25+5 and diagnosed with gestational diabetes

[cockermum85]

Today I've had the call from the hospital telling me I've tested positive for GD and will be being switched to consultant led care from midwifery led care. I'm absolutely devastated and feel like I've done something wrong to have this happen. I'm not a skinny lass but I don't feel like my weight is out of control (I'm a 14/16 and 5ft 6).

My DH is being brilliant but my mother is driving me insane and I refuse to tell her anything. She's been tellin all and sundry really personal pregnancy things. So much so that I've had people I barely know texting me about it. The problem is that my dad is a huge rock but I can't tell him either because he would need to tell mum. ( we're very close even with my mums irritating habits, when I told her I was being callled for a GTT she googled it and told me I'd be at higher risk of pre-eclampsia if I had it)

I have a hospital appointment at the diabetes clinic tomorrow so hopefully they'll tell me more about how to manage it, but I'm just freaking out.

I just feel like a failure.

Out of interest why did they test you? I'm just curious as diabetes often has a bit of a genetic element to it so you would be offered a test if you have a first degree relative. So it could be something unrelated to weight.

A lot Of overweight ladies don't get it, and plenty of slim women do get it.

Hopefully you can control your blood sugars by diet and apart from watching your diet and doing finger prick tests it won't have much impact.

Really, really don't feel like a failure. I had GD and I'm a size 8-10. It's not always about weight, some people are just more prone to it due to their hormonal make up. (I have PCOS which is a known risk factor). Yes there are increased risks but now that you know you have it those risks are far far lower.

Re managing it:

You will be given a blood testing kit and told to test your blood sugar level in the mornings and a certain time after meals, and record it in a diary. If you get too many blood sugar spikes they will probably want to put you on medication - metformin or insulin.

I was able to manage mine with diet and avoid medication. To do this, basically you need to eat very few carbs, and the ones you do eat need to be slow release/low GI, like pearl barley, rather than high GI like bread or mashed potato. Virtually no sugar (sorry) and certain very sweet fruits like mango are out. Eating little and often is absolutely key to avoid spikes - you will need to find low carb snacks to have between meals. I ate a lot of nuts and cheese! However, it's not about calorie control so eating fat and protein is fine (in fact these will actually help keep your blood sugar down).

If you can manage it with diet then the current guidelines are that they should let you go to 40+6 and then they will want to induce you (as GD carries higher risks if you go too far overdue). If you end up on medication it usually means earlier induction, 38 weeks I believe.

If you are on medication you may need a drip managing your blood sugar during birth.

You will also need to stay in hospital for at least 24 hours post birth as they need to test the baby's blood to check the baby isn't having sugar lows. Ask for a private postnatal room if you possibly can!!

Good luck. It's a pain but it isn't a disaster.

Thank you so much, you really have made me feel a bit better. Especially knowing you managed it without medication. Did you get the all clear after the birth?

The diet bit is daunting but not unachiebable for me - I've always watched what I eat or I would get very heavy. (Not blessed with a high metabolism and definitely inherited my Spanish grandmothers extensive bottom ) so I'm definitely looking forward to getting to the appointment tomorrow to have the info from the nurse. A Christmas without choccies or booze will be interesting. Fingers crossed I can get it under control myself.

DH is very positive and thinks it's better we know as it could so easily have gone undiagnosed. And he's definitely right, but I'm just feeling very 'glass half full'.

Cannibals, I was tested because my BMI was 30.1 and my PCT test at 30.

Hi sorry for late reply. Yes all clear after birth. DD just failed one blood test after birth so we had to stay in for 24 hours extra, 48 in all (boring!)

I was diagnosed just after christmas...

Ps think you mean glass half empty! Your positive dh is glass half full

Hi, I just got hit with a positive at 16 weeks, but I had GD last pregnancy so they tested me early this time. It isn't too bad, I have to test every year to make sure I don't have diabetes but it looks like its just something I get in pregnancy - I did end up on insulin by the end last time so am expecting to go that way this time - but am checking in just to say hello.

Hi violet, I hope it all goes well for you. It seems like if you get it once it's pretty much a sure thing for later pregnancies. Or at least that's what I've read. I'm a bit frustrated at the hospital at the moment, the diabetic nurse just keeps telling me to do the finger prick test but they've yet to tell me anything about the diet! Whenever I ask they're just telling me to wait for the dietician, but I can't see her til 13th December! So annoying!

I'm definitely needing to work on my positivity because I'm just feeling rotten!

P.S I definitely meant glass half empty! Hahahah

I didn't find the dietician that much help, and some things trigger blood sugars more than others so it can be a bit trial and error. Bread (sob) is a big one for me, but pasta and rice not so much. You just want to follow a fairly low GI diet basically. But also, there's no point beating yourself up over it because the nurses are there to keep it under control too, so if it gets wild then they will prescribe Metformin and then later insulin. Even then you may still be able to go to 40 weeks, they did induce me at 38 weeks but I had the choice, they said if I wanted to I could wait for labour to come on by itself. Obviously it depends on your trust.
Yes I was hoping it wouldn't be the case that it happened again but was expecting it - this is my last baby so I can get through diabetes for the next 4-5 months. What numbers are you getting so far, and what parameters have they said they want you to stay under?

She's not given me parameters yet... I only started testing Tuesday and today she's said they are fine for now (whatever that means). I'm getting 5.4-6.6 for my 'hour after meals' one, and 4.3-5.3 for my 'pre-meal test'. My bedtimes have been 7.4 both nights. I have just been avoiding sugary snacks and drinks, that's all really.

The lack of bread must be tough, do you have to avoid it all or can you manage the burgen type with all the seeds? Would that not help?? Gosh I know nothing! I'm dieted every diet since I was 18 but this is quite different! Hahaha! At least I know I can cope without chocolate and cakes for three months.

so if you're 16 weeks, you're due mid may?

I'm 17 weeks, so due 5th May - so not long really in the grand scheme of things 😊 I could do some faffing about with bread, certainly seedy and wholemeal bread will offer lower sugar spikes than white bread, but sometimes it doesn't really seem to obey reason. I guess some blood sugars just go up without any intervention and they want you to have a stable healthy diet so they can discount that and then control the rest. My biggest readings have always been my fasting one in the morning, it sounds like yours are the ones in the evening. They see the pattern fairly quickly - and usually adjust for it so I expect to be on a Metformin just in the morning in a few weeks (I see the clinic on Wednesday. At least its been picked up and we don't have wildly uncontrolled sugars!