diabetes scare

[cjfromauckland]

Hi Mumsnetters,

I didn't end up doing the glucose challenge test. I told my midwife that I was nervous about it because of my history with disordered eating, and she said it wasn't necessary. But at a scan the other week my baby is bigger than expected (right at the top end of "normal for me") so now I'm doing blood glucose monitoring on my normal diet and it's starting to look as though I might have at least mild gestational diabetes. I've been reading about the health consequences for babies born to mothers with undiagnosed/untreated diabetes and the guilt is killing me. I'm currently 34 weeks so it's probably a little late to remedy. I tried so hard to do everything right and I just feel like such a failure.

I don't know what I'm hoping for by posting this, but I don't have many friends, which has been an ongoing problem for the whole pregnancy. I guess I just wanted to talk to somebody.

Thanks

CJ

Hello!

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 33 weeks in November. Completely out of the blue, no risk factors, baby just was slightly large which triggered a scan and then glucose test. Not going to lie, I did find it hard to get my head around after a low risk pregnancy up to that point. I tried to manage it with diet alone, so v few carbs and no sugary foods, however my fasting sugar levels stayed high so I ended up taking metformin from 35 weeks.

In terms of birth, it meant they were keen to induce me, which happened at 38+4 weeks. As second time mum it went just fine, v smoothly and I had a vaginal delivery with no interventions. Recovery was even easier than with my first.

Baby was also just fine, not too large at all at 7lb11, and his blood sugar levels were also completely stable. All they did was be very keen to have him feed asap and then he had two heel prick tests to check his sugar levels after the 2nd and 3rd feed. We went home just 12 hours after birth.

As soon as you give birth you stop all medication and don’t have to watch your diet as much. The diabetes is caused by hormones from the placenta so should be over as soon as that’s out of your body. I have to have an additional blood test at my 6 week pp appointment in a couple of weeks but so far that’s been the only adjustment postpartum.

Sorry for the essay! But yes, like you I was shocked and upset to be diagnosed but in the end it wasn’t as bad and didn’t affect my birth or the baby negatively at all.

@Nestofcrowes thank you so much - please don't apologise for the essay I think that was exactly what I needed to hear!

I don't eat a huge amount of sugar, but I've been craving thinks like jam and ice-blocks the whole pregnancy. That and lots of toast.

I'll try to cut down and keep my fingers crossed that baby is all right. How old is your little one now?

CJ

He is 4 weeks today, hence the middle of the night messages 😂

What you’ve eaten so far in your pregnancy hasn’t caused the diabetes, it’s entirely hormonal, but the sugars you have been eating won’t have been dealt with by your body because of the diabetes, if that makes sense? So it’s nothing you’ve done that has caused it.

In terms of diet, I was advised to go for complex carbs (I ate a lot of those microwave grain pouches!) and to balance out carbs/sugar with protein and fats ( I ate a lot of cheese and peanut butter!). I also found that going for a walk after eating a more carb or sugar heavy meal helped to reduce my blood sugar levels after too.

Hi OP,

I was 32 and pregnant with my first and was diagnosed with GD. My baby came at 38+5 via an induction weighing 8lb 5oz and was told she would be a big baby. Newborn clothes where far too big for her 😂

7 months later we fell pregnant again

I had extra fluid and was measuring ahead the entire of my second pregnancy but thankfully I didn't have GD. She was 8lb 6oz!

@Nestofcrowes Aww I hope everything is going well for you so far! I'm in New Zealand so it's early evening here :) Thanks so much for the reassurance and the dietary advice - I have a gut issue so I tend to eat high fibre bread, but I have to have my arm twisted to eat other grains lol. But I'll have a look in the supermarket when we go shopping next.

@justanothermanicmonday1 Thanks! I'm glad that having big babies doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong! My brother was a huge baby - I don't know about my husband because he was very premature. I was exactly average, apparently, whatever that means!