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...

For me, it was because of fasting results all around 6-7.

I haven't asked about colostrum harvesting yet but I'll be asking when I see my midwife this week. I want to do it, I'm making loads of the stuff already (but not deliberately expressing it, I know that's bad too early on).

I'm a bit scared it might bring on labour!

Definitely not something to get into too early; but with GD & higher chances of (early) induction, I'm hoping it will help notify my body to get on with it & help me avoid induction....

I start tomorrow @ 38 weeks - as advised by lactation specialist midwives... (Til now, an occasional check there is something there & then stop, & general 'breast massage '!)

Yeah, I'm only 31 weeks so no way do I want to express deliberately just yet! I think my section might be brought forward to 38 weeks, so I need to ask when the best time is for me to start expressing. Do the midwives give you the little syringes for it or do we have to buy our own?

I'm guessing you might need to buy some but do speak to the midwife first. I'm 35 weeks so may start next week after my 36 week hospital appt and growth scan. Want to get things moving to avoid induction if poss!

Hi
New to this thread. 32 weeks pg & Haven't been diagnosed with GT but have a feeling that I might be. Have a GTT booked for next week as a growth scan last thur showed the baby's abdomen measures above 95th centile. Fluid is also on the high side but still within normal range.
I'm a bit floored by it all to be honest as the growth scan was booked due to my DS being tiny 6lb 3! At the midwife appointments ive measured spot on for dates and have no GD risk factors.
Have to admit I'm a bit worried about the lack of urgency as I'm 32 weeks and the receptionist originally offered me a date for the GTT in mid sept, my Csection is booked for beginning of oct!! Managed to get one for next week after pushing. I'm concerned though that GD may have gone untreated for weeks and harmed the baby. Hoping that if I do get diagnosed I'll get support sharpish. I've already borrowed a glucose meter from a friend & have been taking readings before & after meals though I don't really know what they mean
A few questions I have if anyone could help...
My reading first thing in the morning is around 4.0
1 hour after eating it ranges from 5.5-7.8 depending on what I've eaten. Do these sound normal or not?
Also what steps can I put in place before my appointment? Is there anything I should or shouldn't be doing?
Thank you in advance

Hi willowyour fasting is good the limit I have is below 5.3 (it depends on what you are told by your team if you're diagnosed). Other meals need to be below 7.8 so your numbers sound ok. Perhaps stay away from the sugary foods like cake, sweets, chocolate etc and go easy on the processed white carbs for now. But you might not have it so try not to worry or stress too much.

Hi, new to this thread and haven't read the whole of it yet.
I have been diagnosed with GD and am currently controlling the glucose levels through my diet.
I am 30 weeks and have a growth scan at 32. I was wondering if anyone knows what size baby 'they' deem big enough to intervene and talk about bringing on labour or offer a c sec?
My first baby was pretty large without the GD!

I've learnt that ever trust is different but my hospital (addenbrookes )suggests induction around 39 weeks for all GD pregnancies due to the placenta potentially degrading much faster.

Willow, here's a link to the NICE guidelines on diagnosis of gestational diabetes. www.nice.org.uk/news/article/new-thresholds-for-diagnosis-of-diabetes-in-pregnancy

I found it really helpful. Not all hospitals stick to the guidelines exactly. Mine only diagnose GD on fasting results of 6.0 or higher, not the 5.6 that NICE recommend. A bit further down the article gives you the targets you should be aiming for if you do have GD.

Obviously I'm not a doctor but your results are pretty normal, so you may not even have it. If you're worried, cut out the things frangipani suggested (and fresh fruit juice, it's a nightmare for spiking blood sugar) and have a look at the low gi diet as that will help limit any spikes in blood sugar too. Fingers crossed you haven't got it but we're all here to chat to if you do.

Rosie, part of my hospital's criteria for giving a GTT was if a previous baby was 4.5kg (9.92lbs) or more, so I'd say that's probably the size a lot of hospitals use, but it'll depend on other things too, like stomach size of the baby and how much amniotic fluid you have. Hope that helps!

___

Miracle of miracles, I attended the diabetes clinic as usual today and have come away with... my insulin being kept exactly the same! THIS NEVER HAPPENS.

Thank you. My first baby was just over 4kg and I have a higher BMI which is why I had the GTT.
I will ask my consultant next time I see him what the parameters here are

Thanks for posting NICE info, OldBlood. The 'table of appointments' link at the end is also pretty interesting.

I'm in Ireland and fasting target is

Hehe, it won't be stable for long. I go to the diabetes antenatal clinic every Tuesday and ring up for a phone review every Friday. Fully expecting them to push the insulin up again on Friday as my tea/bedtime/morning results are creeping higher. The registrar would have done it on Tuesday except I had a few weirdly high readings that stood out, so she wanted a few more days of data.

I'm counts on fingers 31+4. Section booked for 39 something, but I also have crippling SPD so I'm going to beg for it to be brought forward to 38 weeks.

Thanks for the advice ladies. I've looked at the NICE guidelines & keeping my fingers crossed I stay below for my test next week. My readings have been ok for the last day or two. Been trying to eat little & often and avoid sugary stuff & seems to be doing the trick.

Ouch on SPD. I have that a bit - but not too bad at all, thankfully. Also (& how did this happen!?!) I'm 39 weeks tomorrow!!! Appointment on Tuesday with a sweep & probably finding more about next steps / 'options'....

(Options deliberately in inverted commas as I'm not sure how much choice I'll be having!! Still - happy to be this far before talk of interventions.....!)

ANYONE KNOW ABOUT SWEEPS?

I really don't understand my levels are technically controlled by diet as they aren't exceeding the limits but I don't actually feel like I'm controlling them at all. For example, I eat the same low sugar, low carb cereal every morning but get results after from 4.8-6.4. I also had some cake at a party this weekend so was really worried about a sugar spike but got 3.8 afterwards. That's technically a low sugar hypo!
Anyone got any wisdom??

Rosie was it an hour after cake you checked? With something like cake it's quite likely you'd had a massive spike early around 15-30 minutes afterwards.

I'm impressed you can eat any cereal though, I can't even touch shredded wheat or porridge without spiking to 8/9!

That's interesting, I hadn't considered the shorter term spike but surely that would be the case for anyone after a sugary snack. I had maybe misunderstood as I thought the glucose test was supposed to show that I wasn't eliminating sugars Efficiently but my home testing seems to show otherwise I test 2 hours after eating. Last night I had pasta and still only got 4.8 2 hours later. I am sticking to guidelines and following advice as, of course, it's for the health of my baby. I just feel a bit lost with it.

The cereal I have is expensive but I find I can't survive without cereal in the morning. I have a granola called lizzi's low sugar, which is basically oats and seeds and some paleo co granola which is a mixture of nuts etc. The paleo co do different varieties, some with some berries. I get both in Sainsburys and half a cup of each has about 8g of sugar. It sets my up for the day!

Gaaaaaaaah, why tell me to ring the diabetes nurses if I have fasting results over 7 if they aren't available all the time?! I got a nice message saying no-one is back until tomorrow. There's no-one else who can advise me.

I had high fasting at bedtime and again this morning, so it's not going down on its own. I made the decision to up my insulin without talking to anyone but I'm irrationally scared I'm going to be shouted at for doing that at clinic tomorrow. Meh.

Increasing my fast-acting at breakfast from 3 to 4 has done nothing, so I'm going to up my long-acting at lunch by another 2 units and then maybe up my fast-acting at tea by another unit. It's exactly the same amounts they usually tell me to increase by when I ring, but I'm not happy I've had to decide to do it by myself, even though I am a competent adult who has a good grasp of it all.

wibbles

Can you call the maternity triage at the hospital? They will be staffed and should have someone who can advise.

Nope, they never answer. It's a case of going in person and this doesn't warrant that, especially when I'll see everyone in clinic tomorrow.

I decided to leave my long-acting dose alone and I added in 4 units of fast-acting at lunch... which has only helped in that my fasting sugars aren't going any higher, but they're at a steady 8 which isn't good.

Sounds rubbish 'support' old blood; but you've been handling increased doses due to reading results a few times now, and it's only one day (?) so bet you'll both be fine. Good luck!

(I'm in Dublin and Coombe midwives have been ace - including giving us all a number to call if high results out of hours etc. Luckily I've not had to call it, but it's been good to know it's there....).

Hi ladies,

I haven't been posting much on this thread even though I've had quite severe GD from 16 weeks and been on ever increasing insulin since then. I've got two questions, hope someone can help! I'm 28 weeks.

1. Since I'm having to constantly increase the insulin doses (esp now in the last trimester when things really are getting out of control) I'm having hypos very frequently, esp at night. I read somewhere if I'm having a hypo, so does the baby and it's not good for his brain development, is that true?? The lowest I've been is 2.4

2. I read here quite a lot of you ladies have been told to start expressing colostrum early. I asked my consultants yesterday about it and they both shrugged and said that no, why would you need to do that? Why do you think you'd have problems with breastfeeding, there's no reason why.. I wonder whether they are so clueless or maybe it differs from person to person.. For the record, I do get occasional highs here and there, but trying my hardest (in case that matters).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi all,

Can I join? Nearly 33 weeks, failed GTT two weeks ago but was on holiday for result so only just had my appts. Had a week of blood sugar testing so far and starting to get post meals under control but fasting results all high so mw has recommended 500mg after dinner each day to see if it brings it down overnight, to start if I have two more high readings tomorrow and next day.

Not read whole thread yet but will do for tips and advice and food ideas but main question at moment is does my new low GI diet have anything to do with being extra grumpy, which I have been this week? Or is that just because I am 34 weeks pg? Any tips for being less grumpy.

This is baby number 3 and didn't have gd last two times, or if I did it was late onset and undiagnosed (though I had two big babies and the first did have low blood sugar).

Thanks

Just marking place as I can't read all this in one sitting.

I'm 30 weeks was told yesterday after being tested 3 wks ago. I have a bmi of 26 a and at my 28 wk appointment with the midwife I had only gained 10lb. I am looking at controlling mine with diet alone so I am looking for food tips.

No one has mentioned eggs, are these ok? Also I have been told to limit my milk intake and I see other people are drinking it, confusing.