REALLY struggling with morning blood glucose levels.

[Bellabelloo]

I was desperate to try and control my gestational diabetes with diet, but my morning levels were always high. I am now on metformin and nighttime insulin, but my morning levels are still high. Not THAT high (in the last 3 weeks is has been between 5.1 and 5.7 10 times, but I had a scan this week. I am 27 weeks, but baby's tummy is measuring 31 weeks!!!

Is there anything I can do? I see a different dietician every time I am at the hospital and they all give conflicting advice. For a while I had cut out all carbs apart from veg, but was losing too much weight, so am now eating some low GI carbs.

I am willing to try anything!! So any advice or help would be gratefully received.

Thank you.

What are you aiming for? 5.1-5.7 really isn't very high at all?

Hi I am 33 w with 2nd one... this time I am also GTT positive... under dietitian supervision.. when I started checking in starting mine was around 9.8 to 11.2 in morning but it was always in range after afternoon lunch... and again high like 7.5 to 8.9 after dinner.. I tried reducing carb, removed any tinned products and replaced any sugar .. with sugar free (stivia based sugar).. not really helped.
then in 2nd week one day I noticed that what I ate in my dinner .. same thing same amount I ate for my lunch but ... dinner time my sugar was high but next day in lunch it was beautifully low...
Then I realised that every afternoon I go to pickup my DS from nursery quite a distance.. most of the time in HURRY... so it is almost a very brisk walk .. but after dinner I dont do anything .. just sitting or wandering inside house slowly doing little household.
That was the key. same meal but different ratings .. just adding brisk walk..

Try adding a brisk walk .. 30 min before meal or 15 min after meal...... or any moderate exercise.... which will warm you up really.... not a tough or speedy one but continuous and steady exercise.. (you say it is enough.. when at least your armpits are little sweaty... then you can stop)..
I will say give it a go.. and hope you will be good ..

I wouldn't worry about readings below 6.

Fasting should be 5.3 or under so above posts saying not high aren't helpful!

Are you able to have supper? What are you eating through course of day?

Exercise - yes that's key.

Actually, up to 5.6mmol/l is considered normal in most trusts.

My trust are even stricter! Morning reading should be below 5.0!! I didn't think the readings were that bad, but the fact the baby is already almost a month bigger than he should be at a time when GD is just due to get more and more difficult to control is worrying me. I do eat a light dinner (never hungry in the eve) and usually have chicken or fish with loads of veg and lentils, pulses or beans - plus some cheese to get some fats in there and calories as I was consistently losing weight. X

And I swim and walk my dog. So dizzy that I can't manage the gym. My post evening meal readings are always good - but maybe I should try and do some exercise after dinner?! Grown!! Am usually knackered by then!!!

My trust is 5.3 for fasting and 7.8 for post-prandial readings. I think they keep moving the goalposts downwards - in some trusts I wouldn't even be classed diabetic!

I second the exercise advice and also drinking lots and lots of water throughout the day.

That said, my GD has been fully diet controlled but the LO is still on the 95th percentile. Lots of sympathies OP

NICE guidelines for diagnosis are above 5.6 fasting, then recommended target levels after diagnosis are 5.3 mmol/litre for fasting, and 7.8 mmol/litre 1 hour after meals, or 6.4 mmol/litre for 2 hours after meals.

So your trust is being very harsh!

You could try adjusting the time you take the night time insulin, when do you take it now?

Do you mean baby's AC is on the 50th centile for 31 weeks? What centile for 27 weeks? Also remember scans are not particularly accurate!

Thanks YGGO!! Well done for keeping it diet controlled!

Ducky - I know my trust are really tight, which is why I didn't think my readings would have had such a bad effect. All I know is that baby is average for 31 weeks and off the scale for 27 weeks. Only for the tummy, head measurements etc were within the right range. All I have is this sliding scale image with no number, and tummy size doesn't even come on the scale. At 12 weeks all was ok and average.

I take my insulin before I go to sleep, at about 22.30. Am upping the dose again tonight...

Thanks for taking the time to try and help me. I really appreciate it.

Please try not to stress too much about those levels are only just over what you have been advised is pretty strict. I have type one diabetes and was aiming for under 7.

Thanks Ghettihead. My concern isn't for me, it's for the baby. During pregnancy the targets are much lower as it affects the baby. My reason to worry is that the recent scans show that the baby is already too big and I am just approaching the weeks where the placenta causes more and more insulin resistance problems and the baby will be affected even more.

I will try doing some exercise after eating dinner tonight (chicken breast and butter beans!) and see what the morning holds. I guess it might mean I need to keep upping my meds, but I would do anything to try and manage it naturally!

Growth scans can be notoriously inaccurate. I have done 2 diabetic pregnancies so I know how you feel, worrying constantly about the effects on your baby. Unfortunately insulin and other med requirements go up as pregnancy continues. Please don't feel bad if you do have to increase doses. If only I could have followed my own advice a couple of years ago.

Thank you Ghettihead. X

Just increase the dose of nighttime insulin? That's what i do, as levels creep up I titrate the dose until they come under control again...?

Thanks COTT. That's what I'm doing now. Was just hoping to avoid more drugs!!! But insulin it is...

Do you have a bedtime snack? Eating something protein based before you go to bed can stop your body dumping too much glucose into your blood stream overnight apparently. I'm on my second GD pregnancy and find bedtime snacks help control my fasting. I've found the information on the gestational diabetes UK website really helpful, love their Facebook group too.
It's mad how different each trust can be about levels. In my first pregnancy I had to be under 5.3 for fasting and 7.1 an hour after meals. I've moved since then and the trust I'm under now only want under 6 for fasting and under 8 for an hour after meals. So I'm only taking the metformin I was on anyway for PCOS. I'm 32 weeks now (diagnosed at 13 weeks) and baby is measuring on the 50th percentile despite my fasting being as high as 5.7 sometimes, though it's mostly between 5-5.5.