Anyone else got gestational diabetes? Top tips welcome!

[Angelico]

Hello all

Currently 35+2, got diagnosed with GD a couple of weeks ago after repeat GTT ('passed' the one at 25 weeks for raised BMI, seems to have come on around the 30 week mark). Got finger pricker etc last week so 6 days in to blood testing and aiming to control with diet only as due for CS at 38+4.

Have't seen dietician yet and struggling to find conclusive info online. Certain foods (pure orange juice, sweet stuff - even a couple of bites! - mashed potato) seem to send blood sugar high (highest reading ever today 9.3 after mash and literally 2 bites of DH's banoffee! ). I was wondering what other people have found useful foodwise? Any good suggestions for meals?

A typical 'good day' for me (ie super low blood sugars)...

Breakfast:
Slice of brown toast with either cheese and beans or scrambled egg. No orange juice.

Snack (11am or 4pm depending on what I'm doing):
2-3 oatcakes with cheese / hummus

Lunch:
Bowl of leftover dinner from night before (see below) or homemade lentil and tomato soup with cheese and ryebread.

Dinner:
Steak stir fry with noodles, spag bol with wholewheat spaghetti, stuffed chicken with roasties and veg, oven cod in batter with oven chips and plenty of veg.

I would love to hear some other good suggestions for meals or any warnings about particular foods. Or if you just want somewhere to vent feel free to jump on board :)

How are you MrsV and baby George? :)

Had a nice carvery for lunch there, followed by a latte on the beach - which will prob send bloods a bit high but was so nice! :o

Had my highest reading this afternoon after lunch out for dd's birthday (7.8). Nice though! Am into my last week now, so got to get crib set up, and fridge stocked up, and get everything ready. Hope everyone has had a good weekend. Hope MrsV and George are doing well, really encouraged to hear that he arrived seemingly quite quickly? Hope all are well anyway, and looking forward to hearing the details soon!

Hi all, hope everyone had a good food weekend! I discovered a new good carb...pearl barley...ate it with a duck breast and loads of green veg and got a 5.1! That is the lowest post dinner reading I think I've had.

Hope mrsv is doing well! We built baby's furniture today and I sorted all the clothes he's been bought so far...it's fair to say that I think he has enough 0-3 months vests!!! Must mention that to family or I may get more when he's born!

Good tip on the barley! smicha know what you mean about 0-3 vests lol somehow we went from none to thousands in about a week

Any of you watching Downton? I am a bit bored so far...

Morning everyone..... Glad to hear you are all well......had a quick labour which resulted in non of the diabetic intervention I was supposed to have and fingers crossed the GD seems to have gone. Have to do random 2hr puts meal readings with a result of 10.5 or below. The only naughty thing I have had is Orange juice and a fruit crumble and custard. George controlled his own sugars straight away with 2 readings above 2.5 Pre feed. He's a bit of a sleepy monster/ lazy boy in the day but a boob monster all night. I am Knackered but happy......

Mmmmm fruit crumble and custard! Making my mouth water!

So happy for you mrsv and really pleased that the GD has gone and George is controlling his own sugars! Are you still in hospital or back at home now? Sounds like you had the great birth that we all wanted to hear of! Well done you

Great news all went so well MrsV and that the GD has vanished

X-posted with Smicha

That is good news MrsV - hope we all follow suit, I'm most worried about the baby's levels I suppose, but if I've been managing to control blood sugars these last few weeks I keep hoping all will be well. Angelico hope you find some info from your specialists, seems likely that in the last week(s) baby is laying down extra fat. I haven't weighed myself but I feel I must be losing weight too! Hope you have an informative appointment tomorrow.

Angelico the last week I also became extra hungry..... Even 3 meals plus 2 snacks weren't enough to keep me sated. So I just ate lots of high protein snacks which helped. My first very naughty treat today a Krispy Kreme doughnut. It wasn't as good ad I remember..... So sweet, maybe my sweet tooth had gone a bit, that has to be a good thing :-)

Thanks MrsV that's actually quite reassuring. Strange reading today - got a 7.5 post-brekkie (which is okay) and had eaten an extra quorn sausage but my pre-lunch reading (about 3 hours after breakfast) was 6.0 so high. Not really sure why :( Going to do post-lunch reading now...

How was the post lunch reading Angelico? Hope it was ok!
I am so hungry all the time at the moment! When I've eaten my meal I get hungry again within the hour that I'm waiting to take my blood test and desperately will the hour to be over so I can eat something else

Mrsv stop making us jealous with these tales of sweet stuff!!

Had my first painful braxton hicks today, that was odd, but I'm hoping a sign of imminent labour wishful thinking!

Also had a really boring day today, one week into maternity leave and nothing to do. House is immaculate, baby's room is ready and DH told me to watch TV or read - but I felt guilty! I feel I should be doing something!! Off out for a pedicure in a mo though as people tell me that's what women on maternity leave should do when they can no longer reach their toes

I have my appointment with diabetes team to get date of induction tomorrow!! It could be as soon as Thursday! Eek.

That is brilliant news about you and the baby mrsv! Mmm crumble... I was at a bbq in Sat with lots of lovely cakes and puddings but I just stuck to the protein, luckily there was a lot of that about too! Hopefully we will all return to normal after giving birth as well while retaining some of the good habits.

Last 2 weeks at work for me, my replacement started today so I am busy training her. Had a Costa sandwich for lunch, wholewheat chicken salad but got a 7.9 so not sure what went wrong. Breakfast v good though. Ah well. The battle continues.

Readings have been mad today! Am turning into some kind of medical freak!

Post-brekkie 7.5, pre-lunch 6.0 (why so high after a 7.5???)
Post-lunch 5.8, pre-dinner 6.1!!! How is that even possible?! The fecker went up higher even though I hadn't eaten anything for hours

Smicha hope the pedicure was lovely. I would love to get nails done but they'll just make me take it all off for SC anyway so sadly no point.

Blonder battle is the right word...! :) Well done on sticking to the meat and staying strong.

Hi everyone :)

mrsv2 - thanks for posting about your birth experience. I hope some of the others nervous about induction feel better for hearing how it was for you! :) Great to hear that George is unscathed blood sugar wise and that your GD seems to have disappeared. Do keep us posted, it's very encouraging to hear about your experience and how you're getting on! :)

morethan - thanks for sharing your experiences also. Despite no family history of diabetes, I am 'old' (41) and was overweight. My endocrinologist has cautioned me of a 50% chance of developing type II and suggested that I a) try to slim down to a 'normal' bmi after the birth (something I had hoped to do anyway) b) continue to monitor my blood sugars for at least a few months after the birth and randomly thereafter and c) stick to a low GI diet either for life or at least while I'm breastfeeding as she says that this will considerably lessen the baby's chances of being obese or more susceptible to any type of diabetes herself. I plan to do all these.

I must say that, surprisingly, I'm not missing that much in my diet apart from bread (I plan to re-introduce sour dough/wholegrain), orange juice and the occasional sweet treat (I was never much of a sweet tooth. Oh, also pizza ...can't imagine life without some of that at least once a month! I'd also like to be able to be less careful with various sauces, seasonings and condiments.

Angelico - I too am losing weight! Went to get fitted for nursing bras today and seems I'm smaller in chest size around than I was at the beginning of the pregnancy, and the same cup size as I was pre-pregnancy!!?! it's making guessing my 'milked up' size a few weeks down the road pretty hard... My sugars also went a bit strange a few weeks back. Right now, they seem to have dropped - average post meal reading 5.3 - and nearly all readings in the 4's and 5's - so I'm adding in snacks and a little more carbs each meal, to no ill effect. I'm 36/37 weeks now (depending on who you believe) so I hope this is an onward trend as I'd love to have a minimal intervention induction like mrsv2.

Hospital appt this Wednesday to find out my induction date (earliest possible 6 day's time I think ) and how big my dancing baby is. My sugars have been optimal with no blips for weeks and weeks so I'll be annoyed (and a bit sceptical) if they say she's measuring proportionally even bigger. I'm hoping everyone (baby and the ObGyn team) will hang on for another 2 weeks so I can finish getting everything in and everything ready...although discomfort-wise I'd be happy to go into labour any day now...

Smicha - good luck tomorrow - will be thinking of you!

Angelico I am discovering that there is so much more than food that affects these readings. Yesterday in my boring day I ate pretty much the same thing for lunch and dinner - chicken and couscous but with a salad at lunch and cooked veg at dinner - and I got 5.6 post lunch and 6.8 post dinner! I can only put it down to the activity I did after lunch...which was the strenuous task of ironing DH's work shirts!!!

Blonder I got a 7.9 a few nights ago from 4 small new potatoes, salmon and veg. That baffled me as they were only pebble sized potatoes! So I wouldn't be too hard on yourself.

Thanks for the luck Fjordmor, I'll be back later to let you know when baby is coming!!

Pedicure was lovely and relaxing, would highly recommend something pamper-y in the last week if you get time.

Smicha have just booked a haircut for Saturday, day before induction. Hope that will cheer me up!! Hope that appointment goes well today Angelico. This seems to be the longest week... woke up at 3.30am with dd shouting that she felt sick, all a bit stressful as we've packed all the spare bedding etc ready for house move... managed to get through the morning though. She's off school for 48 hours now, so my best laid plans to get loads of bits and pieces done have had to be shelved. Car MOT, new shoes for little dd etc will all have to wait!!

Well, I'm booked in for IOL on Monday when I'll be 38+4. All of a sudden Monday seems very soon!!!! I also got given lots of syringes to express colostrum so that's what I'll be doing to keep myself occupied between now and then

Gosh Smicha that is soon (says she who may possibly be given the same day tomorrow )!

How are you feeling about it and in general?

(Hope they don't expect me to express colostrum as there's none there to express ...squeezed until my nipple went nearly black the other day. Nothing.)

Hi Fjordmor I'm feeling very apprehensive actually! It now all seems really 'real' and I actually have to give birth early next week . I've been in a strange mood ever since we got back from the hospital, but I think that's just the reality of it all sinking in!

As for expressing colostrum, the midwife told me not to focus on the nipple but on the 'reservoir' behind the areola! . Haven't given it a go yet, but that's tomorrow morning's task.

Let us know what date you're given - we could have an induction race if it's the same day

Wow Smicha good luck! I really hope it goes well for you - and Fjord if you also receive that date. I can understand you feeling apprehensive but hopefully you will have a positive experience like mrsv.

I am seeing the consultant on Thursday, currently 33+0 so I don't suppose they will have any more idea about dates yet.

Sugars a bit up and down although I'm doing the right things. No higher than 7.9 but don't know whether they will increase the insulin as I also get 5.1s sometimes.

Smicha - despite my current hormonally induced zen-like state, I can quite imagine feeling the same. Tbh, on a level this doesn't feel real at all. I keep trying to imagine myself in labour in hospital or lying with a baby...that is my own! :) afterwards and it just doesn't seem feasible! I think actually getting myself to hospital on an induction date may be the start of a long day in some kind of shock! I think it will be even worse if I get Monday as a date as the flat isn't even ready for an arrival yet! Still, on the upside, my bloods are fab and I've even been upping my carbs a bit and still getting fab results so I'm hoping the endocrinologist will be happy and all being well I'll need minimal diabetic interventions, like Mrsv2! :)

Feeling a lot better this morning, think a good night's sleep put everything into perspective. I think I was worrying that we were forcing labour too early (especially as by my calculations the due date should be 12 Oct and not 4th) but I've weighed that up against the negatives of possible placental deterioration now I'm on insulin and other complications if we leave it too long, and I'm happy with Monday. Even on my calculations that will still be over 37 weeks so it is technically still full term. And he is definitely big enough to be born, was 2/5 engaged last week and has dropped really low. So, in a nutshell, I'm happier about it all today!

Wow, 2/5 engaged, maybe you won't need much induction at all!

That's what I'm hoping blonder!!