Gestational diabetes - scared!

[connyrabbit]

Hi there all,

I am in my 38th week and have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes last week. Just borderline, but enough to put doctors on alert, as they love to be.

Of course I had to go on Google last night and freak myself out, and now I'm looking for comfort...! :(
Have any of you had that in your pregnancies?
Doctors say there's nothing to worry about, except that there will need to be an induction before the 40th week, with high risk of forceps or ventouse because baby v big, or of cesarean which at this point I think I'd rather have that have my baby welcomed to this world with DIY tools.
Not to mention possible worse outcomes if we wait too long.

Here colapse my hopes for a lovely and calm water birth...

Anything you might know from a mum's perspective, let me know! xxx

I had gestational diabetes at the end of my 3rd pregnancy, I gave birth to an 11lb boy in a pool in my bedroom.

No experience of gd.
However I had a big baby. I am petite. So not good really. He got stuck. I had back to back labour pains and ended in an emcs. I would have had serious damage if I tried to push him out! Dh said Ds head diameter was 12cm! So try pushing that out a 10th hole- no thanks!

A cs isn't the end of the world. It can be remarkably calm and you can choose music etc. In sone ways more civilised than a natural birth - no screaming sweating swearing etc!

I'm prob having cs for dc2 as I know what I'm getting into and I'm terrified of a repeat performance of my first labour!

Hi Pixie, that's good news! How many weeks was he when he was born?

The help and support for GD does seem to depend so much on where you live. It sounds like you will get lots of support and help where you are so make the most of it and ask lots of questions when you have your next app. Write down questions so you don't forget them. Have you been given a diet plan?
Water can definatly help with a big baby. My ds was 10lb4oz, was in the water until the pushing bit and I'm sure it softened everything up. Didn't even need stitches! In some ways a bigger baby can be easier as sheer gravity works with you! Don't be scared,all the really frightening stuff on google is very rare.

I had GD in my 2nd pregnancy, and was induced at 38 weeks. DS2 was just under 8 pounds and was delivered vaginally.

First time around I had a c-section, following odd problems at 37 weeks. DS1 was 8 pounds 12 and we all suspect that I had undiagnosed GD.

You are now more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in later life, but with lifestyle changes there is no reason why this is a dead cert (the words of my consultant, btw.) GD has been the best thing that could have happened to me, honestly. I made the lifestyle changes, follow a healthy diet, exercise very regularly and have lost nearly 3 stone.

My babies were fine. The hospital will want to do a prick test on your baby every hour or so to check blood sugar levels as there is a risk that they can be low in babies born to mothers with diabetes. My babies were both fine and they didn't seem to mind the prick test. I breastfed mine as much as possible as this helps regulate their blood sugar.

Have you been given advice on diet?

Llareggub - I have been given some advice on diet but I find it a bit contradictory. The diabetes doctor I saw seemed to say I should cut all carbs out until the baby is born, but gave me a leaflet on type 2 diabetes (which I don't have... yet) which does include a rather high percentage of carbs on the ideal plate. Are you able to shed a light? Thanks!

Get a decent book about the GI diet. You are allowed some carbs, but wholegrain, wholemeal, and only a quarter of the plate kind of portion size. Lots of protein and veg. Nothing processed. It is really hard, but short term.
Saying that, lots of people on here have different experiences of it, some people have to test levels themelves and can regulate their sugars, working out what works for them, sometimes being allowed cake!

I cut out all carbs in the morning as my GD seemed crazy first thing. I used to have things like bacon, egg, sausages and I was heartily sick of them by the end! By the evening it wasn't so bad so I could eat couscous, rice, pasta, potatoes etc without any problems.

I followed the low GI diet too, sort of, but did end up on insulin so things were a little easier for me. Exercise helps, so even a walk every day will help control your blood sugar.

I used to snack on apple and cheese, kettle chips, hummus and carrots etc and even had hot cross buns! I used to check labels on foods and only ate them if they had less than 15g converted into sugar from 100g. So some scones were OK, if I didn't add jam!

I just wanted to say - cutting out carbs at breakfast and lunch (which I tried the first week I was managing it by diet) was a disaster for me. It had a terrible effect on my mood and I had some days were I was utterly miserable and crying buckets. I put them back in very carefully and suddenly my mood went back to something more normally balanced.

But I do have to be really careful in the morning. I can't eat normal bread - it has to be soya and linseed (my saviour bread - Bergen or Vogel do it), and I can't have anything more than 1 slice with two eggs.

In terms of the birth - you may start naturally before you hit 40 weeks remember. You can also ask them to induce you slowly, rather than jumping in with the heavy duty induction drugs.

Were you planning a home birth? They will want to monitor you and the baby so that may not be possible, but a lot of hospitals have facilities for a water birth, so if you do start naturally it could all still be possible. I'm not sure how it would work with an induction, it might be more complicated because of the monitoring, but if you are clear (and strong) about your wishes, then it may all work okay. There is a support for GD thread and if you read back on that, I'm sure I saw one of the mums (at least) had a water birth, and I think hers was a home birth! But they had been monitoring her for longer and I think her baby didn't look too big.

Anyway, don't give up hope yet. I plan to try every old wives tail in the book during the 39th week. Including acupuncture, which some people have given me very positive reports of, and a bouncy yoga ball (birthing ball), the bouncing on which coincided with my natural birth the last time.