Anyone else Gestational Diabetic or curious about it?

Hello All!

My name is Kelli and I am a gestional diabetic pregnant with my third child. I have once again become diabetic again, this time from very early pregnancy.

My diabetes is controlled with diet and insulin.

Please come and join me here for chat and support - I am also open to any questions about glucose tolerance testing and gestational diabetes as this is round three for me!!

Feel free to pm me if you don't want to leave a message here!

Best wishes and I hope to hear from you soon!

Seeya

Hi Kelli,

My DH is worried that I will get gestational diabetes if I drink soft drink or cordial because of the sugar. I know a little bit about type 1 & and type 2 diabetes but nothing about gestational diabetes.

Can you give us an insight on how or why it occurs?

Thanks in advance.

Gemma.

Hi Gemma

Rest assured, that unless you are drinking gallons of cordial or softdrink, it will not (alone) cause you to become gestational diabetic!

As far as I know, gestational diabetes is caused by conflicting hormones. The placenta releases a hormone that inhibits insulin - which can cause increased blood sugars.

If you have a family history of diabetes, are overweight, previously gestational diabetic etc you have an increased risk of being a gestational diabetic. It also increases your lifetime risk of being a diabetic.

It tends to develop after 20 weeks of pregnancy and a glucose tolerance test is now a fairly routine blood test taken at around 28 weeks gestation. It can start earlier in pregnancy, and I am suffering this phenomenon!!

The symptoms of gestational diabetes are similar to those of "normal" diabetes - they include extreme tiredness, excessive thirst, increased need to pass urine etc. These are just a few of the common ones. A doctor can also test urine for traces of glucose also when they do their usual urine tests each antenatal visit.

Please contact your health care provider for a more comprehensive run down and if you have any more general questions (that I know about!), I am happy to answer them.

Just for information's sake, I wasn't detected to be gestational diabetic until around 29 weeks with my first pregnancy, I was testing myself from early pregnancy with #2 and was diabetic from 14 weeks with him, and diabetic from very early pregnancy this time round, but I was still a tad glucose intolerant from my last pregnancy (which means that my levels were on the higher side of normal, but not fully classified as diabetic).

Hope this helps!

Best wishes

Hi Kelli

Have to say that you have brilliant timing with this post!

I just had my OB appt this morning, I did a GCT last week and it came back 10.3, so I have to have the GTT next week, probably late in the week though. He wants the results back by my next OB appt.

I did have GD with my first PG, but it wasnt diagnosed until about 32w, and it was only a few weeks later that I was hospitalised and ended up with an emergency c/s as I developed toxemia/pre-eclampsia, which is my greatest fear that I will end up there again.

Is it true that you are more likely to develop toxemia/pre-eclampsia if you have GD?

According to my OB, he said that if I fail the GTT, then he will send me to a diabetes educator so that they can show me how to test my levels, he didnt mention insulin, and I hate needles.

At this stage he is planning on delivering my baby just over 2w earlier but has said that he will see what my 30w u/s is like and may take it even earlier depending on how much I can control my b/s levels and everything else.

I am quietly having a panic attack, definitely do not want to have to be hospitalised any earlier and do not want to develop other complications.

Hey Fletch - yep!! All signs of being pregnant lol! That's how so many people go undiagnosed!! Couple this with being pregnant durin summer...... ](*,)

Dinky - ooer! Was 10.3 fasting or a random glucose?? Good luck with the GTT. I think you are more likely to develop pre-eclampsia with GD - something else I had with my first 2 kids and my blood pressure is already high this time round. Luckily I have naturally delivered my kids but they were induced (Cairenn at 38 weeks, Liam at 36w 6d).

Guys, please don't panic about the needles. I inject myself 4 times per day and the needles are super super fine. My doctor said that if you feel more than a mosquito bite, you are doing it wrong!! I also test my bsl atleast 11 times per day so I am well and truly not afraid of needles now! I also find that the "pen" style needles are much easier and less painful than the 1ml syringes. If you are interested in the name of the pen type, please let me know and I will tell you what they are!!

Hey, really, I do know where you are coming from, but once you put it in the perspective of the health of your unborn child and your own health, you soon will feel strong and capable!!

I hope this helps - I am off to Perth for a week so please leave a message here for me and I will get back to you asap!

Best wishes and please do not worry yourselves!

Seeya

I have yet to find out the results of my glucose test (will hopefully see my GP Friday or Monday) but I have a feeling that the results might show my blood sugar to be high.
I am overweight and my Mum has type 2 diabetes (so it's in the family genes) so I have that against me. I also have a history of high blood pressure.
I haven't, however, been excessively tired or thirsty and I think I do pretty well with needing to go to the loo compared to some preggy women. So I guess I will wait and see!!
As far as pre-eclampsia goes, I haven't had any fluid retention at all (which is surprising but I am not complaining).

Great idea for a topic Kell. This is the 2nd time I have had GD - last had it with my 3rd child. The first time though I had never heard about it and didn't have a support forum like this to gather infomation or express my fears etc. Diabetes (Type 2) runs in my family on both sides so I knew a bit about that generally, but it still was a bit daunting. The first time I was diagnosed my levels were just above normal, this time they were extremely high. I went in for the hourly test, did my sample wee in the cup which showed my levels as high. After a phone call to my doctor, it was agreed that they jusy go a standard blood test to test my levels as the path lady didn't feel comfortable giving me the glucose. Turned out she was right and based on the tests I was diagnosed again. I am seeing the dietician at the hospital next week and since I have had to wait a while am lucky that I can test my sugar levels at my dad's.
Since diabetes runs in my family, I have always had a low sugar diet and both my brother and I test our levels periodically.

Hi

Well, I got the results of my GTT, not good news, definitely have GD!

I am off to the hospital today to have a long session with the diabetes educator, which is a pain, since I already know most of the stuff anyway, my mum was diabetic for years. But I have been told that I have to go and see them, just so that I know what to do, and since it will be at the same hospital that I will be having bubs then they will have records of it.

I have also developed really itchy legs, which is something to do with fluid retention, fingers crossed that they will be nice today and not give me too much of a hard time. I hate needles. Yuk!

Will let you know how I get on today, not sure what the plan is though for treatment, guess I will find out soon enough.

Good luck with your appointment today Dinky. Hope all goes well. I saw an educator with my first pregnancy but manage my diabetes by myself now (along with my ob).

I have found that eating small amounts regularly every couple of hours helps to maintain bsl. If I don't, my liver kicks in and my bsl goes up!

I usually snack on vitawheats or something like that. Pretty plain!

Oh, and the things that make my bsl go sky high are bread, rice, potato and pretty much anything that is highly processed (like cakes!!).

Please ask away if you have any questions!

Seeya

Kelli

My appt with the educator was amazing. She was so nice and didnt start the usual 'you cant have this and that' which is what most of them usually do.

She gave me a whole kit of stuff on loan, and we did one test while I was there, which was only 5.8, so that is okay.

She did look at my diet a lot though, and considering that I have a lap band it makes snacking very hard, I can usually only have 3 meals a day, and small ones at that. I apparently need more fibre in my diet, so will have to find ways to do that,

I have just had a sandwich for lunch, well, a while ago now, so I just have to wait now until 3pm for my next test, the first one by myself.

At this stage we are just going to try diet changes, and if that works fine, but if not then we have to look at other options, so I am hoping that I dont have to go there.

I am sure that I will have heaps of questions over the next few days/weeks, thanks so much for your help.

Dinky

SOooooo glad your visit went well.

From now on it's pretty much a "suck it and see" trip for you. You will have to try different foods to see how they affect your blood sugar, and different foods affect people in different ways!!

A great book to read is "The New Glucose Revolutio" as it helps make lifestyle changes for the long term!!

Best of luck and fire away with your questions!

btw - 5.8 is GREAT!!!!

Kelli

Thank you so much for your help.

I have done a full day of bsl, 5.8 after brekkie, 4.8 after lunch and 8.1 after dinner.

I am a little confused with the after dinner test, I know that I was told to wait 2 hours after dinner, which I did, but I forgot that I usually have a Horlicks or drink about an hour after dinner, should I wait for 2 hours after the drink or just after the meal?

It took ages to get my fingers to bleed for this mornings test, eventually my dad came to the rescue and did it for me, but it was still a little hard, was 5.8 again, so that isnt too bad.

Is there certain things that you cant have? I bought some diet cordial today that has a really low sugar content, so hopefully that will be okay. I am finding that I am a lot thirstier than usual now, but as I gag on plain water, I am finding it hard to think of things to drink. Is it okay to have tinned fruit in natural juice? I cant eat normal fruit and tinned is usually okay for me.

sorry to bombard you with questions, just a little confused.

Ask away....I don't mind at all!

Fruits have different rates at which they turn to sugar. I think the best ones for diabetics are apples, pears, bananas, oranges etc and the worst melons, mango (ie all my faves!!). With regard to tinned fruit, it depends on how much it is processed - ie the more a food is processed, the easier it is for your body to turn it to sugar! You'll have to try it and see!

The cordial should be fine - as long as you don't drink gallons of it!

You should do your post dinner bsl after your horlicks drink or other drink you consume. Milk readily turns to sugar so will make your bsl go high again. What did you eat for dinner (if you don't mind me asking!).

The best way to get your finger to bleed is to warm your hands first, then shake them and rub towards your finger tip to encourage the blood there. Are you doing the ***** on the sides of your fingers (ie not the finger tip). It hurts less and will mean you don't get bruises on the tips of your fingers which will hurt when you go to do stuff!!

Poor old Kel has very hard skin on her fingers now from so many bsl's!!

Oh - and what was your waking bsl (ie do one before you eat your brekky) - that is the most important one.

Hope this helps

Seeya

Kelli

You are a life saver.

Thank you so much!

I will be careful with the amount of cordial that I have, thanks for that.

I thought I might have made a mistake with having the Horlicks and then testing an hour later, I will learn all of this eventually, I hope. Last night I had an egg and a slice of bacon, probably shouldnt have, but my dad cooked it so I couldnt refuse. Tonight I am having curried sausages with rice. So let me see if I have this right, I should wait 2 hours after my drink before testing?

I think I will have to warm my fingers a lot more, considering its so cold here today, maybe thats the problem. I was told that I have to wash my hands first before testing, so maybe I will use warmer water or something.

I wasnt told to do a waking bsl, I was only told to do them 3 times a day 2 hrs after meals.

Thank you so much, you have been the greatest help!

Gee, that's interesting that you don't have to do one on waking - that's the one that's always out of whack for me. Oh well, you can only do what you're told!!

Eating protein (like egg and bacon) is really good for your bsl. It will hardly touch it!! So, I reckon it was definately the drink!

Yes - do the bsl 2 hours post your drink.

See how you go with the rice - many people it's ok, but not for me!!

The salad and meat is a great thing to eat - that will also have very little effect on your bsl.

Best of luck

Hi

Just saw this great post after already putting mine up so I'm repeating myself but I have a few more Q's

Hi there

Anyone out there been diagnosed with gestational diabetes?

I had my first Glucose tolerance test and it came back that I had slightly high blood sugar levels. I now need to go and have a second test. It runs in the family both Type1 and 2.

1. Just wondering what the chances are that I will be diagnosed with having gestational diabetes, has anyone had a high reading the first time and ok the second?

2. I am trying to improve my diet and exercise levels but don't really know where to start except cut out obvious sugar foods and exercise about 30 mins a day. Any other suggestions?

3. If I have GD could their be any problems with the baby in the first 28 weeks when it wasn't detected?

4. Also I'd like to hear of any stories of complications for mother and/or baby. I know the baby could be born big making labour difficult and causing added delivery problems for baby but have also read about babies being born with low blood sugar levels and being at higher risk of obesity later in life.

Hi again Aussie Chik!

Sorry I didn't reply as promised yesterday - I was frying! It was 44 degrees here in Kalgoorlie yesterday and all I was capable of was sitting doing nothing!

Anyway, in answer to your questions;

1. When I had GD with #1 I was told there was a 40% increased chance of becoming diabetic later in life. With regards to your first high reading, was that a fasting glucose or a random one? I do know of some people who had a high first reading then a normal (non diabetic) outcome from the glucose tolerance test.

2. Well done for improving your diet and including exercise each day. This should really help in maintaining normal glucose levels. The other thing you could do is limit the amount of highly processed foods you eat - like bread, cakes, biscuits etc etc. Change your bread to something like Burgen Soy Linseed bread which is the lowest GI bread on the market. There is a great book out called The New Glucose Revolution which helps to outline what to eat and what to limit. Good cereals to eat include Gardian and porridge (not instant).

3. I had the same questions as to the health of my baby in the preceeding 28 (well 30 for me) weeks of pregnancy while GD was not detected. All I can say is that she appeared to be fine, her blood sugars were a little low for the first few hours but she was given a complimentary feed of a little formula to bring her bsl to normal - while we got breastfeeding established.

4. With both of my beautiful babies (so far!) there have not been any complications other than a few low bsls in the first hours after birth. I have been soooooo lucky!! Cairenn was born 2.5 weeks early and Liam was 3w 1d early - both induced for gd and pre-eclampsia. My bsl's were largely under control most of the pregnancy with Liam as I was self testing since early pregnancy, and I was injecting insulin with both pregnancies (and with my current one). Babies born after uncontrolled gd can be large, have low bsl's and some breathing difficulties when born, but they are well and truly monitored to make sure all is ok. I have also been told (as you mentioned) that they have an increased risk of diabetes (or impaired glucose tolerance) and obesity during their lifetime. As for affects on mum, problems might include increased risk of diabetes, kidney disease and weight problems. There may well be more, but that is all I know about.

Well, I hope that this has helped you. Please let me know if you need any more information!!

Best wishes

Hi again

Just wanted to mention that my bsl's are largely under control at the moment! YAY!!

Bubs is on track with size and I may be going onto Metformin at night time to control my fasting bsl, as I am having to use tonnes more insulin at night than during the day (thanks Liver!!).

Off to the ob on 4th March then ultrasound (the BIG one!!) on 11th March or so.

How are you going Dinky?? Hope all is well. When is your next GTT Aussie Chik? Best of luck.

Seeya