Support thread for those diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes

[HighFibreDiet]

Hi, it seems there are a few of us around and I wondered if you wanted to start a support thread? There seemed to be a good thread going through 2010 but I can't find one running at the moment.

My due date is 17 July. I took the OGTT at 30 weeks (not realising that the best time for diagnosis is supposed to be 24-28 weeks). I was only diagnosed last week, given my blood glucose monitor on Thursday and have been trying to tweak my diet to bring down the readings since then. Seeing my midwife today and have to phone in my readings next week to see what they make of them!

My main problem seems to be the fasting blood sugars and the endocrinologist I saw on Thursday said if I couldn't keep them consistently down, I would go on insulin, with 'no negotiation'.

Would love to hear from other pg women with GD, or those who have been through it before. I'd also like to compare how the antenatal 'care' varies with country, as I am in Australia and it seems extremely strict over here (e.g. my fasting blood sugar levels have to be under 5.0 mmol/l).

Looking forward to getting some responses

3kids i didn't have time for anything other than a bit of gas and air, tbh - throughout the previous day and a half i wasn't uncomfortable enough to need anything, then when the drip started it all happened too quickly. i couldn't have coped with that level of pain for any length of time, but somehow i knew she was coming quickly so knew it would be over soon.

are you on insulin/medication for your gd? i think they only use the iv with women who aren't diet-controlled.

Star does that mean the whole induction took a day and a half then? If so was this your first baby? (please say yes!) My induction with DC1 took days, and not a good experience (understatement!) and I was hoping that if I did get induced this time it would be much much quicker!

Yes I am on medication and insulin for the GD. Can't say that being hooked up to a drip the whole time thrills me either! Can you tell I'm starting to panic about things now its getting quite close! (I'm 37 weeks on Weds!)

astarinstrangeways Congratulations!!! Glad to hear all went well :) :)

3kidsnobump I was told that as I am on insulin I would have the sliding scale of glucose/insulin. I think at my hospital the policy has recently changed so you need to check with your hospital and find out their policy. Are you being induced early or don't you know yet?

Just wondered if anyone has noticed that the hot weather has affected their readings? Mine have been higher than usual today for no obvious reason so I wondered if it was the heat??

MrsZB I'll take any excuse I can get so hot weather sounds like a good reason for my high reading this morning. Or maybe it was the big fight with my sister last night and subsequent sleepless night rehearsing what I wanted to say to her. I so don't need that stress right now.

Anyways, congratulations to starinstrangeways so lovely to have more nice happy baby news after the struggle of GD. Good reminders of what to look forward to.

I haven't asked about drips or induction at my hospital yet but midwife didn't totally rule out the birth centre either, so that's positive. AND she brought up collostrum harvesting, which I believe highfibre posted about earlier.

Wow, 3kids three weeks away! I'm jealous actually, though I can see why you might be starting to get anxious. I can't wait to have this baby!
After second confirmation from my midwife that she had made a referral for me to see the dietician and I called diet and nutrition at the hospital today and they had no such record of this referral and were surprised to hear that this was made 2 1/2 weeks ago! Luckily the wonderful woman I spoke to called back and made an appointment for me tomorrow with the dietician. Finally some structured advice on what to eat.

You really have to be on top of people in the NHS because it's so easy to just get lost in the system and they forget about you.

MRSZB it was only the midwife who mentioned the other day about the insulin drip thing...although she said they had talked about changing it. Have a hospital appointment tomorrow, so will see what they say then (not that most of these consultants are the most talkative people in the world .

I have had higher readings the last few days...I was wondering if it is just because I am getting towards the end now, but I guess it could also be the hot weather?

Sprite I have also found the NHS crap when it comes to appointments. I have missed 3 this pregnancy because they either told me the wrong time/day, or didn't tell me about them at all!

Anyway, will report back after my appointment tomorrow, hopefully will know more what is going on then!

i am on insulin and medication and scheduled for induction at the end of the week, what i was told about insulin drip is that they would want me monitoring sugars hourly in labour and only if they are going out of control would the insulin drip be necessary.. soo hoping its not. seems a bit much if they just jump straight to it for everybody who has been managed with insulin?!

Well back from the hospital. All is well, said the baby is 'average' according to the scan (if that is correct... ). Have to go in next Thurs for induction, unless baby arrives before - which just happens to be our wedding anniversary....!

So only a few days then Firawla - how exciting! Sorry to be thick about this whole sugar monitoring thing - does that mean checking hourly once you are in proper labour, or do you have to check the whole time you are being induced? (which could be quite a long time...!). Did mean to ask more questions today, but always seem to get put off when I get in the room with all the consultants...

Firwala Yes I agree it seems a bit OTT. I am likely to have an elective c section though so it is the least of my worries! Good luck for the induction, I hope your experience is as positive as the rest of the ladies on this thread.

3kidsnobump Sending labour vibes your way!

I am envious for you all that it is all coming to an end. Am 34 weeks tomorrow so still a few weeks to go yet and am struggling with the heat and tiredness and entertaining my lively 3 and a half year old! Also the more tired and fed up I am makes it harder to resist the chocolate!!

erm.. i'm not sure actually, i presume from in proper labour?? but will check with them at the time. i can't see myself being in the mood to keep pricking my finger with the stupid machine while in proper labour tho! maybe have to tell dh to just stab me with it hourly and record the sugar for me

that will be a nice anniversary present for you then if your baby arrives on that day!

mine is said to be average size on the scan too, so will see if its correct. im thinking if he is actually average, and being induced couple of weeks early then he could even end up smaller than both my other 2 as they were both late and one of them was naturally massive

Wow, so 3kids and Firawla both expecting babies in the next week or so. How exciting.

MrsZB glad you are still on here keeping me company. I'm 33 weeks on thursday. Similarly feeling very jealous of upcoming babies and wish mine was here sooner. But then I'm not exactly ready for her yet so maybe I could use the time to prepare more.
I finally saw the dietician yesterday and found it almost a complete waste of time. No guidelines around what to eat or how much carbs to aim for. Just some grade school chart explaining how glucose is broken down into sugars and some generic advice about how everyone is different so you have to try and see. There is no way I am going to 'try' mashed potatoes or cakes when they could send my levels up and then I'm going to be judged by these whether I can use the birth centre or not.

Another annoying thing. We went to our first NCT class on Monday and the instructor was going on about the birth centre and when I said I would maybe have it there or maybe the labour ward she said "Have you SEEN the birth centre?!" as though I would be stupid to have it anywhere else.
I'm well aware of how great it is but beginning to feel like it's some juicy reward being dangled in front of me that I probably won't get to have.
Other comments from her also suggested zero consideration of gestational diabetes.
Q (not from me): 'What should we eat during labour'
NCT leader: 'Chocolate'! (to great laughs)
She also suggested bringing lots of biscuits to the ward in order to 'bribe' the midwives and promised 'loads of cakes' at our women only day. I am dreading it.
Sorry, I'm in a pissy mood today.

Aww Sprite rant away! Does she know you have GD? I did an antenatal refresher class and I didn't share it with the group as I didn't want to but it does mean some of the suggestions don't apply to you!

I really think you are doing the right thing in keeping an open mind about your labour/place of labour etc as I think it makes it easier to deal with what happens in the end, which you probably have less control over than most women. For my first labour I had planned a drug free home water birth and ended up being transferred and having a c-section and it took me a couple of years to come to terms with it!

So my only advice to first time mums would always be to try and keep as open a mind as possible. The thing about the birth centre is that they generally do have strict criteria for who can use it and it is unpredictable as to who may not be able to use it nearer the time.

But I am sorry you feel you aren't getting much from the classes as they cost alot of money and should support you.

I found my dietician not brilliant either... the leaflet I got was very old fashioned (it talked alot about 'milk puddings' and I don't even know what they mean by that!) and if I followed the advice my levels would be really high!

I tried to be honest with the dietician and explained that I have had an eating disorder in the past and I was worried this would trigger it all again. She told me to 'think of my baby' which I found actually pretty offensive and just showed that she had no knowledge of that area.

Anyhoo... sorry to rant! Off to make my tea ...

Evening all,

Hadn't thought about it like that Firawla - yes can't imagine doing hourly blood testing will be at the front of my mind in actual labour either! Well on the baby size front, mine have all been born before their due date, smallest was 8lb1oz, so will also be interested to see how this one compares!

Sprite I haven't eaten anything in any of my previous labours. Just doesn't really cross my mind to...but if I was to have anything I could imagine snack things like chocolate being more appealing than nice healthy snacks . When I saw the dietician she didn't really tell me anything I hadn't looked up on the internet, so a bit of a waste of time in that respect.

It is so hot here today, couldn't sleep at all last night. Am really hoping it cools down!

I had some nuts to snack on in labour. And some dark chocolate - just the odd square here and there along with the nuts . But once labour really got going I had no wish to eat a damn thing. Drank a lot of water though.

Thanks for all the advice regarding labour food. Maybe I will have (dark, unsweetened) chocolate after all.
Looking back it was quite the rant but felt better to get it out of my system and I appreciate the supportive remarks. I am thinking of emailing the NCT leader and telling her I have GD in the hopes of provoking some guilt on her part .

Too bad our collective dietician's advice hasn't been very helpful. Soo funny about the milk pudding .

And Firawla I certainly hope your husband doesn't have to stab you every hour. How ridiculous! Did make me laugh though. I wish they'd be more specific about these things. Feels like I'm always getting vague advice.

MrsZB I always appreciate your thoughtful replies. I am appalled at your midwife's guilting accusation regarding eating disorders. Similarly food has been an issue for me in the past and I think it's both healthy and wise to try to be aware of this tendency in a situation where so much is riding on what and how much you eat.
Totally agree about the open mind thing as well. The women in my NCT group seemed to be shocked that the rate of caesarean at our nearest hospital is 31% and the fact that around a third/quarter of us would therefore likely undergo this. I really think they don't prepare women well for what birth might be like and I know very few (maybe one?) first time mum who had their ideal birth. And that was a homebirth.
3kids my sympathy on the heat front. Lovely rain today in London which I am thoroughly enjoying.
Looking forward to more baby stories shortly....

Well had a call from the midwife at the hospital this afternoon telling me I have to fast the night before induction and then go in at 7:30am to be put on glucose/insulin drip first thing. So much for things not being too medicalised....I thought nothing like that would that would go on until labour had at least got going a bit . So in answer to the blood testing all the time Firawla - looks like that will definately go on the whole time. And also now don't know if they will let me eat at all over the induction, as I would have thought that might mess up the glucose levels?

Well on the positive side at least I only have a week to wait...Sprite we also have rain here today - am hoping things will stay a bit cooler!

oh no 3kids that sounds a bit much!! poor you. mine said i am allowed to eat in labour apparently? which im glad cos might want the energy, especially like in the early stages of hanging around waiting for induction to work etc. maybe the drip thing is just the hospital policy of where you are then?? do you think you could challenge it, or you rather just go with it? but good luck tho! hopefully it will be alright, maybe you can still move around a bit with the drip in if you want?

mine is tomorrow! so i will come back after and let u all know how it went

Good luck Firawla - definately let us know the good news!

Yes I can't say I am really looking forward to next week at all...apart from the bit where I get the baby and don't have to be pregnant any more of course...

Just have to keep hoping the baby turns up before then - it's got 6 days to put in an appearance on its own!

Good luck Firawla Hope all goes smoothly.

Sending labour vibes your way 3kidsnobump Have you asked them why you have to fast? It sounds a bit extreme, and surely you will need the energy for labour!?

Ooh yes, I am sending good labour vibes as well to Firawla and 3kids8 and hope your baby gets a move on 3kids so you don't have to do the fasting/drip thing. That does sound a lot if you also need all that energy for labour.

Next appointment I think we discuss my birth plan so I'll have lots of questions to ask.

BTW I sent an email to my NCT leader explaining about the GD and actually she was both humbled and promised to be more sensitive in future. So that was nice and only feel slightly guilty.

Evening everyone - well have made it to the weekend. Thankfully DH is around to help out with the kids. Have a feeling I am manically going to be making sure all the last minute preparations for the baby are done - since this will definately be our last weekend without him/her!

I didn't really ask much MrsZB as they just phoned me out of the blue, and I really wasn't expecting it, guess I was a little gobsmacked really! Yes I would have thought you would need lots of energy for labour. I remember them saying in the antenatal class we did with our first baby that it was the equivalent of running a marathon!

Sprite I had my 'birth plan' with the midwife last week, which just consisted of her saying 'well it will be up to the consultant' blah blah - so a bit of a waste of time as couldn't really have much input!

Hi everyone just coming along to share my news, my lovely little boy was born this morning 8.30am he is only 6lbs seems tiny to me! Smaller than
Both his brothers, so much for giant babies with the diabetes! Induction
Was ok I guess, quite long and painful but atleast didn't need the synto drip and pushing stage was amazingly quick and easy so I suppose that makes up for the rest of it! I did have to do the blood sugars hourly but actually found it not really annoying to do so didnt mind it, was not allowed to eat at all tho which I did quite mind because I was soo hungry!! But atleast tea and toast after :d
Good luck to the others here waiting for induction in the next week or so!

Congratulations Firawla! Another happy baby story. 6lbs, that's so little. Glad to hear the induction wasn't agonisingly awful... and no drip, that's a positive.
I really don't understand why they won't let you eat! But at least now you can eat whatever you like. Bring on the cakes!
Thanks for the heads up on the birth plan, MrsZB maybe I will bring notes so I can be taken more seriously.
I have still heard nothing of this mythic consultant and when I asked the midwife about it she said it was likely it would just be her and myself making the decisions about the birth. Which is fine by me as she seems quite flexible.
Are you being treated in the UK MrsZB? I can't remember now. I'm in SE London, varies across England as well I think.

Whoops, sorry. That was 3kids I wanted to thank for the heads up on the birth plan. And same question about where you are being treated.

I'm surprised they still haven't gone over this with you if you are so close to delivery. What does the consultant show up just before you're about to give birth and 'tell' you what to do? Ridiculous.

Firwala Many congratulations!!! So glad to hear all went well.

Sprite21 I am in Hampshire (moved from London last year). I mainly see a consultant now so any decisions will be made by him by us together, I only see a midwife now for my urine and BP checks before I see the consultant in the joint clinic.

I have an appt tomorrow morning actually, will be 35 weeks and have a feeling we may be talking about labour esp as I am away the following Tuesday and it would seem a bit late to leave it until 37 weeks.

I have to decide whether to have an elective c section or to be induced early but as I had a section last time it is only a very gentle sort of induction where they would break my waters, put me on a drip and give me an hour and if nothing had happened it would be a section.

I keep meaning to ask on the childbirth board but I just can't see the induction working, esp as it is early and I have doubt about my ability to give birth anyway (after last time) so I think I am erring towards an elective section, although that scares me so then I just think I don't know!!!

Anyway, hope everyone is ok, only a few of us left now!!!

Afternoon all,

Sprite yes I am also UK - Lincolnshire (if that makes any difference!). They don't really seem to have gone over anything very much to do with the birth. I am just preparing myself for it to be bad (did not have a good induction experience with DC1 - so I know how these things can go!). Anyway this is most definately our last baby, so just keep telling myself I won't ever have to do this again...

I am also so knackered now and very much struggling with all 3 kids to look after - the baby seems to be pretty low down and moving at all is really uncomfortable, so in some ways I will be really glad to not be pregnant any more after this week!

Right moaning over. MrsZB don't know what it's like where you are but maybe if they are messing about with drips, no eating blah blah, it might be easier to just go straight for a section and get it over and done with. At least it will be quick (unlike induction which can take a couple of days!)