To feel like saying stuff it and just eating what ever I want?

[SmileCheese]

I've been diagnosed with Gestational diabetes and for just over 2 weeks now I've been following all the advice. I've researched thoroughly what I should/shouldn't be eating and have completely overhauled my diet because I want to do what's right for the baby.

Despite this once again this morning I've had another high reading. My readings are still all over the place and even when I've made sensible choices I still get high readings when I test.

I've tried calling the midwife multiple times for more advice and have failed to get through although I do see her again next week and I know she's just going to tell me to try harder. I honestly don't see what else I can do to get my readings lower and I'm seriously getting to the point of just eating what ever I fancy because doing things the right way is making no difference.

Has anyone else found themselves in a similar situation? Any helpful advice on what else I could do or ideas on how to get over the crushing disappointment every time I get a high reading, its making the last few weeks of this pregnancy utterly miserable.

Uh yeah maybe don't give up on yours and your babies health in order to have some short term pleasure
Call them again.

Are you taking any metformin or insulin?

Hang in there OP, once they see your readings are too high they will put you on metformin or insulin and you can have a bit more freedom (especially with insulin because you can adjust the dose depending on your reading).

If diet isn’t working for you then it may be that you need to take medication.
Have you been assigned a consultant? I saw one every 2 weeks while I had GD to go through my readings and he always said to call to see him sooner if I had any concerns.

You need to keep cutting down carbs until your test results lower. It might even be that you cut down fruit or healthy carbs - I know many women who have to restrict fruit like sweeties eg having an apple slice instead of a whole apple. It has only been 2 weeks - a lot of women with GD have to do this for months and it is worth it. I promise. GD if not managed well can cause stillbirth and while that is uncommon to see in the UK, I have seen it happen in other countries and seen the guilt the mums feel because they gave up on their diets too early.

Do you mind sharing what you've been eating? The NHS advice is quite outdated. There's a website called gestational diabetes.co.uk which has much better advice on what to have and what to avoid. It's also important to do some mild exercise, such as a walk, every day. Hang in there!

Follow a PCOS type diet - fat, protein, carbs restricted to veg only and restricted below a certain amount

You should be under a consultant, not just a midwife. For the sake of your baby you must push to get this sorted and get on medication if that's all that will help.

Share your food diary for a couple of days and maybe a fellow mum to be with diabetes can offer advice??

Not just give up and eat whatever, imagine if it makes you/baby unwell. Diabetes really isn’t something to be fucked about with

I've been religiously following the gestational diabetes website and am on their Facebook page. I've cooked lots of the meals from the website and am averaging approx. 14K steps a day always makings sure I've done exercise in the 1 hour gap after meals before I test.

I'm not on any medication and I don't have a consultant just a gestational diabetes midwife who I've seen twice now and both times she's just told me to try harder.

I'm not sure if call them again counts as useful advice I've phoned 13 times in the past two weeks at different times during the day and no one answers. there is also very helpfully no way to leave a message so they can call you back.

Clearly being diet controlled alone isn’t working for you, you probably need to go on metformin or insulin. How high are your spikes? Do you test 1hr after meals or 2? It can help to do something active after each meal, even if it’s just hoovering a carpet or going for a walk round the block, to bring your glucose levels down.

Have a look at www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/ for recipes and advice, and there’s a Facebook group called Gestational Diabetes UK Mums which is also really helpful.

GD fucking sucks, I was diagnosed at the beginning of August so it’s been 3 months for me. It does get easier once you figure out what works for you.

Do you have an appointment to see them again? If you can’t get in touch with them I would contact PALS, that usually gets things sorted immediately.

Would also complain and demand to see a consultant if the nurse tells you again to “try harder”. You are trying hard and it’s not enough, you need medication.

I have another appointment next week. I'm recording what I have eaten for every meal so hopefully she can see I'm actually trying as hard as possible to do things properly.

My spikes have been between 8-10 an hour after eating even though I have done exercise and drank water before testing.

For an example this morning I had 2 boiled eggs for breakfast nothing else and despite drinking water and walking around the block before testing I spiked at 9.8.

What did you eat the night before?

For tea last night I had the pizza from the Gestational Diabetes website topped with goats cheese, red onion and rocket. My levels after that were 6.6 but then after having a snack of 1 granny smith apple dipped in peanut butter about 2 1/2 hours before bed when I tested at bedtime it was back up to 8.4.

The same thing happened to me OP - it's so frustrating when you keep to the recommended diet and it makes no difference. But diet doesn't work for everyone. My midwives just put me on medication and that sorted it out, so hopefully you'll be able to do that very soon - keep trying to contact them as it's really important that you get those levels down. Once my DD was born she was fine and the diabetes just disappeared.

It’s so frustrating OP, I know. Stand your ground and ask for medication. It doesn’t matter what the doctors and nurses think about whether you’re trying hard enough. All you have to say is that you want meds because the diet isn’t working. Stand your ground and if you feel judged then you should complain. They are there to support you and provide medical treatment, it’s not about whether they think you’re trying or not.

Be warned that metformin can give you diarrhoea, I preferred insulin although it’s a bit more of a faff.

Sorry that was a bit repetitive, being shouted at by a toddler

Ok so cut out the apple as a snack tonight and have peanut butter or hummous on carrot sticks or celery tonight; see what happens.

I think I will ask to be put on medication its just so disheartening when you do everything you're meant to and it still doesn't work.

I appreciate all the advice and its good to know that others have done things by the book and still had no luck keeping their numbers down, I was honestly beginning to think I was doing something wrong.

Obviously I'm not going to just go and eat any old crap. However, when I see such high numbers its hard not to think well I might as well of had something I actually wanted to eat and ended up with high numbers rather than eat well and still end up with a high reading.

Ok so cut out the apple as a snack tonight and have peanut butter or hummous on carrot sticks or celery tonight; see what happens.

Ironically the apple was a last ditch effort, I've already tried celery and carrots with peanut butter and still had high bedtime readings. Sadly I really dislike hummous so it looks like I'm going to have to find something else to snack on.

The trouble is I know I need a snack as if I don't snack before bed then my morning fasting readings are high. It's catch 22 as either way one reading either before bed or before breakfast will be high.

I had GD and really struggled to contain it through diet alone, metformin helped a lot though. Breakfast was the hardest one for me too.

Can you try contacting your regular midwife and asking them if they can chase the GD midwife/put you in touch with a consultant?