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?

oh thats lovely!!!!!!!! when did she have him??!

Cassius is a GREAT name, both Hatrick and I go all swoony over it

Help! Can I ask for some info here?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/49/571741

Ooh dizzy - only 2 days to go !

Bumping this up too in case anyone else has been diagnosed recently.

Hello all, been awol for a while again, had another GTT - tad higher but still "normal", however they want me to do random testing maybe once a day or every other day, 1.5 hours after eating and be less than 6.8
When did the goalposts move again????
Lunch was 6.5...... (and involved no chocolate..)

Hi, I know Im probably not supposed to write on here as I have had dd and didnt suffer with this but thought I would tell you about my friend who did.

She had to be checked at the clinic weekly, test her blood every few hours and inject insulin twice a day. She hated it and just wanted to eat 'normal food'.

She had her ds 4 weeks ago and is completly back to normal. He only weighed 8lbs and is v.healthy. Just thought I would let you know that it is ok in the end x

Thanks for your post laura, and congrats to your friend .

pepper - ha ha at you getting goals more like the rest of us now . I've always had to get under 7 an hour after eating, so 6.8 after 1.5hrs should be achievable, esp if it's just to confirm that you don't have GD, rather than confirm that you do. I trust you will be testing after 'bad' meals as well as good?

Had growth scan and check up this morning (almost 32 weeks). Growth is fine - tummy is bang on average, so no fat baby growing in me . And he's not breech any more, so looks like I might manage an entirely normal birth if he can just decide to come slightly early/on time!

Oh dear, am I that transparent! There is a teeny urge only to test after "good" meals!!! But then again - I don't really want a monster size baby so I'm being a little bit better than I was

Well done on the growth scan, you've done really well given you've had GD for months now.
Mine is still breech...

I've found you Pepperrabbit & CSWS and read with interest. I will see what the MW says on Weds and I have come to the conculsion it won't hurt me to start eating a little healthier anyway

Hello to everyone else, just had results today that I'm "Impaired Glucose Tolerant" and was wondering what it was all about. Good old Mumsnet has the help & support on hand.

You read it all ?!

Oh gosh no I skim read and then read the more recent posts a little closer but for a complete novice it's very interesting.

Hello Ladies

Just wanted to sign in as I was diagnosed yesterday and am 28 weeks.

I had a GTT result of 9.4 and have to keep below 7.5 after meals and 5.5 before breakfast. So far (only 5 tests) I have been between 4.4 and 6.7

I was tested as I am big for dates(which are certain as we conceived through fertility treatment - IUI) and had a small amount of glucose in my urine last time it was tested.

I feel absolutely devastated. There is no family history, I was 54kg at my booking appointment and I eat a diet that Gillian McKeith would be proud of (most of the time)

I'm blood and needle phobic, and feel like a complete failure and can't stop crying all the time. I'm having to force myself to eat anything as I know that I'm going to have to test an hour and a half later and it's making me lose my appetite and feel nauseous.

Has anyone else felt like this and does it get any better or am I just destined for insulin injections too

CSWS thats great news well done you!

beaufies please please please don't be upset or sad - it can be a completely random thing related to your placenta and nothing to do with your diet

I've had two huge babies with no GD either time and just had dd3 weighing in at 9lb14 WITH GD so don't take anything from it

your bloods between 4.4 - 6.7 are fantastic, well done and if you keep that up it will probably be managed by diet alone - mine were similar (I hit 8.3 but that was after a self indulgent McDonalds milk shake so not surprised really )

just keep talking on here there are loads of great girls who will give you fantastic advice

Welcome beaufies. I just spotted that you have joined the October ante-natal thread too, so we'll probably be chatting a lot .

It certainly doesn't sound like you are destined for insulin injections with your current blood results and diet. I was upset and thought it was inevitable at first too, but I've managed 13 weeks on diet alone, and fully intend to manage the next 8 that way too now!

You will quickly get used to the finger prick tests, and who knows, maybe it will cure you of your needle phobia altogether! Although family history/weight etc all increase the risk of GD, anyone can get it, so please don't feel like it's your 'fault'.

If your diet would make Gillian McKeith proud, then you will probably need to make very few if any changes to it, so try not to stress about having to eat. Just work on the 'most of the time' bit of your post, and cut out the extra treats for a while, or save them for evenings when your body is probably a bit more tolerant.

dizzy - welcome back, and congratulations . Have been waiting for a name announcement, so off to check your birth thread to see if you've added it on there.

Thanks dizzy and CSWS

Is it true that you are more tolerant later in the day ? I only ask as I ate exactly the same meal for lunch today as for dinner last night but today my reading was 7.4 and last night it was 6.4 ?

I had assumed that if you ate the same meal you would always get the same result. If this is not the case what other things do I need to be mindful of when deciding what to eat when ?

Also, when I do the finger pricks I always have to have two attempts as I don't get enough blood the first time. I think to start with I was pulling my hand away slightly as it touched, hence too small a hole but the last few times I've jammed my hand against my leg and the pricking device thingy against my finger so that I can't wimp out and still there's not enough blood first time. I have tried setting it to a higher number but then there's too much blood and anyway it seems to work fine on the second attempt. Am I just getting so stressed and tense that I'm cutting off the circulation

I'm sorry to be so negative, and hopefully I will get over the shock soon, but it just seems to get more of a nightmare every time I think about it

CSWS she is called Cordelia Dylan Mae but will be known as Dylan

I had my MW appt today, she has referred me to consultant on 19th Aug - 2 wks away! MW can't (or won't) tell me any more and says it is up to the consultant to decide if and how to treat me.

The only added information I have come away with today is the result of the test was 8.8 and is borderline. Is that correct "in the real world" as a lot of your posts seem to mention figures lower than that, but I suppose that could be daily tests rather than a one off glucose test?

Hello beaufies sorry you are feeling so down. I'm new to this aswell but I haven't got a firm diagnosis (and could be nothing) so don't know what I'm doing. Hope you find it easier to deal with very soon.

07 I was told mine had to be between 4 - 6 but that was BEFORE eating

I've had my appt through for a follow up glucose test at the matty day care unit where they ask that we don't bring our children what am I supposed to do with my 4wk old baby then?!?!

I also have to fast the night before (the usual) and drink that glucose muck and nothing inbetween - bf lo should be great fun that day

07mtw - 8.8 is not borderline for a GTT. The threshold (as per NICE and almost every hospital I've come across) is 7.8. My original result was 7.9, which was borderline!
Did the m/w not even give you any advice about diet to help you over the next couple of weeks until your appointment? Appalling if she didn't. But obv we can help you with that .

beaufies - yes re your first question. That's largely what distinguishes GD from other types of diabetes. The pregnancy hormones surge in the morning, and these are what block the insulin that you are producing and stop it from working as it should. I have to have a tiny breakfast - a slice of wholemeal toast (only a handful of loaves have proved low enough in sugar for me) and an egg (boiled/poached/fried). If I try to vary this then I tip over the 7 mark, which is the target I have been given for 1 hour after eating. I can then have an ok-ish but not large lunch, but can eat much larger portions in the evening, and often have a little supper too, as well as sometimes having a small snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

Activity levels can also make a difference to your readings from eating the same thing, as exercise brings blood sugar down.

On the finger pricks, are you massaging your finger from the bottom upwards if there is no obvious blood to begin with, and are you using the sides of your fingers and varying which ones you use each time? I do sometimes fail to get blood, but not very often. If you are doing all this already, then I would go for the higher setting to start with. Can't remember if my mw said or if it is in the literature that came with my monitor, that if you have it high enough to get blood first time every time then you can turn it down a notch, but otherwise leave it up.

CSWS I thought it was a little higher than borderline but I don't like to query the experts, maybe I should! No advice given, I did take some notes I'd found on the internet about diet but she didn't seem interested. I think I might try to make an appointment with my GP to get another opinion and some answers before the 19th.

CSWS thanks for all the info. The thing about the time of day is really useful I'm doing all the things you suggest re finger prick except massaging from the bottom up which I didn't know about. I will try this next time. It does seem to be hit and miss though as last night I needed just the 1 attempt and this morning 5 !

07 I can confirm was CSWS has said as I had my test only on Tuesday and was told that the cut off was 7.8 and that even at that level they don't 'wait and see' but start 'treatment' immediately from 7.9 upwards. I would definately go to see your GP or better still speak to your hospital. In the meantime there are lots of sugggestions and diet advice on here Thanks for your kind words too - I'm still not 'used to it' or happy about it but I have managed the last three finger pricks without dissolving into floods of tears so I'm taking that as progress !

Got an appointment to see my new consultant today and a growth scan so hopefully I'll know a bit more later and we'll see how big the little porker is already

I phoned doctors today and the next non urgent appointment with any doctor is 21st August 2 days later than consultant appt

However I explained the situation and that I felt 2 wks is a long time to wait under the circumstances and I haven't even had any dietary advice to follow in the meantime other than what I have researched myself.

The receptionist did get a doctor to phone me for a chat. He said to follow an appropriate diet plan (researched by myself on the net) and they deem it as borderline so basically that was it! I don't seem to be getting much more than that whoever I speak to in the medical profession (Nurse, MW and GP so far) so I think I will just have to be patient until my consultant appointment and watch my diet in the meantime.

On the one hand I feel like a hypocondriac (sorry terrible spelling!!) as they keep saying boderline on the other hand I want action if there is an issue to deal with. Just really frustrating.

Hi all. Can I join you please?

I'm currently 27 weeks with DC3 and was diagnosed with GDM a couple of weeks ago with a GTT of 7.9. I was screened as my dad has Type 2 and DD weighed 10lb 5oz (I'm only 5ft 2).

Yesterday I went to the diabetes ante-natal clinic and the consultants put me on insulin as my readings were sometimes a little high eg 6.2 fairly consistently in the mornings before breakfast against my target of 5.9.

I can't say it was too unexpected as to be honest my diet is fairly good - no cakes and biscuits and minimal sugar at the best of times so I really had very little to eliminate and with my readings occasionally on the high side it seemed that logically there was no other option but to end up on insulin as I know that in the next few weeks my body will be demanding more insulin.

Beaufies, I totally sympathise - I was a bit tearful yesterday about ending up on insulin after only just coming to terms with having to prick my fingertips 3 or 4 times a day, but I just keep trying to tell myself that it's only for a limited time (hopefully at least - unfortunately, of the two people I know who have had GDM, one didn't get rid of it so it's always nice to hear of people like Laura's friend above). Also, there are far worse things that could happen. C'est la vie!

Anyway, just started potty training DD today so that's keeping my mind off things a bit

on your behalf mtw.

Welcome FB. Sorry to hear that you've had to go straight onto insulin. I find the diet much more than just being about cutting out cakes and biscuits and obvious sugars though - have you seen a dietician for some advice too?

I had a lovely healthy dinner of wholewheat pasta with bacon, peas, sweetcorn and mushrooms tonight, but just took my bloods and they are 8.4. Oops. Obviously enjoyed a bit too much of it!

Good luck with the potty training. We did dd a couple of weeks ago, and it wasn't half as bad as I'd expected.

on your behalf mtw.

Welcome FB. Sorry to hear that you've had to go straight onto insulin. I find the diet much more than just being about cutting out cakes and biscuits and obvious sugars though - have you seen a dietician for some advice too?

I had a lovely healthy dinner of wholewheat pasta with bacon, peas, sweetcorn and mushrooms tonight, but just took my bloods and they are 8.4. Oops. Obviously enjoyed a bit too much of it!

Good luck with the potty training. We did dd a couple of weeks ago, and it wasn't half as bad as I'd expected.

Oops - sorry for double post!