Gestational Diabetes?

[midori1999]

Does anyone have or have any info. on Gestational Diabetes please? I have been diagnosed today but haven't got much info as the registrar sent me out thinking I was going to see the consultant afterwards but then I didn't and instead was made an appointment a week Weds to see a specialist about the GD.

I understand a low GI type diet but with some carbs is best (from a friend who had GD recently) but online lists of GI indexed foods seem conflicting. Does anyone know of any good/realiable ones please?

Also, I have previously had large babies, but GD wasn't diagnosed (tested in one out of three pregnancies). The registrar seemed to think birthweigth and delivery was a huge issue and mentioned induction. I did point otu I had previously had a 10lb baby with absolutely no problems, but he then mentioned shoulder distocia (which I didn't have before!) and seemed pretty concerned. Should I be worried about this? I thought that if I managed to control my blood sugar well then baby wouldn't be too huge anyway?

Any info at all or links to good websites would be really appreciated. Thankyou!

Hi, there's a GD support thread here. I typed up my notes from my consultant appointments. There's dietary advice too.

I'm lucky to have some of the best GD support in the country so anything I can share or help with I will.

Absolutely true that if you manage your blood sugar well your baby shouldn't be huge. Mine's actually about 30th centile. It doesn't grow a massive head circumference or long legs anyway, it grows a big tummy as its insulin makes it lay down fat in response to your high blood sugar (if you have it).

The risks are earlier and more rapid failure of the placenta (key reason for inducing at 40 weeks) and baby having a hypo at birth due to having your high sugar blood cut off but still having high insulin levels.

Do post on the support thread if you have any more questions (I keep an eye on it).

I totally agree about conflicting GI advice. My Diabetic Consultant frequently contradicts her own leaflet! Different people seem to have different "bad foods" too, although some are consistent. I recommend an Atkins type diet of more protein and fat and less carbs, especially cooked carbs and veg, which are easier to digest. So raw carrot is better than cooked. Eggs and bacon are fab for breakfast. Raw fruit is fine, fruit juice, probably not, fruit salad with cream even better. If you've been told your GD might be due to high BMI then do be careful with the extra fat though. Glycaemic Load is actually a better indicator than GI because GI is based on 100g whereas GL looks at typical serving sizes. I hope that helps.

Thanks. I'll join the other thread later.

I'm a bit confused about what to and what not to eat if I am honest as I am worried about dropping too many carbs because of the negative affect it can have. I bought some wholegrain seeded bread yesterday and will stick to fibre rich carbs for now and just have a small portion each meal with protein/veg and sensible snacks (friend seemed think oatcakes with low sugar peanut butter were good and 'light' version youghurts, plus fruit like apples, plums, strawberries etc?)

I can't test my blood sugar until next week, so I guess I will just have to 'wing it' and be sensible until then but without really knowing what will affect me. (again, friend said oats or mueslie are meant to be good, but she couldn't tolerate them)

I am already on asprin and clexane for a blood condition which puts me at higher risk of pre-eclampsia and placental abruption, so am obviously quite worried my risk is now increased again. I think my chances of pesuading them to let me birth in the home from home unit have just disappeared...

Hi Midori,

the foods you mention are sensible. Oat cakes are great and you're right, you're looking for brown carbs. Basically be suspicious of anything yellow or white (white bread, white rice, chips, mashed potato, batter, pastry etc). Wholegrain carbs are better for you but you'll need to test your blood sugar and adjust portion sizes. I used to be able to have 75g dry weight of brown rice or brown pasta but in the last week or so (since 36 wks) have had to drop it to 60g. It's normal for sugar control to get harder the longer you go on.

Cooked meat and eggs are great and fish and cheese, all protein. Fat lowers sugar absorption in your blood. Watch out for the yogurt, some "lite" ones are low in fat and high in sugar, you want the opposite. Wholenut peanut butter is fine, but not the smooth or sweetened stuff.

Muesli gives me very high blood sugar, I think because of the dried fruit and I buy the unsweetened version. The only breakfasts I get away with are wholenut peanut butter on granary toast, scrambled egg on granary toast or fried eggs and bacon.

Fruit is great, but you need the fibre to slow digestion of the fructose so it needs to be whole raw fruits. Cooked or pureed (like in a smoothie) aren't likely to be okay. I can get away with strawberries and cream for pudding. Dark chocolate is fine and my mum makes a cake with dark chocolate, ground almonds and very little sugar and that's okay so long as I have a small piece.

I'm finding cooked veg a problem. Vegetable curry is my nemesis! I think its cooking the veg for so long makes it too easy to digest. The same curry with meat in it is okay. Do watch the sugar content of cooking sauces - Chinese ones tend to be very sweet.

Cheese is a great snack and cheese on granary toast makes a good lunch. Adding cheese to anything will lower the amount your blood sugar increases. So mashed potatoes are a disaster area but if you do half white potatoes half sweet potatoes (I know it sounds bizarre but they are low GI) and grate in lots of cheese you'll probably be okay.

So sorry to hear you have other complications too. I do as well - all immune related. I'm being induced on 4th April so will try every trick in the book to get baby to come early before then (pineapple eating aside)!!

Do let me know if you would like more suggestions.

Happycamel - that's fantastic advice. I'm waiting for my results (had test today) but think they will be positive so am marking this thread!

midori don't worry too much for this week, just try and steer clear of the obvious.
You won't really know until you start sugar testing what you can and can't tolerate.

For example, I can eat muesli but only the Dorset Cereals ones as they are low in sugar. I make a spiced fruit loaf in my breadmaker which has butter, milk and eggs in it and I have that for breakfast a lot - I have never had a raised sugar level after eating it.
I can also eat mashed potato with no problem, as long as I have a moderate portion and eat a decent amount of protein and green veg with it.

Low fat yoghurt is a disaster for me, so I eat full fat instead.

IME portion size is just as important as what you are eating. One chocolate biscuit eaten after a wholegrain cheese sandwich = good blood sugar. Three chocolate biscuits eaten on their own in the middle of the afternoon = high blood sugar.

Oatcakes are good. I have found some sweet ones which Waitrose stock, Doves Farm is the brand. I often have a couple of those with a slice of cheese and an apple as a snack.

it is a bit of a minefield and you will find that some things "work" for you that don't for others. For me, fruit juice, pizza dough and any non alcoholic schloer type drinks are a nightmare but chocolate and potato in moderation seems ok.(not together!) Oats rather than wheat based things are good. Watch cereals as some that you might think would be fine (shreddies in my case) were not. The low fat version of things have higher sugar than the normal fat ones.

Re Shoulder dystocia - my friend had it with her firstborn and had a pretty horrific forceps delivery with all the attendant problems afterwards, including pulled leg muscles cos they'd pulled her legs so far back and up to get them out the way! If you've delivered big babies before though, I guess its less likely to be a problem. Most likely is that they'll induce at 39-40 weeks.

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it.

I am trying to be sensible and healthy with my eating for now. Today I have had:

Breakfast: 2 slices of seeded wholegrain bread with 2 boiled eggs

Lunch: ham salad with small portion of brown rice

Dinner: Ham salad (only as ham needed using up!) with cesar dressing and 5 small new potatoes. Mullerlight.

Snack: 2 seeded oatcakes with sour cream and smoked salmon.

Does that sound OK? I am a bit unsure about pasta, is it OK to have it with bolognese? I got wholewheat pasta today. I do appreciate I'll need to wait until I can test my blood to find out what suits me and what doesn't.

My BMI was 31 at booking so I could do with controlling my fat intake within reason (but I'm aware some fat helps prevent sugar problems).

midori that sounds fine.

I have no problems with pasta, even white pasta, if I have it with a sauce that has protein. So bolognese, creme fraiche-based things, cheesy sauce etc all fine. Neapolitana - uh-oh, because of the double whammy of sugar from the pasta and the tomatoes with very little fat or protein.

My BMI was much higher than yours at booking in, but I have only put on about 9lbs through this pregnancy - partly I am sure because I've been watching my sugar intake, but I really haven't worried about fat and calories.

If you read through the other thread, you will see that happycamel and I both made the pleasant discovery that proper creamy icecream doesn't seem to do dreadful things to blood sugar

Thanks. I'll wait until the blood testing but any particular ice cream?

I have gained about 12 lbs so far. (24 weeks today) which I'm hoping isn't too bad. Baby was roughly 1lb 12oz at my scan yesterday, with AC measuring a week ahead of everything else. Hopefully diet adjustments will sort things out so baby can be healthy.

(looking forward to bolognese now!)

Ben and Jerry's!