll eventually lose more weight afterward by kicking my own bum!
