Gestational Diabetes-Help!-Lady in distress following stillbirth

[Whooosh]

Friend who had a stillbirth due to pre-eclampsia/placental abruption,is I am delighted to say 23 wks pregant again.
However,as you can imagine,in a terrible state.
She has just been told she has GD-do any of you have any advice on do's/don'ts,diet etc as the hospital have been crap.

[Idreamofdaleks]

Follow the GI diet

[anchovies]

Congrats to your friend. Agree, GI Diet perfect for diabetes.

[StripeyBroomstickSpottyWand]

She can look here for some info

www.diabetes.co.uk/gestational-diabetes.html

Is she monitoring her blood sugar levels? GI diet is definetly good. Gentle exercise can help lower blood sugar levels, ie; 30min walk every evening or swimming.

She needs to be put under the care of a consultant and ought to be reviewed by the diabetic team at the hospital and this should include an appt with a dietician.

Later on in the pregnancy she should get fortnightly growth scans to check baby isn't getting too big.

She needs to be aware that she's more likely to develop diabetes in later life and be careful of her diet after regnancy as well. If she needs to lose weight then consider this after the pregnancy as well. Hope the hospital care improves.

[Whooosh]

Thank you all for your help.
I suggested the GI diet to her but wasn't totally sure it was the right thing.
I am off to see her high risk consultant with her today and am hoping she can see the diabetic care team too....poor thng really doesn't need this on top of everything else.

[mm22bys]

The GI diet is all well and good, but she will also probably need to look at the amounts of the low GI foods she'll eat.

So yes, she will need to see a dietitian.

You sound like a great friend. Lots of women with diabetes (even pre-existing diabetes which can be a lot harder to control than GD) go on to healthy bubs, and I am sure your friend will too!

[Zazette]

I had GD, severely enough to need insulin, and had a very medicalised delivery as a result. That was all very stressful, but my baby was fine. And it was a good wake-up call for me to change my diet, get more exercise etc.

There have been lots of threads about this in the past on here - worth looking at them, because it will be reassuring for your friend: the outcomes have pretty much always (IIRC) been positive.

It's great that you're supporting her - you must be a very good friend.

[margoandjerry]

I had borderline GD and was in a total panic about it. I bought a glucose monitor from boots - about £30 but the strips are extra. Used to test my blood after every meal - helped me to monitor really closely and if it was going too high, cut down on fruit, sugars, white carbs etc. I can sympathise with the hospital being crap - mine told me nothing so I had to find out for myself.

[PrettyCandles]

GI diet very good (from personal experience with sugar problems in pg). But I could find no info whatsoever for a GI diet which was not aimed at weightloss, so she'll have to eat more than any diet plan would suggest.

I found a list of low, medium and high GI foods, and tried to eat only from low and medium, but to eat to appetite rather than any fixed amount. Monitoring your urine/blood yourself is very reassuring, IME, though some health professionals would say that you shouldn't do so unless medically necessary.

[cleaninglady]

I had GD with my second pregnancy - they gave me a blood testing monitor and i also saw the diabetic nurse every 2/3 weeks as well has having regular scans - she will need to cut out as much sugar as she can and also watch out after the pregnancy as someone said earlier - its not to bad though and you can control it with diet if your very careful - i ended up with insulin for last couple of weeks i think - plus elec cs at 38 weeks as baby was quite large!