Just been told my GTT test has come back positive...what next?

[Harryan]

Hiya,
I had the test yesterday and mw just rang to say it was positive and that my bloods after the test were 8.5? Indicating that I do have gd.
She wants me to go back to discuss controlling my sugar intake and learn how to do a food diary. And has also said that the obs consultant will probably want to see me too?

This is my 3rd pg and never had anything like this before, so I was just wondering if anyone who has had it or got it could tell me what happens next?
And am I really doomed to missing my haribo craving and end up having a giant baby???

I had GD, and my daughter was (and still is!) on the small side so you won't necessarily end up with a giant baby! :)

After I was diagnosed I went to the clinic, where they explained what I needed to do to keep sugars under control. Basically, it's down to eating smaller portions of good carbs at regular intervals so you don't get blood sugar spikes. So, yes, the haribo is out for now, but the post-baby snacking to make up for it is brilliant :) I did a couple of weeks of monitoring blood sugars after meals to see what things gave me sugar spikes, and trying to adjust my diet accordingly. They also keep a closer eye on you with some more regular scanning and appointments - I switched from local midwife care to hospital consultant care, but mainly saw the diabetic specialist midwives rather than the consultant.

I used to do things like eat 2/3 of dinner, and then the remaining 1/3 a bit later before bed. I snacked on more protein rich foods like cheese/nuts/beans (am veggie, so meat was out), and I went cold turkey on the cake and chocolate. Actually, I ended up maintaining weight in the last trimester, and getting back into pre-pg clothes within 2 weeks, which was a bonus. I certainly wouldn't have done that if I'd had free reign over cake and sweets!

I ended up on insulin to control sugar levels, but actually it wasn't as bad to do as I thought. And due to that (plus a couple of other indicators) I was induced at 38 weeks. But, obviously you don't have to agree to anything you don't want.

It's a bit of a faff with some more monitoring and diet watching, but plenty of people do get GD and it normally disappears once baby is born.

Hope that helps :)

hello, did you have excess amniotic fluid at all? and did it alter once you changed your diet?

thanks

Hi, there's a nice supportive thread called 'Anyone else got GD' further down the list, we are all going through pgy with GD and swapping food tips etc.

I was diagnosed a few weeks ago and found it really hard to accept, especially as I had to go on metformin and then insulin as mine couldn't be controlled purely through diet (lots of people's can, at least at first). But it's the placenta, not you, and all you have to do is get the sugars under control one way or another. You should get support from diabetic nurse, midwife and consultant as well as dietician.

Yes it's a faff but I can eat fairly normally, just making sure carbs are all wholewheat and I cut down on fruit and sweet stuff.

Hi harryan, was it a routine 26 week test? If so they'll do scans on you to check baby's fluid and placenta function (usually one or two at either 28, 32 or 36 weeks) and they'll see you back in the antenatal clinic every 2 weeks. When we see people we just measure their bumps, have a listen in, a chat about how it's going and check up on their sugar levels from the previous 2 weeks. It's really important to regulate your levels as well as possible, if not you'll need to go on medication or insulin. Well controlled diabetes isn't too much of a problem but poorly controlled increases your risks of a big baby, baby having trouble regulating their sugar after birth, diabetes in later life and stillbirth. The stillbirth risk is obviously still very small but increases as you get further past your due date. Because of this they'll induce you earlier than otherwise planned. If you stay on diet and are well controlled it will probably be at 40 weeks if you don't labour before, if you need other medication or there are concerns it's 38 weeks. If you want more technical information about it, obstetricians work roughly by the RCOG greentop guidelines and there's one for gestational diabetes (you can google it but it's a pretty dull read!!!). Good luck! P.S. Gestational diabetes disappears as soon as you deliver so put a mountain of Haribo in your hospital bag for a feast afterwards!!!!