High Ketones - anyone know how often you should be eating?

[hayleyl86]

Hi, I'm 38 wks + 2. Had a midwife check yesterday where she told me I was a bit dehydrated and I had high ketones. She has written this in my notes as ketones +++ (from my google search I think they admit you for monitoring if your ketones reach ++++).

I've been trying to google to see how often I should be eating. I'm sure I am still eating about 2200 calories a day or more (though I have given up counting lately), but after sitting and thinking about it yesterday afternoon I realised that I haven't put any weight on in almost 3 weeks, since I left work. Obviously this doesn't bother me in the slightest, especially as midwife measured my bump yesterday and said I am still spot on for dates. But obviously I don't want to have anything going on in my body that may make the baby ill.

Has anyone else had issues with ketones and dehydration? Did their midwife say anything more useful than eat and drink more? (by the way I can't see that I am that dehydrated - I am still managing to go to the loo every 30-60mins!!)

Thanks x

[Midgetm]

Have had ketones a few times, just drank lots more and they have gone really quickly.

[minipie]

Sounds like the midwife thinks it's more about fluid than food. Could it be that you just hadn't drunk much in the time shortly before your appointment (even if generally you are drinking plenty)? I had a bit of protein in my urine at an early MW appointment, but I had barely drunk anything that morning, so the MW said that was probably the cause.

How much weight have you put on overall and what was your BMI pre pregnancy? If you had a normal BMI (19-24 ish) then you are supposed to put on around 25 to 35 pounds overall I believe.

[amybelle1990]

As far as I'm aware there isn't any other treatment for ketones and dehydration except to drink more...

There are plenty of ways that you can 'sneak' fluid into your diet if you are put of drinking atm like having jelly or soups. My midwife recommended loads of 'wet foods' like watermelon and custard as well :D (but not at the same time)

[lotsofcheese]

Just wondering: have you been sick or do you have any symptoms of diabetes? Such as going to the loo all the time, extreme tiredness, glucose in urine, weight loss?

Ketones result from fat metabolism, where insufficient calories result in your body breaking down fat (eg people on Atkins diet etc) It can also happen with vomiting, diabetes etc

[Secondsop]

I've had high ketones at quite a few of my appointments and have either been told that it's nothing to worry about on the basis that it's probably just that I haven't eaten for a while, OR that I am not drinking enough. I haven't put on any weight during the pregnancy, in fact I've lost weight - I lost 6 kilos in the first trimester and have now (week 27) clawed back 2.5 of those - but nobody seems worried about it because I was very overweight to begin with.