Gestational diabetes

[WindFlower92]

So I'm confused and a bit worried about this! I had my 28 (29) week appointment last week where baby measured very large - above the line. They referred me for a GTT in about 2 weeks. I've borrowed a blood sugar test kit for in the meantime, which has shown fasting levels and after 2 hours as within normal range. Today I tested it with some pizza and chocolate, and after 2 hours got 4 completely different readings! 7.2, 7.7, 8.2 and 8.6. I washed my hands, so what do I do with this information? We did a control test and it was fine, although the control solution is out of date. How can I know if I'm eating okay if the readings can be so varied within a minute of each other? Aaaagh I feel really stressed now and wish I didn't have to wait another 2 weeks for the test! Should I buy a completely new machine? What can I eat apart from chicken and bulgar wheat

Don’t panic!

You can eat plenty - all you really need to avoid is sugar and some kinds of carbs. All forms of sugar are out (including honey, agave, molasses etc). Wholewheat carbs are better, so no white bread / rice / pasta, and stick to one serving of carbs per meal that’s no bigger than a third of your plate. Most veggies are fine, fruit is ok in moderation but stick to lower sugar varieties (so berries are better, grapes are worse).

You can also ‘pair’ your carbs by eating them alongside fat and protein, which slow down their absorption.

There’s an excellent website and Facebook page called Geatational Diabetes UK where you will get great support, advice and recipes.

It can feel overwhelming at first, but you will soon have the hang of it!

I had gestational diabetes diagnosed at 36 weeks with my second, was devastated at first and even had to inject insulin twice a day until the day before my c-section. It is not due to eating excess sugar or carbs but how the placenta processes insulin.

If you do get diagnosed you will need to follow a low-carb low sugar diet. You can eat plenty of protein, cheese, chicken, eggs, peanut butter, almonds are good at reducing blood sugar levels, lots of vegetables and salad but only low sugar fruits. I lived on oatcakes with all of the above and to be honest felt far better than eating typical comfort food. Good luck, your GTT may all be fine but if it is not do not worry and gestational diabetes usually goes at birth.

Hi Op, sorry you are having this worry. It doesn’t seem acceptable to leave you waiting two weeks.

A machine will give you a different reading every time as it’s not 100% accurate. However all of your readings are too high for two hours after eating (should be under 7.8 after 1 hour and 6.4 after 2 hours).

Can you test your levels again as soon as you wake up so you can see what your fasting level is? It should be under 5.3.

As a previous poster said, a GD diet is high fat/protein and low carb. The websites they recommended are really helpful.

I would definitely contact your midwife in the morning and explain the levels you have got. I’d ask to be referred to the GD midwife team as they give you a monitor instead of the GTT if you are already getting high results. After all, there’s no need to deliberately expose the baby to lots of sugar if regular diet is already showing high levels.

Most importantly, please don’t panic or worry. If you do have GD, once you’ve got your head around it it seems far more manageable.

Hi @Teakind, I thought it was under 7.8 after 2 hours? Every website says something different! Thanks for all the advice, I'm working my way through that website @CreosoteQueen which is making me feel a bit more in control! Will talk to my midwife tomorrow.

7.8 is definitely 1 hour. There's more info on the Gestational Diabetes website here www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-levels/

That's the levels in the NICE guidelines so a good one to follow, although some hospitals and regions have slightly different ones.

Have you joined the Facebook group too? There are so many helpful ladies on there.

I had GD in 3 out of 4 pregnancies. The small glucose monitors can be a little bit out and also need calibration if not used in a while. Fasting always had to be 5.3 and below, 7.8 post meal an hour after. Plenty to do in the meantime. Go on gestational diabetes U.K. page and make some changes to diet. Avoid the bulgar wheat, reduce carb intake, and take some gentle exercise or your usual if already exercising. And try not to stress.

Your readings are above 6.4 so for that meal at least your body didn't control its sugars. I also found out I had GD from my 28 week tummy Measure. I was sent home with a test kit and told more than 3 readings over 6.4 after 2 hrs or 5.3 fasting a week means GD, and that it would become apparent quite quickly. If I was you i'd ask for a test kit to get on with it and that you know is calibrated properly so you don't have to wait 2 weeks. You're not alone, and it is a horrible stress during pregnancy but there are medications to help and it's only a short time. I had a lovely healthy baby and you will too, stay calm, wishing you the best of luck

This is my second pregnancy and second GD - I'm only 10 weeks in so it kicked off early this time :(

But what worked for me last time and seems to be working now is a sort of LCHF diet. I didn't choose it deliberately but fell into it by eliminating foods that spiked me.

Eg today I had scrambled eggs for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch (grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese with olive oil and apple cider vingear as dressing) and pork medallions, broccoli and button mushrooms sautéed on olive oil for dinner. Snacks were almonds and strips of cheddar. I was testing around 5.6 an hour after meals.
Yesterday I ate half of potato with my dinner of salmon and kale, and tested 7.9 after an hour so definitely need to go very very careful with starchy foods.

Good luck - you can definitely do this!

@Frezia have you been on the Gestational Diabetes site too? There's lot of ladies on their Facebook page in the same boat as you who have been diagnosed early.

Please do be careful about eliminating all carbs from your diet like your meals yesterday did. You do need them as ketosis isn't safe for pregnant women. You can read more about it here www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/ketones/

Fish is hard to pair with too so if you had steak or chicken and potato you may get a better reading.

@Teakind Thanks! I've studied the site and the FB group extensively in my last pregnancy and am pleased to see it's even more developed in the mean time. I need to say I've only been diagnosed a couple of days ago so am still figuring out what my spikes and baseline are. I will figure out the amount of fruit and grains/starch I can add; "kind of LCHF" would not be as strict as keto but more suitable than the eat well plate I was recommended by the dietitian which wasn't helpful at all. I get no pleasure in eating low carb but my priority is getting blood sugar under control (and my blood pressure which seems to be creeping up). There are also differing opinions by the medical professionals on how risky ketosis in pregnancy actually is but I agree it's better to be cautious and try to avoid it.

I'd start by cutting out all refined sugars, fruit and white carbs but keep dairy, brown stuff and porridge in. You should hopefully see the effects in your readings.

It's seemed to work with my GD. But test as PP said avoid ketosis. But if you struggle then you must speak to the doc. Some people need medication.

I'd like to add that if you do need to go on medication eventually, please don't see it as a failure. I struggled with this a lot in my last pregnancy. Near the end I had to go on Metformin due to raising fasting levels which were practically impossible for me to control with diet (there are ways for some people but didn't work for me). It's just what it is, hormones, and not your fault if you've made the effort to adjust your diet.

Thanks guys. I feel a bit better today. Got some lancets arriving so will start testing when they do. Cleaning out the fridge, going shopping and putting together a meal plan for the rest of the week is on the agenda for this morning! Will start keeping a diary as well. Thanks for all the advice!

So I've just had lunch an hour ago and tested for my first reading and it was 4.7. Is this normal or is this too low for after an hour? I had salmon, wholewheat pasta, broccoli and some water. So this meal is okay for me then?

A quick question also - is milk okay? I'm reading conflicting information. And sweet potatoes? I don't understand how they can be okay when surely they have more sugar in than normal potatoes! I'm very happy if I can have them though

And my second reading after 2 hours was 5.2. Is it supposed to be climbing?

@WindFlower92 how much pasta did you have? Pasta can be hard to tolerate without a lot of cheese/meat. Fish isn’t fatty enough to balance it out mostly.

It’s possible for blood sugar to spike and crash within the hour. Blood sugar can rise after an hour but I believe that’s usually if you’ve had something very fatty (like a takeaway) which you haven’t done.

However, it is also very possible your body can tolerate it and don’t have GD. I think keep testing for at least a week to get a better picture.

Did you manage to get hold of your midwife?

What are you planning on having for dinner? It will be interesting to see the result of that one.

I probably had slightly more than a fist-sized amount of pasta. Will have less next time. I see my midwife on Tuesday so she said we would discuss then and to keep taking readings. Since reading the GDUK website I've decided to start testing after 1 hour as well, so will hopefully get more of an accurate picture than just testing at 2. I was planning on having half a jacket potato mixed with bacon and cheese, with a ton of salad on the side. Does this sound okay? It was on the list of GDUK okay foods as long as it's paired correctly so I'm hoping it'll be fine!

That sounds like a great dinner. I can tolerate a whole potato but everyone is different. Pasta is much harder for me.

I wouldn’t worry about testing after two hours if you are testing after one hour, it’s a lot of finger pricking : )

Did you do your level when you first woke up?

My finger is already hurting from it! I couldn't do it this morning as I was waiting for more lancets to be delivered, but will from tomorrow. I might try a whole potato then and see what it does. I feel very clean and healthy today which I guess is a good thing!

So after an hour I got a reading of 4.4! And after 2 hours I got 5.6. Still a bit confused about that, but glad they're both under target.

Is your machine definitely working? Has it been calibrated recently? Mine came with a test fluid to check it.

Your results are confusing me too : )

We did calibrate it but the solution is out of date so not sure if we can trust that? I looked into ordering some but it would arrive the day before my GTT, so I might wait until after that to see if I still need to be testing. Aaagh!

You got four readings because your sugars were going up! Those readings are also above the level they should be. I have gestational diabetes, I monitor mine with a lifestyle libre machine- it's amazing but expensive (£50 a fortnight).

It doesn't take much for me to go up, a sandwich for example or two slices of toast makes my levels go sky high so pizza and chocolate are a no joke for me currently. There are many diabetic websites with great recipes for diabetics I use the fast 800 book by dr Mike Moseley. Although I don't do the fasting but his recipes are specifically to reverse diabetes. I am finding now that my sugars are too low!