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 me too i dont think the food seems to be making any difference, high readings seem to be regardless of whether im eating the good food or not. i've been told to double my metformin now too because the original dose made no difference at all really, so hoping the double will help a bit

Thanks Midori, 3kids, highfibre!
I'll keep on eye on this thread and hope to see your announcements soon.
Can't believe my wee man is a week old already..time flies (when you get no sleep!).

Welcome to mummysweeangel1 and to Eviepoo. I'm not on meds either so can't offer any advice in that department. Weight gain really varies a lot. I found a good article about it on an Australian site recently. Here it is. (There is a link on one of the pages to a 'weight gain calculator' but it doesn't work, just directs you back to the first page.) I think if you were overweight beforehand and didn't put on much in the first trimester, and have been being really careful with your diet in the third trimester, I don't suppose you'll put on very much.

Eviepoo, I hope your results come back with no cause for concern, but if they do diagnose you with GD you know we'll be here for you. :)

3kids and Firawla I have found just the same thing with food. In fact on Monday and Tuesday this week I swear I had exactly the same lunch, but on Monday my post-prandial reading was 6.2 and on Tuesday it was 6.9... go figure!

midori that's reassuring about the ice-cream, and to be honest although I've been carefully measuring things like pasta and bread I hadn't thought about doing the same with desserts, although I have been allowing myself small amounts of dark chocolate now and then. I hope all your checks and appointments go well. The blood pressure may be worrying but it does go up in late pregnancy in any case, and it's good that there has been no protein in your urine. The scans, well they aren't very accurate at this stage are they? And like you I have given birth to a large baby before with no problems so I think that's the least of our worries really.

My mum doesn't seem to understand that there's quite a range of values even when you are diagnosed with GD and unfortunately she knows of a woman who had a stillbirth due to GD and is now in her next pregnancy and has been hospitalised. So mum thinks I'm being terribly irresponsible in trying to stay off the insulin - but I bet my levels are completely different to this woman's. Also, although I haven't found any actual statistics yet, all the references I've seen say that there is only a 'slightly increased' risk of stillbirth with GD and that it's only if the blood sugar levels aren't controlled. But thanks mum, for giving me something else to worry about .

Anyway I'm off to see an acupuncturist/chinese herbalist tomorrow as I read a good review article saying that chinese herbs plus diet and exercise had a better effect on pre-diabetic conditions than just diet and exercise. So I thought it wouldn't do any harm to try it out, especially if it means I can hold out for a couple more weeks and get my home birth after all. I must say it's rather annoying that I'm getting fairly good values most of the time and it's only because my hospital has such strict limits that they are considered to be 'bad'.

Time to go on the exercise bike, good night to you all. :)

I like this thread, its a shame that diabetes gets the bad press it does. GD goes away after pregnancy, but i would recommend that you carry on a healthy diet after the baby is born, and reduce sugar intake to make sure. My mum had GD with my brother, and she ate sugar like it was water. Now she's lost a toe, and has type two diabetes. My dad also has it.

So if you haven't guessed, you lucky ladies have a chance of getting normality back after the baby is born, me on the other hand, I live with the condition day in day out! I have a cold starting and that can mess your BS up. I eat well, walk most places, but my BS has always been between 5 and 8, its where my body likes to run. Insulin isn't that bad, I've just started it, to help me through the pregnancy, it was my choice to protect my baby, but i will come off it as soon as the baby is born.

I wish you all well! Just a tip for diabetes, their will be a food out there that lowers your blood sugar, chickpeas are a good example. Mine is almonds and chickpeas, my dads is white fish. Try something like that! Don't panic too much, diabetes is easier to live with once you adjust!

I so didnt want to join this bus but here i am!

Had my GTT and nurse phoned and said cut off was 7.9 and I was 8.0, so have got a glucose blood monitor, finger pricking 7 times a day for 5 days and then go back to the diabetic clinic, not one of my readings have been near 7 so does anyone think it would be worth asking for a retest, or am i stuck with this diagnosis?

Sorry if i sound dispondant, just another hassle in my life i dont need right now

Hi there fizzgig86 and MrsSawyer. I've definitely noticed that having a cold makes a difference to my values. I had a virus when I did my GTT and I wish I hadn't done it then. But my values have remained slightly high so I still think (regretfully) that the diagnosis was correct. MrsSawyer the GTT is known to be not very reproducible, so if you do it again you might get better results. But I have a feeling that due to everyone cracking down on GD they might say that one bad result is enough for a diagnosis.

7 times a day sounds a bit much! I guess you are doing pre-meal values as well as after.

being type 2 diabetic, before pregnancy, and i have to test 7 times a day, take metformin with every meal and have one dose of 4 units of insulin every evening!

i have some great recipes for sugar-free stuff, and stuff if anyone fancies things they can't really have!

but one thing i have to say is, if you want it, eat it in moderation, never prevent yourself from having food you fancy it makes the craving stronger and you eat more! I can tell you that, as I've been diabetic since i was 17. Now 24, Its hard work, but thats the best piece of advice i can give you all! Plus have the knowledge yours will go away, so just think, after your pregnancy you can eat chocolate to your hearts content!!!! lol!

At the moment, I'm trying to make a natural yogurt and fresh fruit icecream, to keep my blood sugar down, I'll let you guys know how it goes. If it works, I'll post the recipe!

well ive asked for a re-test and they said no, that ive done the test and thats it, i think personally its all about bums on seats, if everyone challenged their results and half of them came back as an ok result, they lose half their patients - cynical, moi? :)

anyway, its all good as my results havent gone above 6.7 so guess its just one of those things, hope everyone else is well x

Hi Mrssawyer - thats brill your results havent gone above the 6.7 !, you must be so pleased.

I am at my wits end - on insulin injections since last tuesday, and the dosage has been increased daily since Wednesday last week - sugar levels are still high despite the fact i am following a low sugar low carb diet and doing all the dietician has told me to do. Really just want baby out now as i am starting to feel panicky.

Will be 37 weeks on friday - have appointment at diabetic clinic tomorrow afternoon and another growth scan - last scan i had 2 weeks ago measured the babys abdomen as being abover 95th centile. Section was booked initially for the 1st of july when i am 39 weeks, but i am really hoping they decide to do it the week before to get baby out - just want to make sure he is ok now :(

just feel i am left in limbo half the time, the consultant just rings me , tells me to increase the dose and doesnt say much else. Will be armed with a list of questions tomorrow afternoon.

How have all the other ladies on this thread been doing ?? all well i hope

x

Mummysweeangel1, my insulin requirements were going up and up like absolutely mad at one point. I mainly had prob lems with my fasting and post meal readings, my pre-meal readings during the day were usually OK. They evened out a bit in the last week or so and I haven't had to increase my insulin again, but then yesterdays afasng was borderline and todays fasting and pre-meal readings have gone mad, so I will have to increase again. My slow acting insulin pen only goes up to 60 units, so I'll have to jab myself twice every night if it goes up any more.

I too am getting more worried as time goes on. Baby seems to be measuring OK though, estimated at around 7lbs on Saturday. I'm 37 weeks tomorrow. Only another 10 days until induction!

Hi all!

evie fingers crossed you get the all clear!

Hi mummysweeangel :) My sugar levels are up and down all the time, I think it depends on how much exercise you are doing and how stressed out you are feeling, as well as exactly what you eat. Plus it gets progressively worse through pregnancy, so i guess it's hard to find the right dosage. Hope you get some answers soon!

mrsSawyer sorry to hear they wouldn't retest, but it sounds like you have everything under control. 6.7 is a relatively low reading for me, so I think that being under that is probably a good thing!

fizzgig sounds like you have a good attitude to diabetes, I hope things work out well for your pregnancy :)

midori are you looking forward to the induction date?

I am just about managing to keep my sugar levels within the limits, but just occasionally I find something that doesn't agree with me! Last night was my husband's lovely spaghetti dish which he made as a treat, and pushed me over 8 :( Just after I'd managed to go for days without any high readings! But I'm off on maternity leave at the end of the week, so I'm planning to stock the freezer with cake and ice-cream, so that I have lovely things to eat once the baby has arrived!!

After the baby's born I'm going to make flapjacks with the boys! Last pregnancy I managed to eat a whole tub of M&S flapjacks all on my own and ds1 has never let me forget it .

Dp has been trying my patience as he eats a huge bowl of cereal or makes himself toast in the evening, and yesterday he made jelly for everyone then asked 'are you allowed any'? um, no! Especially as I'd only just had my dinner...

Oh midori1999- I AM 37 WEEKS ON FRIDAY :) :) - our dates are so close !!! Feels very very exciting knowing theres not long to go !!!

Yeah i have the feeling they will just have to keep increasing my insulin aswell until they settle- lowest fasting readings i have had the past 2 days are 9.2 - 2 hours after meals they are at least 11.1 - up to 16.3 sometimes
:( grim.

I would just have imagined that with baby being over the 95th centile, and my first DS weighing 9lb 110z born at 38 weeks- (without me having GD) , that this new bubs will be ready to come out now , i can hardly walk :O :O :O , although my SPD isnt as seveer this time round, thankfully, but my blood pressure is high also.

High fibre- i soooooooooooooooooooooooo NEED flapjacks (mouth watering and ready to keel over at the very thought of them)

Just to update you....the MW still hasn't phoned with results so that could mean

1. they aren't in yet
2. she is busy
3. they've phoned the empty house again - even though I asked them to call work
4. she doesn't need to call as results are fine (though as she knows I was nervous I expect she will call even to say they are fine)

Eviepoo my results didn't come in for a full week ? I'd thought that they'd call me right away if thhere was an issue, but nooo :(

So exciting that so many of your babies are due soon! Mine's been a bit quiet today, I've got the midwife tomorrow so as long as I get some shifting about from him I'll try not to worry? I'm sure he's running out of space in there already and I'm 34 weeks, so gawd know how much bigger I'm going to get! Really starting to struggle now?

Thanks hubbahubster - well I have my 3rd class tomorrow and I think that it is my MW that is taking it - so I will be able to speak to her F2F - which maybe why she is waiting til then,

Afternoon everyone. Well just spent the whole afternoon at the hospital waiting round for appointments! Scan was fine but post-breakfast levels still too high, so they have said it is more than likely I will need to go on insulin at least with breakfast .

At least I am 30 weeks tomorrow, so won't be for too long (hopefully!)

Mummysweeangel your levels sound very high. Have they always been that bad, or did they get worse as you got more pregnant?

Sounds like it won't be too long before there are some more babies appearing! Who else is not so far along? Or am I going to be left on this thread on my own in afew weeks?!

Hi everyone,

wee update - was at hospital this afternoon as they have decided that baby will be coming out next Thursday - i will be 37 weeks +6

3kidsnobump- the levels have got increasingly bad since they diagnosed me with GD a few weeks ago :(

I've to go in on saturday morning for steriod injections :( which they have advised could make my blood sugar levels really high and might need to keep me in until the section and put me on a drip - this is worrying me mnore than anything else as i really am panicking about leaving my 2 year old for longer than a few days - but hey ho - just got to do what they need me to do i suppose.

hows everyone else doing ? xx

mummysweeangel, I'm sorry to hear that, I am guessing it's quite a shock. I am being induced next Friday but have to go in on Thursday night and start pessaries then, so on the offchance it makes me go quickly (doubt it, but apparently there's a chance as I have had 4 labours already and always have fast ones) our babies would have the same birthday!

Your levels are quite high. I am glad I was diagnosed so early (24 weeks) as I am on quite large amounts of insulin and even then still sometimes get readings of over 10mmol, so goodness knows what they'd be if I'd not long started. It's hard for them to judge how much insulin to give people, so it really is a case of see how it goes as everyone is so different.

Eviepoo fingers crossed for you?

Mummy so thrilling that you'll be meeting your LO soon, and hopefully your sugar levels will drop back to normal soon afterwards. Hope you've got lots of support to help you look after your DC in RL.

Well, had midwife appointment today and baby is doing fine, he's been moving about a bit more today and I'm being elbowed/kneed quite a bit! My blood pressure's kinda high but it is when I'm NOT pregnant so it doesn't worry me too much.

Got results today
Fasting was 5.1
and the 2 hour post lucozade one was 8.1
but the cut off for my area is 9.0 for the 2 hour bloods
so I am fine...seems odd that diferent areas have different cut offs tho

Hope all you ladies feel better and see your LO's soon, I can't wait now

I looked up the GTT results because I thought that was high, it is aparently I have impaired glucose tolerance and they should be giving me advise on my diet and keeping an eye on my glucose.

MW didn't think results were an issue

should I say something?

Hi Eviepoo -

I would mention it to them that you have read up on this and advise you are concerned etc -

Hope your ok and not worrying too much - says me - who googles EVERYTHING and ends up having myself dead and buried !! Wish i would stop googling things !! I really do make myself worse and more worried :( :(

Hope your ok x

where I work there is a ex MW who is lovely

She said that based on those results they should be keeping an eye on my glucose levels and perhaps advising me on diet.

So I will just mention to MW next week