Gestational Diabetes General Chatter #4

**melbel** · June 4th, 2008, 03:40 PM

sweetie.....huge hugs it must be a big shock for you. just know you are not to blame at all. GD is not related to diet, exercise or lack thereof in most cases. You have just been plain unlucky tis all. scuse the poor typing have just got a new puppy and am typing one handed!
in simple terms here is how the pancreas works during pregnancy: during pregnancy you will require 2 -3 times the normal amounts of insulin to metabolise your food, that goes for everyone when they are pregnant. Understandably this places stress on the pancreas to produce that much extra insulin. In some people for whatever reason the pancreas doesn't cope as well with the extra stress and can't quite keep up with the extra demand so you get a small shortfall of insulin. you have just been very unlucky to be one of those people.....not that it makes it any easier but it is not your fault.
there is a fantastic book i reccommend you look for called the new glucose revolution by professor jennie brand-miller. it explains the GI approach to diet extemely well and has tips and recipes etc. Also the diabetic living magazine comes out every 2 months and is awsome for food tips for diabetes of all types.
chin up keep thinking its only 12 weeks tops not a lifetime.

**Becci** · June 4th, 2008, 04:19 PM

SnowChickie - Welcome to the group!!

It's all got to do with that extra insulin that's needed plus the placenta creates a hormones that stops the insulin from working properly (sorry I can't remember how but I was pretty bamboozled with info when I saw the Diabetic Educator).
The main thing is it is managable. I'm new to it all too. Only been monitoring my levels since last thursday. And I hate needles too!
There is only a few % of women with whom the diabetes will stay wil til after the birth. Plus GD babies are usually induced early so the time that you will have GD is getting less and less.
When you see the Dibetic Educator and the Dietician next week all will be clear.
It's not just about low GI, healthy diet, etc the amount of carbs comes into effect too.

Anyway I don't want to comfuse you anymore than you already are so I'll stop now.

Try to look on the bright side.....You have just met a wonderful group of girls that are just the same as you!!!!!!

We are here for you.

**Jewel** · June 4th, 2008, 09:31 PM

Hey Snowchickie!

I'm sorry to hear about your results.
When you first find out it's such a kick in the teeth.
I cried so much when I first found out. I'd cry when I woke up and throughout the day. I must have been an ightmare to live with.
Once you get started with the testing and seeing a diabetes educator, or whoever you need to see, things should seem better.
It does take adjusting and even now I find I break down about it, and I've been doing this since I was 10wks.

We're all here for you.
We'll try our best to answer your questions aswell as support and encourage you.

BIG HUGS!!!

xx

**kirsten74** · June 5th, 2008, 07:22 AM

Hey Beci, I was on some fairly high doses of insulin by the end of the pregnancy. I was taking (I think) about 20 units of Actrapid at lunch, about 40 of Actrapid at night before dinner and then about 30 of Protophane before bed. This is the dose that brought my morning readings down.
I was diagnosed at 15 weeks and on insulin from 16 weeks so it was a VERY long pregnancy. The good thing was that I had a healthy little boy weighing 7lbs 15oz. They monitored his BSL for a couple of days and they were all fine. My Ob was convinced that it wasn't going away after the pregnancy, but a GTT at 7 weeks revealed that it had gone away! YAAAY!
Good luck with it all everyone. If anyone has any questions, just ask!

**snowchickie79** · June 5th, 2008, 10:38 AM

First question, with many more to come I'm sure..
What do you all drink?? I used to have a cup of tea in the morning, a small juice and then water. But the material i've been given says juice is out so what on earth am I supposed to drink other than water?? Water is so boring after 1.5L..
Also with tea, should i switch to an artificial sweetener, and if yes, which one as I thought you were not supposed to use some of them during PG?

Also I'm really worried about the possibility of this not going away once baby is born, is it common for it to stick around afterwards? Is it more common for those on insulin rather than diet based control?

**Jewel** · June 5th, 2008, 11:58 AM

I drink mostly water, but yeah you get sick of it and I miss juice. Lol.
Sometimes Coke zero or some of the other sugar free range they have.
I did get Equal as the sugar substitute when I have tea, but I haven't really had tea or used it. ( I don't really know if it's alright or not. )
Splenda is alright though. I used it in some cooking.

I'm on diet control. I think if I did find out when I was 28 weeks or whatever, then I'd most likely be on insulin, but since i found out so early I think I had it easier. If you get what I mean.

I think it generally does go away as soon as you have the baby.
I'm not sure if mine will be though.

**Petals** · June 5th, 2008, 12:20 PM

Snowchickie - I have a bottle of lemon juice from the supermarket and a few drops of that will brighten up plain water when you are over it, or you could squeeze some in for water with meals if you have a lemon tree - lemons are just a fruit after all. Plain mineral water is fine also and at least tastes different.

I have the occasional coke zero. I have never had sugar in my tea, so that isn't worrying me and I can't help with sweetners. After I have done the night BSL test I tend to have a Rev milk with a small amount of milo as I can not face plain milk.

As for it going away, ask me in a couple of months - I am worried about it also...

**Becci** · June 5th, 2008, 12:31 PM

I'm a big water drinker and I am only a social drinker when it comes to tea so I don't worry about that. But I love Hot Choc, especially this time of year.
I bought some Jarrah Hot Choc yesterday as it said in all the literature I had that it was good. Only has 3gm (or whatever) of carbs per drink and 15g is a serve so certainly under what your allowed. You make it with boiling water, so no milk to add to the carbs list. It was really nice too.

**snowchickie79** · June 5th, 2008, 02:36 PM

For those people who found out early in PG, what was the reason you were tested, or how did you find out so early. I just had the routine 26wk GTT and that is how I found out. Nothing even mentioned before this that would have prepared me for the result.

Sorry but I'm still shocked and when I woke up this morning was so very much hoping it was all a bad dream.

**Jewel** · June 5th, 2008, 09:48 PM

When I went to the GP for the routine blood tests you get at the start of pregnancy, for some reason he included a random sugar level test.
That was rather high, so I had to go for a fasting one. That wasn't the best either.

I did find out later, when I booked into the hospital, that getting sugar levels tested with the normal pregnancy blood test isn't that common, and that I was lucky that he actually did it.
I wouldn't have called it luck at the time, but thinking back now I can see I was lucky.

I wouldn't have known any different if I didn't have the test. I would have thought everything was going fine. I had no symptoms or anything. It was a complete shock, still is.

Hope it gest better for you, Snowchickie. xx

**Becci** · June 6th, 2008, 05:12 PM

Had my 30 week check up with the dr this morning.
He was happy with my bsl's, which surprised me. i'm meant to keep the fasting ones under 5.5 and they are usually a little higher but not more than 6. He said that was ok and that we will keep monitoring them over then next few weeks. If they stay the same then we can go back to two weekly appointments! Yay! I was really expecting him to put me on insulin as they seems very strict with what was allowed and what wasn't. He said mine might have been that few .points higher because I have a head cold at the moment.
I don't actually see him next week as I will have my app at FMC next friday when I would normally see him, and they will be doing the same checks anyway, so will see him the week after.

So all in all I'm very happy and relieved.

Hope everyone is doing well today.

**kirsten74** · June 7th, 2008, 10:38 AM

I was tested at 15 weeks as I had had GD with my last pregnancy. I think my Ob was convinced that I had preexisting diabetes and wanted to see for himself. I sort of had a suspicion that the GD was back though as I had a case of thrush (never had it before) and was peeing a lot more. It did go away however. I haven't heard of anybody yet who has had it stick around after baby was born. I had my son mid afternoon and by dinnertime that night it had all gone back to normal!
Your Ob will send you for a GTT at 6 weeks post partum which will tell you for sure that it is gone.
Oh yeah and as for the artificial sweetner thing, I had it with all 3 pregnancies and there was no problem. Also to flavour water a bit of diet cordial can make things much tastier!
Good luck with your BSLS.

**Becci** · June 7th, 2008, 05:46 PM

I had a very naughty day today.
it was football and I haven't been to footy since I was diagnosed. All the hot dogs and hot chips were just too much. to top it off I forgot to take my glucometer with me so I couldn't take my bsls. Took itwhen I got home and they were over 8!!! To a very healthy dinner for me, maybe porridge as I have heard that it can help to bring your bsls down (girl at work who has type 2 told me that).

**Jewel** · June 7th, 2008, 06:27 PM

I haven't tried porridge actually.
I did have weetbix this morning for breakfast for the first time, and they did well.

Yum. I'd love a hotdog. lol.
I've had hot chips occasionally. I couldn't help myself. It's hard to resist sometimes.

I hate that breads getcha though. Like white bread and stuff.
That annoys me.

**Becci** · June 8th, 2008, 01:48 PM

Weetbix aren't too bad.
I had porridge this morning, but this time I grated a small fuji apple into it for the sweetness. It wasn't too sweet, and didn't taste too apply, but it wasn't bland either. I added a little cinnamon into it too.
Bsl this morning was 5.2 so happy with that.

**Jewel** · June 8th, 2008, 03:52 PM

Good idea with the apple.
5.2 is gooooooood. Is that after breakfast? or the before breakfast reading?

**Petals** · June 9th, 2008, 12:33 PM

Becci - must have been the weekend for being bad!! I was doing the grocery shopping yesterday, and my trolley was full of all the right foods, I had even found some wholemeal tortillis for soft taco's and some sugarless jelly to have for desert with some low fat / not too much sugar yogurt... and then I wandered down the health food isle, and amoungst all the gulten free buscits that are full of sugar I found the sugar free chocolate!!! Now after 5/6 weeks of being very good about everything I thought it was time for a experiment. So when the mandarine I had planned for afternoon tea just wasn't enough, I ate it and it was surprisingly good, (I had to ignore the fat content printed 3 lines above the 0 sugar line). Dinner was late as it was at the IL's but the reading after dinner was 6.2.

I have had a few hot chips of hubby's a few times, provided I only have a few they are OK as the taste comes from fat not sugar and a little bit of potato is OK.

We had a scan on Saturday, bub's sucked his / her thumb all the way through it. Based on their estimates s/he is 2.5kg and if I go to 40 weeks will be about 3.7kg (around 8 pound) so happy about that, hope the Ob is also, will see him this week.