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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Anyone here diagnosed with GD?

11 replies

lilyanna812 · 07/03/2015 20:16

Hi I was wondering who here had a GD diagnosis?

I am 31, very healthy, I exercise every day and there is no family history....I have a BMI of 25, I was surprised to find that I tested 16 (meant to be between 6-8) for my GTT

Can I still go full term? I was planning to go on mat leave August 14th (EDD 24th August) but now I am not sure. With only 16 weeks pay, I wanted to maximise time with the baby, as well as DS1 who starts reception 1st of September and DS2 who will be starting nursery.

I am really upset now and completely at a loss.....my DS1 was a preemie and we spent 10 weeks in NICU, I had terrible PPD and I don't want to go there again...

Is there anyone else who has been here and went full term without any problems?

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Olivo · 07/03/2015 20:20

I had GD nearly six years ago with my youngest. I had a BMI of 22, no previous history or anything. I tested 6 times a day and had a controlled diet for the last about 16 weeks of my pg. DD was delivered 10 days early, but this was due to polyhydramnios as much as the GD. I was given weekly growth scans, they predicted her to be around 9.5 at time Of delivery, she was 7.2

Hopefully, all will be. Fine. Btw, I had an ELCS due to previous birth issues, but would have been induced otherwise.

Good luck!

marinerkk · 07/03/2015 20:22

Both myself and my sister had gd and went full term with no problems and both babies were less than 9lb. We had extra scans and took metformin but found with the controlled diet and the extra check ups everything was fine.

ClockwiseCat · 07/03/2015 20:23

I'm not pregnant at the minute but had GD - it's a shock so have some first.

How many weeks are you now? If it's still earlyish in your pregnancy the chances are higher that you will need medication to manage the diabetes rather than using diet alone. I was just past 30 weeks and DC was delivered by ELCS at 38+4. I wasn't working at the time but felt generally fine BUT I did find cooking took up a lot more time as I ate a lot of protein heavy meals to keep my blood sugar under control. Being organised will help you with this. Ironically once I was on my 'diabetes diet' I felt much better and more energetic so you may well find work fine but aim to make it to Aug 1st perhaps and take some unpaid leave at the end if possible.

marinerkk · 07/03/2015 20:28

Oh and we both got told how much weight we lost whilst pregnant so there were some plus points! Made up for a bit now though

Original poster

lilyanna812 · 07/03/2015 20:34

thanks everyone.

I am now 16 + 1 week. The diabetic nurse mentioned metformin and going on a controlled diet- although I am unsure how much more controlled (I am a vegan and seldom eat sugar, possibly cut down on diet coke).

I am already on blood pressure meds and aspirin as I have hypertension in pregnancy as well.

It has just been a shock, seems like such a long way to go.......

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Mummytogoldie · 07/03/2015 20:46

I had gd with dd2, like you average bmi, fit healthy and are well , mine was picked up in urine at 16 week check. Mine was controlled with metformin and diet and I had a planned section at 39 weeks, dd was 7lb 6 x I had preeclampsia with dd1 and they believe this May have been caused by possible uncontrolled diabetes but I was never tested for it as not at risk, apparently there is a link. I am now pregnant with number 3 am on aspirin and have a gtt booked in the 30th of this month x I didn't actually find the gd that bad , felt quite healthy and metformin makes you lose weight :)

LIG1979 · 07/03/2015 20:57

There is a gd support thread and they have really helped me with all my questions. (cannot link to it on my phone sorry.)

I think bmi is a factor but not always. I have a pre-pregnancy bmi of 20 and even now at 34 weeks it is 25. (I also didn't have it with my 1st pregnancy and gave birth to a 6 lb 4 oz baby and had growth scans for a small bump last time. Even this time my bump is apparently on the small side. The only risk factor I have is pcos.)

I was told that if I can manage my blood sugar through diet they will not even consider inducing till at least 40 weeks.

It is an upsetting diagnosis but I look at it as a way to encourage me to eat better so being good for me and the baby. It is also nice to have an excuse for more scans to see how the little guy is getting on .

As a diet I have found that I keep my sugar levels under control by eating more protein and less carbs this may be more difficult if you don't eat meat. But it does seem to be a bit of a game for me as I often think other factors such as exercise, illness and stress have more of an impact than diet. So definitely stick with the exercise as i find it brings down the blood glucose levels.

LIG1979 · 07/03/2015 20:59

Oh and diet coke is fine in terms of sugar and I have been drinking more in an attempt to avoid juice. (I am sure there is other harm from the diet coke but not in terms of blood sugar.)

Original poster

lilyanna812 · 08/03/2015 09:02

Thank you!! Feel more reassured now. Who ever said pregnancy was easy, but when I see the baby on the scan I think 'ahh its worth it'

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one1two2three3 · 08/03/2015 10:40

I have GD currently 36+3. Mine was picked up in my urine test by my consultant ( already under consultant due to other problems) at around 28 weeks. Managed to control it with diet but it started creeping up so was put on metformin. It hasn't been too bad, I find that if I cook everything and know what's going into it my sugars are okay but as soon as I have something out they are high.

I am being induced on the 19th when I will be 39 weeks. Baby is measuring slightly big but nothing that they are worried about.

I am a bit worried about the induction however I just have to think about it in terms of its best for baby.

ClockwiseCat · 10/03/2015 17:03

It sounds highly likely you'll need Metformin or similar as the GD tends to progress with your pregnancy. By the last week before CS I was hungry a lot because the protein and lowish carbs just weren't enough for me anymore and I was losing weight. But the GD went away as soon as DC was born and I really wish I had stuck to a version of my GD diet as I felt great on it. Ironically I'm trying to return to it, especially as we all have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes having had GD.

So without stressing you it really helps to take a dietary approach as best you can. I have an acquaintance who also had it and just ate whatever crap she wanted because she was on Metformin - I saw her over Christmas and her weight has ballooned and it really made me think about the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Typical day:

A slice of Burgen toast (the seeds make it more protein I think) with either scrambled egg or beans, sometimes some cheese too.
Lunch - wholemeal spaghetti with Quorn Bolognese or soup with lentils or beans in (again for protein and fibre)
Dinner - chicken stir fry or similar with brown rice or dried egg noodles.
Snacks: oatcake with peanut butter and after dinner I sometimes had a 15g bar of Green and Black dark chocolate - eating it right after the meal minimised the blood sugar impact.

White bread and fruit juice sent my BS insanely high. I was on an iron tablet which you're supposed to take with orange juice to help absorption but I could only manage 1 inch of pure orange diluted in a full glass on water, that's how bad it is. Fruit juice = pure sugar!

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