gestational diabetes blood sugar monitoring question

[Spotsondots]

I've recently been diagnosed with GD and have been issued my testing kit today. The nurse said I should test my sugars first thing, then one hour after each meal. Is this one hour after I start eating or one hour after I finish? Does anyone know? TIA.

Thanks so much for all the tips and info everyone. I did a little mini experiment and checked my levels an hour after starting eating and an hour after finishing. They were 6.3 and 7.4 respectively so both within target for the one hour but interesting that the second was higher. I'll confirm preferred local practice tomorrow.

I lived on apple slice spread with chunky peanut butter- that was my go to snack. Also excercise helps lower blood sugar, so even a 10 min stroll around the block would help.
Anything that your body has to work at to digest is better- hence jacket potato with skin on is harder than mash.
You will quickly see where difficulties are.

I've found that so far I've not had to change my diet at all. I've carried on eating as normal and every single one of my readings is fine. So don't stress yourself out, try eating normally for a day and see what results you get. I've even experimented with eating a load of carbs and ate a whole packet of jelly babies the other day and I've still had normal results.

I wonder if my diagnosis might be wrong. I was only a fail on the GTT by 0.3 though, so maybe that makes a difference. I've tried discussing this with the consultant I'm now under but they just keep harping on about doom and gloom stories of what might happen if GD is uncontrolled.

think i would be asking for a second opinion! and keep insisting until you get one!

Superunicorn I'd be asking to be retested. I've normal readings so long as I stick to a low gi/sugar diet. But if I don't my readings are way over- and I only went over the limit by 0.7 for the GLT.

If you really miss fruit then cherries and strawberries very low in carbs.

I missed the target for the gtt by 0.1, they wouldn't retest, and it limited my birth choices- no birth centre for me!!
On the long run it didn't matter- all the testing was a pain, but not a deal breaker.

I missed the target by 0.1 too. It is a pain but needs must!

I made homemade roasted tomato and red pepper soup, had it for lunch and it sent my sugars through the roof?! I had no idea they were super carby :/ will scrap that recipe from now on.

I ate a small meal last night (veggie one) and managed to get in target for my fasting sugars however this caused me to be awake from 2am to 5:30am not being able to sleep cause I was hungry.

Really is about learning what works for you

I had GD and it does suck. You will definitely find as you get nearer the end and the baby gets bigger that your tolerance gets worse - I started off being able to tolerate a piece of toast for breakfast, didn't last long!

Crustless quiche is a good snack (higgidy do a nice spinach and feta one) - I had that for breakfast a few times when in a hurry!

I think that diabetics check after 2 hours as that is when it should be back to normal, but when pregnant they want to see if it's spiking as that is when the baby can get a bit chunky with the extra sugar.

The team I saw were quiet clear- going hungry in pregnancy was no good for me or baby. If you eat a sensible meal, and sugars are out of range, then a bit of medicine- maybe metformin- will help. Also, I found a late evening snack helped over night- something like cheese and cracker/ -apple. When your sugars drop overnight your liver kicks in and releases sugar.
Please don't go hungry!! Baby needs calories to grow, you need calories to stay healthy.

Is/did anyone else take insulin? My fasting levels are generally above 6, despite having great post meal readings. My insulin dose keeps increasing, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I'm getting quite disheartened.

I think fasting levels are the hardest to control through diet/ exercise. I think it's called 'dawn phenomenon'. Hope you get on top of it soon.

Drink I was on insulin with both my boys. I only ever had it after breakfast and they kept increasing it but could still never get that one hour after breakfast reading down. Once it got too high, I would then have hypos at about 11 am every day because once my 'own' insulin kicked in my sugars would drop really low.

The consultant said to do 2 hours readings instead of 1 hour, and eventually took me off the insulin as my own body was doing it but just not quite quickly enough. He said if I'd done 2 hour readings instead of one hour throughout, I may never have ended up on insulin and gained so much weight as a result, and had to be induced etc etc.

I would speak to the diabetes team about delaying your glucose test rather than continuing to increase the insulin dose.

My readings after meals aren't an issue. It's the first thing fasting reading that's too high. Pp is right - it's dawn phenomenon. I'm waiting for my diabetes team to get back to me because I'm questioning if being on insulin is the right thing for me.
My baby is measuring small at 33 weeks- 17th centile, and I'm being induced at 38 weeks anyhow

Oh I see, it's your first reading in the morning?

Yes. And it seems you can't control it with diet /exercise.

The fasting reading is near impossible to control as it takes so many factors to mess with it. I ate a bedtime snack of peanut butter on Apple and I got a good reading in the morning, am going to keep doing that till it changes

So very frustrating as every other reading is good, just that pesky fasting one!

I've just had lunch, including eating a massive chocolate brownie with icing, apple, crisps, ryvita with cottage cheese. My blood sugar reading after lunch was 5.6. I was expecting it to be higher with the brownie in there. Last night I ate macaroni cheese (a fairly large amount and not with wholegrain pasta) with salad and my after reading was 4.7? Is something wrong with my testing device? I've tried asking at my consultant appointments but I just get fobbed off with horror stories about uncontrolled GD and the risks and told I've got to have a drip in labour and my baby will be sugar dependent and struggle to control his levels and need special care and all sorts. I'm not really sure who to ask further about this. Any ideas?

I have GD as well, finding 'pairing' is really working to get my sugars under control, so pairing any carbs with meat and cheese or fats.

Also I test 1hr after I have finished eating my main meals and test as soon as I get up to check my fasting levels.

Ive just been diagnosed with GD. I am in total and utter panic about it. I got a letter today informing me of it and telling me that I have to attend a workshop tomorrow about it. I am absolutely petrified of needles to the point where I cant sleep for a week prior to knowing I have a blood test. Can anyone offer any advice/support?

Don't panic.
It's not a needle to test sugar- you put a little device like a drawing pin but slimmer in a holder and prick your finger- it's not a needle. When it is loaded you can't see the pricker- it comes out when you fire it, then retracts. So if someone could load the pricker for you you would never even see that little bit.
2, it's not forever!! I guess you are more than 28 weeks? Chances are you will deliver early - so only 10 weeks of managing this!! You can do it, for your baby.
Talk to team about anxiety- they can help you.

Super unicorn- I had a similar experience. Refused mid wife led, told about monitoring in labour, had to express colostrum before hand as they terrified me about baby being born sugar dependent.
When I arrived for (enforced due to gd) induction they removed my orange diabetes notes and gave them back to me.
At no point was my blood sugar tested (48 hrs).
Baby's blood sugar was never tested.
The colostrum I'd harvested and frozen was never transferred from antenatal ward to delivery, let alone defrosted in time.
Growth scans suggested dd was 8lb 13oz at 36 weeks. I was terrified, and agreed to forceps use at the end due to fears that she was stuck and at risk of dislocated shoulder.
She was born at 38 weeks, 7lb 3oz.

I have no idea how you go about challenging it- every person I tried to speak to said better be safe than sorry.

Thank you for your reply Cantchoosename. I'm almost 26weeks. They test between 24-25 weeks here. I think it's just the shock of it all that's upset me. I have a good diet theninly thing I can see that has flagged it up is my lack of ability to exercise due to SPD which I've had to wait 4 weeks for a referral to physio for. I just hope they let me try to control it with diet and exercise first before putting me on medication. I'm sensible and more than capable of keeping myself in check and so is my OH, he's agreed to stick to diet/exercise regime they suggest with me to support me.

They will let you try diet control first. However, sometimes your body can't cope- it's not your fault.

bouncing blueberry don't panic. Being diagnosed is a shock, and the possible side effects can be quite overwhelming. Both my diabetes nurse and consultant have been clear from the off that this is my pregnancy and my baby. I will be informed of treatments and probable outcomes- but I can refuse at any time. Hopefully your trust is just as supportive.
You will be asked to monitor blood glucose 4x day with the finger pick test. It feels like pricking your finger on a staple or drawing pin. They give you a spring loaded pen to make it easier. I hated not knowing when I'd be pricked, so refused the pen and just manually pick with the lancet. If you can do this then it gives them a much better picture of what is going on. If you can't then ask what the next best step is.

Many ladies are diet controlled. So I follow a low GI/high fat diet. My readings after meals are great.
The next step is to offer tablets- I'm on metformin.

If that doesn't work then it's insulin. That's where I am. I'm struggling, but just do each day as it comes. I ice the area beforehand so I can't feel a thing.

GD is out of your control. The placenta is blocking the production of insulin, so blood glucose levels keep rising. If like me you have issues with fasting readings (when you wake in the morning) it's not because you are eating badly- it's because the liver produces glucose first thing to help you get going each day, and because the placenta is blocking insulin the levels don't even out. Completely out of your control.

You will be offered regular scans to track baby's growth, and regular consultant appointments.
I'm happy to discuss my treatment plan if it would be helpful, but don't want to overwhelm or worry you, as each lady is different.