gestational diabetes: anyone got any experience?

[neuroticlady]

It looks like I've developed/am developing gestational diabetes. I'm 28 weeks and I had a glucose test this week and results show elevated diabetes levels so I have to go back and have the two hour fasting test. Up till now I haven't really taken much notice of what this is or what it means for the pregnancy, the baby or me. I'm pretty upset, even though I'm trying to tell myself it's probably controllable, as I thought my diet was really quite healthy and I walk daily with our dogs etc so apart from being over 30 I don't really fit the bill for those who are at a higher risk of developing it. If anyone has been through this I'd find it really helpful to hear of your experiences. Is it inevitable you'll give birth to an overweight/big baby or give birth early, and do you have to have repeat tests for type 2 diabetes for ever? Just what I've gleaned from the internet so if it's all wrong please tell me! Any tips for managing it? Guess what I'd really like is some reassurance that it isn't such a big deal as it feels right now and that hopefully bub will be fine (and me!). Thanks.

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Hi there - this thread is a little old. [[https://www.mumsnet.com/pregnancy/gestational-diabetes
If you want to read more about gestational diabetes, we’ve got some information here]]. MNHQ

My friend developed it in her last pregnancy, she had to have regular checks, had to keep off the sweet stuff( which she says was very unfair when pregnant)she gave birth to a healthy 6lb girl in the summer, about a week early.

Try not to worry

thanks debinaustria, that's reassuring to hear. x

anybody else...please?

I had GD during my last pregnancy. I am a small, slim person, and didn't fit the bill for someone who would normally get GD. I had to manage it with diet, which was hard, and it was getting to the point where I would have needed insulin, but I delivered at 33 weeks (nothing to do with the GD, I can't carry to term) In the week following the delivery, my blood sugar levels were normal. I am having a repeat test next week, but hopefully I will be ok. If you can manage the diet, then you shouldn;t have a huge baby.

i was diagnosed with it and also did not fit the criteria as fit and under 30 (29) and not obese. i just had to do the finger prick blood level test at diferent times of day (they will show you) and have regular visits with the diabetes nurse. because diabetes can lead to large babies and a risk of stillbirth in babies born past due date yoi will most likely be induced a few days before your due date. when your bbay is born he/she will have their blood sugar tested to check that it has not been passed to them. any other quiries please do not hesitate to ask. that was it in a nutshell. i also had Group B strep but that is another story!!

just thought i did not mena to scare you (yikes) the risk is very very very small! it is just a precaution really.

Just to clarify what Bethoo said, the test on the baby is to check for low blood sugar which if not caught can lead to full blown hypoglycaemia with possible brain damage. But if caught early (which is why they'll check for a certain period after birth) it can be stopped by giving formula or if worse a glucose drip.

I don't think the chances of the baby developing diabetes are affected by GD. They've no idea what the cause is anymore.

I have had type 1 diabetes for 21 years now and some of the things written here are very scary sounding for someone facing GD for the first time.

Diabetes DOES NOT cause big babies - it is badly controlled diabetes that POSSIBLY can cause a baby to be larger than normal. If you do have GD then the hospital will try to control you with diet alone and then you may possibly need daily insulin injections. You will need to monitor your blood sugar levels several times a day with a small fingerpricking device and a blood glucose monitor. Most machines only take 5 seconds to give you a result. This all sounds like hard work (not to mention painful) but to be honest, it is quite easy to get the hang of and your OB team should help you through it with the aid of a diabetes specialist nurse and/or consultant.

Sorry to correct you Bethoo but diabetes cannot be passed on from mother to baby in any way or form. It is not a heriditary condition. So please don't worry about this. The baby's blood glucose will be chacked soon after birth and a few times after that to ensure that the baby doesn't have low blood glucose which can cause complications such as described by tigger -however this is a worse case scenario. Usually if the baby's blood glucose is low then a simple glucose drip would be used to treat the low blood sugar level.

As for you, once the baby is born you will probably return to "normal" health - however you will be at an increased risk of developing diabetes later in life. You would need occasional checks which really aren't that bad - a simple blood test usually suffices.

If you are really worried, contact Diabetes UK and they will give you loads of support and help. They are fantastic. Or you can message me, I don't mind putting your mind to rest.

I had GD and wasn't able to control it with diet alone. I found that injecting wasn't as painful as expected, in fact sometimes it was painless.

Both pgs ended with 2 average weight dds. (7 lbs 10 & 7 lbs 12) Both induced at 38 weeks. Induction isn't so bad either.
Dd2 had slightly lower blood sugar when tested so we stayed in an extra night to monitor her. She had better readings and we were discharged.

I felt really healthy during pg even though I had GD and didn't put too much weight on (Oh no, that happened after the birth!)

I don't know whether this is the same in your hospital, but I had to have a midwife with me all the time to monitor me once I was induced, something very few women have, so there are some advantages.

Good luck with the rest of your pg.

hi
I was diagnosed with borderline GDM because of elevated levels during the 3hr glucose tolerence test. One of my results was slightly elevated.

I don't fit the bill either for GDM. Although I am 35, there is no history of diabetes, my BMI was average at conception and I haven't gained excessive weight. My diet is generally good and I was exercising fairly regularly.

I was advised to do the blood glucose tests and eat regularly (6 times a day), make sure I eat complex carbs and to cut any sweet things from my diet and to make sure that I exercised (walking/swim/yoga) for at least 30 mins a day.

It turns out that my GDM was so borderline that it is very managable on diet/exercise alone. I am currently 37 weeks and my baby is measuring smaller than average (but still very healthy, thank fully!!).

I think that although I was terrified when I was first told that I had GDM because I read up on every possible bad thing. It was actually quite a good "wake-up" call in terms of making sure that I became a little more thoughtful about what I was putting into my mouth and also it encouraged me to do a little more exercise. Now at 37 weeks I feel much stronger than I probably would have done if I hadn't had the diagnosis.

I am concerned that I may be more likely to developed type 2 diabetes in later life, my doc told me that there was potentially a 50% chance ... but I guess the flip side is that there is a 50% chance that I won't if I am sensible with how/what I eat and also exercise. If not for this diagnosis I would never have known that I could possibly be prone to it if I hadn't had this test.

Anyway, hopefully you managed to perserve to the end of my posting, sorry it was so long.

There is a high chance that your results after the GTT will come back all clear apparently I read somewhere that only 15% of people that are called back for the GTT test are diagnosed with GDM, which means 85% of people are all clear.

Wishing you the best!

Hello NeuroticLady, I developed it in early pregnancy too, aged 33, I wasn't overweight but did have a diabetic father - however it did come as a shock to me as I'd never shown any signs of diabetes before and apparently my blood sugar levels were skyhigh at the routine testing.

I had to go to the hospital for weekly tests and stick to a (fairly) controlled diet and in the early days I felt pretty depressed about it, but everything went normally and my baby was a spot-on-average 7lb 8, born naturally at 39 weeks and perfectly healthy.

I haven't had any recurrence 17 years on, so take heart! Though I do wonder if it's lying in wait for me, because of my father, so I'd never allow myself to become overweight.

Hi

I had GD with my dd, now 2, and it was picked up due to her being large for her dates.

I alwasy argued that they might've got my dates wrong but was sent for the glucose test anway.

It came back positive but me, being a stroppy mare, kept arguing that I didn't have it! I have read that the control group for testing GD against is non-pg women therefore cannot be accurate as glucose levels are higher in pg women.

Anyways, I did the Blood Measurements (BMs) and had the "diet" talk. I kept a food diary and the nutritionist agreed there was nothing to be done wrt to diet.

So I had to inject 3 times daily and the insulin doses just got higher and higher. On the plus side, I also got about 3 more scans than I would have!

I was extremely upset about injecting and the GD in general. My midwives etc didn't help as they kept insisting I would have to be induced at 38w and that I wouldn't be allowed to go to full term.

I did find it very stressful but looking back I probably could have been more accepting of the situation and caused myself less heartache!

I actually went into spontaneous labour at 35+6 and after 11 hours had an emergency c-section (dd had turned and wouldn't budge!). DD was 8lb 14.5oz and right as rain! Her BMs were fine till about 11 hours after the birth when they dipped .2 below the "safe" level. She was taken to SCBU overnight but they said afterwards she probably didn't really need to.

As soon as she was born my BMs went right back to normal.

I still maintain my dates were wrong. Every midwife who saw dd said she didn't look 4 weeks prem.

I was told that I had to give dd formula in order for her BMs to stay up and I wasn't "allowed" to breastfeed first. So it was formula then BF top up. Within 12 hours it was BF then formula top up. After the first few days DD just wanted formula. It took 10 days of hard work to get her fully onto BF (very grateful to the BF midwife I had at home). I was told afterwards that it wasn't necessary to give her formula after the birth at all.

I have recently started to feel unwell and saw my Dr yesterday and she is doing some tests as she thinks I may have developed diabetes now. She's also checking other things so it's by no means sure that's why I'm not feeling great at the mo.

All in all, I didn't have a great experience but I think my attitude of denial had a fair bit to do with that.

I would have been better informed and more able to articulate my position (no formula, birthplan etc) had I not been so emotionally charged over the GD.

Good luck with the rest of your pg, my advice would be to listen to your midwives etc and explore all the options available to you.

Don't be sitting at the kitchen table at 1am with your waters broken writing your birthplan because you haven't already done it because you're still waiting for someone to discuss an induction because you're supposed to be 2 weeks away from that - like me LOL!

I was diagnosed with GD in my last trimester. It was controlled by diet alone, which was actually easier than I thought. Although as it turned out my fasting test results were borderline, which is probably why the vast majority of my sugar level tests were normal - even when I had dared eat something sweet!

The nutrition nurse was great, but as I wanted a homebirth the Ob's were on me like flies on shit. I was given horror stories about large babies (I expected this anyway as all the babis in our family were big, and I am 5'10) and that I shouldn't have a hb, and that I would have to be induced early.

Well, I went into natural labour at 40+9 and had a healthy 9lb 3 baby boy who didn't need any sort of glucose or formula. I have read (and it was agreed by the Ob) that breastfeeding your baby stabilises their sugars better than anything.

Thanks so much, I've just read all these posts and they are hugely helpful. Oh where would I be without mumsnet? I've been feeling really quite down about it, especially after searching around on the internet and finding various awful stats and scary sites, but HappyBump the way you have put things not only gets it into perspective for me but also makes me realise there is a totally different way to think about this, and you're right: if I am able to see this as a wake up call and REALLY take care of myself then how can that be a bad thing? Thank you for really cheering me up. Good luck to you for the rest of your pg - and the birth and beyond!

Margos, like you I've felt really healthy and my weight gain hasn't been excessive so far, I have a nice neat bump and in fact I've been bragging about what a breeze this has been (that'll teach me) but like you I'm not worried by the idea of injections if it comes to that - I'm already on Clexane injections to thin my blood and they're not a problem at all - and because I've had a few problems in the past (lots of miscarriages etc) the idea of being more closely monitored actually appeals to me (very VIP) so that's good to hear. Induction doesn't worry me, either - right now all I'm bothered about is taking home a healthy baby. Glad things turned out well for you. Thanks for your post.

Daisynova, thanks a million for passing on the facts, and the benefits of your knowledge - when you're at the 'information-gathering' stage, like I am, it's so easy to get lost in the minefield of stuff that's out there and to end up scared witless. Thanks for saying I can message you if needbe. That's really nice of you.

This is turning into an essay so just to say thanks to everyone else for responding. You've really helped.

Glad to be of help! Remember knowledge is power!!!

Iliketomoveitmoveit speaks very wise words!

ps: I am 5'7" and H is 6'5" so another reason why dd was never going to be a tiddler and another reason for me to be so blardy mardy about the whole thing!

You've had some great advice and stories here and it really sounds like you're much more "together" about the diagnosis than I ever was.

Glad, also, to hear that your OB agrees wrt to BF and formula.

Ohhh, I've never been called wise before. I think I might print and frame that comment

daisy - sorry if you misunderstood what i was saying but i did not mean diabetes, i meant low blood sugar. my son was indeed born with very low blood sugar which took two days to return ot the correct level. he is not diabetic.

Hi I also had GD during my first prg and like you and some of the others who have posted I got v.v. upset about it. I don't fit the profile either and I was also told by my diabetic nurse and the midwife that if it was left uncontrolled it could lead to a big baby and possibly the baby going into hypog shock on delivery. I found all of this very distressing and it made my final trimester v miserable esp as it was in Dec and there where tempatations everywhere. I felt v guilty that I had caused it by eating so much rubbish during prg but the dietician was wonderful v reassuring and although I had to be careful about what I ate she told me it wasn't my diet that caused it in the first place she said it was the stress on the body of the prg. Anyway I had to end up injecting but there was never any question of an induction early they said they wouldn't let me go beyond my due date but luckily I went into labour naturally 3 days before. One other thing I was told that future prg will be the same and at least fore warned is forearmed I am prg again [ist is only 10 months argh!] and I will be watching v carefully what I eat. Good luck with it all! x

Message for daisynova - I'm type 1 too (24 years) and my ds is now 9 months. Good luck with the pregnancy and if you've got any questions feel free to CAT me. We had a thread going on diabetes and birth/labour in the childbirth section a few months ago if you want to check that out nearer the time for things to watch out for.

Hi Neuroticlady,
Thanks for your post, it is nice to hear I was of some help
Best of luck with everything! xx

Neuroticlady - Good luck with it and as I said, I don't mind if you need someone to ask a question, moan at, scream about the damn diabetes or anything. I've been there often!!!

Tigger - thanks very much. I'll go have a look at that thread just now and will CAT you if I need more help - which I am sure I will. This diabetes and pregnancy is such a minefield!

I'm glad that we have been helpful. I always reply to a GD thread if I see it. I felt very uninformed when I was diagnosed and disappointed that my birth choices were limited.

But it needn't be the case, as you can see from the other posters views.

Thanks again everyone - I'm feeling considerably more informed than I did a couple of days ago, and a lot calmer.

I did the two-hour fasting test this morning so just waiting on the results of that, now. But avoiding the sugar in the meantime in case it's confirmed...

Incidentally, does anyone know if a few blow-out meals could have set this off? We've got DH's parents staying with us and they've been taking us out to lunch every day. I'm totally off the alcohol but not the puddings... I feel really guilty that my healthy eating regime has gone out of the window a bit in the last two weeks - could this have had a bearing, do you think??

Thanks again everyone. Really appreciate your help. x

Neuroticlady - a few blow out meals do not cause GD at all. Your pregnancy puts extra pressure on all your organs and this is just your body's way of saying it can't cope with everything. Basically your body's normal reaction to you eating is to produce insulin to convert the food into energy. It could be that your body isn't producing enough insulin or that your body has become slightly insulin-resistant due to the extra pressures of pregnancy.

Good luck with your test x