Gestational Diabetes General Chatter #1

Dear all,

As the previous post is getting quite long, I thought I would start a regular general chatter thread for you all to keep updated with each other's progress. Enjoy!

Hi All and welcome to those new to this thread! :)

I have found the help and support from the girls on the thread invaluable through both my pregnancies.

Feel free to ask any questions and tell us any stories you might have ! :)

look forward to talking to you all soon

kaety

Hi all: here is my post from previous thread....

thought you might have room for another. Have already had some great ideas from Jo and checked out some recipes.

I've been diagnosed with GD for three weeks now(first time ever) and am finishing up on my first week of insulin (novomix). My BSLs are still all over the place. My diet isn't as good as it should be because when I eat carbs (breads and cereals) I vomit them back up. I'm at a bit of a loss with this but I guess I will work it out.

Anyway, hope to get to know some of you and have some support (and be some too)
_________________

OMG I am so dumb, I only just realised we have been moved.

Welcome to the pack Tiff and don't worry i have been doing this since I was 14w and still have periods where my bsl is totally haywire. The insulin is fun but it really is for the best.

Hi girls,

Just a quick stop by.

I was diagnosed with GD at 7 weeks which made my doctor sit up and take notice. An ultrasound revealed I am carrying fraternal (nonidentical) twins so my story is a little more extreme than my first case of GD with Declan!

Got sick last week and my BGLs went beserk I had no idea how much a cold effects you when you have GD!

I am now 17 weeks and inject 5 times a day 3 x actrapid before meals and 2 x protophane at night and morning.

I have had my dosages increased slightly as it appears that as this TWIN pregnancy progresses my insulin resistance gets worse.

Otherwise i have lost a little weight and all my docs... GP, specialist, midwife, and physician and happy with the progress.

I think the worst part is as I get more preggers and tireder I have started to forget testing times. I think soon I will have to set an alarm to ***** my finger by!
I dont forget the insulin .. just 2 hrs after and even sometimes before ??
Wierd - i will blame the pregnancy and the toddler for my muddlheadedness!

Take care and I look forward to hearing from you all again soon

Kaety

Hi ladies

I've just received the news that I have GD

I don't even know what to ask - my head is spinning.

I'm not as worried about my diet as I am about what effects this can have on bubs and delivery.

I'm sure I'll be back with lots of questions.

[color=violet][/
Hey Angel_Eyes
I was diagnosed GD at 31 weeks. The usual GTT test was done at 28 weeks however the hospital forgot to ring me up and let me know until 31 weeks. The same as you my head was spinning, I was so confused about what GD was all about. No one seemed to want to take the time to completely explain everything to me. The hospital was more interested in just telling me what they thought I needed to know! (Public)

I suggest that you really try to stick to the low GI diet really watch your carb intake as that can sky rocket your BSL. Try not to stress out about it too much. As I was told now that the Dr's know that you are GD they know what to look for when your baby is born, so they should be completely prepared for whatever out come. My Lilli was born naturally with no assistance or drugs she went to the special care nursery after her first BF where her BSL was taken. She was a little low which made her sleepy. I just had to make sure she had a good feed every 2 hours until 3 of her BSL were over 3.
Llli is fine now, 51/2 months and absolutely beautiful.
Best Wishes

Hi guys,

I have my fingers crossed I won't be joining you in here, but am popping in from time to time anyway. I had high insulin levels (but not diabetes) before getting pregnant, so I have a high risk of GD and my endocrinologist is watching me very carefully. :D

I juat had a two hour GTT so I will see what results I get in a week or so when I see my endo again. In the meantime I am continuing to eat low GI and exercise like I was before PG. Also, I am still taking metformin until at least 12 weeks in my endo's instructions.

Just thought I would say hi!

Kylie

I was diagnosed a few weeks ago and since my blood sugar levels have been all over the place. I take insulin before lunch and tea. I am 29 weeks with my little girl and all I can say is that I am glad that this will go away after the birth. Taking the insulin is not so bad, but all the finger *****ing is a bit much, although I am getting very good at it, it gives me a new appreciation of women who are diabetic (not just GD). Anticipation of the sugar levels and then disappointment of a bad result can be tiring too. There is a 50% chance of developing Diabetes if you have GD.
I had an emergency ceasarian for my last birth so I had already chosen to go for a planned ceasarian this time which gives me about 8 weeks to go and I do not have to worry if my baby will be larger than usual as I have already made the choice.
The positive factor is that my diet has improved immeasurably, all low GI foods and I notice that I take time to think about what goes in my mouth now whereas before I was much more relaxed about the whole nutrition thing.
I have a great diabetes educator. She encourages me to call her after hours if I have a problem and is just so committed. She said that she was not paid extra to take these calls.
I have my ob appointment this afternoon and my two things I will be doing will be getting a date for the birth and negotiating with her to allow my partner to cut the cord. I had to change hospitals as the bubby will need to be admitted to ensure her sugar levels are ok and she doesnt have a hypo.
Wish me luck
Susanne

Hi all,

I may be joining this thread. I had a BGT 9.1 yesturday and have a 2 hr test fasting to do on Tuesday. How I will cope with not eating till 10.30 I am not sure as I start to gag and dryreach if I have not eaten by 9.30. I am assuming I am able to drink water.

Question What is a GI diet? What does GI stand for?

Thanks

Hi Rose

GI = Glycemic Index.

A GI diet is a diet of foods that slowly release there sugars over a period of time.

Just do a google on Glycemic Index. I'm sure that you will find loads of info.

The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGGT) made me feel really sick and I had to lie down (or I would have fallen down). My blood pressure dropped to 70/40 and I was nauseated and vomiting. I did not expect such a reaction from just doing a test. So from my experience just having the test was quite horrific.
After 2 hours my Blood Sugar was 10.4 which is too high. It is meant to be 7.0 and under.
There are lots of books around which explain how to eat low GI foods, and the internet is great. But even still I have gone on insulin as diet alone has not made much difference.
I am on 2 units at lunch and 8 at tea. But my sugar levels are still a bit unpredictable, I am just happy that I only have 8 weeks to go.

Got my ogtt test reading back today. #1 was 4.3 #2 was 5.0 and #3 was 5.4 so I am in the clear for gd. I am so happy. Thanks girls for your help and support.

Has anyone had to go into the maternity ward to be monitored for a day due to their GD??

Ive only been taking my BSL's for about 3 days and they are mostly average 7.... my ketones are up to +++ (does this make sense? cant remember the actual number as i just have to write down the +'s)

Anyway, was told today that i need to go in for tomorrow and they will decide what to do with me... is this normal? they didnt mention that this was a posibility when we looked at all the options etc....

Hi Emma

I cant understand why they want you to go into hospital for the day.

Your BSL is a little high but OK. The ketones can indicate a few things but usually mean that you have been vomiting a lot or you are not eating much.

Hi Emma,

I have had much higher readisn than that and have never had to go into the hospitla for reading. My ketones have been consistently high but it has always been put down to the fact I have had m/s throughout and much sickness with it.

The best advice I can give (actually comes from my OB) is ask them, if you don't like or undersand their answer, ask again and keep asking until it makes sence. Don't stress about saying "I don't understand what you are saying, please explain it differently" or as a final straw "I need to make an informed decision and right now I can't because you are not making sense"

Hi there emma,
Unfortunately they did this too me with my first pregnancy,and i was at about the same gestation. Although i had a little more information than that. But i got the same wording-while we decide what to do with you!! But i was told to bring some clothes as well. i didnt just have gd though;also had polyhydramnios,cholestasis of pregnancy and on that day the bp did a 150/100. So i spent the next 6 weeks resting b4 induction..
:( Pauline

Thanks for the info everyone..

Well it turns out i was not just there for the day, i was there for 3 nights!! just got home now. My readings were all between 3.3 and 7.8. Ive started on the insulin and once we got the amount right, it has helped to keep it more normal..... even the midwives were asking me why i was going on on the saturday!!! As if I knew!! All i know is that the Dr had ordered it.

If it hadnt been for the diabetes educator, i think i would still be there now!!

I was more sick in hospital than i was out!! I felt horrid and i wasnt managing to get in all the foods that i need to eat to follow my diet so that didnt help with the ketones. Also, one day i started vomiting for god knows what reason.

Upside is that its mostly undercontrol, and i got to see baby again, she is measuring about 32.5 weeks and about 2kg. They told me ill be having her at 38 weeks....

Hi there people! I am new to Belly Belly. I had GD with my third pregnancy but not with my first two. I also have IGT (impaired glucose tolerence) or pre-diabetes as it is known to some people. Both of my paternal grand-parents have diabetes (insulin controlled) as well as my father. Our youngest darling is 10 months old, and when I had the test with her my blood sugars went up and I had a lot of trouble getting them back down again. On top of that my waters broke at 31 weeks and I ended up in Melbourne where they put me on insulin 3 times a day. I found it very hard to control my diet with the food that was on offer. We are now 9.5 weeks along with number 4 and I am very concerned about having the test and my blood sugars going up and staying there! Does anyone have any suggestions that may help?

Hi JJ,
God I'd give my left arm if i could help. All i can do is empathise. i'm ttc no 3. Had gd with both previous and had my babies at 34 weeks because of a liver condition that i have and also the size of my babies. I am also very worried about having the glucose tolerance test/challenge test. as i was very unwell when i had to drink the stuff last time. I had a friend with me , but fainted. I'm terrified i'll do a repeat performance :cryinglaugh: . Because its a real out of body thing. you just feel like you totally have no control.i'm wondering if you can remember how far along you are when they make you do it?I was thinking about 18/20 weeks?I guess if i can be of any help at all, it would be to say distract yourself,about worrying about it because they say stess ups your blood sugars. I know easier said then done;but maybe find something you love doing and do lots of it..


Pauline

Hi pollyanna,
Thanx for the advice. Seems that I will have selling a house and trying to buy another to distract me......what fun!! :) I think they told me that I will have to go for the test around the 28 week mark. That's when I had it last time and my waters broke at 31 weeks, putting me in hospital for 2.5 weeks before our daughter was born. I am doing my best to stay positive for the babies sake and for the rest of the family. The doctors have also recommended that I try and take things easy from around the 5 month mark. Thank god for good friends. All the best with ttc, I hope that all goes well for you and your family.

Joy

hi all
a little back ground i had GD with my second Pg with daily insulin injections

i offically found out yesterday that all my low GI eating and doing the right things didn't pay off for me this time and i failed my 2nd GTT miserably i am so dissappointed in myself and my body right now :fuming: so here we go on the round about again i started taking my BSL's yesterday lunch time and i have to monitor these for a week and then back to the hospital to see if insulin will be the go so that about it

Awww hun ... don't be disappointed in yourself :hug: As you said yourself, you did all the right things ... there was nothing else you could have done to have a different outcome.

I gave birth on 03.03.03 to Saffron Pixie Avis Heawood-Moore. My cesarean date was moved forward as my GD became uncontrollable. When I had my insulin, I would have a hypo. When my insulin dose was reduced my sugar levels went through the roof. In the end it was just a game of catch up which I was losing. What really upset me to know was that when I had a hypo - which feels bloody awful - my baby would feel it too. When I found that out I felt bad as I did not want the cesarean date to be brought forward and was lobbying the obst. for this not to be the case. At least I made it to 37 weeks. The only reason why I had a cesarean was that my previous birth resulted in obstruction and an emergency cesarean. Without my herstory I could have given birth naturally, induced or otherwise.
The light at the end of the tunnel (he he he) is that after I gave birth the GD disappeared. Thank the holy goddess.

hi guys
im new here
and i just found out i have gd i was devastated cause i didnt have it with my first pregnancy. but at least i dont have to change my diet yay
so, so far things are going great
luv k

Hi there.

I was in the same boat as you,i never had Gestational Diabetes with my first pregnancy and he weighed 6lb 10oz.

In my second pregnancy and after having the usual Glucose test i was upset to also find i was diagnosed with it at around 24 weeks pregnant.luckily it wasnt bad enough that i had to use insolin and it was controlled by diet and had to stab my finger everyday 3 times a day to monitor my blood sugar.I was induced a week early because of the size of my baby and me only being 5ft 4,it was taking its toll on me.I had a girl who was 8lb 14 nearly 9lb,so if i went full term,she would have been even bigger.I have been tested again and waiting on the results :crossfingers:

I know how you guys feel/felt...but as long as our babies are healthy,thats all that matters :)

Hi all,

I have just been diagnosed with GD... I am 30 weeks pg, and have to see dietitian, and check BSL a few times a day starting from next week...

Can you guys tell me what you usually eat for Breakfast, lunch and dinner,... and a few snack ideas..

Thanks heaps... looking forward to getting to know you all.

Hi Mel

I know how that feels in finding out for the first time.But it isnt as bad as you think. Just stay off the choc and sweet stuff also real fatty foods and you will be fine,it will prevent your baby in getting too big.The only thing i found good about having Diabetes was that i was induced a week early and could sort myself out for that day.

But i found foods like fruit and fibre good for breakfast,i did have toast with a scrapping of butter on it. Fruit and vedge isnt a problem,just go easy on bananas and grapes,grapes has lots of sugar in them and bananas are worse they contain 3 different sugars..sucrose, fructose and glucose.For Lunch i had scrambled eggs and Ham or on dry toast. snacks inbetween you can get diet bars or fruit.And for Dinner i ate foods like jacket potato,boiled foods ,veg etc. I know how hard it is and i craved chocolate and it killed me.But i figured as long as the baby was healthy i had to do what i had to do.Plus if you stick to the controlled diet,you wont need to be put on insulin.

This was in my last pregnancy and of course because of that i had to be tested for this pregnancy at 14 weeks and at that time was clear.I am being tested again next week,so im hoping all is fine...but iv become Big again all of a sudden,so im not sure what the result will be.

Thanks Scorpy... That helps...

I am looking forward to making some of the lifestyle changes a permenent thing... It's all about making a healthier choice!

I just want ice cream!

Mel...did your doctor talk you about the GI of foods. This is a very important concept in treatment of diabetes especially when it is purely diet controlled. May I recommend you invest in the book called The New GI Revolution....it well tell you all you need to know and more plus it has a great section on menu planning and yummy recipes....you should be able to get it at most book stores....ice cream is not the no-no many people assume it is.......sugar is not necessarily your enemy....you will understand what I mean when you have a read. I hope this helps

Melanie..... Insulin Dependent Diabetic for 27yrs

Gestational Diabetes is different then having it in life permanatly

My Aunt is Diabetic and so is my Husbands grandad and occasionally they can treat themselves to little nibbles of something sweet.

But with pregnancy every little bit puts towards in your baby growing that little bit bigger faster then he/she should.Its a definate no no on eating anything too fatty or with any sugar in to be honest.I asked if i could have a nibble of a choc biscuit to my Doctor when i had Diabetes in pregnancy because i craved Chocolate and he said not really.Im not meaning to go over what you have said mel,just going by what i was told with do's and dont's. :) Every little bit of sugar will show up on the monitor we have to take everyday and when we log it down on paper the Midwifes/Doctors check it out and then there is a high chance of having to be put on insulin.Its very strict and to be honest annoying at times....just lucky most woman like myself get diagnosed it later in pregnancy so we dont have to put up with it for too long.Having gestational makes you realise what you guys who have it for life gos through,even tho because we had it in pregnancy we are told we may get proper diabetes later in life. :doh:

Were you told this by a GP OB/GYN or by an ENDOCRINOLOGIST......information on this subject has changed so much over even the past 2-3yrs and many doctors who are not endos or diabetologists still go by the old school of management which basically bans all sugar. The GI approach which is the result of many years of actual scientific research not just previous theory that the simpler the carbohydrate the worse it is for you will teach you how to eat to smooth the curve of "glucose" uptake into the bloodstream which reduces the stress load on the pancreas. For example a banana actually has quite a high GI and is absorbed quite rapidly into the bloodstream creating those high sugars you talk about showing up on the monitor. Another example ...a boiled potato has a higher GI than most forms of chocolate and dark chocolate is actually low GI and an acceptable food for a daibetic where previously this wasn't thought to be so. There are o lot of threads on here that talk about it...I don't know how to post links but there was a good one in the general pregnancy discussion thread not so long ago. To correct your facts just a tad... fat delays digestion and actually lowers the GI of a meal (still is bad for you though...hehe) and Gestational Diabetes does not lead to "proper" diabetes in later life...it may lead to Type 2 Diabetes. It would be a very very rare occurence for it to lead to Type 1 being as type 1 is an auto immune disease much much rarer and serious than Type2.
Btw are your Aunt and Grandad Type 1 or Type 2?

My Aunt and Grandfather in law have Type 1. And the last time i had Gestational Diabetes was 2 years ago,so yea you could be right in the fact things may have changed and what i was told.I was also looked after by a diabetologists who i was refered too while having Diabetes.And she was very strict on my blood results i took ever day,so i did not dare eat anything i was told not too LOL. I was pretty good seeings i craved Choc because at the end of the day i had to think about the baby.

But yea she also told me that later in life i COULD get proper Diabetes which i suppose she meant Type 1.Because i have it in the family too.But it also doesnt mean that because i had Gestational in my last pregnancy that i could get it again in this pregnancy,because this is my third pregnancy and i didnt have it in my first.I was near to being put on insulin at one stage,but i told them i would be strict with my diet and so i managed to stay off it :dance:

Also boiled potato was fine for me and i knew Bananas had sucrose, fructose and glucose in them so stayed clear of them,same as grapes has sugar in too. I was ok on some fatty foods..just wasnt allowed mainly sweety thing ..chocs,sweets,biscuits,cakes ,sugar in hot drinks etc.

Skorpy....I just relaise that you are from the UK...this could account a little bit for the different method of treatment. You see the Glycaemic Index of foods study was initiated in Australia and Canada and is now one of the most accepted treatment regimes combined with a thing called carb counting. It is also big in the US now but has been a bit slower filtering through to all the powers that be in the UK. This I know because I have abour half a dozen friends with Type 1 diabetes living in the UK at the moment...one of whom is pregnant at the moment. It is the most reccomended form of dietary advice given to help delay the onset/and orprogression of Type 2 Diabetes so it might be worth your while having a read of it...it really is very good. I know of several women here on belly belly who have PCOS and associated insulin resistance who follow the diet and find it very helpful...Bel is one person who comes to mind...she is now about 30 weeks pregnant and followed the diet from before pregnancy to aid in conception...she raves about it a bit like me. Anyways in case you and Mel09 are interested it is called "The New Glucose Revolution" by Professor Jennie Brand Miller et al.....ISBN 0-7336-1500-7. It is highly reccommended reading for all epople not just those at risk.....
cheers
Melanie

Mel09, just noticing your comment re wanting icecream, there is a low-carb/low-gi/low-fat but still good tasting icecream available

We've just returned from a near 2 week roadtrip, so none left in the freezer at the moment... but it is available

And I'll back MelBel's comments all the way - I've been a Type 1 Diabetic for over 33 years - though my control isn't as tight as Mel's, but I'm pretty good at guessing my BSL. My partner got GD whilst pregnant earlier this year

Even Endo's don't get things right. Jen's Ob said "low-fat/sugar diet but go see Endo for more info"... Endo said "low-gi diet". My comment to em both was it should be "low-both" - both went "oh yeah"

Well guys,I had a test done at 14 weeks and it was clear,had one done that early because of my last pregnancy and not finding out till i was 24 weeks gone.I got my Final Test tomorrow for Gestational so wish me luck and i will find out what the results are Thursday:pray:

Thanks MelBel - I have seen the book, I will get a copy though... I forgot about it to be honest.

Skorpy - GL mate... I hope that you don't have GD again, although this time with new research you might find it abit easier!

Abs - Thanks a few people have told me about that ice cream... do you know the brand? I just always crave something after dinner, I need to 'finish' the meal off with something about 15 minutes after!!!

We are employing a diabetes educator at work she starts on Monday, so I will be speaking to her, and our dietitian is sending me some info (we are based at different sires) so that will be good...

Thanks for all the support guys, it's only 9 weeks to go!

Oh one more Q... What's the go with induction? I have read all the articles on main site and that, but was wondering what your personal feelings/experiences were!

Mel

Well here gos...result time later this morning. Think i will stuff myself with choc and sweets all this morning and make the most of it just incase.

Skorpy....fingers and toes are pretzeled for you hope it all goes well for you.

Mel...There is a trend with a lot of doctors that is slowly changing but not quickly enough in my humble opinion: They will tell you they want to induce at 38 weeks, but if you are healthy and the baby is healthy there is absolutely no medical reason for this. It used to be that there was a risk of macrosomia (big babies) or placental degradation leading to stillbirth which made induction a sensible thing to do but today with better methods of sugar control these risks have become much less and if your sugars are under control and the baby placental blood flow is still good and all other medical indications are positive then there is no real need to induce early. If they do push for an induction keep in mind that at 38 weeks your cervix etc may not be ready for it and there is a much higher risk of emergency caeser from failed induction. I know that I have made the personal decision after much research that if I am pushed towards an early induction I am going to go straight for a scheduled caeser because quite honestly I believe if your body is not ready for induction it is priming it to fail anyway and why take the risk....just my opinion though based on my research as a still not pregnant woman.....I amy feel very differently as a 38 week pregnant mum to be!!!

I can eat choc and drink coke untill my hearts content.It came back all clear :D

Really thought seeings i had it in my last pregnancy,i would have it again because the Doctors said that the chances would be high to get it again.

But i am having a scan this afternoon because i said i was worried about the size i was and i actually thought the Diabetes test was going to come back Positive.The Doc said my Fundus height was normal for what week i am.My Fundus height is 27 at 31 weeks pregnant.So i will see my bubs this afternoon