Gestational diabetes - 4 weeks to go - anyone in same boat ?

[mummysweeangel1]

hey ladies, was diagnised with GDM last week, went to hospital yesterday for my blood sugar level testing kit thingy, and a whole load of leaflets on what to eat and what not to eat.

My fasting level this morning when i got up was 9.2 !!!, 2 hours after breakfast it was 6.3 then 2 hours after lunch its 13.1 (had cheese salad roll for lunch)

not really sure on what i am doing , been told to monitor 5 times a day and the clinic will ring me on friday for my readings to determine whether or not i need to be put onto meds -

just need some stories from people in the same boat -

they havetold me i am having a very large baby- he is above 95th centile as of my growth scan yesterday, although my 22 week scan didnt show him as being big, just normal. My first DS will be 3 soon, he was born 2 weeks early weighing 9lb 11oz (didnt have diabetes during that pregnancy) so god knows what weight this one will be if i grow big babies naturally and also have the diabetes to grow it even bigger !!

any words of advice, stories, tea and sympathy (and some choccie biscuits) would be great :(

Hi mummysweeangel1

I have type 1 diabetes, 23 weeks pregnant at the moment. You are doing the right thing, just write down all of your pre and post meal readings and the clinic will be able to tell from those whether or not you need medication to control them. I expect they will refer you to a dietician too for advice about what to eat.

It might be hard work for the next couple of weeks but its amazing what you can do for baby when you need to :-) I've been testing about 15 times a day for the last 23 weeks and still have a long way to go!! Will all be worth it in the end.

Oddly enough my baby is on the 95th centile but has been since early on so not diabetes related. Growth is only affected by diabetes in the later stages.

Keep your chin up and lay off the choccie biccy's ;-)

Mrs H x

There is a thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1220035-Support-thread-for-those-diagnosed-with-Gestational-Diabetes

Some good advice on diet etc.

Hope your baby doesn't grow too big :-)

I had GD 7 years ago with my first DD. It was only for the last 6 weeks. I was fanatical about writing down everything I ate and measuring my blood sugar. (My fingers were so sore.) In the end I disregarded the dietician because the consultant told me that nutritionists in this country are behind the times and to go low gi! Anyway, I managed to stay full and feed and kept my blood sugar low by eating beans and nuts (nuts are a high fat, but it's good fat!) Hummus, nuts, avocados eaten in their skins with the whole where the seed was filled up with my favourite salad dressing. Stuff like that.

I also found that a gentle walk about half a mile or so after meals really helped me as well.

I had my baby naturally without any complications. She was not a low blood sugar baby. She is a bright and healthy child now. I did not tip over into GD in my second pregnancy, though I came close.

Don't give up! You may still be able to control things with diet and gentle walking. It's worth a try. HUGS

Ooooh, sorry for all the spelling/grammer mistakes!

thanks for all the replies everyone- and thanks for that link belfast80

x