Gestational diabetes 30wks - help!

[NotThatKindOfDoctor]

I just got my glucose test results back in the post (I’m in France) and my gyny is shut until the 4th January so I can’t speak to him until next week.

My results after 2hrs are above the threshold (my others were fine). NICE guidelines say one high reading is sufficient for a diagnosis of GD so now I am altering my diet to take into account a likely diagnosis when my gyny reopens.

I’m a bit worried. I’ve never had GD before and it sounds scary tbh. I have had big babies in the past, and preeclampsia which are apparently risk factors. I have to have a c-section anyway and now I’m wondering if I’ll have to have it early?

If anyone has any experience of GD in late pregnancy (and stories of what happened) I’d really, REALLY appreciate hearing them.

Thanks!

Hi OP, I was diagnosed at about 30 weeks in my last pregnancy. Have they given you any diet advice? I was able to control mine through diet and didn't need any medication.

www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk is an amazing website with so much helpful information. They also have a facebook group which is worth a look.

I was induced at 40 weeks as that's standard policy at my local hospital (partly because of the risks associated with large babies and also because GD can cause issues with the placenta). My DS was born absolutely fine after a very quick labour.

Thanks so much @teakind! That’s so helpful. I haven’t officially been diagnosed yet because my gyny is closed for Xmas, but my results came through the post and according to that website (and NICE guidelines) I have it, and I’d rather start making changes now than waiting for my gyny to open again.

I was diagnosed at 28 weeks. I couldn’t control the fasting levels with diet alone (I only failed the test on the fasting reading) because of being mostly on bedrest so I was on insulin. It was a minor annoyance. I had a preterm section for other reasons and only just got the level down for the birth because of the steroids for the baby’s lungs but everything was fine in the end.

I'm going through this right now.

My baby was fine until I got diagnosed now I'm in the 8% percentile and finally after 3 weeks they realised I'm restricting my diet so they have up'ed my medication to control my blood/sugar and now I'm back on my regualr diet and hoping my baby catches up!

I have GD, I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago at about 32 weeks and have been doing lots of research online. Some helpful things I've learned:

• Some women are able to manage GD through diet and exercise, and others have to go on metformin or insulin. It's not your fault if you can't manage it yourself, it just means your body isn't able to cope.
• GD gets harder and harder to manage as pregnancy progresses, especially weeks 32-36, so keep that in mind if your numbers go up. Things you could eat before may not be ok as you progress.
• There are also a lot of variables - I can eat the same meal two days in a row and get very different blood sugar numbers.
• For me, going for a walk after a meal really helps manage numbers.
• Do not cut all carbs. The baby needs carbs to grow. Instead, make sure you eat them alongside fats and/or protein.
• Lots of websites say GD increases the risk of stillbirth. I believe this is only for uncontrolled GD - as long as you're managing your levels, your baby isn't at a significantly increased risk.

I also found www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/ to be really helpful.

Thanks everyone for replying, it has made me feel a lot calmer about the whole thing.

And thanks so much @sarahb083, that’s so incredibly good to know. I had been doing one long walk every morning but I think now I’ll do 3 shorter walks, one after each meal.

My OH is making all the dietary changes with me to make it easier to stick to, the kids have even asked to join in (don’t know how long that will last though ).

Thanks again everyone for taking the time, it has made the whole thing feel significantly less scary!