Gestational Diabetes

Cathralynn - posted on 11/02/2009

Cool I added you. As far as I know, I think docs bank on the fact its going away so you only have high sugar for a few more weeks or can adjust to your new life as a diabetic then :) Its really an issue of high blood sugar cause that circulates with the baby and that baby still needs to get out. I don't know anything bout high sugar in your breast milk, must not be an issue cause the baby is not in a high sugar environment constantly. I'm only guessing. I know the fear of a big baby and the change from high sugar constantly to nothing is the big worries. What do you eat as your evening snack? Maybe there's something that needs to be changed there? I would think that you are doing good if you can regulate your other sugars with meals and the fasting one is mostly due to the hormones. You go like 8-10 hours between your last snack and your first test? I had levels like that too, towards the end they started getting like 70 something tho and I had to eat more to get thru the night. Your dietician will help tho. Ask em questions too. Do you phone in your results? I have kaiser and that's what they do. If they let you do it by phone and not see a person then they are not as worried bout you. Also when you give em your levels if they just discuss what you ate and give you help then you are doing fine too. They will have you come in and get meds or shots if its not working. So keep trying, you're doing great so far!

Meredith - posted on 11/02/2009

Hey there! I am in Orlando, Florida...we have places called "Sweet Tomatoes and Jason's Deli" that sounds similar to the place you're talking about. I am still a little leary on even eating a half of baked potato....lol. I am tryign to stick with alot of salad, brown rice, veggies and meat. I seem to be doing ok except for the morning when I first wake up. For instance this morning I scored a 100, which is the highest Ive ever been yet. Yesterday was the only day that I have had where I scored within the limits everytime I tested. Is this normal? I dont have anything to eat after 8pm every night and some mornings I will score a 93 and the next morning a 90, and the morning after will be a 100! I find it all a little frustrating.....I will have to talk to the dietician and see if I really have any cause to be alarmed at all.



Another quick question for you: If you still have gestational diabetes after the baby is born, why would they allow you to eat off the diet? Doesn't that still put you at risk to get sick or make the baby sick because you're nursing?



P.S. I sent an add request to add you to my circle.... :D

Cathralynn - posted on 11/02/2009

Yeah you have to wait awhile before you go back to be tested again, can't remember but six weeks sounds right. You have to wait for your hormones to go back to normal, yeah right! But once you have the baby you don't have to follow the diet or test your sugars anymore and they test the baby's bood sugar right after they are born and for the first day or so. I remember my first meal at the hospital never tasted so good. I had all carbs, rice, fruit juice, and cake! Most people hate the hospital food, not me!



I worked my pregnancy for all it was worth :) By this point I wasn't cooking very much and napping way more! So I can't help by way of recipes. I bought a diabetic cook book but never used it. Regular diabetics go by glycemic index and basically avoid carbs. You still need to eat some carbs just in moderation and balance it with protein. I basically had a chunk of meat and boxed mashed potatoes, or the whole grain pasta, they make some with added protein, and some sort of meat sauce. I think I had spaghetti with a veggie meat sauce like every week! Like I said I loved thin crust pizza and mexican food, no rice!



For snacks I bought those prepackaged lil cheeses and crackers. I discovered I didn't like natural almonds or beef jerkey, just while being pregnant, that can still make me gag and I'll never eat em again! It's hard just being pregnant without adding on diabetes, but you can try em. The other hard thing for me was drinks. Since I ate out alot it is really hard to find sugar free and caffeine free drinks. So I had to bring my own or drink water. I limited myself to one caffeine drink a day. Where are you from? I loved fresh choice. Its a salad buffet that has pasta and potatoes. I would have a huge salad and then half a potato with lots of toppings or some pasta. I liked it cause I could wing it with whatever I was in the mood for.



Its funny how these ideas stick with me, my girl is 17mo now and I feed her the same cheese snacks and love fresh choice cause she can try so many things and I don't have to pack in foods. Do you know if you are having a boy or girl? How are your sugars going now, getting the hang of it? I remember hating thanksgiving and christmas, but remember the reason!

Meredith - posted on 11/02/2009

P.S. What are some good things to eat that will keep your blood sugar level good and low? I need some recipe ideas!

Meredith - posted on 10/31/2009

Diabetes doesn't run in my family so I am hoping that after I deliver things will go back to normal. Is it true that after you deliver it still takes another six weeks or so to get rid of it?

Cathralynn - posted on 10/30/2009

No they did worry that I had diabetes that would stick, but I was tested at ten weeks cause my dad and grandpa both have type 2 and I had never been tested before. I wasn't off the board bad on my sugar tests but not in range either so they said I had gestational diabetes. I don't think they bothered differentiating cause the treatment is bout the same. Just you need to make sure afterwards you go back for testing. My sugars were around merediths levels when I started but I followed the diet religiously and like I said lost weight. It was really easy for me to control my sugars in the evening then I just had trouble with morning meals, consistent with gestational. I researched diet stuff like crazy cause I figured with my family history I was destined to be diabetic afterwards cause my doc said sometimes that's the case, they simply catch diabetes in pregnant women cause that's the first time they have been tested. But after my daughter was born I was fine. My daughter doesn't have any troubles either. I did have low fluids at the end, which happens sometimes with gestational diabetes, but ALOT of water did the trick. Its all hormonal, so if your one of the ones that gets excessive, I was, sickness like crazy! and waaaay emotional, that's the factor I think. I wouldn't worry if you do all the testing, we're at a higher risk to get type 2 later anyways.

Sara - posted on 10/30/2009

This is a little off topic, but I have a question for you Cathralynn...did you say you were diagnosed with GD at 10 weeks? I was at 22 weeks and my freakshow of a doctor, who was really uptight, told me that he didn't think it was GD but that I had type 2 diabetes, even though my A1C levels were normal when I was diagnosed with GD at 22 weeks. My sugars are back to relatively normal now, I am in the "pre-diabetes" range. But, my OB insisted that it wasn't GD because he said that you don't get GD until the 3rd trimester. Did your doctor every tell you anything like this?

Cathralynn - posted on 10/30/2009

At the start i had levels like you describe, i started at ten weeks. I went to the diabetes class all normal looking next to all the preggo showing moms, too funny! But after awhile I got to where they were 70 something and I started splurging at night so they weren't too low. I found that before I was pregnant I ate ALOT of carbs so this diet was a huge change for me and throwing in exercise dang! what a life change for me. I wanted milk shakes everyday! But you get into a pattern and then I started losing weight and my sugars got better. Docs started telling me to eat more. How can you eat more and limit yourself at the same time! That's why I say fats don't matter, plus they help when you deny yourself something sweet you wanted :) Overall I lost 33lbs during my pregnancy but had a normal healthy 6.5oz baby girl. She was early tho at 36weeks, unrelated tho. She just wanted out! Too bad doing it for your baby is good will power, now I've gained it all back and then some! But I'm happy with my lil bean so that's what counts. Message anytime. I had a friend not living close that had gestational diabetes at the same time as me, and talking to her really helped. Regular preggo moms irritated me with all that eating for two and oh my cravings stuff! Good support helps when you get whiney, and add on those hormones and i know that's gonna happen sometime!

Meredith - posted on 10/30/2009

No kidding! I am super glad I dont have to get the shots, I know that would be the next step if I didn't get this under control. As soon as my husband returns to the state we're going to be doing alot more walking at night (hey atleast my basset hound will be happy too).



Did you have high readings in the morning when you would first wake up? Mine seems to be around 97.

Cathralynn - posted on 10/30/2009

You have to just test it and see. If you buy pizza in the store get whole wheat and thin crust if you can. Be careful with whole wheat cause sometimes they add honey for taste and that gets you! But I had no trouble if I ordered thin crusts and heavy meat, like a combo pizza, then ate only two slices and filled up with salad after that. Maybe it'll work maybe it won't. I couldn't have any rice period! One time i ate a frozen meal and picked out most of the rice and just ate the meats and veggies, through the roof! I could eat potatoes too, just half and add lots of toppings, broccoli, bacon, cheese, sour cream. Its the opposite diet and fat is good for you right now! Bread, just don't eat white and make the most filled with meat and cheese sandwhich you can. Pasta, they make whole grain pasta with protein added that tastes good to me, that's what I did at home. But honestly, that was prolly the easiest carb wise, I hardly had high sugar after that meal. Its all about moderation and proteins. Don't freak out when you get a high reading, just keep talking to your doc. It takes awhile to get on track. The idea is to just manage it and keep it consistent, you'll have the hang of it in no time! And don't lie : ) I was tempted to a few times once it was under control and then I made a mistake, but the docs are there to help and they can't if they get the wrong info. Plus the guidlines they give you have gray areas, the real worry levels are much higher. Keep up the good work and be glad you don't have to give yourself shots!

Sara - posted on 10/29/2009

Yeah, basically anything made with white flour is bad for you...but some people tolerate things differently than others...you'll do great, I'm sure!

Meredith - posted on 10/29/2009

Thanks for your help in this matter...I am slowly starting to feel better. I see that my main problem seems to be in the morning...according to my doctor...the hormones are more crazy in the morning, then in any other part of the day. I ate a bowl of cereal the last two days in a row and my glucose reading was well over 140. She told me to wait and eat that in the middle of the day for a snack. I should just stick with an egg and a piece of whole wheat toast for breakfast. I am assuming that if I had a reading of like 200 obviously I would need to call my doctor right?



I hope this goes by smooth and quick....I would hate to think that I could only survive on a crouton and one grape nut. LMAO



P.S. Isn't pizza bad to eat because it's made with white dough? I was told by my doctor to stay far away from white rice, potatoes and bread.?

Sara - posted on 10/28/2009

Just follow the diet to the T. It is the most important thing you can do to ensure that your baby (and yourself) remains healthy. I had GD and my baby came out fine, and I am fine now. It can be scary, and doctors tell you some scary stuff, but just remember that you have control over this, and there's something you can do about it. Just follow the doctor's recommendations and you will be fine. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to help. Good luck!



Oh, and the diet I followed went like this:



Breakfast-- 2 Carb choices (1 carb choice=15 grams carbs)



Snack (2 hours after BF)-2 carb choices



Lunch--4 carb choices



Snack (2 hours after lunch)--2 carb choices



Dinner-4 carb choices



Snack (2 hours after dinner)--2 carb choices



As someone else said, it's also helpful to match your proteins, as they will have a positive impact on your blood sugar levels. it takes some time to understand how different things will affect your blood sugar, and you'll learn that over the next couple of weeks. You just have to cut out the stuff that makes your sugars go nuts. I had to avoid Pizza, for instance, but could eat pasta with no problems. Everyone is different! Pay attention to serving sizes as well, and make sure you're having the correct amount of the things you eat.

Cathralynn - posted on 10/28/2009

My big things were no cereal and milk in the morning. Cereal is the worst and milk is hard too. Wait until after lunch. And your goal should be to match a protein with every carb. So a typical breakfast for me would be oatmeal (only artificially sweetened) or a frozen whole grain waffle and sausage or bacon, eggs and whole grain toast. Get the idea? Sounds preachy but try to stay away from white carbs, like rice is horrible. Snacks you have a carb and a protein. So say crackers or fuit and cheese or nuts. Later in the day hormones are getting better so I'd have thin crust pizza with tons of meat and veggies with a salad, or tacos (corn tortillas), nachos with lots of toppings. End of the day, I was at my best so that was when I'd treat myself. Then I'd have a carefully measured bowl of cereal or no sugar added ice cream. I learned to love diet rootbeer or diet orange soda floats! I'd slack at night and not always have protein, that is your biggest time with room for error. See what your fasting sugar is like and go from there. Don't avoid carbs altogether cause you need em, just measure em out and match with protein. The protein competes with carbs to get broken down so it slows down sugar production in your blood. And try to eat lots of small meals a day, you should be eating like 5-6 times a day. This keeps your sugar levels regular all day so its not hard on the baby, to have like low sugar and then really high. Err on the side of veggies those are unlimited. Fruits have natural sugars and still can add to your problem. Splurge on fats if you need to, avacado, ranch dressing, sour cream mmmm...that type stuff. And don't worry. They tell you rules but it takes awhile to figure it out. I had some readings of 90 something in the mornings, it happens, same with 170 something after a meal. Did they tell you levels to absolutely call if you see? And you will prolly meet again with someone or have to report levels over the phone, they will help you with food ideas. If you repeatedly see high levels pay attention. If fasting is high, what did you eat before bed? And after a meal what did you eat? That's where I learned that milk and sweet fruits were hard for me. Everybody is different, foods that worked for me might not for you. Its trial and error. Oh and excersise. Go for a walk after you eat but before you measure, it will help too. And remember, it sucks, but it will prolly go away. Its for the best reason in the world!

Meredith - posted on 10/28/2009

Well I went to the specialist yesterday and I now have my blood tester, and have somewhat of a good idea of what I should eat and what I should avoid. I have to test my blood four times a day. In the morning when I get up they say it should be between 70-90 and the rest of the day no more than 140. When I woke up this morning and tested it, it was at 94!.4 points over what they say the limit should be. Then i ate 1 cup of corn flakes with milk and a small banana cut up on top with a glass of water...i waited over an hour and tested my blood and it was 174! I am wondering what it is that I am doing wrong....she said eat more fruits and vegetables, and to measure ou the cereal....still it's high. Is this normal? Am I going to have days that it's high? How do I help it to go down? Am I destined to live off of string cheese and a crouton everyday until I deliver?

Cathralynn - posted on 10/28/2009

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at ten weeks cause diabetes was in my family. It is not a big worry. You will meet with a dietitian and go over the condition and what type of meal plan to follow. Many pregnancies are managed with diet and exercise, mine was, and most times it goes away after, mine did too. So here's the deal its a pregnancy hormone thing. They are high in the morning and interfere with how your body breaks down sugar. It gets better as the day goes on, this is how its different from other types of diabetes. The major worry is that you maintain your bood sugar level constantly cause this is where your baby gets its food. If its high regularly, you can bake a pretty large baby which adds up to more difficulties. And your baby that grew up in a high sugar environment can have low blood sugar after its born and need to be treated quickly. Not so scary and pretty managable. Think of it this way, you are in control. Do your best and see what happens. The hospital will monitor you closely and that is an added benefit for your worries, to make you feel better, not stress you out more. Surround yourself with people and staff that are supportive and that you respect. And then know you only have to get thru a few more mo of this before you have a beautiful new baby! Goodluck! I don't mind answering questions or helping with diet ideas if you need it!

Brianne - posted on 10/26/2009

I have Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. I had gestational diabetes with my first child, just like you I was terrified of the unknow. From my experience it was not that bad. I went to a dietician that designed a plan based on the foods that I like. It made it much easier. I ate a lot of whole grains, brown rice and peanut butter. I failed my 3 hour at 24 weeks and controlled the diabetes with diet until 36 weeks, so I had to be on insulin for 2 weeks. If you can take a .30 minute walk in the evening, I know you are uncomfortable and exercise is blah but it really does help. I did not end up getting the diabetes with my second baby. Good luck and stay positive, it is all worth it in the end : o)

Priscilla - posted on 10/26/2009

Meredith, I personally did not have gestational diabetes with any of my 3 pregnancies even though I am significantly overweight. However, my slim and trim sister developed gestational diabetes during her pregnancy. Go figure. This is a temporary condition associated with your pregnancy. Gestational diabetes usually resolves once you've given birth but in the meantime, you will have to adhere closely to the diet that your physician recommends. You will have to limit your sugar intake as well as your carbohydrates (potatoes, pasta, breads, etc.). You probably will not need to take insulin injections during your pregnancy but your physician may have you test your blood sugar daily. Just be sure to stick to your diet and follow your physician's advice. If you do not control your gestational diabetes, you will gain more weight than is healthy during your pregnancy and your baby could be very large at birth, which is not good if you are delivering vaginally. Good luck!