Anyone want to join in a support thread for those with gestational diabetes?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Since it seems to be reasonably common, I thought maybe we could have an ongoing thread where we could discuss issues relating to it, and maybe share ideas of meals that work for us to keep blood sugars down.

I was just over the threshold on my GTT nearly 3 weeks ago, and have been monitoring my bloods 4 times a day since last Thursday. Had my first visit to joint diabetic/obstetric clinic this morning, which I found thoroughly impersonal and demoralising, so am feeling a bit low about it at the moment.

I am nearly 20 weeks, so still have a long way to go. Am hoping to control it just through diet, but consultant gave me a prescription for insulin 'just in case I need it'!

Am having the most problem with my after breakfast reading. Have been told to keep it below 7 one hour after eating, but even with the cereals they have recommended, I am getting around 8-9. Dietician has recommended trying baked beans on toast for breakfast instead. Is anyone else struggling with this one, as they said it is a common one to find raised due to steroids produced by the body in the mornings?

Hiya

I know how you feel with the clinic - we had a horrible consultant at ours (thankfully he isnt my consultant!!) Im 39 weeks now and have sucessfully controlled my GS with diet.

Breakfast - i found that porridge was the only way to go, and have survived off that mainly - mix half water, half milk if still too high, if it does control it add some dried fruit to make it less bland!

also I found bergen bread really nice, gets the seed count in, good for you blah blah and actually tastes nice

your blood needs to be 7 one hour after eating? that seems very soon, I have to get mine 7.5 2 hours after eating. That seems to tally with NHS guidelines too, seriously I would question that. it's very different from my guidelines

quick google just found this site here which says bloods need to be 7 2 hours after, also this site may help.

Hi otter .

Porridge sent me very high (8.5), but I haven't tried making it with water. Tis a pain as dd should really have it with milk, but I'm not making 2 separate lots! Doesn't the dried fruit shoot your levels up?

Thankfully we eat the burgen soya and linseed anyway, so don't need to make any changes there.

I thought they were being a bit tough with the 1 hour thing, but they are adamant that 1 hour gives a better picture during pregnancy, and said that since they are recommending eating little and often, we are likely to be snacking again before the 2 hours would be up!

Great to hear that you've managed to control through diet alone. What have your hospital said about delivery date? Are you allowed to keep going until it happens naturally?

And have you been advised to express colostrum before the birth, or are you not planning to breastfeed?

Hi cantsleepwontsleep just to update you. I rang in my results this morning and they've upped it again. I'm now on 10 units AM and 8 units PM. I have to ring back on Friday with my interim results but she's already thinking about giving me the fast acting insulin as well as the Levemir (slow release) I'm already on.

I'm now at 22 weeks so not sure how things are going to pan out.

Sorry to hear your experience in clinic wasn't too good. I see a range of people when I go: diabetic midwife, consultant, endocrinologist and sometimes I see the dietician but not always. I find the endocrin guy just talks at me and then to his colleagues usually sat with him. I think he thinks I'm a moron But ah well, the rest of them are ok.

There is also a diabetic clinic at the hospital where I am and I've seen the people there to pick up my meter and be shown how to inject etc. They are really nice. Perhaps you have one at yours...they're not as impersonal as the big AN clinic.

I have porridge most mornings but it sounds like you could be giving yourself a bigger portion than you should. I've found that Asda does an instant porridge (it's fine with the dietician) that has a scoop in it. 1 scoop is fine with milk in the microwave. Might be worth getting a measure - don't guess the portion size

hi there i was thinking about you today johnworf you had a feeling they were going to up your insulin didnt you
ive always been told test 2 hrs after to ive always had a higher reading 1 hour after

as jw knows im on insulin 2 18 units twice a day on novomix

currently 30wks

i am just plain not hungery im struggling to eat anything im sick in the mornings like early pregnancy

and we have to eat on insulin to avoid a hypo
i find out on monday how big this little guy is and how long they propose to leave me
last time they said 36/37 wks a few weeks ago but my insulin was only at 8 then

i want a natural birth and i have been told i have to hooked up to iv cos of the diabetes
is this true i dont want to be induced strapped to the bed how horrific can that be
i hate being induced as it is
my baby has a medical condition to its going to be extrememly hard to birth him anyway
all his bones are fused in his skull

is it the size they are worried about why they want to induce early?
last 1 was 9lb 4oz at 36 wks
is there a risk being a diabetic?
will i be on iv (as a precaution)
so many questions
they do not want the BS to go over 10 in labour why not??
hopefully some one can answer these please
ok i shouldnt have googled it but i read theses a risk of babies being stillborn with diabetic mums
not googling again i think

just to say after breakfast and my insulin my BS are usually 12 to 14 too high i know thats on a piece of toast and tea
how can i ask for a elective section hes going to say NO hes like that what are my options

Baked beans were always fine for me - jacket spud with cheese and beans saved me on many occasions. Also wholemeal toast with scrambled egg - another breakfast option for you, maybe?

I couldn't be bothered to find a palatable cereal that didn't spike my blood sugar levels, tbh. Wholemeal toast was my staple breakfast when pg with DS2.

I had GD with DD1 and managed with diet alone. I needed insulin for DD2. Both were elective CSs (other reasons too). I tested all bloods before and at 1 hour after food. I also found the morning levels to be the most difficult to get "right".

I remember your post from a few weeks ago. How do you find the finger pricking?

Hi ladies,

I've been told to test 1 hour after my meal but immediately before I eat. Seems to be some variation on this it appears.

Wholemeal toast and beans/scrambled eggs/jacket pototoes are mainly what I live on! It could be worse I suppose. Left to me it would be chips, chocolate and large packets of Haribo sweets

I've been told that I'll be on insulin the day I give birth (didn't mention IV but hey, it's a while off for me). They've also warned me several times that I am more susceptible to type 2 diabetes in later life now I've had it in pregnancy.

They'll control your BS in labour so that baby isn't born with low BS. (I think it's that way around). They'll also test baby once he/she is born to see what their BS is. My hospital's policy to take babies over 10lbs to SCBU to monitor them.

Not had my sizing scans yet - I'm at 22 weeks and first one is 28 weeks. She looked normal size wise at my scan last week - I asked.

I thought that most diabetic mums to be were offered an elective CS? Mebbe it varies from hospital to hospital?

Here is a link that might be useful.

ChristinaTheAstonishing regarding the finger pricking, the ends of my fingers have become used to it now and I'm getting lovely patches of hard skin there! It doesn't really bother me.

It's my legs that I have a problem with. Sometimes it really hurts when I inject. I think I must go straight in a muscle. I've been told to pinch up when I inject but this just makes it bleed. I can't bring myself to inject into my stomach - not yet anyway. When I run out of leg I might do.

Ladies, any advice on injecting techniques??

Oh btw disneystar I think the size issue is a lot to do with delivering vaginally. They try and avoid large babies getting stuck and having to dislocate shoulders and break arms - yep, it has happened in the past.

JW, are you on insulin now?

I controlled mine by diet throughout my pregnancy (usually successfully, but it took a while to work out what I could eat - white rice was very much Not A Good Idea for instance) - I was told I couldn't use a birthing pool as there was a chance I'd need insulin during the birth, but since I'd controlled it well up till I went into labour, I didn't need it.

I'm sorry you found the clinic upsetting, CSWS - is there the opportunity to feedback about it?

Ah, crossed posts.

I was worried about developing diabetes later in life - I was heartened to see some research suggesting that breastfeeding doesn't just protect babies against developing diabetes, it protects their mothers as well. I'll dig up the link if you're interested?

hunkermunker great on the BF link if you have it. I'm planning to BF but want to discuss my birthing plan at clinic very soon - although I'm having an elective I want to BF asap. Have heard stories of LO being whisked off and bottle fed if not careful

Yes I am on insulin at the mo. Tried diet only first but BS just weren't being controlled. I think anything processed e.g. white rice, is off the menu at the mo for us ladies. I'm just saddened that I can't eat 3 cornettos a day and still keep my BS within range

Here you go

CSWS are you at the same hospital as me this time? i am having a GTT next weekand really not holding out much hope for it coming back as no diabetes.

managed last time with diet alone, but am very nervous this time.

I don't have GD but am worried about getting it. My dad is diabetic and my urine has had sugar in it twice already (I'm 21 weeks). I'm not scheduled for the GTT until 32 weeks -- is that normal? How did so many of you find out you had it so much earlier?

Another thing I'm wondering about -- is is possible to 'give yourself' GD by eating too much sugar in pregnancy or would you have to already be predisposed to getting it for sugar to matter? I know I eat too much of it (sugary cereals every morning, ice cream or chocs as treats on the weekends)and need to cut back anyway, regardless of GD, but I'm wondering if going on a restrictive diet now could prevent me from testing positive on the GTT later or if it won't matter what I eat if I do have it. Does anyone know?

I am planning a homebirth and the thought of a c/s or induction in the hospital is enough to make me feel sick. I will do ANYTHING to avoid that.

amitymama eating sugar has nothing to do with diabetes. It's the placenta hormones blocking the insulin production - I think. Eating less sugar will not affect your GTT results as you fast for 12 hours beforehand anyway. The GTT tests how your body responds to the glucose drink they give you.

I found out at routine clinic visit urine testing. Came back with glucose +++. Then sent for GTT.

hunkermunker thanks for that link. Just had a read but was dismayed by:

"...However, women with gestational diabetes did not appear to lower their risk of type 2 diabetes, even if they breastfed intensely."

I'm still going to BF anyway

Thanks for the link hunker - will take a look later as only have 2 mins before I have to go out!

Amitymama - if you had glucose in your urine then you should be sent for a GTT right away, esp given your family history, as left unchecked GD can be dangerous to the baby. I would ring your mw and ask for one now.

misdee - I'm at Lister. Are you there or it's stately counterpart?

I had basmati rice last nice jw and it was okish . Basmati is better than long grain according to my clinic.

I have already discussed expressing some breastmilk in advance for the baby. Apparently my clinic recommend expressing colostrum from 38 weeks, but since I'm still feeding dd, I have the advantage of being able to build up some extra supplies ahead of the game. There is no way anyone will be feeding this baby formula!

Cristina - I assume the finger prick question was to me. It's actually not too bad at all, thankfully.

Bad news for me is that even beans on toast sent me up to 8.5. Think I'll have to try smaller portions of everything and see if that works better.

Do make sure that they don't test your baby's glucose until 3 hours after the birth, as the readings are likely to be all over the place before that. My mw advised this, and said to make sure that it is included in my birth plan, as well as my instruction not to give formula.

disneystar - sounds like you need a thorough chat about the birth with your mw/consultant. I think it's inevitable that we will get more monitoring than a standard birth though. I shall have to get dh into training to stand up to the midwives for me whilst I'm in labour .

Try scrambled egg on toast, CSWS - beans are quite sugary.

johnworf and CSWS -- thank you for sharing this info with me and helping me learn how GD works. My two positive urine samples were only +, maybe that is why I wasn't rushed in for an early test? I phoned the outpatient clinic where I'm scheduled for GTT at 32 weeks and they changed it to 30 weeks but I'm still eight weeks away from that and know I will worry the entire time.

But so you're saying that diet restrictions won't do any good at this point as it's not about that but how my body processes the sugar, right? I am usually so calm and mellow about pregnancy-related stuff but for some reason this is freaking me out and I feel like I should be doing something to prevent it from happening, you know? Though I know in my head that I can't. I guess I just have to wait the eight weeks and keep my fingers crossed!

AM, if you've a history of diabetes in the family, it's not necessarily a great idea to eat lots and lots of sugar anyway.

Oh, I wouldn't say I eat a lot of sugar (mainly just cereals, lots of fruit and the odd chocolate bar or ice cream here and there) and eat plenty of veg and stuff, but I wasn't sure if I should be cutting out even the odd treat and fruit, stuff like that this is okay for most women.

Fruit is very sugary. Check on your cereals..many puport to be 'healthy' but in fact are loaded with sugar. I've even cut out 'healthy' Bran Flakes as they have quite a bit in them.

As for chocolate and ice cream...hehe

amitymama it's about portion size too. 5 meals the same size (they say a fist is a portion size?) is better than the normal 3 so I'm told.

hello

sorry for delay! Ive has no problems really keeping diet of, fruit does send sugar up but am active in am and exercise (well a walk) does help lower the sugars. seems odd to me that they make you do your blood after an hour but it seems like quite a few people have that?

am going to term (40+3) before they induce me, and they will induce me in same way as 'normal' pregnancy. Consultant said she would prefer baby out then rather than waiting til 40+12 despite all being ok with bloods and baby size.
We will be encouraged to breast feed straight away, as according to medical guidelines that is best for baby. Basically treated as 'normal' because have managed to control blood and baby size (well according to their guess anyway...) blood sugar will be monitored through labour and if goes over 10 I will be put on insulin drip

disneystar - i spoke to my consultant re drip as I didnt want to be stuck on bed, she said that you can still be active (just that you cant run about as much dragging a drip behind you!) there should be no reason that you have to be on your back at all. if you want a c-section talk to your consultant,he'll not definately say no, in fact one of ours was really pushy towards a c-section (and no attenpt at V-birth)

the reason that thwy want to induce is about the size of the baby, if too big baby is higher risk of shoulder dystocia, basically babies shoulders dont enter birth canal as they should, this does complicat matters, also there is a higher risk of still birth BUT you sre being monitored, and if you dont know why/dont agree question. Its more of a precaution. also if you have GD you are lower risk, more serious if you have normal diabeties if not controlled.

you will be put on a drip if your bloods go over 10 in labour because when baby comes out baby will have been working to produce insulin to counteract the sugar you've been providing and it may cause babys blood sugar to drop

amitymamma - I had my fasting tests at 30 weeks, if your worried you should be able to get refered beforehand though. when i got my results I couldnt speak to dietician for a week, basically io stopped eating any raw sugar (cake, chocolate, biscuits etc) and upped by salad/veg, cut back on carbs. This is pretty much what they'll tell you to do. Fruit is supposed to be ok because of the fibre, I do find that I have to do some exercise to work it off though.

re type 2 diabeties - have been told that I can reduce risk by losing weight and keeping it off after baby born, and keeping up with healthy diet, but what makes you high risk for GD also puts you in high risk group for type 2, i.e. high BMI, family history etc

CSWS have opted for lister due to atrocious first birth experience with dd1 at QE2, had both dd2+3 at lister with no issues. am under consultant banajhee(??) who i think too care of me last time. have talked through possible early induction at 38 weeks, and have heaps of appointments already.