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

Well I guess its official now, definitely have GD just had consultant app. and been put on insulin! MrsZB hope everything goes well today

strawberrypenguin How do you feel about being on insulin? I have been since about week 30 but it took about 7 weeks to actually get up to a dose which helped!! Anyway I haven't found it too bad at all once I got used to it. Hope you are doing ok with it.

Just wanted to update on me (Partly in case it helps other people reading this thread in the future). The whole time I was told that after my second dose of steroids I would have to stay in and be on the sliding scale drip but in fact when I went in this morning they didn't mention the drip at all and just said we will do a couple of readings and then you can probably go home!

The steroid injections are a bit painful (I had read this and was slightly concerned and it turned out to be true) only because you can sort of feel the stuff going in, and it does go quite quickly. So not too bad really :)

So I was allowed home at 4 ish. My readings were higher. Usually before dinner it might be around 5.3 but tonight it was 8 which is v high for me as I hadn't eaten since lunchtime! But I had a cheese salad so no carbs at all and had my insulin and just checked and it is 6.5 so that is totally fine, yay!

Then tomorrow I go in for my c section. I have been feleing very scared about it but I feel ok now and am just so relieved that the day is now so close and I will get the scary part over and then we meet our baby!!

Then after tomorrow I don't take any more insulin and I have to monitor for 6 more weeks and then go back to the clinic. I was told it might take a few days for my body to totally get back to normal though. I sort of can't imagine eating normally again!!

Anyway I will end my essay here!!! Will update with baby news when I can :)

Hope everyone else is doing ok xxx

Oh best of luck for your section mrszb x you'll be gazing at your wee baby in awe very soon x.

hello and welcome to new people! Sorry I've been a bit distant with the long weekend and being off work now (funny that I went online way more often when I was at work).

Best of luck MrsZB with your delivery and I look forward to hearing the baby news. Good to hear too that they haven't been overly interventionist and no drip, must have been a relief.

I am doing well. Started collecting colostrum in the past couple of days but have to say it is sooo tedious. If I do it three times a day for half and hour each time I can manage about a ml. Seems like absolutely nothing. Thankfully I have a lot of time now I'm off on mat leave and I occupy myself by watching baby programs on home and health (embarrassingly I am totally addicted to this channel now).

I meet with my regular midwife next week to discuss my birth plan and decide whether I can or can't give birth in the birth centre. I'm hopeful but we'l see. I can't believe I'm at 37 weeks now....

hello everyone! We had a little girl at 9.47 yesterday morning. She is beautiful and was 8lbs 5oz. She had to have 3 blood sugar tests of over 3 over 18 hours and she passed with flying colours. Feeding like a pro too so havent needed my expressed colostrum. My levels seem to be going back to normal touch wood!

Yay!! Congratulations MrsZB I am so pleased for you. Sort of feels like we've been through this together with due dates so close and lovely to hear your happy news!
Only sad that I probably won't hear as much from you now but thanks for all your support and kind words over the past few months. It really meant a lot to me (sorry, feeling a bit emotional now, I'll blame it on the pregnancy hormones).

Fabulous that the blood sugars are all good and she is feeding well. I will keep expressing colostrum but it is a pain and similarly hoping I won't need it.

Good luck with your levels, sounds really positive though.

Congratulations MrsZB Hope you are both doing well Thank you for your support i've really appreciated it, (although I doubt you'll have much time to read this, the insulins going OK got used to having to take it but think the dose might take a while to get right) Food certainly seems less interesting now and a bit boring to look at (wholewheat pasta is so attractive!) anyone got any tips for making it more interesting?

Congrats mrszb x

Thanks everyone :)

doing well so far, even getting some sleep so very happy! everything does seem much easier second time round which is a relief.

My blood levels are ok but only if I am still careful about what I eat... maybe things are still settling down... will have to wait and see!

sprite will be keeping an eye ot for your birth announcement! i hope all goes well for you.

strawbpenguin yes not much time to get on here but will be checking back every now and thwen! glad insulin is going well so far.

Hi Everyone
I would love to join in this thread as it is a really good one with lots of tips and information, better than any Doctors consultation!
Anyway, I was told last week that I have GD and I have to write down what I eat for the next week and then attend diabetic clinic on Tuesday. It is all a bit confusing as I don't know really what I should be eating and what not to! I was diabetic with my last baby but I managed to keep things under control by nearly starving myself. Then I ended up having ketones in my urine and luckily was being induced the same day they found them so didn't cause too much of problem. I remember the midwife telling me off for not eating properly but I was so desperate not to take insulin that I went a bit mad! Now I can't remember what I ate that kept my sugar low so I can feel myslf going into self starve mode again! I have lost 4lb in the past 5 days so must be cutting down a bit too much.
Anyway, the added complication this time is that I now live in France so goodness knows what their policy is here for GD. They are very strict with every other aspect of pregnancy so I will probably find myslef with no choice on what happens to me after Tuesday!!!
I had lots of hypos in early pregnancy so that is why I am so desperate to avoid Insulin!
I just wanted to aSK you all about peanut butter!! I have been dying for some for ages but was worried about peanuts in pregnancy and now have heard they are ok. I am now worried about eating it with GD but I notice many posts have talked abot including it in their diet??????
You can go around in cirlcles with all this can't you!!!

Hi Franglomum sound like i'm only about a week ahead of you as far as GD treatment goes. No idea on the peanut butter question i'm afraid, as far as i know theres no hard evidence either way as far as allergies go regarding peanuts in pregnancy though. I was advised to eat wholewheat/grain versions of foods ie bread, rice, pasta and to try and avoid foods labelled as low fat because they often compensate by adding sugar! Oat crackers/biscuits are quite good too because they are slow release energy and not sweet. Do try to eat enough so your not hungry as that will make you feel bad too. If they do put you on insulin its not too bad at all (although i've not experienced a hypo) if you do have to take insulin you will need to eat properly though so you might actually find it easier than diet control only.

hi franglomum sorry to hear about the diagnosis but glad you found the thread.
Peanut butter is definitely off the 'no' list here in the UK and my dietician and midwife recommended it so I've been having it with either oatcakes or Burgen Linseed bread (a former tip from the forum, seems to work well). I find the Good Earth brand good as it contains no sugar.
As for diet, I was told generally to stick to no sugar, limiting fruit to 4 a day (and none with breakfast), and stick to low-GI carbs but be sure to have enough (I just go with portion sizes and had to experiment with what worked and didn't). I was also told that adding protein to carbs works well (so jacket potato with beans and cheese is better than just a plain jacket potato). My new favorite treat is full fat greek yogurt with some partially defrosted berries and teaspoon of sweetener.

I know what you mean about wanting to keep levels down but please don't starve yourself! I've heard insulin isn't too bad and it's more important that the baby and you get the nutrients you need.
Interesting to hear about policies in France, I thought they'd be more relaxed as they seem to be more flexible about due dates and food regulations, but maybe I'm wrong.

Do keep us updated on your treatment and suggestions.
strawberry penguin I know what you mean about food losing some of its fun. I realised how much I used it as a 'treat' to myself and have had to really reorientate myself and think of it as sustenance rather than reward. It does take some of the pleasure out unfortunately.
I find myself treating myself with shopping now moreso, not so great for the bank account!

Hi, just an update in that I had my 38 week visit with my midwife today where we went over my birth plan. Alas it didn't go too well.

I had been told that there was a good chance of using the birth centre if my levels were fine and I was looking forward to the birth pool and low-intervention birth this would entail.
But despite having what were described as 'excellent' levels I was told that they've cracked down on birth centre criterion and I will have to go to the labour ward. Also, they want to continually monitor the baby so that rules out a birth pool and finally they would want to induce at edd because of risk of placental failure. Oh, and they ran out of TENS machines to top it all off!

I am feeling totally devastated after having had my hopes propped up by midwife who now seems to have been overruled by the consultant (haven't met him but I see him as some box ticking bureaucrat trying to keep his 'risk numbers' down).

Spoke to DH and he is feeling very protective and said we would fight the constant monitoring and automatic induction so that made me feel a bit better.
I guess it was naive of me to believe I would somehow get a natural, low-intervention birth after hearing other people's accounts.
I am trying to get my head around this but finding it a bit much to take in all at once and wish I'd been warned earlier.

Was also advised that I would have my bs levels monitored hourly but should still take glucose tablets and granola bars for energy as my planned nuts and cheese wouldn't be a good idea - but if my levels go over they may resort to insulin drip - aaaargh!

Oh sprite I was just having a look to see if you had updated. I am so sorry you are having your plans dashed at this very late stage. I feel it was irresponsible of your midwife to get your hopes up if it wasn't her decision to make.

I am afraid I don't have any advice to offer you as my experience was obviously very different as I had a planned section. I wonder if you could ask on the childbirth board and see if anyone can help? I do know that you don't have to agree to anything but I also know how hard it is to go against what is being suggested esp when it concerns the safety of your baby.

I really hope you manage to find a way forward that works for all of you. Keep us posted xxx

Thanks MrsZB really nice to hear from you. I am feeling a little better about this today and figuring out what I can control.
I feel it's within my power to resist continual monitoring with dh's support and will probably just say no to induction until at least 40+1. I'm tired of being told what to do.
I managed to purchase a TENS machine at half price so that was some consolation...
A friend who had GD said she found the monitor reassuring and I guess this is about my fears that it will lead to a caesarean which I need to get my head around in case it does happen. At least I didn't get my hopes dashed at the doors to the birth centre as I arrived in full labour and I have had a few weeks now to realise I need to be more flexible with my birth plan.
Still, disappointing as you say and feel I was misled by my midwife.

I have received a few suggestions that I could fight it and insist on a birth centre birth but I'm not sure I'm up for this at this fragile time.

Must keep new arrival in mind and reassurance that it will all be worth it when she gets here.

I've posted some messages on the 'high blood glucose + home birth implications' thread as this one seems to have waned. Still, hoping 'franglomum','sleepevader' , 'strawberrypenguin' and other newbies come back.
Otherwise thinking about starting up another thread.
Bad news is that baby came back in 95th percentile for growth despite being 50th percentile last two scans. EFW is 8lbs 9, so she's a big baby! Have started drinking raspberry leaf tea in hopes she will come out soon but seems unlikely.
How is everybody else? Any news?

Hi Everyone. Thanks for all the advice. I have had my meeting at the hospital now and feel a bit better now I have more information on what I can eat. One thing they told me at the hospital that I didn't know was that you should always finish your meal with a dairy product e.g. piece of cheese, natural yogurt, creme fraiche. Apparently it helps even out the sugar! I have never heard this before - had anyone else? It maybe a French thing! I am giving a try though and my levels seems to be ok at the moment! Hope everyone else is doing ok.

Hi franglomum glad you got some good advice from your hospital. I hadn't heard the dairy thing but I have heard that fats can be good for sugars and also that it helps to add protein so dairy products would probably contain both of these.

I spent the first few weeks avoiding full fat dairy products because a lot of the dietary advice assumes you want to lose weight but actually full fat is fine ( better?) and often tastes better.

Well done with your levels, I found once I got a sense of what did and didn't work it was fairly straightforward and I kept a food diary to make this more apparent. I imagine you're doing this anyways.

Hello, I am 8 weeks pg and I was booking at positive for glucose so had my GTT yesterday, I'm obviously waiting for results but a little nervous :( I had to have a GTT with DD to but not til 6months.

Hi MorelliOrRanger hope your test goes well but if not try not to worry too much. It is quite manageable, often through diet alone.
Something that threw me when I did the test is that they classify any reading outside the set range as 'gestational diabetes' even if it's borderline but this is more of a precautionary measure.

Was it glucose in your urine that made them test early? I think this isn't always a very accurate measure anyways?
I actually wish I'd know earlier about the issue as I was scoffing cake and assorted baking like crazy before I got the letter.... ooops.

Amazingly have managed to get by without sugar for the past ten weeks relatively easily, despite my sweet tooth.
Do let us know how it goes! And don't get scared with the risks - google isn't the best way to research it initially.

Hi everyone, I had the gtt 3 weeks ago and although my fasting level was fine the post lucozade level was 7.9 (was advised should be no higher than 7.8) so they have diagnosed me with gestestational diabetes. I still feel somewhat bemused by the diagnosis as have had no other symptoms, all urine tests are fine but I have been diligently monitoring my sugar levels 4 times a day for the last couple of weeks. So far so good , only once has it been slightly over the acceptable levels (went up to 8.2) and this was due to the (small) glass of orange juice i had with my breakfast (which was actually on the recommended list in the dietry leaflet the hospital gave me !) so no more orange juice for me.
If i can manage to keep levels fine with diet alone then shouldnt need any medication. I'm a bit disappointed as was hoping to have water birth and consultant has basically said this will be ruled out, also I'm quite scared about the idea of needing an induction or a c-section. Had growth scan last week and baby is normal size so remain hopeful that a c-section wont be necessary.
i suppose on a positive note my diet is now super healthy, less post baby weight to shift!!

hi whimsicalquark glad to hear your sugar levels are working out well. Similarly found I couldn't have any fruit or juice with breakfast but I snack on fruit an hour later so not feeling too deprived.

Just found out last week that my water birth plans are out (at 38 weeks) was very disappointed so much better to hear these things early and get your head around them. I still don't quite understand the justification except that baby's efw has crept up in past couple of weeks so risk of shoulder dystocia apparently there.
C-section and induction are by no means certain or even that likely. I think they like to induct at 38 weeks when it's insulin controlled but otherwise happy to go to term. I think c-section would only be related to baby's weight but mine has crept up to 95th percentile with two weeks to go and they haven't even mentioned a planned c-section. Your reading was very borderline so it does sound promising that you won't go on insulin.
Agreed new super healthy diet is great and it has made such a difference to my energy levels over the past ten weeks.

Hi Sprite21 and other - I started the high glucose thread but hadn't found this one - so am new here today. I was diagnosed with GD last week with borderline readings. Midwife told me that in other parts of the UK that use a different scale I would not have been diagnosed with the lucozade GTT readings. But reading this thread it seems the base line they are using now I'm in their little GD box (less than 5.9 fasting and less than 8 an hour after meals) is pretty standard. Have had one hospital and 2 home births in the past and was really hoping for a home birth again. Have rarely used any sort of pain relief (TENS and then epidural after 24 hours of labour but natural birth following that with DD1). But nothing at all but breathing and active positions - walking round the block and up and down stairs, all fours, ball etc with DS and DD2. My labours have been so good in the past I feel really worried about the prospect of induction at 38 weeks and all the possible intervention that entails. Am trying to keep sugar levels down with diet and so far have been fine except this morning's fasting one which was 6.5. Have a meeting with obstetrician, diabetic midwife and a scan on Thurs. DS was 9 and a half pounds at one week ovedue and is now a small, wiry little 6 year old - maybe I had GD then too? On the other hand...maybe not!

So - good to join you - despite the annoying circumstances. Will read more carefully for tips etc later. At the moment my big worries are:

• not being able to control sugars with diet alone
• over cautious intervention leading to being strapped down during labour/or cs
• afraid it won't go away after the birth and a lifetime of dietary restriction looms.

Sound familiar?

hi again issynoko
Yes, fears are oh so familiar. Particularly about interventions. My sugar levels ended up being very manageable but unfortunately I found it didn't make any difference to the hospital's assessment of my 'risk' category and diagnosis. Kind of wish I hadn't stressed so much about them but I guess it was good for the baby and she is big anyways so good thing they were well managed.
It's good that you're starting to think about possible interventions and I would suggest discussing these with your midwife and/or a consultant early as it's good to know their policies and to have time to think about your options.
I'm trying to negotiate reduced fetal monitoring at the moment but my water birth is out apparently.

Am due in one week so it's starting to feel very imminent and real. There was never a discussion of being induced at 38 weeks.

Hello. I was diagnosed today with GD after starting testing with a glucose monitor last week. Numbers have been up and down and I'm going in tomorrow to see if they will be starting me on insulin or metformin. I'm 12+5 and they started testing early as my consultant said the GTT isn't always that good at finding out whether you actually have GD or not.

I am suspected of undiagnosed GD in my last pregnancy which ended in a stillbirth at 37 weeks in December last year possibly due to this but we'll never know for sure.

I'm extremely nervous and a bit confused about the sugars and eating, they seem to be high and low in variations but I'm not too sure why. I was already a high risk pregnancy after my last one but previous ones have also been difficult. This will be dc5.

I've considered birth options a lot and am thinking about requesting a c-section due. I've only had natural births with just a bit of gas and air but I'm not sure if I can go through another labour after my last one. I delivered her breech as well and it was touch and go as to whether I'd need a section as her foot got stuck (footling breech). Can't bear the thought of labour and anything happening during it.

I was hoping for an easy pregnancy this time round but that wasn't meant to be I guess. All I want from this is a live baby, I'm not too fussed about anything else! I am terrified of needles, surgery and the thought a section but I'm also feeling the same way about another labour so I can't win either way.

Sorry for the long post! Has anyone else gone straight onto insulin or just metformin first and what were your numbers like? Lowest has been 3.1 on waking and 9.8 1 hour after eating. I was told to be below 6 after fasting and under 7.8 1 hour after eating.