Is it silly to be upset and really disappointed with gestational diabetes diagnosis??

[Growingatinyhumam]

Found out a few days ago I have gestational diabetes.

First baby, and up until now everything has been so straightforward!

I had a phone call to tell me which mentioned the million and one appointments I have to go to now and at my 1st appointment got told it's unlikely I can have a water birth anymore at the birthing centre.

I'm also struggling with knowing exactly what to eat and when as I haven't had my dietician appointment yet.

Overall I've found the diagnosis really hard to accept and I think the best way to explain how I feel is sad. Sad that this condition can affect my little baby, sad that I feel so restricted with food, and to be truthful, jealous of my pregnant friends who can eat whatever they want 😅

Am I being stupid? Any tips to help a gal out are welcome xx

I had gestational diabetes with DC3 and it hit me hard. I had no risk factors so wasn't screened, and wasn't diagnosed until 36 weeks (picked up from midwife wee checks). I felt guilty about what I might have done to the baby, worried about the pregnancy care consequences, and worried about the long term consequences both for me and for the baby. It's a serious condition with huge every day life consequences, so I guess it's not surprising it can hit hard.

There's a really useful parents site www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/ who also have an incredibly helpful Facebook group. I got far more clarity on what to eat there than I did from the gestational diabetes midwife.

No you're not being silly. A completely normal reaction. I had it at 27 weeks and had the same reaction. No risk factors, just a genetic predisposition. It's scary to hear how serious it can be but now theyve caught it you will be well cared for. It's completely treatable and the GD page on Facebook is absolutely amazing with dietary advice and support. I found I could eat in restaurants if I chose the correct combination of foods and managed the condition well. I didn't get the birth I wanted (I too wanted a water birth but had a c section). None of that mattered when I held my healthy baby in my arms, and my husband bought me an éclair which was heaven!

@Growingatinyhumam - I had it with my 2nd child. Was really sad at first but after a few weeks of monitoring bloods, I found I could tolerate a lot more carbs than I first thought.
I found eating regularly really helped.
I don't feel like I missed out particularly much food wise whilst pregnant - and I ended my pregnancy much lighter than I started.

There's a gestational diabetes fb group which I found really useful :)
also the GD team at the hospital were amazing, and helped with any queries etc - it did mean I had more appts than normal.

Good luck!

I also felt like this, came out of the blue and wasn't diet related at all so I had to go on Metformin which really upset my body and me mentally. If it had been going on for longer it would've been insulin for me, but luckily I was diagnosed at 33-34 weeks so not long left. I say luckily loosely as they weren't testing properly with OGTT due yo covid at the time and I think it had likely developed earlier but was detected later. I did end up with reduced movements and had to have DS monitored daily towards the end. I won't lie, it was stressful and I just wanted him out. I also hated the pin prick tests and sugar level monitoring, found it very intrusive, but of course it was all to ensure him and I were ok. It's not easy to go through and it's not pleasant and usually has nothing to do with your lifestyle or diet, it's hormonal. There are some risk factors, but it is so random tbh. I wouldn't worry too much about the fact you need to wait for your appointment, the website pps recommended is very good and your dietician is unlikely to recommend much more. Great tip that mine gave me was to change portion size and eat little portions more often, so say I'd eat a banana and have a spike, she said eat half mid-morning and half mid-afternoon and it did maintain my glucose levels a lot better. However, like I said, for many women who eat well in general and in particular in pregnancy, it's not a condition that can be easily managed just through diet because there aren't many changes you can make in that regard to begin with. Make sure you monitor your baby's movements and never hesitate to go in if your instinct tells you they are different, that's the top tip. You will likely be offered growth scans too and make sure you attend them to then make informed choices about your delivery. It will be ok, OP, take care and you're not alone upset, I was like this too. xx

I had a planned section as a result too and much like pp said, DH brought me a bag of peanut butter Kitkats and my god, they were glorious!! Definitely stock up on treats for after the birth! It's a pain not being able to eat what you want but in fairness I wasn't overly indulging anyway so food-wise forme it wasn't exactly different, it was more annoying that I couldn't have an ice cream here and there or some watermelon in a heatwave in the final weeks of my pregnancy, these two things made me cry I remember. I definitely didn't hold back after the birth 😂 Remember however that you now have 50/50 chance of developing diabetes type 2 later in life so good diet is key longer term. You should have fasting glucose test on the NHS 6-13 weeks post partum, make sure you chase your GP for it and that your diabetes clinic makes that referral now you're under their care. Then you will have annual glucose test for life to check if you are developing T2. You should also have enhanced monitoring for GD in any future pregnancies I was told as it's likely you'll have it again - but I haven't had another DC yet so perhaps someond who has been through it can advise you in more detail. xx

100% this was me a couple of weeks ago. Now I am focusing on the diet, and kind of looking forward to trying some of the GD recipes like the pudding ones! I felt really deflated at first, the 6x a day finger pricks don't bother me too much. I've not quite addressed the birth yet, like you I was hoping for a water midwife led birth, no one has told me this has to change but I know I'll be on the labour ward now sadly. Best of luck and with the right support things will look brighter

I don’t think it’s silly you feel like that, thinking of you

I felt the same too when diagnosed but after a few tough weeks at the start it wasn’t so bad once I worked out what I could eat. You just have to think that you are sacrificing the sugar for your baby and try not to be jealous of other people eating whatever they want. On the positive side I put on much less weight than I would have otherwise. Also recommend the UK GD website recommended by pp. According to the website water births are still possible depending on your circumstances but mine was a section (breach baby so no choice anyway).

you’re not being stupid or overreacting at all, I developed it in my second pregnancy and the diagnosis knocked me for six. I cried my eyes out which might be a bit extreme but I was pregnant and emotional. between my first and second pregnancy my dad developed type 2 diabetes so thats the only risk factor I had. I don’t think I even had it in pregnancy number 1, was never tested for it.

i followed the diet incredibly strictly, I was so good, but despite that I still ended ip on metformin and then insulin. Wasnt anything I was doing wrong just the way my body was reacting, so if that happened please don’t blame yourself.

It was a big factor in why I chose to have an ELCS instead of a VBAC.

on the relative plus side, I gained no further weight in my last trimester and a week after birth I was half a stone lighter than my pre- pregnancy weight. was back in my skinny jeans almost straight away which was quite nice. I must have used a lot of my extra fat reserves

I must say it was difficult to stick to at Christmas though, really difficult. All the best Christmas foods are carbs!

I had it in both my pregnancies. It was a big surprise the first time but I was expecting it the second time. It gets easier onve the initial shock wears off! I’m very skinny and struggled to gain weight and not be hungry, but it’s only for a few weeks/months. As soon as the babies were born it went away (which I think it does for most people although you do need regular checks for Type 2). I appreciated having all the extra scans and checks, had to take insulin both times but it really wasn’t that bad. At the time I was sad to have to be induced, but it was best for the babies and in the end it doesn’t really matter how they come out, as long as they’re healthy. In case you’re interested in breastfeeding, you might want to talk to your midwife about harvesting colostrum nearer the time. It helped keep my babies’ blood sugar up in the first day or so.

Sending you so much love! GD is not fun at all and like you hit me like a tonne of bricks. I struggled so hard with guilt when initially diagnosed and my relationship with food totally changed, and I suddenly lost all excitement for my pregnancy and was just full of dread about something going wrong. But it will be OK. Not sure how far along you are but remember, it's only temporary. The new appointments, although a hassle, are all there to help you and your baby and the risks are no different than a regular pregnancy once you manage to get your BGL under control. If you can manage to control your bloods then there may be no reason why you can't have the birth you planned, although you may have to be a little stubborn and stand your ground. If you can't control with diet alone that's fine too and there's options to help you.

I'm now on my 3rd pregnancy. With my DD I was diagnosed at 31 weeks and it was awful but on reflection I only had to do it for 7 weeks and the relief when you can have that slice of toast at the end (and anything else you fancy) was just sublime! I was diagnosed immediately with both subsequent pregnancies (and as a result couldn't go through with my 2nd pregnancy) so believe me when I say I know what am awful diagnosis it is. You are not alone feeling awful but you can do it! There's a light at the end of the tunnel. My advice to you as well is make sure you check out the gestational diabetes UK website - it's amazingly supportive and has recipes for so many delicious meals that are all GD safe! Including cakes and Puddings! It's not as bleak as it seems x

Hi op, in also have gd and it threw me for a loop when in was first diagnosed. One thing that made me feel better was understanding that it's your body's reaction to pregnancy that causes you to become insulin resistant not anything you ate or how much exercise you did etc etc. Some people are able to control their diabetes via diet alone in which case they may allow you a waterbirth but this is usually taken off the cards when you start using insulin. I find that I can control mine fine during the day through my diet (I didn't have a clue at the start but the one to one with the dietician really helps so don't stress until you get that meeting) but at night my fasting sugars go too high so I need the insulin just at bedtime. There's literally nothing I can do about that. I had also really wanted a water birth and am going to ask for a section now instead for a variety of reasons not all related to the gd. I know a number of people who have had it and had perfectly average sized babies and really positive empowering birth experiences with no issues. The diabetic midwife and diabetic nurse will keep you right and we didn't have as many extra appointments as i thought- one every 3 weeks which tbh is lovely because we get to see baby every 3 weeks which is actually really reassuring. The only thing I've found a nuisance is the amount I need to contact my gp for scripts but if you get into a routine with it it'll be OK. Hopefully you won't need insulin but if you do the injection is actually less painful than the finger prick and better if you do it yourself than getting someone to do it for you.

Thank you all so much for your kind messages ❤️

It's nice to know I'm not alone and that there's lots of support out there for us!

I'm 29 weeks now so I have 11 weeks of this nightmare to go 🤦‍♀️ Christmas will be tough but it'll be worth it when my baby is here and healthy 🤞🏼🥰

Hi everyone just reading I got told I had GD 2 days ago but my appointment isn't till next week and all I've been told in the meantime is to eat healthier so I've kinda been left in limbo so not sure where to start.

Glad there's support on here nice to know we are not alone xx

Honestly just have a wee Google the diabetes UK website is pretty good and has lots of recipe ideas. Switch out all you can that's sugar free or low in sugar and swap fruit for veggies. You just need carbs to be about a fistful sized portion on your plate and wholemeal ideally paired with protein like chicken or beans etc. It'll take you a while but once you get into the swing of what works for you it'll all click into place. I always really wished I could find a meal planner but it depends on how your body reacts individually so you will need to do trial and error. If it helps most days I eat the following:

Breakfast: quakers protein porridge with ss milk and handful of Blueberries/chopped apple and cinnamon
Lunch:wholemeal wrap with boiled egg and ham salad.
Afternoon Snack:2x ryvita wholegrain crackers with peanut butter
Dinner: chicken breast with lots of veg/salad 50% of plate (check sugar content of any dressings) and a fistful sized portion of mash/sweet potato.
Before bed:2x rounds brennans be good wholemeal toast or nature valley chocolate peanut protein bar and decaf tea with ss milk. Plus pregnancy vitamins.

That works well for my blood sugars but as I say everyone is different but it might give you a starting point? Don't cut out carbs completely, it causes ketosis in your body which isn't good for baby and makes you react more to them when you do have them. So just having a small amount with each meal is best way to keep things in balance.

I was diagnosed at 34 weeks but it had been missed (not showing in urine and no symptoms) by that point my tolerance was bad and I had to take Insulin. I struggled to ever get it under control because it was caught so late. You have to start insulin on a low level. I just kept upping my insulin every 4 days basically until the baby was born at 38 weeks.

As others have mentioned everyone reacts different to food so it's a bit trial and error. The only way I could get a good reading was no carbs!! But obviously I wasn't meant to do that.
I was really stressed about eating anything and it was stressful. I would eat what they told me to do but I would always get a too high reading, even with insulin.

But the hospital gave me loads of checks and scans and I was reassured that the baby was fine.

It's bloody hard so don't beat yourself up if you struggle. I got soo frustrated and my nurse would say 'your trying your best and that's all you can do, it's not your fault'