Gestational diabetes support thread

[NoRoomForALittleOne]

I thought I'd start a support thread for those of us being tested, just diagnosed or being treated for GDM.

So collapse on a sofa, grab a low carb snack and come and chat about blood tests, finger pricks, diet changes, medication and birth plans...

Good luck for Monday Ellizardo! My first induction was absolutely fine, went in for pessary at 12 on a Friday and dd was born 6:31am on the Sunday. First tiny contraction was around 3am Saturday morning but then I didn't really feel anything else for the rest of the night and slept well. At midday on Saturday they checked me and I was 3 cm dilated and they said I would be admitted to labour ward to have my waters broken when they had the room. I went to labour ward at 6:30pm, waters broken, but also had to go on the drip I wasn't really getting contractions baby born 12 hours later. So quite long and for the most part really boring but pretty straightforward and very well managed. Dh was really bored I can't say I blamed him, particularly as I managed to sleep for most of my time in labour ward whereas he had to stay away the whole time. Midwife was great and brought him lots of tea though.
Hope your goes really well and it doesn't take too long for you.

Thanks BuildSite! So useful to know (& reassuring!) - were the sugars a pain then or was GD only for your second? And did you have epidural too as I hear the drip can be 0-60mph and pretty intense!? Sorry, questions questions.

I had gd with my firs too, which is why I was induced, it was well monitored by my midwife while I was on labour ward, I didn't have to think about it, she just told me when it was time for a finger prick and she gave me a small insulin dose if I needed it based on results. When I was on antenatal ward before going down to labour ward I just monitored as I had been before, no stress for me.

I did have an epidural, I was advised to by my community midwife, the epidural was given as soon as I was admitted to labour ward before I had any real pains and before I even had my waters broken. I didn't feel any pain at all throughout the whole labour which was nice, but I did feel a bit nausea for the later part of it which I out down to the epidural. Also I think if I hadn't had an epidural so soon it might have progressed a little faster but I would have felt more contraction pain, so swings and roundabouts really.

I am being induced again in 4 weeks and I think I might delay getting an epidural just to see how it progresses by itself but if the pain of contractions becomes too much I will absolutely have another one. This is just my personal decision based on my previous experience and also because I'm curious to see how the labour would be without it. My first labour was very stress free and pain free and I was standing up again and showered and waiting for my dh to come back to visit me and dd by midday so only 6 hours after giving birth so my experience of the epidural was lovely. In all fairness I will probably have another one, I think I just want to give a chance to labour to establish itself before I do just in case the epidural had some bearing in labour taking 12 hours from water breaking to baby in arms. It might not have had anything to do with it though, it was my first labour.

Hope that helps.

So fantastic, thank you! If mine can be a fraction of yours in terms of calm and duration, I'll be happy! Thanks again x

Good luck ellizardo!. Very exciting.

Growth scan tomorrow and consultation. Anything in particular I should be asking at this stage? I am 29 weeks.

Good luck elizardo.

Lurker - for the scan I would look at the abdominal circumference as that is an indicator of gd is the baby having a large tummy. With the doctor appointment if I was you I would discuss the high and low readings as it sounds like your readings are quite low. Also, ask about birth options etc.

I also have a growth scan tomorrow and see the diabetic nurse and consultant on tuesday. Quite intrigued to see how he is doing as only gained 1kg in the last 9 weeks and my last few bump measurements have been slightly under. The gd diagnosis and all the illness over the last couple of months means that loosing the baby weight should be very easy this time.

Just trying to catch up as still in hospital with limited internet. I also have a growth scan and diabetes team today. Should be interesting...

NoRoom happy to hear baby is still hanging in there for you. Hope your growth scan goes well.

Thanks folks. Not going in until 9pm so have all day to try and distract myself!

At the growth scan, as Lurk said, the AC measurement is key as is amount of liquor/fluid. My baby's aC was in 95 centile while rest was around 50 so quite clear cut even tho liquor was fine. Birth plans also useful as diff hospitals have diff policies for allowing you in the MLU, pool, wireless monitoring, induction times etc. And I guess it depends a lot on your own personal configuration of GD symptoms too.
Good luck!

Sorry, as Lig said

Hope you're keeping calm elliz. Good to hear from you noroom.

All good at growth scan - tummy only just above 50th percentile. And it's definitely a girl which is a relief as dd would be cross if we'd got it wrong! Apparently I don't have to be quite so strict with diet and can have more fruit and normalish carbs as long as they're in small portions. They said definite no to mlu but if growth is OK and I remain diet-controlled I don't need to be induced until 40+6 and monitoring will be hourly rather than constant so can probs use pool for a bit as long as I give birth on dry land. Overall positive and very relieved re scan! Good luck everyone else with appointments today.

Full time job this appointment malarkey though eh? I had scan, midwife, doctor, dietician phlebotomist which took all morning and have to go back on 27th March.

Sounds positive Lurker.

elizardo - hope you are getting through your last pregnancy day ok. It must be a wierd day waiting for induction..

Sitting outside the scan rooms feeling nervous. After 2 mcs I can never relax at scans but it does get easier with him wriggling.

Although hoping I am not seeing the sonographer who has just become free. She was openly discussing her current patient in the reception area and then was a big confusion about photos. She does not fill me with confidence.

Oh the joys of hospitals. After a very normal scan yesterday - ds is very average and in proportion although bigger and longer than dd was. My blood sugar is fine and the dr was going to not need to see me till around 39 weeks to discuss induction. Then she did the bump measurement and I measure too small!! (32 cm at 35+4) So now got another growth scan and doctor appointment to check he is growing enough but still got the gd birth restrictions in case he is a big baby. All very odd!!!

Lig the same thing is happening to me. I'm 34+5 today and I'm measuring 29, have measured small throughout so I'm having growth scans every two weeks (next one next week). I have genuinely been told nearly in those words that I will be induced at 38 weeks to prevent baby becoming to large and because I'm measuring too small. Where is the logic!

iliveonabuildsite - it just doesn't make sense does it. I think I just carry small as I did with dd (but didn't have gd).

p.s. I live on a building site and was happy that they were going to let me go to 40 weeks so everything was done.

The other thing no one seems to be taking into account for me is that baby is 4/5 engaged so that is making me much smaller too. They keep telling me "oh baby is nearly fully engaged" so I don't know why they are ignoring this when discussing my size. My blood sugars are really good and I've managed to diet control only this time, when I was pregnant with dd I was on huge doses of insulin so I really thought this time I'd be allowed to at least go to 40 weeks.

I hope your building site settles downs and is quiet enough by the time baby arrives LIG, luckily the building site that inspired my nn is now complete and quiet but it's been a long year!

*sorry that should read 1/5 engaged.

That could explain my low measurement too as the babies head is very low but I thought they would take that into account.

Can't remember last time.someone.measured my bump.
I decided not to bother with midwife visits as I have the endocrinologist and obstetrician every 2 weeks and growth scans as well...

You would think so wouldn't you LIG but like I said before there is no logic to it at all ime.

They love measuring my bump. Every midwife appointment and every obstetrician one. With dd they even measured it during labour and were then worried about my bump size in between contractions. Not sure what they were going to do about it as the baby was coming anyway.

If you had a scan and it showed normal growth (yeay!) then surely that overrides any concern about bump size, which is a very inaccurate measurement.

I was told that gd could cause under or oversized babies though so assumed the growth scan was to check for either.

I would also have gone on the growth scan yesterday that also looked at blood flow to the brain and placenta rather than a random measurement of the belly size. But I am not a doctor!

I have never heard of gd causing smaller for gestational age babies. Although I imagine if you stop eating to keep your blood sugar down you could starve the baby. But I would imagine that would have to be pretty extreme and between scans the baby gained 800g which is pretty much what I gained too.