pregnant with baby 2 and gestational diabetes

[Mama2Aston]

hi , i am 11 weeks and 3 days or so with my second and i had gd with my son my only other pregnancy. i've so far tested my sugars periodically and they seem normal ranged , so either i can be one of those who don't get it every pregnancy or i'll expect it later down the road. hope not got a scan last week and baby seems fine and growing right and so on . i just worry on the gd possibilities....

 

[Uni tsi]

I've heard it's totally possible to have GD in one pregnancy and not have it in the next. If you remember all the diet advice they gave you last time, regarding limiting carbs, you can start using it early and it will decrease the chance you develop GD later in the pregnancy. But, as the placenta gets bigger it does increase the chances of developing GD so it's good you're keeping an eye on things.

Try not to worry, just keep an eye on your carb intake, try to eat mostly complex carbs, get 30 min of exercise a day, and with any luck you won't have GD again! Best of luck to you!! Let us know how it works out

 

[chathamlady]

I was diagnosed with gd in my first pregnancy at 21 weeks and my second at 32 weeks (after passing the 1 hour and 2 of the 3 hour test s my ob kept sending me every 4 weeks) good luck hopefully you dont get it this time

 

[Mama2Aston]

Thanks for the advice .. I'm kind of a dummy on being completely in sync w the gd diet perfectly . I know it's a given . No sweets . No white breads... Aka no high carb items ... Any more specific ideas ?

 

[Uni tsi]

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure it out too. I always like comparing notes! Outside of pregnancy, I'm not diabetic, but because my fasting sugars are just a little high, I'm considered diabetic again the minute I became pregnant this time. So, I'm on metformin and trying hard to avoid having to take insulin later in the pregnancy.

The advice I got, it was all about carb control. My nutritionist said something I liked, that no food is off limits. She said "I'm not taking away your chocolate!" (I could have kissed her lol)

But, the idea was no more than 30g carbs at breakfast and again at lunch, 40g carbs for dinner. And, they said I should be able to have 15g carb snacks twice a day. Unfortunately, I'm not actually able to tolerate that many carbs without still needing metformin. But, I was told these recommendations work for most people.

Generally, of course, it's best to opt for whole grain instead of bleached options, but honestly I've found the biggest positive effect on my blood sugar was just to keep to the carb recommendations. If I go over too much, even the metformin doesn't make a difference. I do, however, use one of my snacks every day for chocolate! As long as I stay under 15g with it, my finger sticks are fine afterwards. And I don't count the carbs in things like nuts or certain fruits like berries, because they don't seem to spike my blood sugar. I've also been hearing some interesting ideas from several different sources that specifically wheat is horrible for blood sugar, so I am thinking of experimenting with cutting that out completely for a while to see if it makes a difference. Of course, bagels are my main pregnancy craving so I don't know how well that will work out You'd never guess how many carbs there are in a bagel so sad! lol

The other piece is plenty of exercise. Try to get 30 min of moderate exercise per day. I've been having trouble keeping to my carb limits (darn bagels! lol), but trying to make sure to exercise between 30 and 60 min every day, and my A1C has still been going down

edit - one last thing I remembered: She said, if I was going to eat something like chocolate, it's better to have chocolate covered nuts, for example, because the protein from the nuts helps the carbs metabolize more evenly. And that if drinking for example milk (I was shocked to learn how many carbs milk has) it's better to drink whole milk instead of skim because the fat also helps the carbs metabolize more slowly. Which I interpret as an excuse to use real cream in my coffee now

Thanks for the advice .. I'm kind of a dummy on being completely in sync w the gd diet perfectly . I know it's a given . No sweets . No white breads... Aka no high carb items ... Any more specific ideas ?

 

[auntsas]

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure it out too. I always like comparing notes! Outside of pregnancy, I'm not diabetic, but because my fasting sugars are just a little high, I'm considered diabetic again the minute I became pregnant this time. So, I'm on metformin and trying hard to avoid having to take insulin later in the pregnancy.

The advice I got, it was all about carb control. My nutritionist said something I liked, that no food is off limits. She said "I'm not taking away your chocolate!" (I could have kissed her lol)

But, the idea was no more than 30g carbs at breakfast and again at lunch, 40g carbs for dinner. And, they said I should be able to have 15g carb snacks twice a day. Unfortunately, I'm not actually able to tolerate that many carbs without still needing metformin. But, I was told these recommendations work for most people.

Generally, of course, it's best to opt for whole grain instead of bleached options, but honestly I've found the biggest positive effect on my blood sugar was just to keep to the carb recommendations. If I go over too much, even the metformin doesn't make a difference. I do, however, use one of my snacks every day for chocolate! As long as I stay under 15g with it, my finger sticks are fine afterwards. And I don't count the carbs in things like nuts or certain fruits like berries, because they don't seem to spike my blood sugar. I've also been hearing some interesting ideas from several different sources that specifically wheat is horrible for blood sugar, so I am thinking of experimenting with cutting that out completely for a while to see if it makes a difference. Of course, bagels are my main pregnancy craving so I don't know how well that will work out You'd never guess how many carbs there are in a bagel so sad! lol

The other piece is plenty of exercise. Try to get 30 min of moderate exercise per day. I've been having trouble keeping to my carb limits (darn bagels! lol), but trying to make sure to exercise between 30 and 60 min every day, and my A1C has still been going down

edit - one last thing I remembered: She said, if I was going to eat something like chocolate, it's better to have chocolate covered nuts, for example, because the protein from the nuts helps the carbs metabolize more evenly. And that if drinking for example milk (I was shocked to learn how many carbs milk has) it's better to drink whole milk instead of skim because the fat also helps the carbs metabolize more slowly. Which I interpret as an excuse to use real cream in my coffee now

Thanks for the advice .. I'm kind of a dummy on being completely in sync w the gd diet perfectly . I know it's a given . No sweets . No white breads... Aka no high carb items ... Any more specific ideas ?

Thank you for such detailed helpful post, I have read many of your gd post and have found them helpful! I am fd in my second pregnancy, I am waiting for my dietician apt! I under stand the carb counts on foods with nutrition labels but am having trouble with fruits/ veggies. Any guidance how you know how many carbs are in like an apple, banana or grapes? Squash etc

 

[Kiwiberry]

I have GD, type 2 runs in my family and I didn't make it far enough to be tested with my first baby.

Here is a basic rundown of my diet and what I need to do. I need to have 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. Breakfast and all three snacks should be under 30 grams of carbs. Lunch is 45 grams and dinner is 60 grams. I will usually eat my snack 2 to 3 hours after I have a meal. My sugar should be tested once in the morning and then 2 hours after each meal. I take Glyburide because my body I still have trouble regulating my blood sugar even on the diet. The only things I'm allowed to drink is pretty much water and carbonated water. I can have a little bit of ultra pasteurized whole milk with some graham crackers as a snack.

I have never been tested before this pregnancy for diabetes. I will find out at my postpartum appointment if I am pre-diabetic.

Also everyone's body reacts differently with different foods. For example I could have two different types of snacks both under 30 grams of carbs and one will Spike my sugar higher than the other. It's all about trial and error and getting to know your body. I also know that I'm not allowed to have any straight sugars. Things like candy, chocolate, and baked sweets.

Although I am having trouble meeting the goal sometimes here is where my sugar level should be. All meals should be under 120 and My fasting should be 105 or lower. I live in the United States, we measure it differently than the UK.

I hope this little bit of information helps anyone concerned about GD.

 

[3babesforme]

I have GD. What works for me may not work for you.

For breakfast I have 30g carbs. All my snacks are 30g of carbs. Lunch and dinner are around 50-75g of carbs. I'm diet controlled.