Belfie - congrats on the birth of Xander, he is a cutie!! We were a bit the same with feeding in the first week, topping up with formula, but it all worked out in the end.
Pollyanna - hope that you are getting some better answers now and everything is OK. Hopefully once the UTI passes then you can have a more relaxed few weeks before bub's comes.
KGB - congrats on the girl, great name too!
Hi everyone else.
Thomas had his 3 month check up last week - he is 6.1kgs, 59.5cms and is getting close to sleeping through (goes from 11pm to about 5.30am at the moment!).
Hello
I am new to this thread and i am hoping that you may be able to help or at least give some advice.
I had been diagnoised with Gestational Diabetes last week as they were not able to do the Glucose tolerance Test (3 hour test) as my fasting level was extremely high so i was diagnoised on the spot. Then on Thursday i went for my weekly check and i was put on insulin straight away as my levels were all over the place but my fasting levels were to high.
I am now scared as i have 8 weeks to go and so stressed taht i am going to have a huge baby. Thi sis my second child and i didnt have any of this except for preclampsia. None of my family have had it either and i am confused to why it has happened to me. My levels since taking the insulin throughout the day are appearing to be pretty good and on target but after 3 mornings my fasting levels are still high. I am seeing some doctors on Tuesday and hopefully i will get more info by then but i am just over whelmed with the whole thing and needed to vent to people who understand cause as much as my husband is really supportive i don't think he gets it.
Thanks for listening
Tracy
Tracy - It's very scary when you're first diagnosed. But firstly, there is nothing you could have done to prevent GD. It's just one of those things. Not sure what the drs have told you or what you already know so please excuse me if I'm telling you stuff you have already heard.
There is a hormone that your placenta noramlly produces that inhibits the effects of your natural insulin. This is all normal, but it effects some more than others.
I was put on protaphane at night to help with my fasting levels (the ones that were affecting me) and in the last two weeks I was on novorapid with dinner).
Most of us have found insulin to suck the big one, but I have said a few times to look at it as medicine for bubs. It certainly helped me looking at it like that.
It isn't uncommon to have a big baby with GD, but it is not a given. You may be sent for sizing scans (just like a normal u/s but they take different measurements and guesimate the size), but these scans can be up to 20% out. I had a scan with Ethan (who is now 10 weeks old) at 36 weeks and he was measuring 8lb 3oz then. So was looking at being about 9lb full term. I was induced at 38 weeks because of their concerns. The drs recommended an epidural due to the higher risk of a c-section (my previous labor being induced and forceps - he was 8lb 3oz, this one being induced and GD babies are more at risk of needing a c/s). Well when the time came my labor lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, no time for an epi and he was only 7lb 10oz. So yes ther is a bigger risk of having a big bubs, but it's not always the case.
Not sure what else you want to know atm. Reading through our previous threads might help. Butu feel free to ask us anything. There are no stupid questions, most of us have already asked them at some stage anyway.
Hey, Trac.
Sorry to hear you've got GD. It is very overwhelming. As Becci said there isn't anything you can do to prevent it. Some people just get it.
I hope your bubbba isn't really huge. We all probably had those same thoughts too when we found out. I know I did. I was so worried he'd be so massive and I wouldn't be able to have him naturally.
This is a great thread and we're all here to support you and answer any questions you have as best we can. I know what you mean about your DH, my DP was supportive mostly but I don't think he fully understood as he has never had to constantly think about food, levels and all that jazz all the time.
Big hugs
Good luck with your appointment. I hope the last 8 weeks fly by and you'll be holding your bubba in your arms in no time.
Welcome Tracy, I am sorry you have been diagnosed with GD. This is my 2nd pregnancy and I was diagnosed with GD about a month ago. I was never tested with my 1st pregnancy so not sure if I had it then or not. Like you I failed my fasting level and was not able to do the 2 hr GTT but they wanted to try again a week later and that time I was able to have it. However I was diagnosed with GD. Like the others have said, this is a great thread and ask as many questions as you need. I am still fairly new to it all as well so I am still learning but the girls have been great in helping me understand what is going on. I too understand about DH not fully understanding. Like Tennykins said they are supportive but don't know what it is like to constantly think about what foods you can or cant eat and about testing your bsl's at the right time.
Well I am managing my GD with diet alone still so far They have now told me that I can just check my bsl's every 2nd day if I want to. I am still finding myself testing though. Yesterday was the first day I didn't test and had a bit of a blow out with the food, I know it is naughty but my GD educator told every now and then wont hurt and I have been soooo good and strict on myself for the last month.
Well only 3 wks from tomorrow and I will be holding my bubba (my caesar booked for 3rd nov. Got to have a caesar but not due to GD). Cant wait for all this testing business to be over. I am still scared it wont go away after bubs is born though. I haven't had any sizing scans so have no idea how big my baby will be. I feel bigger with this pregnancy but I was also heavier to start off with. When they measure my tummy at my appointments it is measuring right on target which I guess is a good thing!!!
Thanks Becci reading your story about not having an overly huge baby has helped. It is also a relief to see that you were abole to have a natural birth also as a c/s has been a concern for me as i really want a natural like i did with my last baby.
Thanks Tennykins i must admit it is nice to know other people have been through this. Not one of my friends or family have had GD before so it is really hard to understand what is happening.
Leigh the hard thing with my DH is that he hasn't been able to attend any appointments with me so he is only hearing what i tell him and we all know what men are sometimes like if their wives are telling them they only seem to believe half of the info rather than if he was hearing it from the diabetes educator or obs he would understand more. What makes it hard also is that his ex had no problems with there pregnancy so that is what he knows easy pregnancies.
Well i had my appointment yesterday both with the Ob and Diabetes Professor and they have increased my insulin to nearly double the amount as my levels are still all over the place. My fundas height is 36 weeks when i am only 32+2 weeks, so they are sending me for a growth scan on Monday...i am keeping my fingers crossed that alot of it is fluid. As i am on insulin they seem to think that they may indcue me at 38 weeks but i guess i will know more the closer it gets.
Quick question when any of you were or are on insulin did you find that you are extremely tired and very lightheaded when your numbers were not on target? Does anyone know if stress can elevate your levels? Does anyone have diabetes meal plan that you may have used that also helped with reducing levels?
Thank you everyone for listening to me, it is nice to know you are all out there.
Trac - Glad to see your feeling better.
I didn't know anyone with GD either, but my good friend is Type 1 and my mum is Type 2 9last couple of years) so at least I could talk to them.
I was measuring bigger too (but I am overweight but dr didn't take that into consideration). GD pregancies tend to have lots more fluid too.
Tiredness and lightheadedness could mean low numbers. When you feel like this take your levels and see. If they are low follow your hypo plan.
Yes stress can affect your results, so can illness (usually infections though).
Apparently exercise can help your levels but I found it too hard to walk too far when I was heavily pg so can't comment there.
Trac - My DH can't attend any of my appointments either so only knows of what I tell him. So I totally understand
I don't know anyone who has had GD either so I kind've feel alone not being able to talk to anyone who has gone through it. Thank god for you girls.
Had a check up at the hospital yesterday. My fundal height has always measured right on target but when the Ob measured yesterday he said I was measuring around 39 wks. I was thinking omg what a big baby. They wont send me for sizing scans coz I have to have a caesar anyway. I was hoping to go for a scan (just so I could see my bubba again). I saw a midwife after I saw the ob and she measured me again and she only measured 37wks so I dont know which one is correct.
Well only 2 1/2 wks til I meet my little bubba and hopefully stop testing for GD :dance
Hi Everyone
Becci - in regards to the hypo that is what i thought too but the problem is that my levels are usually high when this is happening. I spoke to Diabetes Professor and he seemed to just flob it off and not be overly concerned. I have to call the diabetes educator tomorrow about my levels over the past couple of days since they have increased the insulin. I have a funny feeling that they are going to increase it again as numbers are still not stable and i have not had a fasting level on target as of yet. I am with you Becci it is to hard to exercise being this pregnant, as the pain in just unbearable so it isn't worth it. The diabetes educator suggests chair excerises but didn't really go into it so can anyone else suggest any?
Leigh - not long now, bet the worst thing is the waiting time knowing that it is so close until you get to hold your precious baby. So are you organised with everything for when bub gets home? In regards to Dh's it is really hard for them to understand the whole concept as much as they try. Not many books tell them about the pain and being uncomfortable let alone the information that we gain from our doctors, OB, midwives and diabete educators. I think they try to understand but just don't get it. My other problem is that my DH will not read anything and that also makes it hard.
Looking forward to talking to you all soon
trac, you will definitely feel tired light headed and generally off with high sugar levels. this is for a couple of reasons...one is that your kidneys are madly trying to flush all the excess out and all the extra weeing makes you a tad dehydrated.....plus when you dont have enough insulin to metabolise the sugar it cant get from the bloodstream to the muscle cells and other body cells where it is needed for energy...hence your blood sugar is high but your body cells may actually be quite low in sugar so you feel tired and lacking in energy.
your professor is prolly not conecerned as this is a common occurenec for diabetics and sometimes they forget that gestational D's are new to all this information.
but in any case what you are feeling is perfectly normal if your levels are out of whack...unfortunately the only real advice i can give is that you have to just ride with it and get lots of water - even more so than normal cos your kidneys will be flushing a lot out - and rest.
One of the back copies of diabetic living had some great chair exercises aimed at older people with type2 but would probably be ideal for your situation...i will try and find them and post back for you....
Have you looked at any of the low GI books for diet tips...don't want to reinvent the wheel if your DE has already covered this but low GI is the way to go at this stage...
Trac, good luck with the high levels, and sorry to hear you've got GD. I saw your post in the m/c thread so glad to see you found this thread too. I won't add anything to the suggestions from melbel & the others (they're a wise lot!) but re being induced at 38 weeks I have a comment to add. I was told that it was hospital policy to induce at 38 weeks for any insulin dependant mums (which freaked me out a little). However, in the end, it seems to vary a bit by hospital & obstetrician, so I didn't need to panic after all. I discussed it with my obs and he was happy to negotiate, but did say that the more insulin I ended up on, the keener he would be for me to be induced earlier. In the end I was induced at 39 weeks exactly (was going to be 38+5 but got delayed) and bubs was born at 39+1 (weight 7lb 7oz) and I was happy with both the birth and his weight/condition at birth. I'd definitely be talking to your hossie/obs to see what they're suggesting/thinking. So saying, they might hedge their bets a bit to see how you're going too (re blood pressure, size etc).
Oh and as for meal plans, the diabetes NSW have a good PDF of a GD meal plan - I posted it further back in this thread (sorry I won't go back & fish out it as my little fella is waking for a feed).
Leigh26 - that's awesome, not long to go now! Can't wait to hear your announcement
Hi to everyone else I hope you're all doing well.
Cheers,
Belfie.
Melbel - That makes so much sense about high levels. I must say that when my levels are around the 7 - 8 mark i feel like utter crap, but with the tiredness it is becoming all the time so i think that is more to do with the pregnancy and the stage i am at.
Belfie - Thanks i plan on talking to them at the hospital next Tuesday so then i know what the plan maybe in regards to the induction and if they will do it 2 weeks early.
AFM - Well i had my growth scan yesterday..... bub is measuring at 5pd 9oz and should be around 4pd 11oz. So they are saying that bub is the size of a 35 week old bub rather than a 33 week, so 2 weeks isn't bad i guess. I was absolutely amazed witht eh ultrasound as they were able to do it in 4D, we got some pictures showing the profile of bub's head, it's hand and foot near it's face (very cute...must be growing a circus bubba). DD is so excited now that she has been able to see a bubba in my tummy rather than just a black and white skeleton. I could already see that i think bub is going to be similar to my DD as bub's forehead was that perfect round head just like she had when she was born. Bub is still in a breach position but has not engaged bum down yet, so hopefully it will turn soon. Like i said to my DH last night why wouldn't it be breach everything else is happenig with this bub at the moment. as for my GD they have increased my insulin again to 22 units in the morning and 30 units in the evening. I am really crossing fingers that this will help stabilise my levels as they are still all over the place, but i guess it is just the waiting game now. Still in shock that my bub could be here in 5 weeks and if not it is only 7weeks away...WOW where has time gone.
I hope everyone is well and taking care of themselves
welcome Trac - a few pointers try not to stress or panic you are doing great. Your insulin amounts may seem very high but they aren't to bad. Try and stick to low gi foods, eat at the same times helps stops hypos. So for me i would eat breakfast at 8am do my glucose at 10 then have a snack. Eat at 12, test at 2, snack at 3 and then dinner at 6, test at 8 and snack at about 9ish.
As your insulin goes up you could find that your glucose levels can drop really fast - i use to have alot of hypos around 5:30 and especially if i didn't eat at 6pm. Keep your jelly beans handy. i had a pack beside my bed, in my hand bag and a stash in the kitchen. Oh a bottle or two of lucoaid i think it was in the pantry. They bounce you back pretty fast.
If you google low gi recepies or diabetic recepies there is alot that of receipes etc. Its all trail and error though. Dispite being on high insulin etc i still ate birthday cake if it was a family birthday etc. I would jsut put a note down and only have one piece or half a piece.
Oh and i would recommend reading back all the posts in this thread. There will be more pointers there, stories etc. I think somewhere there i posted a long long post about my journey. To give you an idea at what insulin amounts i was on at 33 weeks here they are:- 18 before breakfast, 20 before lunch, 22 units before dinner of novorapid & 54 of Protaphane before bed. I also had a problem with my fasting which brought me on the GD journey in the first place in my last pregnancy with Isaac. This pregnancy i am nearly 22 weeks pregnant with twins and it was so far so good.
Good luck and lots of hugs, i know you can do it.
Ladies - well i've checked my fasting levels a couple of times since my last glocuse test. They were really good being around 4.5 - 5. The last two times they have been close to 6 which isn't a good sign. I thought i had won but doesn't look that way. I was doing so well. Oh well i have another glucose test at 26 weeks which is just over 4 weeks away. I may have to do it sooner if it keeps climbing.
Angel
Last edited by angelraelz; October 24th, 2008 at 08:23 AM.
Well, I was booked into have my caesar tomorrow (at 38 wks) but I end up going into labour last Sunday 26/10/08. I have a new baby girl, Lara Jade. She was 2.7 kg so GD doesn't always make your baby bigger. At my 35 wk check up I was measuring 39 wks (when the dr measured the fundal height with the tape measure) so I was expecting a big baby, plus everyone was telling me I was huge. She is so tiny and is only 42 cm long.
Lara spent the first 24 hrs in special care just so they could monitor her sugar levels, they were fine. The midwives also checked my sugar levels for the first 3 days too. Mine were great. I was even eating junk coz my visitors bought me chocolates etc.
Leigh26 - congrats on the arrival of Lara I think it's great you've said about the size, as lots of people get told bubba will be big when it won't necessarily. That's interesting re checking your BSL's and great to hear that they were good. My endo told me not to bother after birth, and none of the middies made me check it either (i've checked it once out of curiosity at home).
Angelraez - gosh it's been quiet in here hasn't it. All the best for your next test, I'm crossing my fingers for you.
Trac73 - I hope you're going ok, it can be hard getting used to the changes to start with. Plus it goes through stages of "activity" in here depending on how many people currently have GD! But there's always people to answer any questions/support.
melbel, snowchickie, becci - hiya to you all, I hope you're all going well.
I haven't had my follow-up test yet, but i've been feeling fine which I assume is a good sign. I tried to give my dad the rest of my packets of unused lancets and testing strips but he wouldn't take them - saying I should keep them till after my next GTT. Hmmph I'm sure it'll be fine so I wasn't impressed when he was worried. I guess that's what Dad's do though! My little fella is going great - he'd gained a whole kilo on his birthweight by 4 weeks so that was great. Breastfeeding is a challenge which varies by the day/hour but we're hanging in there.
Wow it is very quiet in here but that is also good that maybe not many people are suffering from gestational diabetes...how lucky!!!
Well just a quick update they have increasedmy insulin again which is a little frustrating as i am now wondering when it will ever stop being increased. I also had my first HYPO yesterday which was a little scary as my level had dropped to 3.6, but after a drink of juice and a sandwich within half an hour i had my level back up to 6.0. which i thought was good. It did take alot out of me as i was tired afterwards and had a headaches. Trust it to happen yesterday i had so much to do as it was my DH birthday but in the end i had everything orgainsed as we had family over for dinner. Well i have another growth scan on Monday to see what bub is up to (GROWING BIG I CAN FEEL IT). Then on Tuesday i have my appointments with both the diabetes doctor and OB's so i think that they will then make a decision on when i will be having bub. I think it will be in about 3 weeks at 38th week rather than 40 weeks. I also think the decision will be made whether i can have a natural induction or need a c/s due to bub's size.
Well i hope everyone else is well. Take Care and look forward to hearing from you all soon.
Trac
Hey everyone.
I hope you're all going fantastically!
Leigh - Congratulations on your little princess!!! What a cute name. I'm glad her BSL's were fine and everything is great.
The first thing I thought of when I found out about the whole diabetes dealio was that I'd have a massive baby. Lol. I generally make bigger babies anyways mostly due to my DP and his build/height, etc.
Belfie - Go your little man's weight gain. That's fantastic! My bubbablue is a chubba. Hehe. He's going great too. I think that is what Dad's do too, even though it does put a damper on things alot of the time.
Trac - Good luck with your scan! I hope it all goes great! Are you hoping for a natural birth or doesn't it matter? I hope you get the outcome you want.
Angel - your next test comes back alright.
I really need to get my motivation back that I had while I was pg - re: eating, exercising, etc.
They have now told me that I can just check my bsl's every 2nd day if I want to. I am still finding myself testing though. Yesterday was the first day I didn't test and had a bit of a blow out with the food, I know it is naughty but my GD educator told every now and then wont hurt and I have been soooo good and strict on myself for the last month. 
I have to call the diabetes educator tomorrow about my levels over the past couple of days since they have increased the insulin. I have a funny feeling that they are going to increase it again as numbers are still not stable and i have not had a fasting level on target as of yet. I am with you Becci it is to hard to exercise being this pregnant, as the pain in just unbearable so it isn't worth it. The diabetes educator suggests chair excerises but didn't really go into it so can anyone else suggest any?
I hope you're all doing well. 
I think it's great you've said about the size, as lots of people get told bubba will be big when it won't necessarily. That's interesting re checking your BSL's and great to hear that they were good. My endo told me not to bother after birth, and none of the middies made me check it either (i've checked it once out of curiosity at home). 
your next test comes back alright.
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