Gestational diabetes 😔 feeling overwhelmed

[Catlady12335678]

Hello,

Im 27w today and got told a couple of days ago I have gestational diabetes which was a shock! I’m a bit overwhelmed, and scared to be honest.

Ive already started tracking blood glucose 4 times a day and im struggling with morning fasting reading, and a couple of times after breakfast.

I think I just wanted reassurance that everything will be ok, (I’ve had 4 miscarriages before so I was super nervous anyway) and any tips you might have for keeping bloods as stable as possible.

many thanks ☺️ xx

Hi catlady! I gave birth to my first earlier this year and found out I had GD at 20 weeks. I was totally blindsided as it just wasn't on my radar but the MW recommended I was tested as my mum is pre-diabetic. The shift took a few weeks to get used to but honestly, you will get in the groove! I found the search function on the GDUK Facebook group so helpful as if I had a question it had bound to have been asked before. The GDUK website was well worth the £5 fee as the recipes were excellent and actually made my third trimester quite fun in a way trying things I wouldn't otherwise! Also check out Glucose Goddess on Instagram. She has a few really helpful hacks which worked for me (apple cider vinegar before meals and eating veggies before the rest of your meal). Taking a stroll after every meal made a huge difference too.

I ended up on Metformin as I couldn't get my morning fasting readings down but found I was able to tolerate more and more carbs as I got towards the end of pregnancy - so much so I had a bowl of carbonara and a chocolate ganache pot the night before my induction! I was induced at 38W as baby was measuring small - the birth itself went really well and the first stage of induction knocked me into active labour. I felt really supported by the GD midwives from the moment I found out. Wishing you all the luck with the next few weeks, you've got this x

It’s understandable it’s a bit of a shock. I had GD; was fortunate to be able to control it through diet alone by following a very aggressive meal plan. If you need medication, they will let you know. The first two weeks were the hardest as it’s basically a limited carb diet.

The important thing to focus on is that it’s been diagnosed and managing blood sugar levels means a better health outcome for both you and your little one. Many women experience GD; we are fortunate to have access to healthcare and help with managing this condition.

Hope it all goes smoothly from here! Congrats!

Thanks @brickbybrickbybrick and @mamakoukla I really appreciate your quick replies. It just feels daunting and especially when I thought I’d had a good breakfast etc and the reading was high I just feel a bit deflated! I guess initially it’ll be trial and error with food and what I can tolerate etc. doesn’t help it’s my husbands birthday tomorrow and I’d already ordered him a massive cake and we’re going out for a posh meal on Monday 🙈 x

My go to breakfast was whole meal toast with cheese (protein and fat slow down uptake of sugar). Cereals, porridge, fruit, juices, milk didn’t work too well for me. Avoided drinking juice and milk as both contain sugars; would have a mid afternoon snack of apple and tablespoon of almonds (fats from nuts plus fibre in apple). I measured all of my foods in terms of carbs (total carb minus the fibres value). Managed to keep a varied diet but somethings were obviously in small portions eg pasta

My last pregnancy I had gestational diabetes and it was a shock and upsetting at first , but once you get into the routine of blood testing and checking food before you eat it etc it becomes normal and will be all over once baby is here ! There's a group on Facebook called "gestational diabetes uk" really helped me get through as lots of advice and meal ideas and If you have any questions lots of people to help you out xx

Hello! My GD diagnosis was a shock too, my only risk factor was having a parent with T2DM, I had a healthy BMI so even the MW was surprised. I cried quite a lot the day we found out and felt overwhelmed but put my energy into following the diet very well.

I found breakfasts the most difficult. And it was especially difficult at Christmas time, did you know all the best christmas foods are carbs? Well apart from pigs in blankets, plenty of those allowed on GD diet!

I was so so good with My diet but even so, despite my best efforts, i couldn’t keep sugars under tight control and did end up on metformin and then insulin in the end BUT! Its really not that bad and it does have an end point!

baby was born 39 weeks elective section a very normal 7 lbs and I actually ended the pregnancy a lower weight than I started, straight into my old skinny jeans. I was well slinky.

By the way- i just wanted to add that I found the diet difficult because it became apparent that I really couldn’t tolerate carbs at all, so essentially I was on a paleo diet.

and its also important to note that if like me your diet is good but you still have trouble controlling your sugars, its nothing your doing wrong its just the way it is so don’t punish yourself!

I either has cheese omelette with a slice of seeded toast or banana (had to be quite unripe) pancakes for breakfast. Going out definitely felt daunting at first - I often went for a fresh fish option as it was unlikely to have lots of sauce on it. People will often post menus on the GDUK Facebook group to ask opinions on the most friendly choices, could be an idea!