Gestational diabetes

[BelleSauvage9]

Had a growth scan yesterday and baby's tummy was big so asked to do blood sugar readings. I was told to eat as normal. I have a high sugar diet and struggle with binge eating 😕

I'm feeling a bit confused (and guilty) about it all and I suppose more worried as I don't fully understand how it works.. if I have a high sugar diet will my readings not be high anyway?

Reading just now an hour after lunch was 9.4 so obviously above the 7.8 max it should be.

Just wondering if anyone can explain it to me? Is it possible to eat a high sugar meal and the levels be below the maximum after an hour?

Bump

If you don't have GD, then your body will compensate for eating sugar by producing insulin. If you have GD then your body won't do this, and will result in high levels of sugar in your blood, which affects both you and the baby.

This is the same if you eat high levels of carbs as they turn to sugar once you've eaten them.

GD is crap - I'm sorry. It's nothing you've done though, it's caused by the placenta and will likely go away after you've had the baby. There's lots of things you can do, including diet (go to gestationaldiabetes.co.uk) and doing exercise after a meal to bring down your glucose spike - even a short walk will help.

Good luck!

Thanks v.much @Spottybluepyjamas that's really helpful to understand a bit more

I just came on to say exactly this. I was so ill through my pregnancy and went completely off anything sweet because it made me so sick. I still got gd! Your placenta produces a hormone that makes you slightly more insulin resistant so it's not anything that you'll have done. If you get it it does put you at increased risk of developing actual diabetes later on though.

You should pester your midwife to do a glucose tolerance test.

Uncontrolled GD can increase your risk of placenta breakdown in the last stage of pregnancy, which reduces the oxygen levels available for the baby. It can also result in a large baby with risk of shoulder dystocia or difficult birth. Induction on the due date is often advised.

Because of the risks involved, and the need for proper management of the condition, you need to get a definitive diagnosis followed by appropriate prenatal care and GD management.

Ask your midwife or doctor for a glucose tolerance test, that will determine if you’ve gestational diabetes. Good luck 😊x

definately insist on tests. it does sound like your sugars are a bit high. Two things to know

1. this is not your fault. GD is caused by hormones and has nothing to do with what you eat
2. Check out the Gestational Diabetes UK website and facebook group. it was an absolute savour during my pregnancy

Here to agree with the shitness of GD! Also that it’s nothing to do with how much sugar you eat. It’s purely bad luck. However if you do know that you eat more sugar than you should then it would be a good idea to get a handle on it now, especially if you end up needing to regulate your blood sugar via your diet. It’s tough at the best of times, let alone if you’re a sugar lover! 100% try to get into the habit of some light exercise after eating if you can too.

Thanks all. Sorry it's just occurred to me that I didn't give some relevant info in the op! I had the gtt and it was fine. Had a growth scan at 32 weeks which was also fine, it was my 36 week scan that showed big tummy (96%) - I'm currently 36+3.

I've read about the risks that come with gd already (googled as soon as it was mentioned!). If they do give me the option of induction I can only have the balloon catheter thing as I had an emcs 15 months ago and I know they won't do the pessaries or drip (I believe due to increased risk of uterine rupture?).

Can anyone tell me under what circumstances they will recommend having him earlier than due date? Would it just be if my blood readings aren't controllable by diet/medication? I've got another scan booked for 2 weeks from today when I'll be 38+3 (was originally booked for 39+2 but they've brought it back a week following yesterdays scan results).

I had to do that with exact reasons. Didn't have GD. Just a chunky baba although he was just 8lb 9oz. X

Just popping back on to ask thoughts.

Readings have almost all been below the threshold which is great. Haven't managed to do after breakfast readings yet, but morning one fine (5.2), and after dinner one's fine (5.2 yesterday, 4.9 today) 👍 the higher ones are my after lunch readings. (9.4 yesterday, 7.5 today, but todays was after an hour and 20mins rather than 1hr as I'd fallen asleep!). I tend to eat badly at lunchtime as I'm not cooking for the family so am lazy and eat crap..

My question is that midwife said 3 higher readings or more and they'll diagnose gd - is this still the case if I can tell them that the higher readings are always after eating badly? And surely it would be expected that blood sugars are higher if you've eaten crap? Do the low readings when eating 'reasonably' imply that it's not gd? Or does it not matter that most are low and the high readings automatically mean I have it?

I had GD twice and it doesn’t take eating crap for blood sugars to go high - just some carbs or sugars. 1 slice of white bread or a small bowl of cereal would send my readings into the 8s or 9s.

The fact you’ve had 4s and 5s after any meal is a good sign (I would say as a non-expert).

Why don’t you try not eating crap for lunch for a day or two and see what your readings are like?

If they determine you do have it, you should be able to get support from the GD team, who can answer all your questions and give you info on diet choices or medication if needed.

If you have suspected GD then you need to cut out all of the crap from your diet now.

I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago at 35 weeks and gave since removed all sugary food from diet that I was eating before and switched to wholemeal carbs, vegetables, lentils, yoghurt etc and readings are normal.

The one time I decided to eat crap (a Subway) I got a reading over 9 as the sauces like ketchup are full of sugar. So no more Subways, no chocolate, no ketchup. It sucks but it's for a few weeks.

Eating protein and/or fat at the same time as carbs can slow down the absorption and help prevent your blood sugar from spiking,
So a handful of nuts or a couple of cubes of cheese with a meal can be helpful.
I also found drinking a big glass of water with each meal helpful.

Some of my lunch go-tos were a boiled egg on one slice of wholemeal seeded bread, beans on toast (again one slice of wholemeal and lots of beans) or baked sweet potato with beans and cheese.

On the sweeter side of things I was ok with strawberries and cream, which I ate daily for months on end.

Thanks for responses. I absolutely feel compelled to control my eating but was specifically instructed by the diabetes midwife to eat as I normally do and not alter my diet for the time being. She said if I tried to eat better then they might 'miss it', which sounds odd but that's their job so I assumed they know what they're doing and there's good reasoning behind it..

If your readings are high after eating crap, then I would cut out the crap.

You've done the GTT and you're in your last trimester - when are they thinking of 'catching' GD at this point? And what are they going to do about it?

Cutting out the crap is good for you and the baby, so I'd just do it.

Diagnosed with gd today. Midwife was happy that fasting levels and evening levels are consistently low and thinks it'll be managed well by diet change.

Does anyone know whether this automatically means baby and I will have to stay in hospital for a little longer? Some posts I've seen have said the baby's levels will need to be checked after birth over a 24 hr period. I've got a (very clingy) 15 month old who I've never been away from for more than about 8hrs so really worried about not being with her for a prolonged period of time :(