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?

otter1980 that's what my MW told me yesterday so it seems you and her concur.

If I sneak up behind you with a paper bag and go BANG! do you think she'll come out to play?

otter have i got it right tomorrows he inducement day?

i should really pre view what i write people must think i cant spell
and im an english teacher
the inducement day i meant to say

good luck tomorrow Otter!!!
Hope it's quick, painless and stitch free (unless you're having a CS obviously when you are allowed stitches)!
I'll shut up now.

Never bothered me till pregnant about being a diabetic. It was life as I know it - now all the complications and implications for my child - i hate.

Porridge made with water - plain oats and halve the amount. Many of the fancy packed ones have hidden sugars in them. The other thing that is good but fails to fill you up is plain yoghurt.

Try small and frequent not large meals - remember you are trying to keep things even and not hit your body with a massive load of carb three times per day. Small snacks often.

Other than that you need more insulin. My doses have rocketed since becoming pregnant the placenta eats it up faster than we can get it into the right place. We basically inject insulin into our peripheral bloodstream but it needs to be near the liver to act properly. As it circulates it breaks down in a normal person but when pregnant the placenta acts like a hungry monster and uses it up faster than we can get it to the liver to work. Thus the doses increase as the placenta gets larger and works more. Hoep that makes sense.

No dose is too much, ignore the units as long as it controls your blood sugar.

Good luck for tomorrow otter .

Fatback - I'm not on insulin at the moment, but I am starting to see it as inevitable that I will be soon.

I was studying bread in the supermarket today, and noticed that although my burgen is the lowest number of carbs per slice, it isn't the lowest 'of which sugars'. Does anyone know whether it's better to have an 18 carb slice of bread with say, 1.4g of sugars, or a 12 carb slice of bread with 2.2g of sugars? I'm going to try a lower sugar one for breakfast tomorrow.

Gym this afternoon, so that helped get things down for a bit, but it seemed harder work than usual. Not sure if that's just as the pregnancy progresses, or if it's because I'm utterly knackered from dd not sleeping much at the moment.

I also studied the baked beans in Sainsbury's, and can report back that Heinz reduced sugar and salt ones won on the lowest carbs and joint lowest sugars, so I've bought a tin to try.

A question specifically for those of you using insulin. How sophisticated is the injection process these days? I remember my brother using the traditional syringes and needles, and hating them. I think he has something more sophisticated now, but I don't know what. Certainly the finger pricking has moved on a lot since we were kids, so can I expect the same from the injections?

yep its tomorrow... am having some contractions now though so fingers crossed...

otter good luck we will be thinking of you

oooh im all excited now

fatback where do you inject please?

someone was told to do it in stomach on here
just if you need it to go to the closest place to work better

CSWS im on novomix 30 its a flexi pen just set it to the amount
push the needle in and push down the top to release insulin
its very quick indeed i dont really give it a second thought now though

Hi ladies,

wow I missed a few hours and the posts are rolling along.

Good luck otther1980 for today and hope those contractions took you through the night and now you're holding LO in your arms

CSWS I'm not sure it's always just down to the amount of sugar/carbs that's in your food but also the size of that amount - perhaps that's what we've been talking about, but it is early still and brain is thinking about working

disneystar it was me that was told to inject into stomach as well as legs but I've not tried it yet although I might soon as my legs are getting really sore. You can't inject into all of your leg just a small middle 'portion' of your lap. Don't know why only this part but was the part I was told/shown to use.

I use a flexipen too with novofine needles. They are very fine and small and if you hit the right spot, you don't feel them going in/out at all. I do have a few bruises on legs now as I think I've gone into muscles (?) but I was told to 'pinch up' the skin to try and lessen the pain. Again, not sure if I'm doing it wrong but this just makes the needle site bleed for me.

I think I'll probably just get used to it in the end like I did with my finger pricks. Now they don't bother me at all

Ooh - let's hope it happens naturally then otter!

disney - it's the 'just push the needle in' bit that concerns me! Is it still like putting a traditional needle in. My brother used to 'have' to pinch up the skin first, and inject into that, so he 'couldn't' do it himself in his arms. Mum did most of them for him (arms or bum), but he could theoretically do his own stomach or legs.

Nightmare fasting reading this morning -6.3 . I had a late 'second dinner' (just had toast as my tea, so ate some low carb leftovers later) yesterday, so assume that was the cause, but doesn't give me much hope for post breakfast! I usually get around 5.4 first thing.

lol - good cross post on the needles jw!

CSWS breakfast readings are the ones I usually have problems with which is why my bedtime insulin is higher than the morning one. God only knows what happens overnight but I am assured it's nothing to do with what you eat in the evening. It's down to your body not coping.

The needle pushing in part is ok once you gain the confidence to do it. I wasn't told to put into bottom/arms so perhaps this has changed over the years? Legs and tummy only for me.

The hospital will take you through the pushing it in, caring for insulin etc when you start to use it so they won't just send you off with a flexpen and say 'there you go'.

Honestly? I'd say pricking your fingers hurts more than the injection.

Just linking in this thread in case anyone has any suggestions to add, or wants to nick ideas from it.

Hmmm. Was (unintentionally) 10 mins late taking post breakfast reading, but got 6.2!!!! Had one slice of (waitrose stoneground wholemeal) toast and an egg.

That's not too bad CSWS. I got a whopping 10.2 as an 'after' reading. Had nothing more than the usual porridge.

Hey ho.

Just catching up on the posts. Was at home with the LO as the nursery closed for training so no time to log in. I only have time to do this when I am at work (she says checking that her boss is not looking at her screen!)

Otter 1980 you said that the insulin levels out at around 36 weeks. I found exactly that when I started my maternity leave last time. All of a sudden, the sugars were a lot easier to control. But my f in law who was a GP said that stress levels affect blood sugars and that was why my sugars stabilised - because I had stopped work. I hadn't read this anywhere, but I wonder if anyone else had heard this?

So frustrating isn't it! you think that you have found something to eat that "works" and then the next day it sends you sky high....

Hi JKmum LTNS

I've heard that stress can also affect BS which is why I've told DH to tread on egg shells until August Seriously, my MW told me the very same thing and to try and relax.

On the eating same stuff front, yep, works one day and the next BAM! your BS is sky high!!

When I had to use insulin last time, it was with the pen and the novofine needles. I did it in the tops of my legs. Sometimes it would be absolutely fine-painless even. Other times, I just couldn't get the needle to pierce the skin (sorry if too much info)and I would get nasty bruises that would take ages to go. Even with the insulin though, my sugars levels in the morning could still be high. I got freaked out by constantly having to up the units but I think that Fatback is dead right-this time (and I am ready for it this time) I'm not going to worry about the dose just so long as it keeps me under 7.

JKmum exactly the same here with everything you have just posted (see my previous post today re needles/injecting/BS morning levels).

Maybe it's a very common thing.

My MW told me that some ladies are on 100's of units a day but it's no reflection on them, it doesn't matter what amount of units you are on...as long as BS levels are stable.

You need to rotate your injection sites as they get sore and lumpy.

Outer tops of both thighs ( never on the inside even though it looks flabby)
Side of stomach
Upper outer arms
Buttocks.

Pinch the skin up so it is taut then the needle slides in. Do not use sterets/alcohol to clean first - dries the skin out and makes it very sore.

Stop getting fixated about your carbs. If you do not fancy any toast bread rice, pots etc - just have a salad. It is not really the carbs but the susgars you need ot look at, fast absorbed sugars - glucose sweet stuff gives you the swinging high that you are tyring to avoid.

Doses - you ladies are pissing in the window on dosesat the moment. I am taking massive doses three times what some of you are taking - so do not worry. Normally when not preggers - about 10 per meal!!

I'm not fixated at all on doses....10 units is the pretty much the same as injecting 20/30/40 I guess

Not sure I could reach my buttocks anymore

I'm rotating each leg per injection but not tried arms yet, might give it a go later on along with tum.

As for pinching up, for me it hurts even more so I tend not to do that.

Hard to avoid sugars as soooo many foods contain it, even stuff you wouldn't think does. Have turned into an avid label reader!

Fatback - I never don't fancy carbs! They are my favourite food type! In fact if I had to live on just 3 foods they would be wholewheat pasta, bread and butter! So I'm a bit fixated on them only in the sense that I want them but am trying to make sure that I don't have too many.

Trying a bit more to do 'small and often' today, and going ok so far.

I had kippers today (think it was something CSWS said ) and now each burp is fish flavoured. I knew there was a reason I hadn't had them for year

Oi kipper-breath - don't blame me .