Gestational Diabetes - can anyone advise me?

[northstar]

I have been diagnosed with gd, and I am SO SO HUNGRY. I'm 23 wks, and have been eating alot up til now but I have been put on a very restrictive diet. How did anyone else cope with this, (or not) and does anyone have advice on good snacks or how to not feel hungry? I would really appreciate some help.

[hoxtonchick]

northstar, i have pre-existing diabetes & am also pregnant. just off to a meeting now, but will post more later. but don't worry, you're not alone! i think misdee currently has GD too.

[northstar]

Thanx hoxtonchick i did come across your name when i searched, but wasnt sure if i could contact you. Will check back later.

[misdee]

hi.

i too have Gd but not as bad as you it would seem. have you seen the dietician?

I have been recommended to have porridge or suger free musli type cereals, very filling and good at regulating blood sugers.

I cant advice on what to eat really, as i suffer from hyperemsis as well, which fortunatly seems to be clearing now (at 33 weeks) but means i rarely manage to keep a meal down.

Whole meal bread, brown rice and wholemeal pasta has also been recommended.

can u fill up on salads/veggies at all? i love jacket potatoes with salad and a low fat filling (low fat cheese/beans) and they are very filling.

[hoxtonchick]

hello again northstar,

good advice from misdee (who has undoubtedly seen a dietician more recently than me...). hope you're feeling a bit better & less hungry. is your GD being controlled just by diet, or are you on insulin injections too?

good snacks include fruit, wholemeal toast (with marmite if you like), a bowl of cereal, yoghurts, a couple of slices of malt loaf. what you don't want are sugary things which will raise your blood sugar quickly - as well as obvious things like cans of coke & bags of sweets, fruit juice falls into this category, so probably best to steer clear of it.

to fill yourself up without eating carbohydrate & therefore affecting your blood sugar i would say eat vegetables,or drink lots of water/sugar free drinks, ummm, running out of ideas here!

how often are you testing your blood? what kind of readings are you getting, & what guidelines have you been given? for me, whilst pregnant, i've been told to keep my blood sugar between 4 & 7 all the time. i do this by using a lot of insulin. it's hard work but do-able.

also, & i don't want to scare you, but 23 weeks is pretty early to be diagnosed with GD. there's a small possibility that it might not go away once the baby is born. are you seeing a diabetes team? it's probably worth getting checked out once the baby is born just to make sure everything has gone back to normal.

hope this helps.

[misdee]

toast with marmite is good. if you cant stomache wholemeal bread, then the best of both bread is good as well.

change your milk to semi or skimmed rather than full fat, cut down suger in drinks.

I have been told one glass of fruit juice a day is fine, but to try and limit it as it can up your suger levels.

[hoxtonchick]

if you do want fruit juice i think it will have less effect on your blood sugar if you have it with a meal than by itself. but when i go hypo (very low blood sugar - too much insulin or exercise, not enough carbs), a small carton of juice brings it right back up very quickly, so it certainly has an effect. have you noticed that misdee?

[misdee]

tbh i havent noticed anything odd with me lol. i just test at the times they say, and write it all in my book. i did have too much pasta the other week and that sent it up. well thats what i think happened.

i know a friend of mine when he has a hypo has juice or sugery drinks.

[hoxtonchick]

dried fruit is good too

[northstar]

Thanx all. I am supposed to eat only 2slices of wholemeal bread and 2potatoes a DAY!!! I had undiagnosed gd with ds,was huge, and had horrendous birth which is why this is being dealt with now.
He was stuck twice and they had to cut up to get him out after he went into shock. He was in scbu for 8days (wierd to see big baby in with all the tinies)
I do know that it is in babies best interest to stick to this diet but im so hungry and have so few pleasures left in life since getting pg that it really hurts not to eat. I am testing myself 4 times a day, started yesterday and forgot twice already. My results are between 5.4 and 6.9 so far but it means nothing to me.
Are eggs ok? If i have to eat more would it be better to have more potatoes or bread or fish (as i am veggie and dont eat meat)
Thanx, sorry its so long.

[misdee]

i think fish is ok.

dd2 was 9lb at birth (1 week early) and as my dd1 was only 6lb 15oz at full term they now suspect i had undiagnosed diabetes with dd2 as well. readings so far seem ok. they should've given u a figure to be aiming for with your suger levels.

fasting level for me should be between 4-6, and 1hr after meals between 6-8. does that sound similar to you?

[hoxtonchick]

hello northstar

fish & eggs are protein so neither will cause your blood sugar to go up - good choices. how about cutting up lots of veg sticks so you have something to snack on. with hoummous perhaps?

i thought of other snacks walking home tonight - digestive or rich tea or garibaldi biscuits. a little more exciting.

if you're limiting your carbs you also shouldn't be eating too much pasta or rice.

your levels sound good to me. no insulin yet?

[jane313]

I had gestational diabetes but wasn't told to be that restrictive but after a week of just blood testing I had to inject 3 or 4 times a day. Sometimes I would have the healthiest meal out and the reading would be very high and then I would get fed up and eat badly and it would be ok! I was always made to be feel it was my fault even though I didn't acutally put on any weight in the last 2 months of pregnancy and my baby did. Another midwife told me later that it was almost uncontrolable for some women and they just had to keep upping my insulin levels.

[northstar]

Thanx for your advice, I will be seeing the consultant this week, the diabetes specialist nurse did the tests etc last week. It would be really handy to have a level to aim for, as it means nothing to me at the moment.
As far as the diet thing goes, I think the dietician has been over-strict with me, but i suppose we will only know that when my levels are analyzed.
Jane313 i see what you mean re: eating a "bad" meal, as i was out last night and had a glass of wine and a seafood curry, and my level this morning was the lowest it has ever been.
And thanx all for your snack ideas they are really helping
I wouldnt mind asking a few more questions when i have seen the consultant, if you dont mind.