Wow, that's very very scarey!!!!! There is no way in hell that I'd let them induce me at 34 weeks for 'big baby' and GD...... Too many risks...... Amazing what some Dr's will do isn't it????
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Wow, that's very very scarey!!!!! There is no way in hell that I'd let them induce me at 34 weeks for 'big baby' and GD...... Too many risks...... Amazing what some Dr's will do isn't it????
myson, megan, kellbell, V21 - thank you so much for your kind words and support
snowchickie - oh don't be silly ;) you're far from upsetting me! i can't thank you enough for the information and kind kind words at such "trying" times for me! :grouphug:
34 weeks! i'm freaking out!! but i agree too. it does sound too early. baby may also have to be put in an incubator! from what i understand, my hospital's policy doesnt allow delivering babies under 38 weeks (they'll be transferred to public hospitals), perhaps that's the reason why mine has suggested inducing/caesarean at 38 weeks intead? am not too sure abt it.
so i went to see the endo for the first time 2 days ago and he gave me a choice either tablets (Metformin) or insulin injections. tablets for me, of course ;) i don't know why he gave me 2 options to choose from. from what i heard/read of, tablets are usually not suitable for pregnancies. apparently he said that idea has been outdated and now they're finding tablets are safe for pregnancies. anyway, i found out he's a qualified ob as well so i guess he knows what he's talking about. is all endo a qualified ob too? i've not heard many GD controlling with tablets, either.
so right now i'm on Metformin (1 tablet before bed first 3 days, then increase to 2 tablets before bed). am looking out for any side-effects. will keep you posted :)
Miza
Smudgy, I hope the tablets help you out. Tablets weren't even mentioned to me, I was straight onto insulin injections. My endo isn't an OB, but sometimes I wish he was!
I hope your levels sort themselves out and you're getting a bit more food in! :)
Smudgy im on the metformin that you are taking, now doing the tablets and the insulin. They are a bit nasty to your stomach, make sure you have something to eat when you take them.
My docs say the same as yours that the tablets are quite safe and they like to try them before the insulin.
Hows your food intake going? you eating more?
Let us know how you go on the tablets
Megan - I know! Hehe! My endo is detailed and examines me carefully each time. Unlike my ob (she just had a baby) almost always looks tired and very thorough with me. Oh well.. :p
Kellbell - You're right about the tablets being nasty on the stomach. Thank you for that :)
As soon as I doubled my tablet intake at night, I've diarrhea and bit of nausea. Now its settling in a bit better. As for my BSL readings, tablets doesn't seem to do much for me. I've one 10.4 reading, few 8.0+, some 9.0. Honestly, I'm starting to shake the BSL gadget making sure it's working properly :p Yesterday was the appointment with the endo again and surprise, surprise..he said he's increasing my tablets intake. And when I had to go get a sample of my urine to him, he said to my husband "we might need to put her on insulin later in the pregnancy" :rolleyes::rolleyes: So now I'm doing 1 tablet at breakfast, 2 at dinner and 1 before bed. As of today, it's working fine but we'll have to see how it goes throughout the week.
I went for an appointment with my ob and she said, if I'm being treated with tablets or/and insulin, it's highly likely they'll have to induce me at 38 or 38.5 weeks. Oh dear, there's so much preparations to do before the baby arrives!!
Oh I've a question. I find that if I eat 2 eggs-omelette + cheese + tomatoes + mushrooms, my levels just shoot up crazy! Any idea why? Also, my BSL increase differently when I take the same food at the same time of day. Weird, eh? Does it happen to any of you ladies out there too?
Miza
Smudgy, it's frustrating. One day I do fine with eggs, the next not. Same with bread and rice. I was constantly getting high readings with rice so didn't eat it for ages. One night tried it again and got a 5.5 and then again a few nights later got a 7.5, so maybe it also depends on other things you have had through out the day. I wish there was a magical answer, but there doesn't seem to be!
I know what you mean about shaking the machine to make sure it's working ok! lol Especially this morning when I had a 3.2 fasting level. Took it again and got a 3.6, so it was low but that's strange. I'm rarely under 5.
Me too sometimes i shake that thing too caus i cant believe it. How can it one day be okay and the next day cause it to go high with the same food :wall:
Smudgy dont know about the eggs and such it sounds fine, dont know why it would put it up high. Its a mystery!
I hate the tablets i cant wait to get off them, im being induced in a week at 38 weeks, only one more week of this insulin/tablets stuff. However the insulin really worked for me i was having levels like yours 8.0 - 10.0 now rarely get anything over 6.5.
The girls in my belly buddy thread are talking about having tim tams and milo for breakfast and it made me so jealous! Think i will be in for a big choclatey easter this year.
Hopefully this time next week ill be cuddling my baby!
I hear you on the chocolate Kell. I am due the week after easter and DH is under strict instructions not to forget to buy me something and save it!
hi everyone
hope you don't mind me jumping in but i just got the call to tell me that i have GD. i had my long GTT on wed. i'm only 23 weeks but the last ob i saw referred me straight for the long test. i'm actually totally gutted. at the test i could see that my fasting BS levels were within the normal range (well, i think so - it was under 6) but obviously the other results weren't so good.
they've told me i have to go to a group session on tuesday & then another appt the following tues where they'll be able to decide from my readings during the week whether or not i need insulin. i'm comfortable with the idea of diabetes in general - there's a family history of late onset type 2 on my mum's side & DP's mum has type 1 & so does a close friend. so it's not the testing, eating or potential of insulin that's freaking me out (although would obviously love to avoid the need to inject myself!)...it's just that i had my heart so set on a natural birth and now i feel like the chance is slipping away. i really, really don't want to be induced & would like to avoid a c-sect unless absolutely necessary.
plus i hate group things :lol: i'm so not a joiner!
okay, now i've had my mini meltdown (i figure better than having a sook in the middle of the office!) i'll have to go back & read the rest of this thread.
Hi Sarah, sorry to read about your diagnosis. I was diagnosed at 17wks so it has been a long road and I very much had the same fears as you. To a degree I still do, but I have had to accept that I can only control so much and I just have to stay positive that I can still have the birth that I want.
My Dr is happy to let me go to term (possibly over) to help avoid induction which will then more than likley lead to more intervention. I will have to have extra monitoring from 38wks
As a side note, at the test my fasting levels were within normal ranges as well, but it's the final number they look at after the 2 hours. Mine were 5.4, 10.1 then 8.4. The cut off is 8 at the 2 hour mark.
The initial info sessions I found to be a bit of a pain. I didn't get much out of them as I have an aunty with type 1 so have been exposed to diabetes a lot over the years and it was also a group session with one lady arguing that nothing was wrong with her the whole time.
It might be an idea to chat with your ob/midwife at your next check up to see where they stand in regards to inductions with GD, or extra monitoring etc.. just so you can be informed as early as possible.
thank you megan - that sounds like a good idea re-speaking to the ob at the next visit. i think i'm a bit overwhelmed because i'm going public & now i need to change to a special day at the clinic etc etc.
damn those group sessions! i guess i'll just have to suck it up & live with it! hopefully it's just the one!
if you don't mind me asking - what sort of extra monitoring do you have to have from 38 weeks?
The only group sessions I did was the initial one with the diabetes educator who just explained what GD was and how to test. the next was with the dietician. All others have been individual appts.
Extra monitoring will be by ultrasound and CTG monitoring every couple of days from 38w from what I understand. Will find out more at my next appt in 2 weeks. :)
Hi Ladies,
Sorry to intrude on your thread...don't really belong here!
I had gd with ds1 that I was on 4 high dose insulin shot s a day and was still uncontrolled and was induced @ 37w Noah was born 9pd 4.5 anyway this time i had a couple of 2hr gtt's 1 at 18w and 1 at 28w passed both with flying colours so no gd!!
Anyway my mum is a diabetic so on occasion i've used her test kit to reassure me and yesterday she popped round after work and I had a level of 3.7 about 3hrs before this i had 3rows of caramel filled chocolate, as well as a cheese and bacon roll and had been drinking cordial in the meantime :redface: I actually thought maybe her machine was broken because i felt fine! So although this was reassuring that i don't have gd is it actually possible that my level was so low but i felt fine??? anyone know??
I'm wondering the same thing Jas. I am on insulin at the moment but fasting levels are usually between 4.8-5.3, On wednesday I took my fasting levels and got 3.2, so did them again and got 3.6. I felt perfectly fine and have never had a level that low before. My bedtime insulin dose has been reduced as a result, but I thought I would feel a bit dizzy or shakey or something.
Ah ok! I asked ,my sil this morn who is a nurse and she said yes it was possible but thought i would check in here. So sounds like you can actually feel ok. I must have been having a hypo on tues afternoon was getting ready and got really light headed and got the shakes so had a few jellybeans
Hi Ladies,
Haven't posted in here for a while but have been lurking around!
I just wanted to post my below encounter with an induction due to GD - not all inductions are terrible (and not all GD babies are MASSIVE!) and i truly believe that sometimes all that is posted is the negative stuff - so to help minimise the fear for some of you ladies about induction i hope the below helps!
I read with interest the number of "traumatic" inductions and thought i would post my story. - I had what can only be called a VERY positive Induction.
I had insulin dependent Gest Diabetes from 29 weeks and my OB had told me that he would not let me go to full term and that i would be induced around 38-39 weeks. - After reading many scary stories about the trauma of induction i was not a happy camper and very anxious as to what was going to happen. Anyway below is my encounter with induction...
My ob had told me i would have gels inserted then waters broken the following morning - so I was admitted to hospital on Tuesday 20 Jan at 2pm - first lot of gels were inserted at 3pm and i was put on CTG monitoring for 1 hr - mild contractions had started but nothing to write home about - At 9pm another lot of gels were inserted and i was told by the midwife to get some rest, so DH and i slept from about 10pm. At 12.55am my waters broke on their own!!!! (i couldnt believe it i was so prepared for being put on the drip the following morning at 8am!) - so from 12.55am i was in active labour - the contractions were painful, but bearable, and i laboured in my hospital room until 6.55am when the midwife told me it was time to move to the birth suite - by now the pain was bad but i had an active labour and was coping well (thanks to my DH and my Doula) - got to the birth suite and immediately got in the shower and could already feel the urge to start pushing but was told i was 9cm dilated and had to wait. was in the shower for about 15mins before i couldnt stand anymore from the pain and urge to push and moved to the bed on all fours - by this stage the contractions were on top of each other and i was told i could start pushing. the pain was very full on but i just kept using my visualisation techniques learned and also a bit of gas (the gas did NOTHING to help the pain!) -my OB arrived at 7.50am and my beautiful daughter Ella Grace was born at 8.00am (i pushed for just over 1 hour) on Wednesday 21st January 2009 weighing 7 pounds, 14ounces (3.6kgs - so yes she was "bigger" than average but nothing what i had expected - i thought she'd be about 8.5 pounds!) 50.5cm long, HC 34cm, with no drugs, no tears, cuts or other medical intervention as is so often portrayed with inductions!
I understand that many inductions do not go like mine and i count myself very lucky to have had such a positive experience and i now feel if i go for bub number two and have to be induced again, gels for me were the best way.
I hope my story helps to alay the fears of at least one woman that having GD and having to be induced DOES NOT necessarily mean a "cascade of medical intervention" will follow....
I must also say that having a DOULA was THE BEST investment DH and i could have made as she helped ensure our birth plan was adhered to!
thanks somuch for that Gill. I am facing induction at 38 weeks at this stage. Truly hoping I can go into labour as naturally as possible, maybe with just a little bit of gel as you did. WWell done. ANd what a CUTE pic of your little darling!
thank you as well from me gill! i only just got diagnosed and have been stressing a bit about the thought of induction. that doesn't sound anywhere near as bad as many stories! it's so reassuring to hear of someone who was still able to use the shower & move around :)
congrats on the arrival of ella grace :dance:
Gill, thanks for sharing your experience. :) It gives me more hope to know it can turn out that way in the case of induction.
hi ladies,
i'm glad you all got some 'comfort' from my birth story - having GD doesn't have to mean the end of the world and i truly believe that half the battle is having a really good medical team behind you - my OB was FANTASTIC and let me go to 39 weeks which was way more than what ive read in some birth stories - so just keep remembering that GD and potential induction does not mean that a cascade of intervention will follow!!
Hi all,
I was diagnosed with GD 3 weeks ago and started on insulin today. I've read back a bit through the thread, it's nice to know there are others who know what I'm going through! Feeling a bit sad and sorry right now but I know it's best for bub and I. My obs is aware of the diagnosis and that I've been put on insulin and I'm seeing him Thursday week, I'm just worried that this is leaving it a bit long? Should I be having more regular check ups and ultrasounds now? As all expectant mothers would be I'm feeling very anxious and just want to make sure everything is being done to ensure baby is healthy. Does anyone have any advice they can give about their treatment and how often they had checkups etc? Might help to ease my mind! Looking forward to getting to know some of you.
Kelly
Hi Kelly. you will find there will be extra monitoring etc. Monthly growth scans and weekly ctg's. Also weekly contact with a diabetes educator. But most of it should be fine starting from 32 weeks when you see your OB.
Keep in close contact with your DE though while you are getting your insulin dosage worked out. Even just a phone call every 3 days or so.
and ask any q's you like in here too!
Hi Kelly, In my case I saw my midwife or OB about 3 weeks after I started on insulin. They trusted the endo and diabetes educator who were looking after me to do what they had to do to get it under control. I haven't yet had any extra monitoring, but my OB said I will have CTG monitoring from 38w. I have not had any extra scans - this will probably be from 38w also. He has been happy to let me go as my levels have been controlled.
I would say having your appt next week with your OB will be fine and then you'll be able to get a better idea of how he deals with his GD patients.
Yay Gill!!! Good on you for sharing such a beautiful birth with everyone. You are exactly right in that an induction doesn't have to mean the worst especially if you are prepared for what may lie ahead and have methods to deal with it as it comes.
I am so proud of you.... you are doing exactly what we all need to do.....reassure women that they are capable of birthing their beautiful babes as they dream they will by being educated and well prepared.
Focus on the positive not the negative and work with what you have.....
:clap::clap::clap::clap:
Thanks Clare - and we both know i would never have been as well educated on induction and possible outcomes or had such a wonderful birth experience if it wasn't for your support, knowledge and encouragement!! - You ROCK!! :cheer::cheer::leap:
Thanks for the great birth story, im going in tommorow to be induced and def makes me feel better and more positive about the whole experience :dance:
good luck tomorrow kellbell! :D
i had my group session today & got my testing kit. it wasn't too bad. i feel better now i can test my bs regularly - i feel more reassured!
kellbell, good luck for tomorrow! how exciting! :D
kellbell - best of luck to you tomorrow!! must be really exciting! everything will go well for you :hug: i'm sure!
gill - you're the best! really comforting to hear such positive birthing experience of a gd mum!
kelly - hi kelly welcome to the group! I see my endo every week and my ob every other week. Also a growth ultrasound at 30 weeks and another one at 34 weeks. I suppose by 38 weeks they'll probably do more check-ups on you. But you can give them a call anytime if you're feeling a bit wary of the idea. I think how they're monitoring you now is fine since you're still in the pretty early stage of pregnancy. Good luck with yours!
Jas - you just reminded me of Triple Zero Heroes episode last Sunday. Oh gosh, I hope no one experiences hypo til it affects you physiologically. Always keep jellybeans in ur bag, ok! Hope you're doing fine!
Megan - sounds you've got ur GD under control =)
Saw my endo today for an update. The increased dosage made me vomit once after dinner but now I find that if I take the tablets halfway through my meals the nausea doesn't come too bad. My BSL levels were good for the couple of days after increasing my dosage. Then it slowly goes haywire. I can shoot up to high 8's with only a half bowl of Special K! The only strange thing is that my after-lunch levels are almost always good! And that's the only time I don't take the pills!
Today he increased my dosage once again (now up to 6 pills a day) and introducing another "slow-release" pills to take before bedtime. Ughh!! Also he had carefully mentioned he might get me on insulin later on. :doh:
Anyway, that's the updated story of my GD. It's really wearing me down now at times I feel like gulfing down that bowl of chocolate pudding - it doesn't matter, my numbers are never consistent anyway. But I don't. Well, not yet but I hope I don't!
I'm planning for a baby shower in a little over a week's time. That should keep my mind off this horrible GD stuff. Sigh..
*wondering when i'll be able to see the day my BSL is under control :pray:
Miza
good luck kellbell i'm sure everything will go wonderfully and before you know it you will be holding your little bundle of joy!!
thanks smudgy - yes, im glad my story has helped some ladies - GD doesn't have to mean the end of a wonderful pregnancy journey!!
Gill - Great birthing story and always good to mention the good stories as a GD diagnosis tends to focus on the negatives.. I was prepared for all the "bad stories" of induction and c/sections etc but like yourself I had a labour without intervention, induction or c/section and a perfectly sized bubba to boot!
Kelly - Extra monitoring really does depend. I only saw my Endo twice from 29 weeks till delivery and the rest of the time i had to phone or email in my BSL's and only had to go in if there was a problem, which there wasn't. I didn't have any additional monitoring done. I had my monthly OB appointment till about 35 weeks and then went to fortnightly appointments, then from 36 weeks it was weekly but that was standard practice for my OB so not GD related. It really just does depend on how your GD goes after you have some BSL history to look at and your OB.. Good luck and I'm sure things will feel better in a few weeks.. :)
As there is a few new ladies here I'll just offer my FREEBIE again. I had the Accucheck Performa Glucose Meter and have an unopened box of test strips still sitting here. Completely unopened and in the box still (brown box). If anyone wants them PM me and I'm happy to post them to you.
Gill - Great birthing story and always good to mention the good stories as a GD diagnosis tends to focus on the negatives.. I was prepared for all the "bad stories" of induction and c/sections etc but like yourself I had a labour without intervention, induction or c/section and a perfectly sized bubba to boot!
Kelly - Extra monitoring really does depend. I only saw my Endo twice from 29 weeks till delivery and the rest of the time i had to phone or email in my BSL's and only had to go in if there was a problem, which there wasn't. I didn't have any additional monitoring done. I had my monthly OB appointment till about 34 weeks and then went to fortnightly appointments, then from 36 weeks it was weekly but that was standard practice for my OB so not GD related. It really just does depend on how your GD goes after you have some BSL history to look at and your OB.. Good luck and I'm sure things will feel better in a few weeks.. :)
As there is a few new ladies here I'll just offer my FREEBIE again. I had the Accucheck Performa Glucose Meter and have an unopened box of test strips still sitting here. Completely unopened and in the box still (brown box). If anyone wants them PM me and I'm happy to post them to you.
Thanks everyone for your support it has made me feel alot more relaxed about everything! My levels have still been a bit up and down since being on insulin but I'm sure will settle down. It's so hard being motivated for work with all of this going on! 4 weeks left and counting! Snowchickie I have an accucheck performa so those would be great if on offer! I'm not sure how to PM though so some help would be great :)
Hi KellyC - I just tried to send you a PM but you don't have it enabled on your profile so it won't accept a PM to you. If you select User Profile from the navbar at the top (same one which has Blogs, FAQs, Community etc) then from the left menu select Send New Message. In the To field just type my username and then in the message box you can put your address details and I'll post you the test strips. :)
Hi girls,
I had my baby girl wed the 11th of March at 38 weeks, i think all the positive birth stories must have rubbed off onto me.
I had a beautiful birth, just amazing, very quick post induction with the gel, just used the gas for pain relief. No drips, or being restricted to the bed.
I had my gel at seven in the morning and by the time he came back at lunch time with more gel at hand i was already in labour :dance:
I dilated really quckily and had my baby at six fourteen that night and she was seven pounds six ounces
My baby's sugars were perfect and im off the tablets and insulin. Now ill have to work myself up to get tested again.
Thanks for all the support, was great to hear all the positive stories:lol:
congratulations kellbell! :hooray:
it's so good to hear another positive story :clap:
Congratulations Kellbell :leap::cheer:- i just knew your birth would be another positive induction!! - And of course the fact that your little girl is also named "Ella" must be a sign!!
smudgy - how are you going with the new dose of the pills? hope they're not making you feel too sick.
kellyc - have your levels settled down at all? and i totally hear you on the concentrating on work!! i am counting down and i still have 8 weeks of work left :doh:
hope everyone else is well :)
saw the DE and endo today & they both seemed happy - the DE said i need to exercise more but the endo said he's happy to see me again in two weeks & to keep going trying to control my levels with diet and we can reassess at each appt. he did warn me that by the end it's likely i'll need insulin, esp as i was diagnosed fairly early. but i'd already psyched myself into the possibility i'd need it now, so any extra weeks without needing it are a bonus!
Congratulations KellBell!
SnowChickie I followed your instructions but I don't have the send new message option coming up on the left of the screen! Don't know if it's me doing the wrong thing or if it's really not there!
Sloane that's great you're not on insulin yet, hopefully it won't happen at all and if it does hopefully it'll be a while before you need it!
My levels are still a bit all over the place, some days it's fine then others I have a few high readings. Not massively high but still in the high range. I've been in close contact with my endo though and I see him on Monday so I'll just keep monitoring. Also see obs on Thursday so looking forward to that!
Hope everyone is well :)
kelly - from memory, i think the option for PMs doesn't come up until you have around 50 posts.