Gestational Diabetes General Chatter #2

[melbel]

You can snack in between "snacks". Just make sure it is a zero carb type snack..... vegies etc are great for this.

[kirsten74]

Sometimes when we used to eat dinner late, I would end up sitting up until 10:30 just to test my BSL. Got sooooo frustrating. I have found however that if I am really craving something lot quite on the low GI list, that after I test my sugar 2 hours after dinner, it was the perfect time to have a little cheat as it would always be out of my system by my morning test. Just a little tip if you feel you really really need something.
Also, I have found that muesli bars are great for a bit of a snack. Or 2 biscuits with sliced cheese. The protein helps to stick to you and being dairy it has little or no GI.
And Caz, as for your DH, you need to remind him that you are eating healthy for HIS baby as well, not just yours and that he should support you. If he won't cooperate, then just don't buy any snacks which you can't eat!

[teachmum]

For all those girls struggling with not feeling full enough my dietician gave me a great tip which I used at the beginning while my stomach shrank. I was diagnosed at 7 weeks. I take insulin 4 times a day and have to make sure I don't OD on carbs.

She said to use cauliflower to bulk out my meals. I make a lot of spag bog and curries so I used this strategy and it help to make me feel full. I then found some chunky frozen vegies that I like and added those instead. Another thing I found useful was to eat my vegies first. This seem to fill me up more quickly.

Another tip for busy people is to buy some Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice frozen meals. These have been great backups for me when I couldn't be bothered cooking something 'good' or I would take them to work for lunch if I couldn't think of anything. The family know they are my meals so hands off.

Sandles before I was diagnosed with diabetes I used to have low blood sugar all the time. If I used all the energy up from the food I'd eaten then I start to feel like crap. When I was diagnosed I mentioned this to the dr and she said that they think that it might be an indicator that your pancreas is not working correctly and that you could go on to develop type 2.

I agree with kirsten74 the best time to cheat is after supper because you won't be doing a test till the morning. I love my icecream and it almost falls into the acceptable numbers of <10g fat <10g sugar per 100g.

Keep going you'll get the hang of it.

[Jewel]

I have a dr appointment on wednesday and diabetes educator appt. on friday.

I got a 6.0 before breakfast and a 6.0 for the 2hrs after breakfast too today.
I thought that was ok, but I'm not sure.

This is only my first week doing this, I've only done like 6 readings so far.
I'm still really lost with this all.

[Artechim]

Thanks Melbel, I thought you could have 0 carb snacks while waiting but wasn't sure.

Tennykins, it does take a while to get used to, I am sure you are doing fine. A 6.0 two hours after a meal is good. The 6 before breakfast is a bit high, but you are seeing your dr soon. How are you adjusting to the low GI diet?

There is a brand of ice cream that is low GI, and another that is no added sugar. Dairy is reasonably low GI so if you get the low fat/sugar ones they don't do too much harm to the BSL (different for everyone though). With the lean cuisine meals etc, check the rice is a low GI variety like Basmati - the GI rating is different for different types of rice.

[Jewel]

I guess I'm going ok with the low GI. I'm not fully sure if I'm doing everything right, but I'm sure trying. Very hard work. I feel hungry alot. lol.

[kirsten74]

I agree with the others. Lean Cuisines have been my lifesaver over the last few weeks when I haven't been bothered to cook. Portion controlled and veges. Sometimes I have to add 2 slices of bread just to give me a little bit more carbs and to stop my BSL bottoming out during the night.
A word of warning about the low sugar ice cream is portion size. I discovered the hard way that if you eat too much then it gives you diarrhea (sp?). I have also found this with the low sugar chocolates and lollies.
Tennykins, you are early in your pregnancy and by the end of it you will be an expert on GI and BSLs. Just keep taking your readings and trying to eat low GI and things will sort themselves out, whether that be control by diet or insulin.
Also you said that your husband could do with losing some weight also. My husband is the same and I have put him onto Lean Cuisines/ Healthy Choice meals as well. It is working really well as he is getting more veges than usual and his portions are more controlled.
Stick with it and see what the Educator and Dr say at your next appointment.

[melbel]

You may feel hungry for a little while especially if you are used to consuming more carbs plus you are growing a baby so you're gonna feel more hungry anyways!!

Your body will be craving carbs for a while. If you're hungry you can eat just try to eat the zero carb stuff like vegies and protein foods as i said before. And try and stay away from the artificially sweetnened stuff like diet drinks. Artificial sweeteners particularly aspartame (nutrasweet) have a chemical that actually makes you crave carbohydrate so beware substituting sugar with artifical stuff can end being a vicious circle that one.

ETA: yup artificial sweeteners in large doses give you the runs big time!! In fact if you are not used to them small doses will do that too. I guess I am used tothem after 28 yrs od them so they don't really bother me. I used to get them really back if I chewed sugar free gum of all things!

[Sandles]

Caz, have you seen the dietian lately? Maybe they can prescribe some food that might keep you full longer. One thing I have learnt on GD and dieting in general is to find food that is "value for money". That is, eat a food that will go the distance. Hence I have oats for brekkie over cereal or toast. It may taste ordinary but for me, it sustains me the longest. But appreciate how it must gross some people out. Its an aquired taste.

As for snacking, it hasn't been stressed with us. I tend to just listen to my body. If I am feeling even slightly hypo I have a snack. If I feel full and content and know that I can last til luchtime say, then I don't have one.

Talk to your dietian Caz. That is what they are their for.

And as for hubbie, well mine is no different. He and DD were chillin out on the couch watching a dvd on Sunday. I was playing computer games in the study. Then I hear them yelling, asking ME, the diabetic in the family, to make them both an ice cream in a cone with smarties and sprinkles. Sheesh! I'm only human! So I licked the spoon after

[Caz1971]

Ye saw the doc/diabetes educator- not the dietician.

She educator said my readings are good - so thank god Im doing something right.

I found a muffin recipe which I made last night - after my last dinner reading....
oatmeal and cranberry. It wasn't 'bad'.

Sandles - Im not a big icecream eater (only choc)....LOL.

[Sandles]

Caz, I am glad they said your levels are good And muffins are on my list to make too. Imake them for husband each week but his come out as low fat and 30g of carb per muffin (and thats with Splenda, buttermilk and orange juice). So I will try a diabetic version this weekend.

My dietian was very happy with my diet. My only changes are to eat the afternoon snack. Even though I feel full she thinks lunch to dinner is too long without food. No problem. Also to add a yoghurt a day in. So that is now my afternoon snack
Have red meat 3 to 4 times per week for dinner and add another carb to my dinner plate. Corn she said is low GI compared to medium for sweet potato and high for white. Having corn with white potato though brings down the GI of the white potato for whatever reason. So now its corn and potato with every meal (unless I have rice or pasta of course). And that was it. Oh and add another fruit serve, so a plum or two at supper.

I asked why my numbers are so low given I have changed my diet very little. So they showed my GTT results. That explained it all.

Fasting blood test was 3.8. I get 4.0 now so that's normal for me.
2nd blood test after glucose drink was 9.3. The minimum is 8.2. Ok, warning signs.
3rd blood test, people WITHOUT GD will go down. The mimium for GD is 11 something. But because mine stayed at 9.3 I was diagnosed with GD but I am not as bad as some because my levels did not go up.

So the educator said that my insulin levels are fine and normal, but being pregnant has added an extra strain and when challenged, they don't work as well. Like a car with a loaded trailer. This all made sense after seeing my test results

[Caz1971]

Sandles - ye its funny how some things lower the GI when eaten tog.

I read in my cookbook of a damper recipe, then eat it with baked beans to lower the GI. What the.....

For dinner - I made lentils/doongara rice yest and had salad. My reading was 7.1!

But then after the 2 hr lunch test I went crazy binging on cherries, cheese, jelly and wholemeal lavash bread.

[Sandles]

Caz, you are inspiring me to cook!!

I might drag out the ole bread maker and whip us some herb and cheese damper. I used to make it all the time before kids.

Whats the deal with flour and GD? Use wholemeal only?

I have been snacking on grapes ever since I got home. Not looking forward to the result. I can't help it though when they are sitting in the fridge, washed and chilled and its 33 degrees outside

[Caz1971]

Sandles - yep I'd say use just wholemeal. Just tested after dinner (5.2), so whipped up another batch of oatmeal and cranberry muffins for supper and im gonna put some Logical marg on them.....

What is the result after grapes. Pls let me know....

Caz

[shell_120308]

Hi there,

I am new to the boards. I have gestational diabetes and 31 weeks pregnant. I too have had high readings so seeing the diabetes doctor tomorrow and not looking forward to it, I think I will need to go on insulin. It is just so hard. I am eating the right foods, and I still have high sugars arghhhhh

I am getting bigger and I am worried that my baby is getting too big as well. I am going to ask my obstetrician in my next visit how big he is expected to be at full-term and if I should be induced.

Shell

[melbel]

Shell despite what a lot of obs say there is no reason why you should be induced just beacuse bubs might be a bit bigger. If your placenta is still functioning well and they can do dopplers and scan to check this you should still be able to deliver naturally... if that is what you want. I don't have all the right links but there is a lot of info out there about this so try not to get too despondent about it all.

Re the wholemeal flour..... it tends to be a lot drier than white so be careful when baking you will prolly need to up the moisture content to compensate. What works well for me is to use half white and half wholemeal. The wholemeal lowers the GI and the white makes the texture still right. Most of my diabetic cookbooks do this too.

[melbell45]

hi girls,

i am finally getting around to introducing myself over here, i am 29 weeks pregnant (tomorrow) with my 2nd child and was diagnosed with GDM a few weeks ago (i didn't have it with my 1st pregnancy, that had its own complications ! but know i was at high risk due to pcos and insulin resistance), i was quickly put onto night time insulin which has been increased several times since then to keep my fasting level below 5.5 and this week i also had to start insulin at dinner time, im going to be induced at 38 weeks at this stage, maybe earlier depending upon how things go. i was induced with my DD so not too worried about that.

i am off for an ultrasound today to see how big the baby is (they want me to have them at 28 32 and 36 weeks) was measuring big in my check up on monday and im so hoping it was just stretched out in there at the time ! my DD was 2.7kgs and i was hoping for that again but think that plan has gone out the window now lol

Melinda

[Sandles]

Caz, the grapes seem to be ok with me. After snacking on them from the moment I got home from work (5.30ish) til serving dinner at 7.30 (which had pasta in it) I got a reading of 5.2. I thought for sure that I'd tip the scale on that one. Try and see. Just have to be careful because they can spike your glucose levels which is what we don't want. Slow and steady wins the GD race. But try and see. I also had a BIG bunch for supper and got 3.8 this morning.

Shell, I asked my educator a similar question the other day. How will you know if my baby is too big to deliver naturally? Will I be induced because of GD? I was told that with my regular check ups with the midwife, they will monitor baby's size with the traditional fundal measurement. Feeling baby too will give them an idea. I was also told that the preference (for Canberra Hospital) is for as little intervention in the natural birthing process as possible. So no, they wouldn't induce me just because I have GD.

When were you first diagnosed with GD Shell?

Melbel, thanks for the flour tip I will give that a go. And Melbel, how do you go with grapes and diabeties?