Gestational diabetes misdiagnosis?

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Baby was on bigger side on my last ultrasound so I had a second fasting blood sugar test. My result was 8 and anything above 7.8 is considered high.

Do they do any further tests to confirm if it's the correct diagnosis, especially considering my blood sugar was just slightly above acceptable levels?

Still a bit shaken by the diagnosis so any info, anecdotes or advice would be much appreciated :)

Mine was like yours, only slightly above. They don’t do a retest.

Presuming with it being just above you’ll be diet controlled like me, rather than put on meds?

At first I was really questioning whether they’d got it right, and thinking the whole thing was a loada crap tbh. But testing my blood sugars over a few weeks now has been an eye-opener, and it has shown that my morning glucose levels can be higher, and I need to watch my carb/sugar intake.

Once you’ve got your head around it it’s not too bad. And it is for a finite amount of time. There’s a really good GD UK group on Facebook where everyone’s really supportive and there’s loads of recipes ideas and tips there.

I tested negative for Gestational diabetes, at 27 weeks in my last pregnancy but at 37 they found some glucose in my urine and DS had a BIG growth spurt. They didn’t retest me with the fasting blood sugar they , they just decided to treat me as if I had gestational diabetes. I had to see the diabetes midwife and monitor my bloods for two weeks. The guidance from nhs on gestational diabetes was lacking and I struggled to control my blood sugars some days (even with cutting down carbs and processed sugars etc) eventually the outcome was an induction at 39weeks. I think the best guidance comes from online diabetes forums in terms of managing your sugar. You will also need to completely re think your labour snacks etc!

One test is normally enough for diagnosis. They may ask you to do a 2 hour test rather than a single test.

My GD baby is a happy almost 5 year old. My GD went straight after birth despite requiring insulin during pregnancy.

There is a great UK based support forum maybe called gestational diabetes UK.

When you have your appointment don't feel rushed. Ask as many questions as you can. I kept a post it note so I could note down question when I went in.

They don’t need to rest as you will start doing regular blood sugar readings.
I managed to control mine my a strict controlled diet, you may be fine that way. It’s not that bad once you get used to it and the one positive for me was that I didn’t put any weight on at all during pregnancy!
Baby was totally fine!

I will Vouch for this, there are photos of my. At the end of my pregnancy just before having my DS and my face and clavicle etc definitely look smaller than I’d been for a while! - take all the positives you can.

Mine was quite a bit above (10. Something) and I have remained diet controlled and no meds and I am close to due date
Someone else i know was bang on 7.8 and ended up on metformin towards the end of the pregnancy.

Just an example that the initial result doesn't affect how the hormones act later on, still GD I guess! You'll have to test regularly and see how much you can control your sugars.

Mine was borderline but regular sugar testing in the morning and after meals effectively confirmed it as they were often high even with tight diet control and I ended up on insulin.

Diabetes U.K. website has good recipes and resources, there are good Facebook groups as advised above.

Basic gist when it comes to diet is:

• Reduce (not eliminate, reduce) carbs and swap for green veg and complex carbs like rye bread, multi grain, whole grain etc
• pair carbs with proteins or fats - egg with toast, peanut butter with apple slices, full fat greek yoghurt with berries
• try to limit snacks so you have gaps for your body to process the sugar between meals.
• try to have a cut off when you stop eating so you have a solid 8 Hr window evening/overnight with no sugar being added to your body. If you do need to eat make it something with zero carbs.

As you go through the days make sure you keep a food diary so you can identify what causes high readings. Some people find porridge fine, others can't handle the oats.

Thank you for the info about the group and sharing your similar experience! At the moment just feeling a lot of guilt towards baby and also worry about their wellbeing. Although I hear from others on the thread that baby was well at birth so that calms my nerves a bit.

Thank you for the detailed advice! I haven't been to the diabetic clinic for management yet as it was only diagnosed yesterday but will start implementing these diet changes now and will start a food diary as well.

I'm in my second GD pregnancy - honestly, don't feel guilty! It's down to the placenta messing with your hormones that causes the GD, it's nothing that you've done.

My first was absolutely fine and healthy and this one is growing really well and I'm diet managed and on Metformin for my morning readings but so far the projected weight is a normal 7lb at birth.

Also - I lost 3 stone in total last pregnancy from my booking appointment to after birth, and I'm at about a 2 stone loss currently at 34 weeks so this could be the same! Take the little wins!