Gestational Diabetes at 28 Weeks

Jennifer - posted on 01/17/2010

I have type 1 diabetes i have had it all my life, it is very hard to control your blood sugar when you r pregnant, but onions and cinamon is really good, it controls your blood sugar. but good luck

Krista - posted on 01/17/2010

Krista-Thanks for the jerky idea! And string cheese! I can for sure have those! I'm not sure about soy nuts, but I'm pretty sure those are a no. LOL It is a lot of work so far and I just found out!



Mary-My OB told me my risks, so that's good. The only thing that's bad is that I found out this past Friday, but they can't get me into a nutritionist until this coming up Thursday. So basically I'm on my own for a week. I did a TON of research as soon as I found out, so that's how I know what I know right now. I'm still confused as to how to stabilize my sugar level when I can't even test and see what it is. I won't get test strips or anything until the Tuesday after I see the Nutritionist! Basically what I've been doing is just watching how many sugars and carbs I eat. I researched what a good serving size is for certain foods and what a Gestational Diabetes food pyramid should consist of. But it's still really hard. Cause like this morning I woke up and I feel like I have a hangover. Is that too much sugar...or not enough?! I don't know!



Did either of you have to have C-Sections?

It IS a lot of work, I won't lie to you there. What worked well for me was to write down everything that I was eating, and what my testing glucose was an hour later. That way I could pinpoint foods that caused glucose spikes, and ones that were fine. I just took a look through the house to see if I could find my food journal, so that I could recommend some foods to you, but I can't find it. If I do, I'll PM you.



Counting carbs was the biggest help. Always be sure to look at the labels of foods. Sugar-free Jello was a major staple for when I was craving something sweet.



I managed to avoid a c-section. I was REALLY careful with my diet, and so didn't have to deal with macrosomia at all -- Sam was only 7lbs. 11oz.



Low-fat yogurt also was a staple, but check the carb counts -- some of them have extra sugar. Often I'd get low-fat plain yogurt, and then just add in some banana and some All-Bran.



Like I said, a big part of it is trial and error. Keep your food journal and write down everything you eat, how you feel afterwards, and what your glucose is an hour afterwards. From there, you'll start getting a better idea of what you can eat and what you should avoid.



And on the way home from the hospital, do what I did -- get your husband to stop at a bakery! LOL!

Yolanda - posted on 01/17/2010

I had gestational diabetes with my last two children and I was insulin dependent 3 shots per day. It wasn't fun but I made it through it and had healthy children who were not born with diabetes and still don't have it. I found that counting carbs helped me best I ate 6 small meals and had 3 snacks per day which usually consisted of a small bag of chips that was considered one exchange ask your high risk doctor about exchanges and a wide variety of foods will open up for you. Don't get depressed about it. All you have to do is eat properly and it's ok to cheat occasionally. I did and it was the only way I kept my sanity because I couldn't have my cravings. Good luck

Tina - posted on 01/17/2010

Have your OB refer you to a Diabetic Dietician/Nutritionist, they can give you lots and lots of ideas of what you can and can't eat, and can work with your food allergies too.

Hannah - posted on 01/17/2010

Krista-Thanks for the jerky idea! And string cheese! I can for sure have those! I'm not sure about soy nuts, but I'm pretty sure those are a no. LOL It is a lot of work so far and I just found out!

Mary-My OB told me my risks, so that's good. The only thing that's bad is that I found out this past Friday, but they can't get me into a nutritionist until this coming up Thursday. So basically I'm on my own for a week. I did a TON of research as soon as I found out, so that's how I know what I know right now. I'm still confused as to how to stabilize my sugar level when I can't even test and see what it is. I won't get test strips or anything until the Tuesday after I see the Nutritionist! Basically what I've been doing is just watching how many sugars and carbs I eat. I researched what a good serving size is for certain foods and what a Gestational Diabetes food pyramid should consist of. But it's still really hard. Cause like this morning I woke up and I feel like I have a hangover. Is that too much sugar...or not enough?! I don't know!

Did either of you have to have C-Sections?

Mary - posted on 01/16/2010

You have to be careful now because gestational diabetes are high risk pregnancies and at risk for large babies. I really hope your OB doctor has explained the risk factors to you. This is also an alert to you for your future that you are at risk for diabetes in the future and must be careful now while pregant. Please get all the information that you need for gestational diabetes. When you go in for your prenatal care from now on you
wil be tested on each visit along with diabetic teaching.

Krista - posted on 01/16/2010

Oh I feel for you --- I had gestational diabetes too, and it's a real pain in the ass; you never know what to eat.



I wonder if you can have soy nuts -- they're not nuts, per se, but are roasted and dried soybeans. They're often flavoured or salted. I wouldn't eat large quantities of them, but for the occasional snack they might work out? I also snacked on jerky and string cheese fairly often. It was really just a trial and error for me -- I just always looked at the carb content of the food and tried to keep it as low as possible. After a few weeks, you'll have a better idea of what foods trigger sugar spikes and what ones don't. I was told I could eat cereal, as long as it was high-fibre, but ANY cereal just sent my glucose skyrocketing. So for breakfast, it was usually a couple of eggs and some yogurt or cottage cheese. You'll probably get frustrated at times -- it is really a lot of work --- but my baby was born very healthy and at a perfect weight (7lbs. 11 oz), so it's worth the struggle.