Gestational Diabetes Chatter #6

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Yup, but was only up to 18 units by the end, which I didn't think was TOO bad. But really don't want to be induced this time (can't afford to be IYKWIM) so will be doing my utmost to avoid insulin - as that typically does result in induction. Last time the DE wasn't much help with the diet (she just said "oh you know your diet better than me!"), so that's why this time I've asked to see the dietician. I've just been re-reading the NSW diabetes GD meal plan... it has 4 serves of fruit!! Morning tea, lunch, dinner and supper! That seems heaps of fruit to me, and I can normally only tolerate 1 serve a day anyway due to my other dietary restrictions. But really, would you eat that much fruit?

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I'm not a big fruit eater TBH so no I definately wouldn't eat 4 serves per day. Was Xander a big bub? At what gestation were you induced? And are they just more keen to induce if you're on insulin because they think baby is likely to be bigger? Sorry for all the Q's, I'm just interrested because I cannot be induced, well, apart from them breaking my waters to see if that starts labour.
I am only on 4 units of insulin ATM but the endo said if I get a fasting reading over 5.5 to increase to 6 units and see how I go. Well this morning my fasting reading was 5.7 :( So it looks like I'll be doing 6 units tonight.

Good questions MamaSpice, and I'm more than happy to answer them. My first thought was "oh why can't you be induced" but then I've seen your sig - vbac :fingerscrossed: so I'm wishing you the best of luck.

Re my birth, Xander was induced at 39 weeks. It was meant to be about 38+5 but the hossie was busy :rofl: and then I sat around for a few days with gels, so in the end he was born at 39+1. He was 7lb 7oz, so not big at all.
Regarding induction, have a read of SeaChange's thread as that explains it really well. In a nutshell, while some drs will suggest induction due to potential size issues (macrosomia), IMO the most crucial issue is around placenta health and the impact of insulin. My endo basically said that GD's can be at higher risk of stillbirth once over 40 weeks in particular - this is why most ppl on insulin are induced. My obs and I negotiated around induction dates. His opinion was that he'd want to induce at 38 weeks if I'd been on high insulin (60-70 units +) but given mine was lower, he was happy to wait. I also had CTG monitoring in the interim. I was happy that they were keeping a good eye on bub. The other issue can be higher risk of breathing problems, and as my endo explained it, if your bubba has had some extra blood sugar and is "big" it's not so much about the size of squeezin' 'em out (not his words :lol:) but the risk around the body being too large for the organ maturity IYKWIM... i.e. immature heart/lungs supporting a big fat boofer body.

Given your insulin is currently low, you might be able to get away with it. So saying (and I hope this doesn't upset you) given you're 32 weeks, I don't like your chances of staying low and I agree that t his could impact your vbac attempt :( But on the bright side, maybe they'd just break your waters and if that gets you going (b4 40 weeks) well then that's ok. Plus it's your second which also supports an earlier labour. I tried EVERYTHING to start my labour naturally, but at 38-39 weeks, my body was TOTALLY uninterested.

Like you, I really can't be induced either this time, so that's my incentive to TRY avoid insulin (pelvic floor nerve damage & prolapse means I can risk suction/forceps - both of which I had last time, which means no epi... which means avoid induction like the plague really). Otherwise it may well be a c-s for me (plus I have a low placenta atm so it also depends on that moving).

And I'm totally happy to answer any questions you have or we can just chat about it - it's good to think through it all now :hug:. Are you also aware that many hossies have a policy to put GD bubs into special care nursery for the first 24 hours to monitor their blood sugars? (they can be low at birth) X went in, but "roomed" with me... i.e. he was in my room a lot, but we were back in the nursery for feeding - so it was less traumatic than I expected. Then he spent 60 hours under lights for jaundice lol so it was good I was mentally prepared to deal with him being in SCN.

I'm sorry to hear you'll have to go up to 6 units of insulin :hug:. FYI, I started on 8 units and ended up on 18. I was also told that at certain times, due to hormone surges & stuff, your BSL's can just creep up & up regardless of what you're eating. It's difficult when you know the impact it can have tho.

Wow, thanks for all the info Belfie, I didn't realise that insulin dependant GDM accelerates the maturation of the placenta. A very valid reason for keeping an eye on things. I've also read that because I've had a CS I already have a slightly increased risk of stillbirth post 39 weeks. I think that personally 39 weeks is the limit that I'm comfortable with. If bub decides to come before then, well all and good but I am seriously considering booking a CS for 39 weeks at the latest.

It will be interresting to see how quickly my insulin requirements ramp up. Hopefully not too quickly :crossfingers: How many weeks were you when you were started on 8 units? Were you on Protaphane?

I have a scan this Friday. I'll be 33+1 weeks so it will be interresting to see what size bub is and what the fluid levels are like etc.

I'll have to check out what the Hossie's policy is re: bub in SCN etc. Thing is I not 100% certain which hospital I will be having bub. See I'm doing shared care between our local public hospital and a private OB (who is also a senior OB at the public hospital) and the plan was that if I were going to VBAC I'd birth at the public hospital but if I had an elective CS then the Ob would do that for me at the private hospital.
One of my friends who had GD recently had bub at the private Hossie and bub roomed in with her straight away. She wasn't insulin dependant tho and bub's BSL's were fine. I'm not sure what the public hospitals policy is though. I think they only take them to SCN if they have hypoglycaemia or another complication.

yeah it's interesting isn't it. I think the big issue is that insulin doesn't necessarily accelerate the maturation of the placenta but there is an unknown role in the impact on the placenta (maybe that's a nitpicky distinction - but it just intrigued me :lol:). I didn't know that about the increased stillbirth risk from a previous CS either. I'm pretty sure i'll end up being a CS at 38-39 weeks.

Re my insulin, good question - I had to look it up. I started at 32+5 days.

Have fun at the scan, great to have another peek at bubba. Just bear in mind all the conflicting literature about baby size, don't let 'em freak you out. I know soooo many ppl who were told bubba was big/small etc and turned out to be quite wrong. I've got a scan at 31.5 weeks for placenta, I can't wait for another peek!!

Re your hossie, aah that makes it a little tricky to check re SCN policy. Most ppl I seem to remember in this thread, the policy was pretty standard, but of course I don't know how many were public or private. I get the impression that it's very much if you were on insulin. If you're not on insulin they don't seem as fussy, maybe that's why your friend's bub wasn't admitted? I was told that my bub would be admitted regardless of his BSL's (which were fine, first a shade low but still technically "normal"). So saying, I kinda found out that it would happen quite accidentally and then I asked them (hossie and obs) all about it. I don't think I would have been told (grrr) if I hadn't gone asking! Plus I think it also depends on the paed, as a GD bub (insulin-dependant) seems to always get checked (at my hossie) by a paed, so I imagine it's at the paed's discretion a bit too.

AFM... 9.9 tonight :(. really way too high, so I'm glad I'm seeing the dietician tomorrow. I actually thought I had an ok dinner too, so clearly I have to tighten up. In general my levels are sitting way too high, with only a few 6's and nearly all 7's. I think my endo thought I'd have a few weeks before it really kicked in... but I think not. So I'll be eating like a saint asap otherwise I think they'll be whacking me on insulin quick smart - eep! I actually found a place that does gluten free fish & chips! I was soooo excited. I had fish, one potato cake, TWO chips, a salad and a gluten free/onion free dim sim (I was soooo excited, I haven't been able to have a dim sim for 8 years!). So ok not very healthy at all, but I really thought the carb load woulda been ok... but the batter probably kicked me over. Plus I had a small oj with my iron in it. So I need to find another way to have my iron (it's a liquid form) and the oj helps absorption, but I think too much sugar! Ah well :wall:

Btw, you know my profile above where it says collecting acronyms... the BBG is the fun bit... that's for Beautiful Baby Girl tehehe just to keep me positive :D

Lol, I was wondering what the BBG was!

It sounds to me that unfortunately your placental hormones are going to make you insulin resistant regardless of how good you eat, so please don't beat yourself up about it. It sounds like it's outta your control really. It's good that you're onto it though. And just remember that if you DO need insulin it is best for you and Bub. I was doing some research yesterday and in order to effectively limit the effects of macrosomia I read that fastings need to be under 5.5 (preferably under 5.3) and one hour post meal BSL should be less than 8 and 2 hours post meal BSL should be less than 7. SO of course I was *****ing my finger 1 AND 2 hours after breakky and lunch yesterday just to see and 1 hour post meal my readings were 7.6 and 2 hours post they were under 6 so I'm happy with that. I did 6 units of insulin last night and my fasting BSL this morning was 5.2, so under the 5.5 which I'm happy about. I do suspect though that I'm going to havre to keep upping the insulin like you said. HOpefulyl I wont get past about 20 units.

I will definately have a chat to the OB's about both hospitals policies RE: SCN admission for insulin dependant GDM. You have a point, my friend at the private Hossy wasn't insulin dependant and nor was my friend at the public hossy and they both had their bubs rooming in straight away.

I must say I AM looking forward to my scan on friday :) Although I am half expecting them to tell me bub is on the larger side as I'm just feeling really ucomfortable all of a sudden. I cant remember feeling this uncommfortable with my last pregnancy. Plus Charli was born at 38 weeks weighing a healthy 7lb 8oz and I didn't have GD with her, so considering this is a GD pregnancy AND I'm having a boy, which are generally bigger anyway, I thing baby B might be a 9 pounder by 38 weeks.

Good luck with your upcomming scan. Hopefully the placenta has moved away for you.

Hi ladies, sorry to just bardge in on your conversation, but i have a few questions and i though you all might be able to give me some answer's!! I completed my first GTT at 29 weeks and came back all clear measuring 4.2. at 30 weeks i was measuring 33 weeks, due to another complication i had to have an ultasound at 33 weeks so the Dr said we will just check the measurments just to see. So i went for the ultasound at 32weeks and 3 days I measuring 35weeks and 3days. I then went to my appointment on monday to which i was 33 weeks and 4days and my fundal height measured me at 38 weeks. He said maybe i am just having a big baby but he wants to do the 2hr GTT just to be sure. So being naughty and cheeky my sil has a blood test thingy LOL to test the level of sugar in my blood and i did it the ther morining and i had not eated since dinner the night before and it came up at 5.4 does this sound normal or high, i am clueless!!!!
So my other question is what sort of chance do i have of having GDD seeing that i passed the first one, is there a chance i do have it?????
I am now 34 weeks tomorrow, what will happen obviously i will need to monitor my diet, but what else happens, this is my fourth pregnancy andI have never had GDD before. Will they induce me early or just monitor me???

Sorry fo all the questions and thanks in advance for your help.

NIKKI!!!!!!!

Hi Nikki! You are exactly 1 week ahead of me! ;)

You fasting BSL's are mean't to be under 5.5 so yours seems okay at 5.4. It's hard to know though as it's also your blood sugar levels during the day and after meals that are important. Try not to stress too much about it. Just go and have your GTT and see what happens. Usually GD manifests between 26 and 30 weeks, but I guess it's not impossible to get it later on.
If you do have it and your bubba is large for gestational age they may want to induce you acouple of weeks early. Did you measure bigger than normal with any of your other pregnancies?
Good luck with your GTT and let us know how you go.

Thanks you Mamaspice for your quick response, I have never measured big with my othe pregnancy and they were 8 pd 2oz 8pd 1oz and my last was 7pd 6oz. I am not a small figured person, i am about a size 16 before pregnancy and i honestly think i won't be much more after i have bubs, the dr said to me that maybe i am having a big baby as i am a fuller figure woman!!!! This annoyed me abit and don't understand as I was this size for ALL of my pregnancy's and why were they not BIG babies??? Thanks for your help and i am going for my test next monday and then my appointment isn't until the following monday!!!! I amnot stressed about having GDD i am only worried about pushing a big baby out!!!!!!!!!!!! I have had vaginal births always and really don't want my last pregnancy to turn out to be a c-section not that there is anything wrong with them i jsut think it will be really hard afterwards with all my children and recovering from a c-section. My kids are 6, 4, and 2. So yes my hands will be full. Anyway enough from me, Hope all goes well with you too and thanks for helping me out !!!!!

hey LoveMyKids,

I agree with what MamaSpice said, and don't feel you're butting in on our convo - the more the merrier... we're just yabbing away as it's pretty quiet in here atm :lol: plus it's great picking other ppl's brains!

I agree that it sounds unlikely you'd have it given your previous history. MamaSpice is the expert on fasting BSL's as for god-knows-what-reason my endo doesn't make me measure mine :dunno:. I agree that if they think the bubba is large on the scan there could be more pressure for intervention... so saying, those scans are notoriously inaccurate for sizing! As my obs said to me last time, if I knew bubba was big, would I still try to birth vaginally - to which I said yes I would. Have a google around it, it's worth a read. If you do end up having GD and/or being on insulin then there are different reasons for induction (around placenta health). Just so you know, my endo did tell me that GD "can" develop later, it's just that 24-28 weeks is the time it's most likely to develop, and I still don't see why you'd get it after not getting it previously.

On the plus side, IF they find GD, well then you can control your BSL's with diet which reduces your risk of a big baby - and I think your body would well know what it's doing. My sis vag birthed a 10+lber with no problems (her second), so I think even if bub is a bit bigger, you'll be fine.

Back to your other question, what happens if you do have it? Ok as far as I know - first you get referred to an endocrinologist and typically you'd also see a diabetes educator (ED) and/or a dietician. Tbh the extra appts can be a nuisance. You'd get all the information about modifying your diet and monitoring your BSL's. Sometimes, even with the best dietary control in the world, your BSL's can still go high in which case you might be put on insulin. Once you're on insulin most hospitals tend to want to induce, and you also get extra CTG monitoring. I know my obs wants to induce earlier (38 wks) if the insulin is greater (60-70 units) and a bit later if insulin is less (I was on 18 units and induced at 39 weeks). I've not heard of anyone being induced before 38 weeks unless there was other stuff going on, and in most cases (that I've seen through here :lol:) a C-S is not considered necessary (unless there's other factors too). I don't know what would happen if they were convinced it was a big baby, that could change things. But that's the typical run of the mill scenario.

Hope that helps, all the best! Crossing my fingers for you that you don't have it, and bubba is just making like I do in a big bed... arms & legs outspread taking up lotsa room!!

:hug: Belfie

On insulin..... feeling ok taking it..

All insulin so i was told is class A and metformin is Class C.... so the diabetes doc said

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On insulin..... feeling ok taking it..

All insulin so i was told is class A and metformin is Class C.... so the diabetes doc said

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You'll be fine Didi, If i can handle it, anyone can! And I've got a lot further to go than you, Lol

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On insulin..... feeling ok taking it..

All insulin so i was told is class A and metformin is Class C.... so the diabetes doc said

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Oh well done Didi, you're a star :clap:. Is it injections? (I don't know if insulin comes in any other form). Is it helping to have your mum there?

Well I saw the dietitian today and she was GREAT! Don't think she'd expected SO many questions :rofl: but given I've had GD before, plus my FM for 8 years... it was more about fine-tuning. Interestingly she was more focussed on keeping my weight the same for long term Type 2 risk reduction, and telling me to eat low fat than they did last time. Last time the DE just said don't worry about the fats, concentrate on the sugars. So I had been hoping that with even more vigilance on my food, that'd keep me off insulin, but she said that honestly given I was on it last time, I'm highly likely to be again :( so that's not great, given I totally don't want to be induced... but we'll see. I feel I've got a better understanding of what to eat, plus even she was groaning at the ridiculous amounts of food restrictions in our household, so that was kinda validating. Plus I found new McCain's Sweet Potato oven fries (new) so I tried them tonight and they weren't bad - we'll see how the BSL's are!

Ohh, McCains sweet potato Oven fries! I'll have to look out for those when I do the groceries tomorrow night. I'm glad your Dietician appointment went so well. And yeah I'd been told too that limiting fats is very important for controling the diabetes.

Lets hope your BBG decides to come of her own accord a couple of weeks early so there is not need for induction ;)

Thanks everyone... its not fun... but i am ok


went to be last night with a reading of 5.4

then woke this morning to 7.4 .. WHAT THE HECK!!! I am stressed so that is not going to help levels.. grrrr

I go back to day stay Friday so i might just get a date soon!!

Hi everyone.
Just thought I'd pop in and introduce myself.
I'm PanthaLily. Live just north of Brissie.
I'm 30 weeks on Sunday.

Got a phone call yesterday from the Diabetes Educator at the hospital. After being told last Friday in my breastfeeding class that no one in the class had Gestational Diabetes, I get a phone call asking if I'd received my letter informing me I have GD and if I'm available to atttend a class next Tuesday. Not happy Jan... actually... I'm quite upset as I'd thought I didn't have it.

Got the letter today that says "As I have been unable to contact you...." not impressed.

Anyway... hope you don't mind an extra one in the group =p

What is involved in GD anyway?
I know I'll have to monitor/adjust my diet and I know that if uncontrolled it might mean a higher birth weight. But does it effect anything else?
What kind of things can/can't I have now?

I'm kinda bummed because it's my birthday on Monday and I was going to make a really scrummy but really BAD cake... might have to reassess that idea now lol

Thanks everyone!

Hi Panthalilly. I say enjoy your birthday on monday. You're not going to the diabetes educator til Tuesday right? ;)

Basically you'll have to follow a Low GI diet and monitor your blood sugar levels 4 times a day. They'll want your blood sugar levels to stay under a certain reading and if they go above that, thats when you might need insulin. Lots of people control it with diet though. Oh and you'll preobably have an extra scan or two to monitor bubs growth, the amniotic fluid levels and the blood flow through the cord.

Welcome to our thread, and best of luck for Tuesday x

AFM I had my scan today. cord blood flow is good :) Amniotic fluild levels are normal :) Bub is measuring 35 weeks or 5lb 8oz already :omg:

Hey ladies glad scans etc are all going great!!!

I got my C-sec date booked again today!! let just say i will have a baby next week.. I will ask Feeb to post in here for you guys fi you want.!!!

Now i need to pick names.. WE HAVE NON!!!

Thats great Didi, at least now you know the end is near! All the best for the birth of your LO.

Didispunk - woo hoo that's great you've got your date! Would love to see the update in here, but will be keeping an eye out for your BA anyway :)

Pantha - welcome ;). I agree with MamaS said re enjoying your birthday. Plus, when you can't even monitor yet, why stress yourself? In terms of what to eat, there's a great diet plan pdf part-way down this Gestational Diabetes info page. I only monitor my BSL's 3 times a day, not 4 like MamaS (endocrinologists are all different - go figure). Oh and as far as I know, usually you get referred to see an endo... so i'm not sure if that'll happen after you go to the class on Tues. In terms of extra scans, well again, I've never been referred for an extra scan due to GD either. As for being upset, entirely understandable. I've been upset too, and I've had it before and know what to do (in theory), so sending big hugs your way :hug: feel free to vent in here. Re diet, I guess the quick tips are: by eating low GI - go for things like sweet potato (lower GI than potato), basmati rice instead of normal rice, reduce sugar intake - that kinda stuff. You still need to eat carbs (it's not about cutting them out) plus keep up your protein and snacks. And if you need insulin, then so be it. Sometimes your BSL's just go high due to the placenta (my obs described it as my placenta and my pancreas having a tug of war lol). Sometimes you'll eat a food and get a good BSL but the next day the same food puts you high. Things like tiredness/illness/stress can impact as well. So basically you do the best you can, you're looking after yourself and bubs - and ultimately it's better to know and have it controlled than to have it uncontrolled!

MamaS - Glad to hear bubba is looking good, and pls pls pls don't freak out about their size estimation. You know my opinion on that ;) and I've just heard tooo many girls being told bub is big at 33/34 weeks then they birth a 7lber at 41 weeks!! Aah it makes me see red when ppl get freaked out (IMO) unnecessarily.

AFM - well slightly better BSL's today phew - actually managed one in the 5's finally! Back to see my endo on Monday, don't know if I wanna know what he's gonna say!

MamaSpice - i'm really confused now . I was curious so checked some of my fasting BSL's. In the last 3 days i've got 6.4, 5.7 and 5.8. So I reckon they're all too high... but i'm off to see my endo today anyway, will see what he says even though he didn't even want me to do fasting BSL's :dunno:. I just think it's so weird that different endo's seem to do everything so differently! I was even checking the clinical management guidelines for RWH here in vic, and that says under 5.0 fasting and 6.7 post-meal!! How are your BSL's going now?

Pantha - Happy Birthday for today!! I hope you have a great day :hug:

Happy Birthday Pantha!

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MamaSpice - i'm really confused now . I was curious so checked some of my fasting BSL's. In the last 3 days i've got 6.4, 5.7 and 5.8. So I reckon they're all too high... but i'm off to see my endo today anyway, will see what he says even though he didn't even want me to do fasting BSL's :dunno:. I just think it's so weird that different endo's seem to do everything so differently! I was even checking the clinical management guidelines for RWH here in vic, and that says under 5.0 fasting and 6.7 post-meal!! How are your BSL's going now?

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Yeah it's unusual how our endo's have such a different approach to fasting BSL's. See what your endo says about it today. Mine have been really good on the 6 units of insulin. They have all been under 5 since I've been on 6 units.

Hey that's great that your fasting BSL's have been low. Well my endo said there is a divergence of opinion about whether it's important or not. He believes that if they're going up, then the post-meal ones will go up too - so no need to monitor all of them. He said i could monitor them if I wanted... but then I guess I only monitored post-meal last time and bubba was born a fine size. He reckons i'll be on insulin pretty soon as I've already had so many high BSL's. So one more over 7.5 and it's insulin time. I then got a 7.4 right after that appt... sheesh that's a bit close! So I'm trying to keep up my cycles and eat really well to delay it as long as possible! But also I'm at peace with the fact i'll end up on insulin most likely... I've just got too long to go. I think I've got thru my emotional bit though, I'm feeling heaps tougher mentally about everything - from my lack of mobility through to the insulin. We've renamed my pregnancy, it's now my pregathon :rofl:

Good to hear you're feeling positive about everything. Don't worry about the insulin. It's not the end of the world mate (as you know already anyway ;) ) :hug: Insulin is the least of my worries today. I did a dipstick test at home this morning and it showed positive for protein. But that's for another thread, Lol. I'm hoping when I go to my antenatal appointment tomorrow it will be all good.

You are 3/4 of the way through your pregathon :lol:

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Had a great weekend/night - hubby took me to Gold Class to see the latest Twilight and I went on a baking spree yesterday.

Had my GD education class today.. my head is swimming with information overload, think it might take a while for everything to sink in and to make the changes. I've got a follow up appt with the dietician next week so we'll see how I am then.

I've got to test my BSL's 4 times a day. First thing in the morning, then 2 hrs after every meal. The morning one needs to be under 5.5 and the ones after my meals are meant to be under 6.7. Did a test while we were in class (about 2 and 1/2hrs after breakfast) and it came back with 4.2.... I thought that was a little low, but they didn't seem too worried about it.

Good luck with the pregathon Belfie... not too much longer now!

With Joy and Rapture I have the honour of announcing Didispunk has had her baby

Its a BOY

No name yet as changed mind on name picked!!! 4.1kg Mum doing well, Bubs not as good has some breathing issues getting transfered to Melbourne but says all ok.

Please think of her as she is apart from bubs.

Will update with info as I get it.

Thanks feeb for letting us know - that's such wonderful news! :bluecheer:

Pantha - it SO is info overload to start with, but honestly it does get better and easier. Geessh I'm still learning stuff this time around! Plus everyone varies a bit in what works for them, so it can take a little time to work out what's right for you to eat.

MamaSpice - thanks for the encouragement. I'm gonna have to stalk you and go find your thread about the protein, but I hope it's all ok :hug:, you don't need any extra stress!

Well i had an obs appt today so asked him what he'll want to do if I'm on insulin, and he said not past 40 weeks - induce at 38.5. Looks like my placenta may have moved up a smidge, but i"ll get a "proper" scan at nearly 34 weeks so we'll see. So now i've got my hopes up again for a vag birth. I'm still getting some 7.4's so teetering on the edge of insulin :rolleyes: but kinda resigned to it. Thanks for all your kinds words on my "pregathon" :D on the bright side... I've probably only got 8 weeks to go! Plus obs is now wanting to see me fortnightly so I'll be well monitored at least. Plus bubba girl is looking good and wriggly and my fundal height is spot on for size.

Thankyou for letting us know about Didispunk Feeb. Oh the poor thing, it would be soo hard being separated from bub. HOpe she's with him again soon.

Pantha, it sure is overload, but try not to worry too much, you'll figure it all out :)

Good to hear bub is spot on for fundal height belfie. I have my first Ob appointment since starting insulin tomorrow so it will be interresting as to what they say re; when they want bub born by etc. So your Ob wants bub out by 38.5 weeks?

I did another dpsticktest tonight and it didn't show up as much protein so :crossfingers: it's all good tomorrow.

BA-BOW. Got an 8 tonight boo - so it's insulin time for me i guess. How friggin' quick was that!?!?!l. I guess I'll call endo & dietitian tomorrow to organise appts.

Will be very interested to see what your obs says. I teased my obs cos last time I was on insulin we compromised on 38+5 which turned into 39 cos the hossie was busy! So I said you let me go later last time lol... he did say that I'd have a better chance of less intervention (even with an induction) cos it's my 2nd... so that was vaguely positive. Also due to the pelvic floor nerve damage I have (plus a prolapse) he thinks we'd be better getting her out earlier while she's smaller.

Glad to hear there wasn't as much protein tonight and have fingers crossed for you too :crossfingers:

Nate Norman is his name

Didi is feeling ok, pain under control, resting up. Expressing heaps!

Nate is doing well off ventilator, sugars stable should be back to mum tomorrow. (she doesnt feel up to car trip to visit him)

He is a gorgeous chubby bubby.

ok, so I know I haven't been doing the tests for long... but I'm kinda confused.

My fasting test this morning was 3.7... 2 hrs after breakfast is was 5.6 .... which is the highest I've had.

So I'm curious... what is a "normal" BSL reading?

They want me to be getting less than 5.5 on the fasting ones and less than 6.7 on the post meal ones.
I haven't changed ANYTHING in my diet yet.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun... but if my levels are so consistently low... shouldn't they be getting me to have MORE sugar in my diet, not less?

Blarg... this GD stuff really does your head in hey?! lol

Pantha - "statistically" most women manage to control their GD with diet/exercise only - so the fact you're getting great BSL's suggests to me that you're eating the right things just naturally even though you haven't changed your meals, and hopefully you'll be able to control it easily by eating well :D! Re a "normal" BSL, well I was told that my post-meal ones should be between 3.5 and 7.5. My endo also said that it's very unusual for PG women to have a hypo (i.e. go TOO low - under 3.5 I guess). My dad has Type II diabetes and he's had some hypos (which were those super low numbers)- so keeps some jelly beans & stuff with him just in case... but he's also on insulin & meds, and apparently that can make hypo's more likely. I'm not sure about the fasting BSL whether that has a lower limit, I'd ask them next time you see them. But certainly I think a very good BSL is in the 5's for post meal.

Re more sugar, well most DE's and dietitians i've seen are of the "sugar-is-evil" variety, so I doubt they'd say more sugar, but it might be about tweaking how much carbs/protein etc you're having. I guess that ultimately if you're not going hungry and your BSL's are great - well that's the best way to be!

Thanks belfie... you've been a great source of reassurance and information since my diagnosis and I just wanted to acknowledge that and say THANK YOU!

I was joking about the sugar... or maybe it was wishful thinking lol.

Hope everyone else is doing ok.

Random musing - I've noticed that after washing my hands it's harder to get the blood to come out, usually because my hands are FREEZING from the water. So I sit on them for a little bit lol or wash them in warmer water. Anyone else noticed this?

Hi Girls!

Belfie sure is a wealth of knoweledge isn't she :)

it sounds like you are going to controll the GD really well with Diet pantalilly. That's great news!

How are you going Belfie?

I saw my endo yesterday and he is really happy with my BSL's. He seems to think I probably wont need to increase my insulin too much more for the rest of my pregnancy either :crossfingers:

Also the Ob's didn't seem overly concerned. he said that the amount of insulin I'm on is very small so it's not likely to have any adverse effects on bubs so all going well, bub will hopefully avoid having to do any time in SCN.

Pantha - aaww you're so welcome! i had so many lovely helpful ppl help me out when I first got it - it's the least I can do! As for hands, yup totally agree. Sometimes hanging your hand downwards and shaking it can help too - gets the blood pumping. What's your fave finger? I find my middle and ring fingers seem to be the least "hurty". How are your BSL's looking so far?

Mama - geesh you two are gonna give me a big head! That's great re your obs, and I agree it is low insulin.

AFM - well back to my endo this arvo and i've been started on 10 units of insulin in the mornings, with a review in a week. Must say that the tummy jab (which I did) was better than I remembered. He thought there was no point going back to the dietician... I'm really torn tbh. I don't really want to go back in case she sees things I'm eating wrong, but on the flip side it would be good to learn if there's anything I can improve. Just something about it makes me feel like a greedy little schoolgirl :redface: and that makes me wanna avoid it! But if I wanna avoid Type II long-term then I know it could be worthwhile. I THINK I've been eating pretty ok and I just don't want to feel that it's my fault I'm on insulin. So saying, my endo has reassured me many times that it was probably going to go to insulin (even the dietitian said it too) so in that respect I knew my chances of getting through another 8-10 weeks without it were very low. Plus I really have been eating like a saint. My endo thinks we're gonna be "chasing" my BSL's tho.. hence the review in a weeks time, I guess given how quickly I've gone on insulin, it makes sense.

So saying, I might sneak 2 squares of dark choc (my "allowed" treat for when I'm desperate) given I had insulin tonight and having it again tomorrow morning teheehehe :rofl:

Panthalily, it is possible to get a high reading in the GTT which shows that your body is having trouble producing enough insulin but the test is a massive sugar load and I have known others that fail the test but very rarely have high readings with a normal diet. My limits were 5.5 for fasting and 7.5 after meals but they didn't really worry until it was hitting 6 fasting and 8 after meals. You may find that your levels creep up as the pregnancy progresses - apparently it is at its worst around the 36 week mark. It isn't that common to have lows when diet controlled, it is mainly when you start playing with insulin that you can have lows ie if you have enough insulin to ensure a good after meal level, but then don't have a snack the BSL continues to go down until you are hypo. I had a couple of ill-timed naps that resulted in waking up sweating, sick and nearly unable to move because I didn't snack. Also if you take your normal amount of insulin and then do extra exercise you are asking for a hypo (but I was on a lot of insulin)

Belfie, I was always chasing my BSL's, after the first week of stressing that it wasn't enough and they were still going high I started adding a couple of units every time I got 2-3 high readings for a particular meal. My doctors were happy enough for me to do that. Sorry you are back in here, I was really hoping you could skip it this time round.

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Belfie, I was always chasing my BSL's, after the first week of stressing that it wasn't enough and they were still going high I started adding a couple of units every time I got 2-3 high readings for a particular meal. My doctors were happy enough for me to do that. Sorry you are back in here, I was really hoping you could skip it this time round.

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Awww thanks for thinking of me, I was hoping I'd skip it too :doh:. I think I feel oddly at peace now I'm on the insulin - that if I need more insulin I know it's not my fault (even though I grapple with starting the insulin being my fault - which is contradictory really lol). I remember doing something similar last time, I'd just chat on the phone to the DE and they'd tell me to up it by a few units. So saying, I've already finished work this time and still have DS in some care, so I'm finding it easier to fit in all the appts.

Hello Ladies
I was here in Sept 2008 prior to the birth of my son and here i am again with my third pregnancy. I found out two weeks ago that i have GD and fingers crossed so far i have not had to go on insulin :) but i can feel it coming. With my last pregnancy i was on insulin within the first week. I have my appointment with the Endo Specialist this Tues and i have a feeling that they may look at insulin at night as a majority of my BSL in the morning (fasting) are above 5. I am also having at least another 1 or 2 BSL through the day over 7 so lets see what happens but i sense the insulin is coming if not now it will be coming towards the end of this pregnancy
I am hoping you dont mind me popping in occasionally for a chat and sometimes just a little advice.....this whole thing has got to me again but i am slowly feeling better about it. I guess some positive's are that i will get to meet bub that little bit earlier :)
Take care everyone and i hope to chat soon
Trac

Aaaww Trac73, I'm bummed to see you back in here too!! (even though it's lovely to chat to you again!) But still, had hoped you'd manage to dodge it this time! I'm the same, only made it through just over a week before I was on insulin (which I started just last Fri). As for popping in occasionally - BAH! Keep us company :D. When are you due?
I think my insulin is gonna go up already. I'm on 10 units in the morning and already over the weekend I've had 7.7, 8.6 and 8.1! Plus fasting hasn't been under 6 (even tho my endo says I don't need to do fasting - they still seem too high!). But given I'm already on it, I'm not so fussed if they increase it.

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend :)

HI Belfie
I am due on the 12th of Oct so only 11weeks and one day to go not that i am counting or anything lol. This looks like it will be the last bub for us as it is getting harder with each pregnancy.
My numbers are all over the place, majority of the numbers are over 5 for fasting but my post meal numbers are everywhere some are 6.2 some are 7.4 so who knows what is happening?????
How are you feeling? Wow i cannot believe we meet in here in 2008 and here we are again going through a pregnancy with GD. I was talking to SamiH yesterday and she wanted me to say hi, as we know each other out of BB too. Hope all is well. How is your Xander? Chat to you soon :)

Hi Girls!

Welcome Trac73, as belfie said, I'm sorry to see that you're back in here but I hope your GD journey is as painless as can be. Just out of interest did you have a VB with your previous GD baby? And was he very big?

How are you doing Belfie? I'm glad to hear that you are feeling okay about the insulin. I think I'll have to go up to 8 units tonight as this mornings BSL was 5.8.

BBL, I'm off to have some lunch then a nana nap for me. I'm finally on maternity leave! YAY!!!