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?

Evening Ladies

07 Sorry to hear that you've not managed to get any further forward. Sometimes, and always at the most worrying/stressful times, the healthcare 'professionals' are truly hopeless

I had to go back to the hospital today to see what I thought was the GD obs & gynae consultant and have a scan. To start with the good news the scan was fine. His head was well above average,abdominal measurement was just above average and his estimated weight was just below average so no sign of a porker here.

However the communication from the MW I saw on Tuesday was appalling as I then saw the diabetic nurse, and the dietician, but not the consultant. I have to go in again on Monday to see the consultant and go to the diabetes clinic. The same MW today told me that the routine 28 wk bloods that she had taken on Tuesday she had labelled incorrectly so I would need them doing again - I can't believe it - even more stress The whole point of taking the blood on Tuesday was so that it could be done at the same time as the GTT and I wouldn't have to have it done seperately,,

The diabetic nurse and the dietician were both very pleasant but the only useful/new thing I learned was to let your hand drop towards the floor immediately after finger pricking to get sufficient blood.

Now I need to go on Monday and DH can't come. I know many if not most of you ladies probably go to your appointments on your own all the time but I don't as I'm so phobic when it comes to most things about hospitals/Drs/MWs and don't trust them at all ( and in view of my experiences to date I think I'm quite right not to!)

Rant over , I'm off to finger prick now - joy !

Hello Fairy nice to meet you. Wow DD 10lb 5oz!

Beauflies you're not having much joy with the health professionals either, I'm sorry to hear you've been messed about and more bloods have to be taken.

Just had to tell you that further to the GP's phone call this morning he asked the receptionist to phone me to repeat the test before I go to the consultant and see if watching my diet makes any difference. The only appointments available are 1.30 & 3.30 on 14th Aug, I said I'm sorry but I can't not eat anything until 3.30 in the afternoon! In that case they don't have any other appointments so she said not to bother!
Should I be glad they tried to take an interest or cross they couldn't even get an appointment?

CSWS - yes I have seen a dietician who advised that my diet was fine and said I should find this 'easy'. There's nothing like someone saying you can't have something to make you want it more though so I certainly haven't found it easy.

I'm starting to realise that pasta is a bit of a no-no for me as was 9.7 last night after a bowl with a tomato and onion sauce and had a similarly high result last time I had pasta even though it was wholewheat. Fruit is a minefield for me as well so I just have to really be careful not to overindulge.

Also bread can be a bit dodgy - even wholewheat. It's just a bit of a learning process but unfortunately it takes time to suss out what's what and in the meantime they've just decided to pop me on insulin given that I'm only coming up to 28 weeks. I was told if I was a bit further on they wouldn't have bothered as they'd have known I'd make it to the end. I fully expect to end up on further doses of insulin within the next few weeks.

07 - yes DD was 10lb 5 (at 41 weeks) but in some ways I was lucky as she decided to come foot first and so I ended up with an emergency section. Everyone told me there was no way she'd have come out naturally so she did us both a big favour. DS was 8lb 7.5 so I knew DD would be big (even though the midwives I saw reckoned baby would be 'average', ha!) but that kind of surpassed expectations lol. She was very well proportioned though - not one of the very podgy babies, so although I suspect I may have had undiagnosed GDM with her, I'll never know...

I'm sorry to hear so many of you seem to have such a hassle with your health professionals. I can't really complain so far. I had the GTT on the Thursday and was called up on the following Monday morning to make an appointment with the diabetes nurse specialist when I was set up with the blood glucose monitor, then the following day in to see the Dietician. Two weeks later I saw the consultants and they've put me on insulin, so everything has been very efficient and fast moving if somewhat distressing whilst I get my head round it all.

I've been lucky with the NHS too FB - very good in my area.

I can probably help on the bread front - have investigated/tested a LOT of loaves over the weeks trying to find one that is low enough in both carbs and sugar. My recommendations are:

1. Vogels soya and linseed - slightly higher in carbs than some, but very low in sugars. Recommended for toast, but not for sandwiches, as too thick and small.
2. Tesco oatbran wholemeal bread - only 0.9g sugar per slice, which I think is the lowest for a full sized slice of bread. Good all rounder.
3. Waitrose wholemeal and seeds - very moist and tasty, so highly recommended for sandwiches. It's 1.2g sugar per slice iirc.
4. Waitrose stoneground wholemeal - less than 13g carbs per slice, of which 1.3 sugars. Another good all rounder.
5. Hovis wheatgerm. Slightly higher than the other recommendations in total carbs, but widely available as not tied to any particular shop.

Was your tomato sauce home made? Bought ones all terrible, but tomatoes are quite high in sugars anyway. I was always a lots of pasta and bit of sauce type of person, but I've had to try and switch to lots of meat based sauces with less pasta.

I struggle with fruit too, but it is very high in natural sugars so less surprised about that one.

It is definitely hard work, you're right.

oh CSWS, you had gone when i came out of clinic the other day.

basically baby's growth is still fine, if next GTT is fine, then after my appointment on the 1st, i may not see you in clinic again. must get your number next time and arrange a proper chat outside of clinic

I hadn't gone - was with consultant - I followed you out of the car park!!

Will add you on facebook in a tick to sort something out for when I'm back from my parents.

did you lol.

thought you had gone already

CSWS - yes, tomato sauce homemade. I normally try to cook from scratch anyway but this has made me more conscious of doing so in an attempt to control the ingredients of sauces etc more.

Sugars were high again this morning - 6.4 despite an insulin jab last night - suspect they'll up my dose. I was probably about 7.6 before bed (just over an hour after dinner - late one last night) so within range but they're just not going down much overnight and I need to be 5.9 or less before meals. I have been feeling a bit rank in the morning the last few days - like I'm coming down with the cold but then feel fine by evening so I don't know either what that's all about or if it might have some effect.

Thanks for the bread recommendations - I have actually had the Waitrose stoneground and seem to have been ok with that so I'll go back to it. Have Tesco stoneground at the moment so will see how that works out.

I'd just give up on carbs as have done lo-carb diets in the past to drop the baby weight and feel fine on them but of course that's a huge no-no when pregnant.

Anyway, it's likely to be a challenging weekend as we have a party to go to tonight and then a bbq tomorrow so no doubt my will power will be tested to the full.

fairy dd1 was 10lb4 and dd2 was 11lb1, dd3 arrived at 9lb14oz and she was the only one I had GD for so don't be disheartened by it all

remember everything in moderation

All gone quiet on here again ladies!

misdee - you should be glad that you weren't at clinic today. 2 hour wait to see midwife (appt was at 10:30), and people were waiting even longer for consultants as they were stuck in traffic due to accident. Lots of people had had appts rescheduled, and no-one could work out why. Complete chaos!

How is everyone doing?

Diet control still going well here, but baby is back to being breech again, which is definitely not so good (nearly 34 weeks).

I had my consultant appointment today (2 wks after GTT showed I'm impaired) and had a scan. Baby seems to be growing at an average weight but maybe v slightly on the large side. My levels are 8.8 and their criteria is 8 so I'm only slightly over. They've asked me to self test for the next couple of days and I have to go back on Thursday for them to see the results and assess what to do next.

Testing isn't as bad as I thought in respect of needles, I expected it to hurt a lot more

Hi CSWS hope you are well

hello ladies. I have just been diagnosed with GD at 35 +6 weeks. they told me I had it before even doing the GTT as my blood sugar after starving was 6.7. I had one other positive glucoseurea test at 23 weeks but they wouldn't do a GTT at that time. It was 8.4 after the test. I am now worried sick as the nurse told me that GD an affect the placenta and the LO'S growth etc . My LO has been erratic in his movements and goes very quiet for days on end (although he does do the ten movements per day). Also his kicks are infrequent and not very strong (they never keep me awake or wake me up for example even at this stage) so now I am wondering whether the placenta has even been nourishing him properly. I am booked into a GD clinic tomorrow so I suppose may find out more.

Any advice? I am very very worried now.

mrsboogie - sorry to hear about your diagnosis. The best piece of advice is not to panic - there's nothing that you can do about what's done already, but to be very strict about what you eat from now on in.
You will probably be given a growth scan, maybe even at your appt tomorrow, where they will check if the baby appears to be on the tubby side. If he is, or if they put you on insulin injections to control it, then there's a good chance that you'll be induced around 38 weeks, so if you still have stuff to organise then I would crack on with it. I'm guessing that this is your first?
You might want to ask about the hospital's policies regarding monitoring during and after labour whilst you are there, for both you and the baby.
Are you planning to breast or formula feed, as there are other points I'll mention depending on your intentions.
I should be around later this evening if you have more questions too - I know it's a lot to take in at first.

How have your home test results been mtw? That is a generous target they have set - is it for one hour after eating?

Mrsboogie Sorry to hear your diagnosis. Don't worry, I had my first appointment to discuss it all yesterday (had to wait 2 wks before anyone could even see me after result) and it made it so much clearer. I also had a scan and that reassured me that the baby isn't growing too rapidly. I'm sure you will feel a lot happier after your appointment and easier said than done but try not to worry.

CSWS I'm testing before breakfast, 2 hrs after breakfast, 2 hrs after lunch and 2 hrs after main meal.
They'd like to see me below 6 before eating and below 8 after. So far I've been achieving my targets but I've not been eating very much so could be giving a false impression

thank you both for replying,

I was planning to breastfeed, the nurse today also mentioned me being induced at 38 weeks - I am 40 yrs old so there's that added risk and I would have been induced on or around the due date anyway if nothing had happened naturally by then.

Any advice will be gratefully received cantsleepwontsleep I am hoping they give me a growth scan tomorrow as I am worried the placenta isn't right because of the erratic movement patterns. I can live with whatever else is thrown at me - insulin, restricted diets etc especially since I have only a month to go (or maybe less).

sorry to see new people on here since my last visit.

had my second GTT today. was meant to be havign an anti-d antibodies bloods done as well but the midwife ripped up the wrong form at my previous appointment, so will be chasing that up, as need the anti-bodies checked before my anti-d appointment on the 3rd.

mrsboogie I was diagnosed at the same stage as you and refused a C/S at 38wks - the reason for the section is that they're worried I wouldn't be able to deliver a big baby so what does it matter when I had her if she was coming out of the 'sunroof'

I had her at 40+1, she will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and I've managed to feed her myself - the usual 10days of toe curling feeds before it all settled but still managing

she was my smallest too - I had two girls before her weighing in at 10lb4 and 11lb1 and this is my first one with GD and she was 9lb14

it IS difficult when everyone is giving you different advice but please remember you don't have to make any decisions straight away - take you time and do what you feel is best for you and the lo

mtw - you must eat plenty - little and often, but just of the 'right' things. A good portion of protein, a few wholewheat carbs and some veggies seems to work well for me. May I suggest that you ask at your appointment tomorrow how they align the fact that we should be eating little and often with the fact that you are expected to wait 2 hours after eating to do your test. This is one of the specific reasons that my hospital gave for getting me to test an hour afterwards rather than 2 (for which I am supposed to achieve a result below 7).

for m/w ripping up wrong form at previous appt misdee. At least if you get GD you're more likely to see the one who I have, who is very good and nice with it.

mrsb - were you worried about erratic movements before you had an inkling about the GD, or could you possibly be projecting now that you know that there is a complication? I would think that as long as you are getting the 10 a day then it is nothing to worry about. I don't get woken by ds kicking either (am 34 weeks, so not that much behind you).

The reason I asked about bf is because your baby will need to have its blood sugar tested after the birth. It will be producing extra insulin to deal with sugar being passed from you, and there's a chance that this might cause its blood sugar to drop after the birth. BS is erratic straight after birth anyway, so you shouldn't let them test until at least 3 hours afterwards (unless baby is symptomatic), but you need to feed as soon as you can after delivery, as that will help to stabilise the sugars. Depending on the results of the first test, the doctors may then want to give formula to bring the levels back up. You can avoid this by having a supply of previously expressed colostrum which it can have instead, or alternatively you can request that he has a glucose (dextrose I think) drip. Your midwife should be able to support you with obtaining the colostrum, by telling/showing you how to hand express, and giving you some syringes to freeze it in. It's a topic I'm passionate about, so if you have any further questions after talking to the m/w then I'll help any way I can .

csws yes I have been worried about the erratic movement pattern throughout - he seems to do three days of being active then three days of going very quiet - but still doing the ten movements. So I'm not projecting backwards except in terms of GD maybe being the reason. But I don't think I have had GD that long ( wouldn't the sugar levels be even worse if it was untreated this long?)so hopefully the movement pattern is normal and nothing to do with it. What scared me was that the nurse said that the placenta can be affected and work ok sometimes and not others - which rang a warning bell.

Thank you for the info about bfing - I may be cynical but I wouldn't mind betting that this sort of info might not be so forthcoming from the professionals...

I will see what they say tomorrow and whether I get a growth scan then perhaps come back to you for advice if that's ok. I can really see the value of what you are saying and of being forearmed.

thanks again

xx

mrsboogie am living proof you can BF if you want, dd3 had to have her sugars taken after she was born to check they were within acceptable levels and after that we've had nothing!

good!! dd I will be bearing all this in mind

I hope you get a good team Mrsboogie, I did and they were wonderful with me. two really nice midwives and the consultants were excellent - write down anything you want to ask and make sure they take the time to explain everything to you

don't be bullied into making decisions just to suit them and we're here for advice if you need us

I am 29 weeks with DC2, DD1 is only 10 mths old, so this is a pretty quick 2nd prgenancy. I did not have GD with DD1, and was not tested for it (I seem to remember some kind of blood sugar test, but it wasn't the fasting GTT). She was born 2 weeks early and weighed just 6lb 1oz.
I am seeing a consultant as I had my thyroid removed several years ago, and so was referred to have regular blood checks - same as last time. However, this time, there seems to be far less of a concern over the thyroid function (and I have been given less medication and less tests this time than last time) but the consultant and midwife are making a big fuss over GD. I have therefore been booked for a GTT next week. I am overweight, but no more than last pregnancy, as I went back to my original (albeit overweight state) pretty much straight away. So... I don't really understand why there is the fuss for me to have GTT, no history of diabetes in family and all urine tests so far have been clear.
I am also not sure what the implications are if the GTT shows a problem - can anyone help me?

elb1 its mainly to monitor your sugar levels as if they are elevated it can cause your baby to grow quite big

if you do have GD they will try to control your sugar levels using either diet or insulin

I had 2 large babies without GD, both whilst being overweight, and during my 3rd pg I was diagnosed with it at 35wks - I then had to check my bloods 4times a day (finger prick) and watch what I ate to keep my sugars down

dd3 was born at 9lb14oz - the smallest of my 3! and I have to go back in a few weeks to have the glucose test again to see if I still have diabetes or if its resolved now am no longer pregnant

there are others on this thread who are much more knowledgable than me on this and am sure they can answer all your questions tomorrow

congratulations on your pregnancy btw and you're a braver woman than me having them that close together!!

Quick update: my levels are within the restrictions and specialists seem happy. They want me to continue checking bloods but not as frequently and will see me again in 2 wks.

CSWS They have now said that I should test 1 hour after food not 2 you know your stuff!