Gestational diabetes question

[anno12]

So brief history i was getting extra scans due to a different issue and baby measured big at 28 weeks so had a test for diabetes which came back negative

Baby has followed same trajectory ever since 90th percentile , no excess fluid and in all honesty very similar to what his brother measured

No sugar in urine or any other concerns

Due to other condtion im actually booked for a elective section in a week at 37 weeks so not long

My other half recently bought a home moniotring test for diabetes as he has been feeling funny and GP no help

Yesterday out of curiosity i tried it in the morning hadn't eaten for 8 hours although last thing i had before bed was a massive bit of white choc birthday cake .. my result was 6.2

This morning i did it again and 6 was result so of course that looks like diabetes

I phoned midwife ending up speaking to a midwife who runs the gestational diabetes clinic and she was not worried
Said the home kits are not always accurate .. blood sugar can flucuate at this stage in pregnancy and baby coming out in a week so not to worry

She told me not to test again

Should i mention it again when i go for steroids on Wednesday ?

So worried i've developed GD late and it has been missed ....

Yes you should mention it to the doctor when you go for the steroids. Are they keeping you in for the steroids?
There’s a class between diabetes/insulin and steroids which is why when women have maternal diabetes they need to be admitted for the steroids and closely monitored.

Your number in the morning should be 5.3 or below.
At this stage I don’t think they will do anything as you are having a section soon. But they might give you the machine to keep monitoring. But it is important for the doctor to know as I said there’s a clash between the two.

I have had GD in 3 pregnancies. My second one, my child was small so had to be admitted to be closely monitored. I had the first shot. I didn’t reach the second shot of the steroids as my child went in severe distress due to the clash and had an emergency section. This is the reason why it needs to be monitored.
If they don’t monitor you, I will suggest to keep an eye on increased in movements after the first shot you have. Any changes you need to go to triage immediately. Not call, not wait for the midwife to get back to you but make your way there ASAP.
I don’t mean to scare you, but it’s a real concern which not many women know of.

If you are worried, cut your carb intake.

@trainmypet thanks for this information i didn't know this

Goodness i would rather not get the steroids now

They are not keeping me in no , they are utterly convinced i do not have gestational diabetes so i am now worried they won't listen

I meant to go in for steroids on wednesday and in for second dose thursday

Do you think if they wont listen to my concerns i should refuse the steroids ?!

Oh no you shouldn’t be put off having the steroids as it’s important for the baby’s lungs. I was reluctant to post my message in case you said exactly this, I am sorry I didn’t mean to upset you.
You just need to let the doctor know that you are getting some high numbers in your fasting blood. You can call triage and let them know and they might suggest you see the diabetes nurse for the monitoring machine. Please don’t worry and don’t refuse the steroids on what I said.

@trainmypet i have called maternity assessment maternity day care and community midwife but everyone i have spoke to is said they won't take my home monitoring as anything to be concerned about and that i don't have GD

I will push it again when i'm face to face with consultant but worried i'll just be ignored and then steroids could hurt my baby

I don't understand their reluctance to re test for GD given some women develop it late ...

It’s ridiculous they are being so unhelpful. You can get privately tested for GD but whether that could happen in time for Wednesday I am not sure. Whatever happens stand your ground at the hospital. Maybe start using words like consent and liability.

Yes I’d mention it

Don't panic! I will mention the concerns to the consultant about having the high morning numbers and ask for increased monitoring. I won't refuse the steroids as it's so important for baby's lungs. BTW why are you having the steroids? In my trust, they don't routinely offer the steroids at 37 weeks if baby is on line to be a good weight.

OP, I’m so sorry you’re not getting the correct help! You can develop GD at any stage and it sounds like you have it. I’m not sure how they can say they won’t trust the home monitoring numbers since that is exactly how mums with GD monitor it.

I think the steroids can make your sugars really high so I think you need to get someone to listen to you. If you have GD, when you have them they can just monitor your sugars alongside and give you insulin if you need it.

Can you ask to speak to a head of department? Those levels you mentioned are too high.

@teakind the whole reason i decided to home monitor is they missed a serious condition in my last pregnancy ( ICP / obstetric cholestasis) which led to a emergency section at 36 weeks 5 days hence 37 week delivery this time

So i don't trust them at all and they had told me i would get a growth scan at 36 weeks and if baby had a jump i would be re tested but now the attitiude seems to be oh well he's out in a week so it doesn't matter

I'm tempted to phone maternity assesment and say im feeling unwell and can i go in and then demand to speak to a consultant

So worried, obivously i don't want to have it and im relived he is coming out in a week but i would like proper care to be taken if i do ....

I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience with them before.

If you do have it, it’s really important your levels are controlled when the baby is born so that they are able to regulate their own blood sugar. They should be monitored after birth to check they are able to do this.

Do you have a good GP? Mine once called the hospital and spoke to a consultant for me which was really helpful.

You could also contact PALS. They should be able to help

@teakind usually a great GP but covid has meant its a hit or miss who you speak too

Im going to call back and say i want to speak to a consultant as i don't understand how they can determine my tests are wrong

If i had 1 high reading it could be a blip but they've all been not so great

They said at 36 weeks most women if tested would have higher than usual readings is this true ?

Yes it is true as the placenta starts maturing the insulin resistance worsens. For GD, they do want 3 high readings or more. If you test again in the mornig and wednesday morning, you can take these results with you when you see the consultant. Also, have you been testing after your meals? Usually, it's one hour after your main meal and the numbers shoudl be 7.8 and below.

@teakind i just did it a hour after eating and it came back 1.9 which is ridiculous obivously i'd be feeling horrendous with such low sugars

So did it again a second later got 6 a hour after eating which seems ok ? So now i'm thinking maybe it is very unaccurate

My other half has now tried it to compare got 24.9 and then a 7.2 :s

Has the machine been calibrated? 1.9 and 24.9 are very odd results!

These are not right numbers. The machine isn’t working right

The most difficult weeks are supposed to be weeks 32-36 but after than I think a lot of women can tolerate more carbs/sugar. I’m not sure about their comment most women would test higher at this stage. Doesn’t seem accurate to me but I’m not a doctor.

@trainmypet no it's definately not working right ..

I've called hospital again and they said when i come in for steroids i can have baby monitored etc and can chat about it / test blood sugar if needed then so fingers crossed nothing will be missed

@teakind something is definately wrong with it but i've spoke to hospital again and got a lovely midwife who has had GD herself .. theyve said they can monitor baby check blood sugars after steroids if it puts my mind at ease

Also said they will fit me in for last scan so feeling a bit better in that sense

That’s good news! Good luck with the birth and hope everything goes smoothly

@trainmypet thank you so much
And thank you for the info about the steroids and affect it can have on GD , would much rather a bit of monitoring than something be missed

You are welcome! I certainly didn’t want to worry you though and I am sorry if I did. Keep an eye on movements esp increased movements after the steroids therapy and you sound on the money so you know exactly what to do. I am glad that your hospital did listen to you in the end and I am sure everything will go well. If you are planning to breastfeed and baby does have low sugar, the breastfeeding helps with regulating baby’s sugar level quickly and all should be okay.

I'm glad you spoke to someone helpful. Good luck with everything!

It may be good news that the machine is not working right, could mean you never really had a high reading. Let’s hope so, but definitely worth getting it checked out just in case. Hopefully just a naughty machine causing trouble.