Gestational Diabetes General Chatter #4

[snowchickie79]

Welcome Pachamama - Sorry it's not on better circumstances but I was in your exact position. Caught me completely out of left field and wasn't expecting it. I've been testing now for almost 3 weeks and now have a good idea of what is ok for me and not. I can still have the occasional treat but i think as petals said you want to try to be controlled in the first few weeks as your levels now will really be watched by your Dr. I don't have to see my Endo for another 2 weeks and haven't seen him since my initial consult as I've been able to keep steady levels. I'm not on insulin.

The diet can be quite confusing and if you read back you'll find I've posted a few food ideas here that I've had good readings with. It really is trial and error. I found that my normal multigrain (helga's) put my levels over 8.0 (need to stay under 7.0) yet I switched to a Low GI bread and it put me up over 9.0. So after some testing found that the Baker's Delight Wholemeal Vienna bread does not affect me so I can have it for sandwiches, toast, or even with dinner.

Some fruit is good and some is bad. I used to live on watermelon, which is turns out is very high in sugar even though it's a fruit. So watermelon is out. Apples, Pear, Oranges, Kiwi Fruit are all good. Added bonus to this is that strawberries are an "All you can eat" treat. They won't affect your levels so go nuts.

My suggestion is to try finding as many food listing ideas as you can and just see how you go. I did alot of searching online for ideas to try. Try and resit temptation for now until you work out how things affect you. A few weeks ago I had a cupcake and biscuit and a friends' baby shower and was all good, just need to have some and not go overboard.

PM me if you want some URL's for lists of food I've found and I could also scan the list my endo gave me which is really good and brand specific. Tells you foods to avoid, sometimes foods and everyday foods.

A typical day for me (to give you a guide or idea):
Bfast: 2 x weet bix with sultanas and strawberries with milk OR 1/3 cup of porridge with same fruit
Morning Tea: Apple or pear and a cup of tea
Lunch: Salad with tuna and a multigrain wrap OR today I had a cheese/tomato sandwich and a Low GI yoghurt.
Afternoon Tea: 3 or 4 vita weats with phili cream
Dinner: Lean meat with vegies and sweet potato and slice of bread (tonight i got away with sweet potato AND some chips)..

I find I'm good with brown rice which i don't mind eating and used to eat before PG, noodles in stir fry i'm also good with.. I find with dinner i just have a smaller portion and have a big side of vegies and that is all i need.

If you are waking really thirsty then your levels are dropping overnight, i had this, so a cup of warm milk with a teaspoon of milo before bed solves this. I usually also throw in 1 x biscuit (Arnotts Snack Right - little pillows of crust with a filling inside - very yummy and low GI)..

Hope this gives you a start and as I said PM me if you want some URL's to check out.

[Jewel]

Heya, pachamama!
Finding out is a real kick in the teeth. It's such a shock and I know it took me a few weeks to actually get into the swing of things. I was lucky I found out so early.

It takes a little bit to get to know what really works for you.
For me, I can't have pasta, I have snuck in some wholemeal pasta here and there, but It doesn't go that great either. It's all trial and error.
Good luck with that.

I didn't have GD with my first pg and my DS was 7lb 15oz, this time when I have it my OB said the baby will only be slightly bigger then DS was.
Maybe you're just one of those people that have bigger bubbas. I'm not sure sorry. I hope this time around your baby isn't bigger then your first.

xx

[pachamama]

Hi All
Thanks for your moral support and advice. I guess I'll get my head around it all soon enough. I'm only just 28 weeks now and don't get the glucometer until next week at an info session, so I guess that's when it will all get very serious. For now I'm trying to avoid cakes and biscuits...How cruel when you're pregnant and your sense of taste is heightened!!

Petals - Thanks for advice, won't cheat until I can get levels under control. (But won't even know levels until next week.)

Snowchickie79 - Thanks very much for the food advice...I will read back over your previous recommendations and would also really appreciate any links.

Tennykins - I suspect bread isn't going to go very well with me either but I guess as you say it'll be a process of trial and error...Yeah, unfortunately I think I breed them big so really hoping this baby won't be too much bigger. I don't have childbearing hips!!!

Does anyone know if acupuncture is useful for GD?

Thanks! :-)

[Becci]

Welcome Pachamama - you have already received a heap of great advice, so I won't confuse you too much just yet.
As a basic guide you are allowed 2-4 serves of carbohydrate (aim for low sugar carbs) per meal (brekky, lunch and dinner) and 1 for snacks. A serve is 15g of carbs. So you'll be label reading lots int he next few weeks. Or check out CalorieKing.com.au.

I found the best bread for me was TipTop 9 grain bread with wholemeal. But as you can see from the other girls, it's all a matter of trial and error.

the best thing I did was to keep a diary of what I ate, at what time and then what my bsl was afterwards (2 hours). That way I would look back and see what worke for me and what didn't.

My drs app went great. He's very happy with my levels and I don't have to up my insulin at all yet. I don't have to see him for another two weeks. Actually it will be a different dr anyway because he's on holidays for nearly a month.

[pachamama]

Hi Becci
Thanks for the further info...Yeah I've already started reading packets!! So are you already on insulin injections? What's the likelihood of needing them once you have GD?

[Becci]

It all depends in the individual. My after meal bsls are fine, but my fasting bsl is just over the allowed amount. Mean to be under 5.5 and mine is usually closer to 6. So I'm on a tiny dose of Protaphane (6 units) at night. There is not much you can do to bring your fasting bsl down as you sugars have already peaked during the night.

If you do require insulin, please don't stress. Easy to say I know. But the injections don't actually hurt. You feel them, but they are nothing. I hate needles (like most of us I guess), but I'm not having any problem injecting myself at all. I even stuck (clean) needles into my boys (12 &15) because they wanted to feel what it was like and they couldn't feel it either.

It's a pain in the butt, but hopefully I won't need them after bubs is born.

Goodluck with your bsls, and don't hesitate to ask us anything, or to vent, or just share, whatever you need. It's a great bunch of people here.

[Petals]

Hi all

Glad to hear everyone is going well. My BSL's have been pretty good.

I could be away from the PC for a while, my Ob is headed off on holidays, and b/c of the insulin wants to induce me before he goes (ie tommorow night) at 37.5 weeks. I am trying to decide if I do that, or take my chances with whoever his relief is bearing in mind that I could be in the same position in another week with an Ob I don't know.

So I will either post baby news when I get back home and have 5 mins for the computer or will be chatting with you over the next few days.

Pascha - according to the litriture only 10-15% of GD girls need insulin.

[Jewel]

Good luck with the decision, Petals.
They say babies are fullterm 37+ weeks.

[Becci]

Petals - Thinking of you possum.

[Becci]

Hmmmm nothing from Petals. Maybe she's had bubs?

[Becci]

I have been quite naughty lately. Not so much with what I have been eating, more so with skipping meals and forgetting to take my bsls during the day. I always take my fasting ones (which are the one's I have trouble with) and my bedtime one so I can take my insulin. But I get too busy during the day and forget to eat and then forget to take my bsl.
So my aim for the next however long is to eat regularly and remember to take my bsl.

[Jewel]

I'm not sure how Petals got on.
Either way I hope everything is going great for her and the baby.

Becci - Somedays I get like that.. and it puts me right out of whack with when I test during the daytime. I always do the before breakfast test and however I feel for the rest of the day depends on when I test next. Lol. I usually test after breakfast, or before lunch mostly. Sometimes after lunch or before dinner aswell. Most the time it's twice. I can't stay awake that long to get the night one, so that's why I just do it every morning. lol.

I had this new nurse lady today take my BP, test my urine, and do my weight, etc etc.
I was so happy I'd only put on 7kgs all pg, aswell as losing some at the start, but she put a damper on that one.
Also how I'd actually controlled this with diet the whole time since finding out at 10weeks too. I'm happy and pleased with myself, but she didn't seem very supportive about that either. I was like "whoa. wtf?"
I was shocked. Way to go, lady.

[Becci]

That's excellent news Tenny!
Some people just have no bedside manner and have no idea how what they say makes us feel.
Forget about her darl, I think your doing wonderful!
I don't know how I would cope having to deal with it for that long.

Wow! Only 3 weeks to go for you now! Have they mentioned anything about an induction to you?

[Jewel]

Thanks Becci.
And to think she was a midwife too... I'd hate to have her around when I had a baby if she's going to put you down, but in a nice way (which I think is worse)
xx

I haven't had anything mentioned about an induction lately.
The other week my OB said if my levels did rise in the end, the earliest he'd induce was 38weeks, but they're still going pretty well.
Maybe if my OB wasn't going away for 2 weeks, then he may have said more about it. I'm not sure.
If I make it to my due date he'll be back and if I haven't gone beforehand by myself, then I think he'll induce me. Just have to wait and see I guess.
I don't think I'll make it to my due date, but you never know.

What about you? Any mention of induction for you?

[Becci]

I see my GP at home and also an Ob at the hospital (an hour away). The Ob said he will induce me at 38/39 weeks as he's worried about the size of bubs. My ds was 8lb 3oz and as far as I know I didn't have GD so he thinks this one will be big too.
My GP is also away for a few weeks atm. He will be back before they want to induce me though. So I will be seeing a new GP while my regular one is away.

[Jewel]

My DS was 7lb 15oz. My Ob thinks this baby will be a little bigger then that, so I'm hoping he's right. Lol.
The u/s I had last week didn't show an overly huge baby, so that's a good sign too.

I hope your baby isn't too big.
Have you had/are you having any u/s soon?

[snowchickie79]

Hi Ladies,

Getting a little quiet in here.

No news from Petals??? Hopefully bub has arrived and we'll hear shortly.

Not much new here. My BSL's are all fine and staying under 6 which my OB is happy with. I even did my fasting BSL out of curiosity the other morning (Endo hasn't asked me to do this but as everyone else does i was curious) and my fasting level was 3.8

I've still got swelling in my lower legs but the pain isn't as bad now unless i knock my leg or something.

Does anyone have any suggestions for making sweet potatoe a little more exciting??

I have my baby shower this coming Sunday and Endo said I don't have to test that day so looking forward to lamingtons... I test made these last weekend and they are SSOOOOOO nice. I've been desperately trying to resist eating them all week and hubby is trying to finish them off as fast as he can as there were about 40 of them.. I've snuck in 1 or 2 in my afternoon snack with a piece of fruit and hasn't done much at all so that was nice. They are only bite size ones, not the normal massive size you get at the shops..

[Jewel]

Yeah, it's really quiet in here. I feel like I've seen all these people come and go from this section but I've been here forever. It feels like it's never ending sometimes. Lol.

Great to hear all your levels are going great! All mine have been under 6, with an occasionally 6.0 in there.
Sorry, I don't really eat sweet potato. No ideas for you.
Is the swelling in your legs just from fluid? I've been lucky not to get any swelling this pg. I got a fair bit with my DS though.

Yay! Your baby shower. I hope it all goes well and you have a fantastic shower!!!!!!!!