Gestational Diabetes: Do I need insulin??

[Growingatinyhumam]

Diagnosed 4 weeks ago with GDM and been desperately trying to control my sugars with diet alone. Im 31 weeks pregnant at the moment.

Fasting, Breakfast and lunch readings have all been good but evening meals readings have been high around 50% of the time.

Had an appointment with a diabetic doctor and I mentioned to them that I've been treating my target ranges as a challenge and that I often feel hungry after my evening meals. I also mentioned how I feel like I've lost weight.

It was recommended that I start on a small evening dose of insulin so that I can eat according to my appetite and not go hungry.

But since my appointment I have been eating according to appetite and my readings have been fine 🤦‍♀️ so I'm questioning whether I need insulin at all?

Anyone have any experience of this or any advice on what to do?

Im due to start my insulin on Friday x

I would continue to control with diet if you can, for me personally at a certain point think 33weeks onwards, no matter what I did I couldn’t control my fasting and morning numbers so had to go on insulin. It did really help with being able to eat breakfast because by that point even one boiled egg would send my numbers crazy for some reason

the midwives just want you to be in range, so they shouldn’t pressure you to have insulin, so have your prescription of insulin, and see how you get on with diet, if you continuously get high numbers then start your insulin.

i’m sure you’re already aware but If not, I found a good 20-30 mins walk after dinner was pretty good at keeping my numbers in check.

are you on metformin? With both my GD pregnancies metformin was usually the first call before insulin.

As above, have you tried metformin already?

No the doctor said that metformin is usually used for people whose readings are high throughout the day so they've gone straight in with insulin as it's just my evening meals that are causing the problem

I explained that as I work a very busy job I don't have time to eat little and often and I'm always very hungry in the evenings x

yeh its very hard when you can’t constantly have small meals to keep things in check.

would it be possible to get a second opinion or speak to a midwife? just because that wasn’t the advice I was given, I was given metformin to have before dinner and it really helped with my numbers, insulin was only offered when metformin and diet wasnt working

either way it’s obviously both medications, so it would be up to you what you want to do, but if you’re managing to control with diet atm so well done, keep at it and see how you get on,

if at some point you do need insulin, then it will be fine, there’s nothing you can really do. I really beat myself up first time around because I thought it was my fault but at some point my body just couldnt handle it and I had to have insulin for my baby’s safety.