Have I caused gestational diabetes?

[stuckinmyownhead]

Hi all,

I had a scan and consultant appointment today at 28 + 4 (I’m under a consultant due to the fact that this is an IVF pregnancy and I have tokophobia). Baby measured well except that her abdominal measurement is around the 80-90th centile and her other measurements are around the 60th. So I’m being sent for a glucose tolerance test. Consultant said that IVF pregnancies have a higher risk of gestational diabetes and as her tummy measurement, whilst still in the normal range, is on the high end, they are going to do the test.

What I’m torturing myself over is whether I have caused gestational diabetes? Before becoming pregnant my BMI was 23. I have so far put on 16lbs, which my midwife says is in the normal range and fine. My diet goes something like that:

Breakfast: bowl of All Bran (I’m also suffering with constipation!)

Lunch: bowl of soup (low calorie, 2 of 5 a day) without bread

Afternoon snack: apple or banana

Dinner: healthy, Slimming World friendly, so low sugar, always with vegetables

Dessert: 2 or 3 Hobnobs

I know that I could cut out the Hobnobs, but does this diet, my BMI and weight gain look like someone with gestational diabetes? Also, have any of you been diagnosed and everything has been ok? I’m getting really worried, so any input is gratefully received!

Nope, GD is a hormonal issue and nothing to do with your diet. Hopefully you don’t have it, and if you do then I hope it goes away after labour like in most cases. Good luck.

I don’t know about diabetes but that sounds like a really healthy diet and looking at what you eat in a day during pregnancy I’m so embarrassed by how much I ate through pregnancy

I know gestational diabetes is fairly common, hopefully you don’t have it but if you do they are used to caring for women with this condition.
Good luck.

My best friend had this, your at a higher risk if you have a Bmi over 30, so your fine there, I think it’s just one of those things. Don’t beat yourself up!

My son had a high abdominal measurement, and being obese I was sent for a glucose tolerance test anyway. I felt ill and fainted during the test. By 28 weeks I was drinking over a litre of orange juice/day because I craved it so badly, and otherwise was eating a worse than you (porridge with syrup for breakfast, rice/pasta dinners etc)

I had a perfect glucose response (as in very good, not even just 'within normal parameters), and DS2 is just built with a big belly (and little legs).

I'm not sure you're going to be able to glean much from your diet - go for the test (and sit down once you've downed the drink - it hit me like a tonne of bricks!) - it's not something you have control over getting, but if you find you have it, it's something that you will be able to keep under control.

Crikey- i would be hungry without being pregnant on that amount of food - are you not starving hungry?

No.

Stop obsessing and being paranoid.

And your diet looks like someone with an eating disorder.

You need to eat a bit more while pregnant.

I think your tokophobia is causing your anxiety. I would think you are underrating. I would prescribe cake.

Dear OP, you can never develop GD due to sugar in your diet. It's a totally hormonal related issue. Your diet is perfectly healthy and possibly not as much as it should be. Just relax and go with the flow. Hopefully the test is negative anyways. 🤞

I think you are not eating enough at all, that wouldn't be enough for someone not pregnant!

No, but you’re not eating enough

Definitely don't think you have caused any raised risk. You aren't eating much though...looking at that meal plan for example it isn't clear where your calcium is coming from.

Even if diet could cause GD (I know nothing about this), that does not strike me as a diet that could cause it!

You really don't seem to be eating very much at all. We're all different but I would be feeling extremely depleted on that amount of food, especially after IVF, which left me knackered.

You can't cause gestational diabetes. Well, no, sorry, yes you can... by having sex and getting pregnant. It's controlled by the placenta and it's hormones not you.
You need to eat better food, more food, and cam down a bit.
I have GD, and my levels are rising, I'm diet controlled and my fasting levels are going up and up. I'm going to end up injecting insulin. It's not my fault, as it say fasting level, it's overnight hormones that cause it.

Your bmi and weight gain are fine. I would add some bits into your diet.
For example, a banana with breakfast.
Some cheese and crackers with your soup for lunch. Or seeded bread and full fat butter to dip.
Unsure what slimming world dinners are like. Make sure there's a lot of protein and a small amount of good carbs, with lots of veg.
Hobnobs, with some almonds or other nut, as your evening snack.

I'm obsessed with GD brownies, with double cream as my evening snack.

Your body needs fat, your body needs nourishment, and guess what! If you do have GD and you starve yourself it will get worse! A lot worse.
The days I have lie ins, my fasting level goes even more haywire. If I am up at six am, it's usually okay, then I eat and stabilise. If I am up at eight, it's mental. What did I do in those two hours!? Eat chocolate? Drink beer! Nope. I slept. And my placenta and liver decided to have a party as I'd gone twelve hours without food.

@wowbutter that was a very informative post! I never knew any of this

I'm not actually sure your eating enough.

But either way no you wouldn't have caused it. I had a large pack of Haribo everyday in my pregnancy and still tested negative

I can't find the link right now but I read an interview with expert on GD and according to her in cannot be caused by eating a sugary diet prior to being diagnosed with it, unrelated apparently.

You can’t cause gestational diabetes. It’s just a quirk of your body. I totally understand why you are thinking that, I had it in all my pregnancies and was devastated that I might have caused it first time round. I took that emotion and channelled it into eating as well as I could and exercising to keep my numbers under control. And everything went back to normal once each baby was here.

If you do have it, your first port of call with probably be with a nutritionist/dietician so you can talk through what you are eating and make some adjustments if you need to.

Thanks for all the messages. I do feel a bit better about it today, but I will feel even better when the test is done so I can find out once and for all. I know my diet could be improved and it does look like I need to eat more, but I have had bad digestive problems. I feel very full and bloated a lot of the time and am also constipated. So most of the time, I just don’t feel like eating and this is what I can manage. I will try to eat more and adjust my diet to have more calcium, though, I think. Thanks all!

I completely understand about feeling full all the time. Maybe add in a prenatal vitamin if not already on one, not a general multivitamin as that might contain more of the type of vitamin A than is safe in pregnancy, but one specially formulated for pregnancy. Hope your test result comes back clear.