Gestational diabetes

[GestationalDiabetesSucks]

Diagnosed with GD last week and now I'm horrified that i'll have type 2 by my late 40's or early 50's. I'm devastated by this and it's really all I can think about - that and if my baby and birth will be ok. I'd love to hear from women who didn't develop type 2 20 years later - but they either don't exist or their stories just aren't availabe online. Has anyone else experienced this level of anxiety? I truly am devastated.

I am obese, will start with that. With first pregnancy I had GD. Managed well and had healthy baby and GD didn't remain. Second pregnancy I didn't get GD. Again healthy baby.

I still don't have diabetes- although my mum and 2 grandparents did so I know along with my weight I'm at risk.

Please don't let GD worry you. It's better to know and be treated than to not know.

Thanks for the reply. That was so lucky you didn't get it with your second pregnancy - did you do anything preventative that swung things in your favour?
Can I ask do you get a yearly test for T2?
I do try to not worry about it but if they could just tell me if you do x,y & z then the chances are you won't develop it later on - its not a given that you will develop it - then I would be more hopeful. As it stands they basically make you think you will definitely become diabetic at some point - which just devastates me.

I remember feeling the same when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The most helpful thing I was told (I think by my consultant) was that the heightened risk of type 2 diabetes hasn't been caused by the gestational diabetes. Instead being pregnant has exposed a pre-existing issue. As your body has become less insulin sensitive due to pregnancy hormones the amount of insulin your body needs to produce goes up to being 2/3 times as high, and for some of us it can't cope.

DS is now 2.5 years old. My first HB1ac test 3 months after his birth was just into the prediabetes range. They got me to test again 3 months later and that one was fine, as have the two yearly ones I've done since. She wasn't diagnosed at the time, but we suspect my grandmother may have had gestational diabetes, as her last two babies were 10lb plus despite then growing into small children/adults. She lived to be 86 and never developed diabetes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'm the same, but whether or not I do or not as the years have gone my worry about it has definitely reduced.

DH's grandmother did have type 2 diabetes but it was well controlled and it was cancer in her 80s not the diabetes that killed her. She had to be careful about carbs, but not as careful as you do when pregnant, and it didn't seem to get in the way of her enjoyment of life. A diabetes diagnosis doesn't feel like the end of the world to me anymore.

This website has a list of some things you can do to reduce your risk of diabetes, www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/preventing-type-2/ .

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply - it's so good to know that other women had the same fear (I don't know anyone who had it and only hearing of people who seemed to take it all in their stride).
I'm so glad to hear that you have been in the clear since the birth of your LO. Have you changed your diet and exercise since the birth?
Can I ask were you able to control your GD through diet alone? And what weight was your LO? Mine is measuring on the 98th centile before 28 weeks. I've kept my numbers down all week but i'm so scared about the size of the baby.
Thank you for telling me that your worry has become less and less as time goes on - I really needed to hear that - its such an awful diagnosis and you really do need to hear from other mums who have come out the other side - so thank you!

Hey lovely, I was diagnosed with GD 20 years ago in my first pregnancy. I don't have type 2 diabetes. I am currently pregnant with my second and I'm going for the GD test in a week or so, I'm fully expecting to have it as my Mum was type 1, I had it in my first and I'm an older mum and I am a little over weight.
I'm not particularly worried, it didn't cause me any issues in my last pregnancy I just watched what I ate and monitored my blood sugars, my baby was fairly big but nothing too crazy and he's done and is doing great, there's not an ounce of fat on him now lol.

I honestly would try not to worry about it and definitely not worry about the next 20 years! Just concentrate on eating well and monitoring your bloody sugars whilst your pregnant, in most people it disappears after babies born and they have no other issues. Also I know it can make it more likely to develop type 2 in years to come, but don't forget there are a hell of a lot of people who are likely to develop type 2 in the future regardless of GD or not.

You can live a full and great life with diabetes, it's not a life sentence

Take care x

@GestationalDiabetesSucks I didn't have any risk factors so wasn't screened. My gestational diabetes was picked up at a routine midwife check because of sugar in my urine. I was 36 weeks before I did the GTT and was diagnosed. My DC was measuring off the scales large on the scan, and I felt hideously guilty about it. I was diet controlled for the 2.5 weeks until DC was born. They were going to induce me at 38+6 but with it being DC3 gave me a couple of stretch and sweeps first and that was enough, he was born at 38+4. He was 8 lb 6 oz so not small but certainly not off the charts big like they'd forecast. When my waters went it was clear the reason I'd been so big was I had loads of amniotic fluid, the midwife literally got soaked.

I went straight back to eating normally, but my BMI is in the normal range anyway, I don't know if I'd otherwise have made changes. With 2 older DC aged 2 and 4 whilst I didn't deliberately do more exercise, I certainly wasn't (and still am not) sedentary.

About 50% of women with gestational diabetes may develop type 2 diabetes, but my personal view now is that having gestational diabetes actually means a potential future problem has been spotted at an earlier stage. The annual blood test means if there does start being a problem, it will be picked up sooner rather than later - if needed I'll cut carbs down then but I don't see any need to at the moment.

I'd also add that neither DH's grandmother nor his aunt (who has type 2 diabetes too) had / have to be anything like as careful as you do with gestational diabetes. For most people with type 2 diabetes, they don't need to do daily blood tests and can eat quite a lot more carbs than they recommend when pregnant.

Forgot to say, the gestational diabetes webpage I linked to also has a very active Facebook group. I found it a great place to find other people in the same situation.

You have a 50% chance now of developing type 2.
You already had a lifetime risk of developing type 2 of 40% so it’s not a huge increase in risk.
It’s also useful to note that if you get your yearly blood test you will see the number creep up towards being diabetic (if that happens) and you can take evasive action, lose weight, exercise etc.
try not to worry. It’s so worrying when you first get diagnosed but everything will be OK, you are very switched on and motivated.

My grandma had GD and in her late 80s has never gone on to develop type 2.

She had 3 healthy pregnancies with vaginal births in a time when there was much less treatment and monitoring!

Thank you everyone - these comments have actually calmed me down somewhat - which is not easy let me tell you! Sometimes you just need to hear from people who have come out the other end and are healthy and have healthy babies and normal (as much as normal can apply) birth stories where the baby hasn't got stuck due to being enormous and all the rest. It's so much to take in when you are first diagnosed and you just get bombarded with worst case senarios and handed a blood sugar meter and everything just gets flipped on its head and the terror of it all sinks in. Why do they not give you any good news at these appointments? The more I hear from women like yourselves the more I can take a step back from the terror and anxiety and just breath - something I haven't been able to do all week so thank you all a million times! Hopefully this thread will help settle others who find themselves newly diagnosed too. You are all troopers - and congratulations on coming out the other end in one piece - and @Poppypip1 congratulations on your pregnancy! Fingers crossed you don't have GD - keep us posted please!

@GestationalDiabetesSucks

Thank you everyone - these comments have actually calmed me down somewhat - which is not easy let me tell you! Sometimes you just need to hear from people who have come out the other end and are healthy and have healthy babies and normal (as much as normal can apply) birth stories where the baby hasn't got stuck due to being enormous and all the rest. It's so much to take in when you are first diagnosed and you just get bombarded with worst case senarios and handed a blood sugar meter and everything just gets flipped on its head and the terror of it all sinks in. Why do they not give you any good news at these appointments? The more I hear from women like yourselves the more I can take a step back from the terror and anxiety and just breath - something I haven't been able to do all week so thank you all a million times! Hopefully this thread will help settle others who find themselves newly diagnosed too. You are all troopers - and congratulations on coming out the other end in one piece - and *@Poppypip1* congratulations on your pregnancy! Fingers crossed you don't have GD - keep us posted please!

Hey, I had my test yesterday, the hospital just rang, I DO have gestational diabetes again. So I'm in the club too, how are you doing now? x

I definitely don’t worry about developing it as it may not even happen and if ever we did it seems so much easier now as there’s no need for finger prick testing . Which would be the main thing I’d have minded as find it a bit of a chore.
I can’t comment on effects of GD yet as baby due soon but grateful at least we know about it to monitor it hopefully.

@GestationalDiabetesSucks I cried for days when I was diagnosed in this pregnancy (7.8 after GTT). I’ve been diet controlled since 30 weeks. Currently 41 weeks (!) and everything is fine. I refused induction at 40+6, and have agreed to induction at
40+10 (original care pathway for non diabetics, as my numbers have been completely controlled). No complications, and it’s been nice to have extra
Scans every 3 weeks to see our baby.

I was devastated at thinking that it was inevitable that I’d get diabetes, and our child will be unhealthy etc etc. But as the consultant said, in this day and age we are ALL on the road to Type 2 diabetes - some things make some of us move into a faster lane for a little bit, but we are all able to move back into to “slow lane” with changes to diet and exercise.

Don’t beat yourself up. Even if you end up on medication, your baby will be fine. You will be fine.

Join the Gestational Diabetes UK website. It’s really helpful.