Gestational diabetes experience

[chlo299]

Hi all I am 28w and just got diagnosed with GD. Could you please share your experiences and how did your birth go with it? Is it true that it's easier to opt in for c section with GD? Thanks x

I had GD in my first pregnancy. I'd recommend the Gestational Diabetes UK Facebook page it was so helpful! They say the baby is likely to be larger when you have GD but my baby was born at 6lbs at 37 weeks. Absolutely no need to opt for a section solely based on having GD.

I was induced but had a vaginal birth with no issues. Baby was measuring around 6lb

I had it with my 1st, and had the test again 1 week ago at 19+3, not heard anything yet and docs havent had results back 😑... honestly I found it pretty easy to manage, I did end up on metformin though and had an induction booked for 39 weeks, no mention of a section for me i think its a case by case thing. Thankfully I beat my induction date and went into labour naturally at 37+5 and my daughter weighed 6lbs 10 :) I was kept in overnight to monitor her blood sugars, and released about 10am. Don't worry too much not everyone needs to be induced or have a section. Depending on babies growth you can go up to your due date :)

Had it twice. First birth planned induction @ 40+1. 2nd planned section @ 39+4 for non gd reasons.

I had GD few weeks before due date and they arranged a CS for a week before due date
They did a scan and checked her likelihood of being born with diabetes and they confirmed she wouldn't
No problems since and my sugar readings returned to normal after

Got diagnosed late with GD, controlled it massively by adopting a strict diabetic diet overnight - stopped baby getting too large and baby was around 7pounds and healthy.

Had to have induction as they didn't want me to go over the due date because of the GD. All went fine, great birth.

I second the Facebook page!!

I got diagnosed at 30 weeks and ended up being induced as I had a very small baby but all perfectly healthy now!!

Hi @chlo299

I was diagnosed at 28 weeks with my son. The GDUK website and group are invaluable in figuring out how to manage it. The brownie recipe is amazing as well!

I did end up on Metformin at about 37 weeks due to my fasting numbers creeping up (these are almost impossible to control with diet) but that was ok too.

A c-section isn't necessary because of GD. I was induced at 39+6 (so the day before my due date) with the prostagladin gel and went the rest of the way through labour with no issues. My gorgeous boy was born on his due date and passed all his sugars. I think harvesting colostrum for him helped, you can look into that closer to your due date if it's something that might suit you.

I was tested 6 weeks postpartum and again this year and have not developed diabetes (you need to keep an eye on this after having GD).

@LolaJ87 thanks! Do you have the recipe for the brownies at all ? I checked their website but you have to subscribe and pay 🫠

@chlo299 I don't have it anymore sorry, I had my baby over a year ago. I just paid the fiver, it was worth it to me and the website kept me sane so I wanted to support them!

I had GD and was diagnosed at 28 weeks, remained diet controlled until three days before birth when my fasting levels were slightly raised (5.4-5.5 instead of 5.3) and they put me on a very small level of insulin on a night.. I had regular growth scans and baby was measuring bigger at each scan, at my 37 week scan they estimated her to be around 8lbs at that time.

I was induced at 38+4 due to reduced movements, had a fantastic induction but was already 3cm dilated and just had my waters broke and straight on the drip. My waters were broken at 11pm and the drip started shortly after, baby girl was born at 7am. I did need forceps because she struggled to stay down but my recovery was very straight forward and no complications.
My girl was born and only weighted 5lbs which was a massive shock as the growth scans said she was MUCH more than that!
Baby was checked twice after her birth following feeds and her blood sugars were perfect, my levels went straight down after birth and my 6 week blood test has come back in the normal range which is great!

I used the GD website but didn’t pay for subscription and used their free recipes, i think id subscribe if i had it again to get more variety.
I feel like i managed it well and never had a reading higher than 7.8..
It was hard work to find recipes that i liked but i did a lot of googling and once i found some that worked for me i saved them 🙂

It wasn’t all doom and gloom, i was so sad when i found out about GD but it wasn’t too bad and most importantly baby was fine 🙂

I was diagnosed mid pregnancy with my 3rd (I was quite old, 41/42), but wouldn't have have been diagnosed in the UK qs the cut off is different here in France. I had no issues with the older two but was quite a lot younger. Here they put you straight on a very strict diet which I followed and controlled it quite easily except for occasional higher readings first thing. I didn't take any drugs for it and it mostly disappeared anyway in the last month or so. I think I maybe overdid the diet / should have been more relaxed about it because DS was really skinny at birth and very light for his length. I had him at 39 weeks. I was induced but that's just because my waters were leaking, nothing to do with the GD. Straightforward natural birth.