Gestational diabetes - help!

[hunkermunker]

Just rang the hospital for the results of my glucose tolerance test. Was told quite snootily they'd have rung me if there was a problem, but since there had been a question mark over whether I had gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy and I wasn't phoned then, I asked if they could just check anyway. Plus I've been madly thirsty and keep waking up in the night to go to the loo, so I had an inkling all wasn't quite as it should be.

Good job I did - apparently it's high and she's going to get the diabetes midwife to ring me back (but will phone again if I haven't heard by lunchtime as I don't quite trust them to ring me!).

Has anyone else had gestational diabetes and what did you do? Any tips on diet? Did you have extra scans to monitor your baby's growth? DS was 8lb 10oz and this one was described by the midwife at my 28-week check as a "chunky child"?am I going to give birth to a toddler?!

I had when I had ds. They gave me extra scans (I think that I had about 8 in total) just to keep track of how big ds was getting. I had to check my blood sugers twice a day. This involved pricking my finger. It became habit!

It involved just eating a healthy diet. The hospital refered me to a dietician (sp?)
They also tested me after I had delivered (about 2 weeks after) to check that the diabetes had gone.
It also meant that all my checks were at the hospital with the diabetes midwife instead of at my surgery.
I know that sometimes they take extra precautions and some people take insulin.

Let us know what they say later. hope it goes ok x

Thanks, Emily - love MN for a speedy response!

I had it too, and I managed to control it by diet. I had to see a diabetes consultant and be taught how to check my glucose levels, be given advice on diet, etc, and had to check my glucose levels six times a day (ran out of fingers that weren't sore very quickly!) and saw the midwives and a diabetes nurse every two weeks. I wasn't referred to a dietician but for a couple of weeks I had to keep a food diary so that the diabetes nurse could check it out. I had to record my glucose levels for them to check out every fortnight too.

You may need insulin if your diabetes can't be controlled by diet alone, but usually the diabetes goes away after you deliver and the insulin can be stopped - although after her third pregnancy with GD my dh's cousin remained diabetic.

When my dd was delivered she was monitored for a while to ensure that the GD hadn't affected her. This involved them sticking needles into her heel every 2 hours and I hated that, but do be aware that you can refuse to let them do this. My midwives were very supportive of me on this one and after the first few times, when there was no spare area to stick the needles into and my dd was distressed, they basically told the paediatrician to bog off as my dd was obviously healthy. The paediatrician also demanded that my dd was force-fed formula every two hours as well ... I didn't need the midwives to tell him to bog off on that one, I did that myself in no uncertain terms.

I had a lot of extra scans, partly because of the GD, partly because the GD caused extra fluid which they were concerned about, and partly because I'm ancient. From 24 weeks I was scanned every two weeks, and I also had to have scans to measure the rate of the blood flow in the placenta. They told me that she could be a big baby because of the GD and I was told she was going to be well over 10lb, but she was born at 37 weeks at 8lb 8oz.

Thank you, WWB - definitely better to be forewarned about this, I think, so very helpful to read your post.

Anyone want to imagine the convo I'd have with a paed who demanded forcefeeding my baby with formula?

Am wondering how this will affect my plans for a homebirth - negatively, I suspect

Anyone else?

I can just imagine the conversation, hunker ... it was probably something along the lines of the conversation I had with them. If I remember rightly it was something along the lines of "You put that Aptamil anywhere near my baby and you will have to find a nurse with a pair of forceps to extract it from where I shove it".

If you are able to control it by diet it probably won't stop you having a home birth but if you need insulin you'll probably have to have your levels monitored throughout labour so it could make it more tricky.

LOL WWB! Yes, might go along those lines

Still waiting for the diabetes midwife to ring me - don't really want to go all weekend not knowing how high my levels are. Annoyed they were so snooty with me and so sure they'd have rung if there was a problem - grr!

I'd ring them again now, if I were you.

Have phoned, and have an appointment for Monday. Midwife was lovely and has been on holiday for a few days, hence no call.

Hunkermunker, just found you on this thread! About the feeding baby formula bit...I was VERY concerned about this & I was lucky enough to be able to discuss it with the SCBU sister at my booking hospital. I'm sure every place is different but she told me that if baby's sugars drop below 2.8 in the first 24 hours then they may want her to have formula. However, if I bf quickly & often then she may not go hypoglycaemic anyway. She also said that it's mainly babies of mums on insulin who go hypo. If baby still needs formula depsite BFing, then they can cup-feed so baby doesn't get a teat, (that was my major concern). What you can do to help baby (apart from early BFing) is to keep baby warm. Cold babies use up their sugar stores to keep warm so this could lead to an avoidable hypo. She said after an hour of skin to skin, baby should be wrapped up in clothes. I'm taking a baby hat with me to put on her whilst she has skin contact with me. HTH

I "failed" my GTT in my pregnancy with DS2 at about 30 weeks I guess. I had to attend the stupid diabetic clinic ever fortnight which was a PITA and they told me b*gger all about what I should be doing. Had one growth scan at nearly 38 weeks and DS2 was born 3 days after that weighing 8lb 4oz.

Quite frankly, it was all a bit of a non event and nothing but a huge pain. I have no idea what the levels were for my GTT but I was classed as glucose intolerant rather than full on diabetic.

i've posted loads about this hunker, if you want to do a search on my name & diabetes. i'd do it myself but am overcome with wearniness i'm afraid.

i suspect they will be cautious about allowing you a homebirth, not least because they won't be keen on you going much beyond 40 weeks. when was your ds born, relative to his due date?

i have diabetes all the time, so my experience isn't quite the same as women who have gd, but i was induced with both of mine (ds at 39 weeks, dd at 38 weeks - different hospitals, different protocols). i had monthly growth scans from about 20 weeks onwards. and big babies are NOT inevitable - ds was 7lbs10 & dd 6lbs11.

do post when you know what your levels were after the gtt, & if you have any other questions. hth.

Soupdragon, it seems there is a wide variation in care of GD women. I got lots of info initially but I've moved areas & hospitals, & the new consultant said he couldn't remember the last time he had a GD patient & couldn't remember what the protocols were!!! I'm glad I spoke to the SCBU nurse as she seemed to have more idea than him.

hunkermunker - I failed my test today. Going in on Sunday for chat with MW so I'll let you know what they say

hadn't thought of the impact on homebirth Hunker... know how you will feel if you can't - was same with ds and Group B.

have you spoken to mw again this pm? xxxxx

Thank you for all the posts - much appreciated!

My levels were 6.4 fasting and 7.5 post - I know these aren't that high, but I feel so rough that I'm sure that it's having an affect on me. Felt like this before I even had the test though - and have been waking and necking water all night for a month or so now.

DS was 10 days late and weighed 8lb 10oz - but I'm sure he'd have been bigger if I'd not watched my sugar levels from about 30 weeks (they said I had a highish level last time, but can't remember the figures). Didn't feel this rough last time either.

If there's a chance I will need to feed formula, I'll express colostrum during pregnancy. I'm already producing colostrum, so am sure I can do this.

As far as homebirth goes - I'd already thought that if everything wasn't "right" with my pregnancy, I didn't want to do it - I think that was part of why I'd been worried lately about things because I've not been feeling well. If I can have the pool at hospital, I'm happy to go there, but I will be booking an amenity room as the ward was horrible last time! Oh, and taking a picnic because the food was appalling

I'm not sure I'm making much sense - I'm feeling quite blurry and tired, so am going to go to bed. Thanks again for all your posts - really appreciate it.

Hunker, with my dd there was no real need to give formula - I was expressing colostrum and giving her that as well as putting her to the breast - but the paediatrician still insisted that she be given formula as it seems to be the routine way of dealing with this. She was only borderline hypoglycaemic but his attitude was that all babies of mothers with GD should be given formula as it made it easier to be sure that the baby is feeding. Her blood glucose levels weren't dropping at all, the midwives were happy that she was healthy, and they supported me in my refusal to formula feed as they prefer to treat a problem when it arises, rather than try to pre-empt it as the paed was.

I can see no reason why, with supportive midwives and feeding expressed colostrum, you should be forced into giving your baby formula.

WWB, had you expressed the colostrum prior to the delivery or were you doing it in between putting her on the breast?

In between putting dd to the breast. The hospital had a marvellous bf counsellor who taught me to do it manually, and they also had a pump (called Daisy!).

Thanks, I hadn't considered doing this until now. In preparation for the first 24 hrs post delivery, I'm religiously keeping my sugar levels within target so hopefully baby doesn't get used to high levels & end up hypo. Just hope she latches on well. Daisy is a very good name for the pump. I'm sure you felt like a moo-cow at times too!

hunkermunker, sorry for hijacking your thread when I have one of my own!

KM, hijack away - it's all useful stuff!

I've just bumped Mears' thread about expressing colostrum antenatally - am hoping she sees it and updates.

Mears' thread is here

Thanks, I think I'll get some bags & try hand expressing some colostrum. I'm 37 weeks so not sure how much I'll be able to stockpile. Must warn DP before I put it in the freezer.

Hunker, these things have a funny way of working out for the best. I was gutted when couldn't have homebirth with ds because of Group B. Was soooo glad I wasin hopsital as it turned out becaue of him getting stuck (NOT that I am saying that will happen to you!)
How you feeling today, been worrying about you (hence the early post!) xxx