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...

Thanks minipie, I haven't been referred to a diabetes midwife, but will phone on Monday to enquire. I may even insist on a consultant app as I can't stop thinking that more should be happening and although readings are good, the stress of it is difficult to manage. I've convinced myself I need an ELCS. If there was an option of private I would take it, but private maternity care isn't available where I am.

Fruity it does sound like you could do with a chat with someone, perhaps a GD midwife would be sufficient, to set your mind at rest about the risks. From my reading the risks are mainly for women with undiagnosed and/or untreated GD - since yours has been caught and your levels are all being kept under control, my understanding is that you shouldn't really be in any riskier position than anyone without GD. But obviously you'd prefer to hear this from a medical professional!

Bear in mind there is nothing really that a Dr can do other than put you on meds and order scans, and they'll only do this if your blood results are worrying - same as a midwife.

fruity and LIG when you say you were borderline what do you mean? My result 2 hrs after the lucozade was 8.1

Argh!!! 8.2 after breakfast this morning. Same breakfast as yesterday when I had a hypo afterwards. There is no logic to this beast!

FWIW the I think that the NICE guidelines state that you should be seen in a joint diabetes/consultant obstetrician clinic within a week of diagnosis and then seen every 1-2 weeks thereafter with growth scans at 28, 32 and 36 weeks. You can always quote that and see if it has the desired 'rocket up bum' effect

NoRoom your posts are bringing back loads of memories. I think insulin makes it really hard to get stable sugars. I spent most of the end of my last pregnancy swinging from high to low to high again. I think even long time type 1 diabetics struggle with their insulin dose during pregnancy so how they expect newbies to be able to do it I don't know.

Thanks minipie and NoRoom, it's reassuring to hear what your views and experience. It's the appearance of disorganisation that is concerning me about the diagnosis / treatment plan and I can't help think they have just missed something out.

The borderline thing comes from my community midwife who following the gtt didn't refer me to the diabetes clinic as she didn't think she needed to - she told me this last week. My referral was triggered by phoning to rebook an app and getting another midwife on the phone, I enquired about the results as it had been 10 days since test and that was the catalyst.

My fasting reading was 5.3 and they wanted 5.1 or below so it was that that resulted in the referral. My test 2hrs after lucozade was normal, but they never told me a number?

To be honest I'm not in denial about it, I'd rather get the extra monitoring to mitigate risks, but find it hard to believe they would diagnosis me and do little else other than blood monitoring.

Fruitysalad my fasting result was also 5.3 and they wanted 5.1 or less. My post test was something like 5.9 so totally fine. But as soon as I started testing at home my results were worse and I went on insulin after three days. I reckon that I managed to look so good on the GTT because my first bloods weren't taken until 9:45. I'm so thankful that I was over the cut-off because I clearly need treatment.

You're right NoRoom, it was difficult to accept at first, but I'd rather know and manage it than not. I'm a one women low carb machine at the moment and hope I can continue it for the last 5 weeks. If I need medication then I'm prepared for that, just focused on the baby (and minimising type 2 risk in the future)

I really appreciate the chat about it

Thanks for replying LIG, but I'm not allowed to have anything but water from 10am the night before until after the second bloods are taken, which will be around 11.30am the next day,

Tranquility you'll have the lucozade though. Can they not get you in any earlier? I'm sure mine always started at 8.00am which meant I was done by 10.30 at the latest.
I had GTTs at 16 weeks in both pregnancies and was still suffering from morning sickness but actually found I was alright on the day.

I would ask your midwife about taking ranitdene (Zantac) while fasting. Gaviscon provably is a no but I would think ranitdene (which doesn't require prescription) or omeprazole (which does) would be fine and would help with indigestion.

post breakfast reading even higher this morning at 8.6. Does anyone know what they'll do if I continue to have high post-breakfast readings but only high readings at that time? I have a long acting insulin overnight for my fasting level to be acceptable.

Another thought came to me overnight. I have a 'deadline' of 38 weeks to have this baby or current plan is induction. What happens if baby's head is too high? Can they induce you or are you sent straight for a c section?

I think baby will drop during labour so long as head is down.
They might try fast acting insulin with breakfast I think.

Hi Noroom, what are you eating for breakfast and what time are you having it... I've found the later I have breakfast the more careful I have to be about avoiding carbs since I find (long gap since last food+carbs)=spike. I'm not on insulin though so may be different for you.

I seem to have cracked the morning readings, just about, I need at least 11 hours from dinner to morning test in order to get below 5. Is that ok or is that "cheating"?

I have one of the following for breakfast. Either weetabix, bran flakes, a mix of oats+a few bran flakes and then a small amount of blueberries or raspberries and made up with full fat milk. All was OK'd by my dietician. I know that some people would be told to be a lot stricter but I specifically asked about that and was told that I absolutely should not be any more strict because I am too slim and was already losing weight. They prefer for me to eat a bit more and have insulin than restrict my intake any more. The one thing I had to give up at breakfast was a glass of fresh orange. Oh, and I don't tend to eat dried fruit any more (no branflakes+ prunes for example). I was told that as long as I have full fat milk with the above options, they are happy because it slows down the absorption.

Hmm I'm pretty sure I'd get a high with any of those tbh. Bran flakes have a huge amount of sugar in particular. Can you try switching to something very low carb eg full fat yoghurt and nuts, or scrambled eggs and see what happens? Both are higher fat and protein than cereal so shouldn't cause weight loss issues, you can have a big portion.

I said that to the dietician about the branflakes but she said that it is absorbed slowly because of all the fibre and therefore it is fine. The annoying thing is that last week I was eating all the same options and my readings were about 6 after breakfast. I normally don't have time for cooked breakfast (I could do this week as it's half term) as I have four children to get up and out the house, often single-handed. And I'm afraid that nuts are definitely not going to happen.

Might be a hormone surge noroom

Mini - my gtt was 8.0 and I didn't do a fasting bit. I think with the fasting there is an optimal number of hours -mine is slightly higher if I do it around 5am (I sometimes get hungry and so have done it then had a snack and gone back to bed.) but also it was higher today as I was up last night with a sick dd but didn't get up till 9am. Normally I do it after about 10 hours of fasting and that gives the lowest reading.

Noroom- the diabetic nurse said there was a surge of hormones at around 32 weeks including extra progesterone which would impact your ability to process sugar. Could it be that? (Not sure how many weeks you are.) I do also think health does impact it. I have an app on my phone and I can see when I felt unwell from the vaccine as my readings went much higher. Should probably read the nice guidelines as I do like to know what they should be doing - I feel my hospital is being a bit relaxed and yet not telling me anything. (It also seemed different to the care from others when I went to the diabetic clinic and what the nurse said would happen.)

I did the wine and ice cream last night and it went up to 7.1 after a large dinner but still within target. Interestingy today it has been very low but not sure why as I haven't done anything physically and eaten quite alot of carbs as I have been tired and craving them. Both lunch and dinner were in the 4's and my fasting reading today was 5.2 which is higher than it is when I do it around 7.30am . Very odd!!

On a good note, I think testing my blood sugar is helping me to be healthier. I have been staying away from very high gi food which I didn't have often but now I make a bit more effort to choose the lower gi or lower carb options. Although not sure how long that will last when the sleepless nights etc. start again with a new baby.

Tarka maybe it is a hormone surge. My fasting level is over my target this morning. My book is not going to look good when I see the diabetes team later

Hi everyone had my gtt this AM currently sat awaiting results, said they would call this afto with them. Also iron dropped AGAIN. 36 weeks tomo can't wait until it's all over :(

Did you get your results Kemlex?

I am 35+3 and so far (touching wood) I have managed to get through the last 10 days with just one spike (after pizza...!) I am seeing the doctor on Friday and am hoping that I can avoid the lecture so that we can start talking practically about delivery.

In terms of readings, my fasting reading is definitely worse if I don't have a snack or if I have a bad night's sleep. I've been sleeping quite well recently and it's been below 5 every morning. This morning it was up slightly at 5.2 after a very disrupted night - I had to kick DH out of bed eventually as his snoring was waking me up every 30 minutes. He's got a bad cold/throat so it's not his fault but I couldn't take it anymore! So Lig and others, that oculd also be affecting you?

Does anyone know how much they monitor you if you go into labour naturally with GD vs if you're induced? I'm trying to work out whether to push for a c section simply because I have SPD/pelvic instability and the thought of lying on the bed for aggressive monitoring for up to 24 hours fills me with horror in line with the thought of being stretched on a rack!

Aaargh! I have broken my monitor. It doesn't display properly and just had my normal lunch at work which normal gives a reading between 5 and 6 and it came up at 10.4. I then re-did it (thinking I was sicker than I thought) and it came up as 3.6 and then 3.7. (And I have never gone below 4 before even with fasting.) I am also feeling quite unwell with a cold and have been following the advice of the nurse to eat low gi and watch carb quantities when ill (much as I want a cake with lots of icing to improve my mood) and now I don't know what my blood sugar is doing! Going to collect a new one tomorrow.

working I definitely think there is more of a link with how I am feeling and my blood sugar levels. When unwell and not sleeping well and not moving the levels go up. Last week I was feeling quite well and sleeping and exercising well and I had very good readings not going above 7 and regularly being below 6 after meals and still getting to enjoy puddings. Watching with interest to the monitoring during labour as really have no idea what will happen during labour and how it will impact my plans.

Kemlex why are you doing a GTT? do they repeat it again at 36 weeks?

working well done! I haven't attempted pizza yet.

Saw GD midwife today and spoke a bit about birth. Sounds like monitoring is much the same whether induced or spontaneous - in either case, they want continuous heartbeat monitoring, and they will also check your blood sugars often, and if there is instability they will hook you up to insulin/glucose (this can happen even if you were stable pre labour apparently).

I have had broken sleep forever since DD is a bad sleeper and is teething at the moment ... I guess that could be affecting my morning readings, maybe I should mention it to GD team? the midwife was happy with my readings but I am being super cautious, it would be nice to be able to eat a few more things...

hope you get a new monitor quickly LIG!