Some questions about gestational diabetes - any help is much appreciated.

[Blossom993]

Hi all,

i recently made post about GD and how it was getting me down etc.

iv seemed to get the hang of it now but just had a few questions for people who have/ have had GD because I’ll be honest my diabetes midwife is rude and patronising and I don’t want to ask her. And because I can’t find anything about it online.

I apologise in advance for all the questions and long post.

one - Is breathlessness a thing, sometimes I feel like my breathing randomly gets deeper and I have to really concentrate on it. Or is this just a normal pregnancy symptom I’m getting paranoid about ?

two - what is considered a high reading ? Iv got one 9 and a few 8 in the last couple of weeks mostly when iv been trying new foods but im not sure if that’s really bad / it can get worse.

three- did anyone have what i can call a cheat meal now and then ?. I’ll be honest i had one yesterday and it was a whole Pizza Hut pizza and chips. I tried to stop but I’m experiencing nausea again and can’t eat much protein because the smell of cooking just makes me feel sick. Basically Iv been living off yogurt, berries and veg so I’m just starving. However oddly enough after checking my bloods after an hour it was at 6.1. I tested a few times and it remained in that region.

four - why is it that your tested after 2 hours for the GTT and have to check your blood glucose an hour after eating ?

again apologies for the many questions and long post.

any answers are much appreciated.

I had gd tho my son is now 16. Pregamcy was mu first so I didn't know what was normal etc.

My readings after normal meals were 11 or 12

Ds was born prematurely 36 weeks. But still 8 pounds 10.

1 - Breathlessness - not directly a GD thing. Can be a pregnancy thing but tbh anyone struggling with breathing should get it checked out. It won't ever be safe to judge that online, would need to be examined in person.

2 - Less than 5 mmol/L fasting. Less than 7 mmol/L 1 hour after a meal. That's what my hospital targets are anyway. Would really contact your diabetes midwife with concerns though, even if she's not pleasant it is her role and she needs to keep you and baby safe.

3 - I mean no one can be perfect 100% of the time, but I certainly wouldn't make a habit of it. Your pregnancy is so short in the grand scheme of things and being strict with your meal plans is important. Sickness adds so much difficulty but try to find what works for you.

4 - my understanding is that they want to see the full picture of how your body responds to a spike in glucose. 2 hours allows your body to fully process and react to the glucose. They can see the full extent of the spike. The finger prick after 1 hour is real time and allows you to quickly act on a high sugar before it can do as much damage ie get out for a walk to bring it down, or correct with insulin in someone with pre existing diabetes. They don't want a big spike in glucose to be left unnoticed for 2 hours most of the time, but during the test it is helpful to see the full picture. Hope that makes sense.

Breathlessness is normal as your lungs get squeezed. If it's bad, get checked but it is a regular side effect.

I have a memory of aiming for 6 and under after meals. Lunch was my tricky one which tended to spike no matter what I ate so a short walk after lunch seemed to help.

If you are struggling with protein you shouldn't be avoiding carbs completely. I seem to recall I could have a sandwich with two small slices of bread without crusts, or small bowls of pasta rice. So a cheese (and ham if you can) sandwich with a bit of mayo and a pickle/tomato, or eggs with one slice of thick toast or avocado and feta on toast. Or soup made with some rice or noodles. I also routinely had a single digestive biscuit which, to make it more appealing, I would dip in cream! 🤣

As for the main glucose test it's a far more hard-core sugar impact that just a regular meal so I assume it's sort of a stress test?!

Thanks for your reply guys, all replies are much appreciated. .

in regards to my diabetes midwife iv asked her some questions over email and tbh she’s just ignored them. Even in person she was quite horrible to me, Initially like many people I was struggling to accept that I had GD. during my first appointment with her rather then be sympathetic or I guess nice or even taking the time to explain things to me she just keeps saying “you’ve got it”. Luckily my mother in law used to be a senior midwife and she’s been the one advising/ helping me.

At my hospital fasting needs to be below 5.3 and after meal is 7.8. I’m asking about what is considered a high reading because I get something even close to 7.8 and I get very upset. I guess what I’m trying to get at are there people out there who are getting 9+ for some post meal readings. Not trying to judge, just trying to gauge how bad it can get.

think I’m gonna have to start eating some carbs again and see how I get on. I think what put me off the carbs was eating weetabix which gave me a high reading and the nhs recommends this. Just confusing !!

She sounds useless @Blossom993 I would consider writing a complaint. Considering GD is so important to get under control you need someone who can at a bare minimum at least answer your questions. It's too serious to be ignored🤦🏼‍♀️

Sorry I mistook you about the numbers. Of course there's people who do get high readings, but then need to act on them and make changes. Some women certainly have consistently higher readings like 12+ but they need insulin to control their levels. The thing with blood glucose levels is that people will react differently to different things. Our bodies all behave differently.

I would never recommend Weetabix as it has added sugar so it's definitely one to avoid. You need carbs otherwise your body can overshoot. Basically your body needs carbs to survive, and if you don't eat them your liver can release stored glucose and actually have the opposite result of what you wanted. Try to keep each meal balanced with the right size portion of low GI carbs, fats, proteins and veg. You said you can't eat much protein because of the smell of cooking. Could you stomach cheese/eggs/beans/lentils/nuts If not meat? I find with GD you have to get creative. And there is a lot of trial and error as what suits one woman won't suit another.

Have you checked the Gestational Diabetes .co.uk website and Facebook group - I found it very useful when pregnant and on the Facebook group in particular there are lots of opportunities to see what issues people are having and ask questions. I went on Metformin after a while and felt this helped as I could eat some carbs, if diet controlled isn't working, as it doesn't for lots of people, this, or insulin, does work well.

@Blossom993 echo what others have said. Experimenting with what foods and amounts work for you is key especially after an initial diagnosis. You will soon find out what works.

As PP has mentioned, try the Gestational Diabetes UK Facebook group. It's really
Good and full of suggestions for pairing foods to keep your readings down and even safe alternatives to the things you miss (Oppo salted caramel ice cream made the hot summer bearable with GD). It really is a short time in the grand scheme of things. Everyone who has had it will appreciate how tough it is, especially alongside other pregnancy related symptoms, but the GDUK website is full of support and it'll all be worth it in the end. Good luck!

I’m type 1 diabetic and was also told to aim for no higher than 7.8 after meals which doesn’t always happen. On a regular my readings will go to 8-9 however I’m obviously on insulin so can easily correct, not sure if all gestational diabetes is treated with insulin? I was told the further along I get the harder it would be to keep the sugars under control which did happen so I took myself to antenatal clinic and got booked in with the diabetic midwives for a earlier check up as once I hit 22 weeks my sugars were spiking to around 11/12 and I’d been increasing my insulin myself but then ended up further increasing after speaking with the diabetic team. I had my usual consultant and diabetic midwife appointment a week later and levels were all back good. I just had my hba1c tested a few days ago and it’s 36 which is really good. I have a growth scan in a couple of weeks but so far baby is average size.

I also am suffering with extreme breathlessness and I mean it gets very very bad that whilst walking I can’t catch my breath. I saw the GP yesterday and she said it’s normal however I feel it’s not so am going to see how it goes and take it from there. I’ve been having really bad heart palpitations too and there’s been the odd time where both combined and my pulse is 110 I’ve considered going to a&e as the gps just don’t seem to listen and I’ve seen 2 regarding the palpitations, high pulse and breathlessness now. Always advocate for yourself and if you don’t feel right then get emergency help or another opinion at minimum. I do have asthma but it’s always been extremely well controlled so I’m not convinced it’s even related to that. Again the further along I’m getting I have felt like I’m having head rush/ my head squeezed due to being so out of breath.

My advice for the diabetes and with anything else related to your pregnancy is always listen to your instinct and if you know something doesn’t feel right despite being told it’s normal then seek further treatment.

Thank you all for you’re replies it’s much appreciated.

@Upinthetreetops she does seem useless doesn’t she. Tbh this is my second pregnancy and my little one is only 18 months and pregnancy in general this time has just been so horrible that I just don’t have it in me to complain. I know that’s a defeatist attitude but I fear I will be treated worse if I do complain/ make a fuss. my mother in law has lots of experience with GD pregnancies so I’m just going to her with all my issues and my assigned midwife.

in regards to numbers I think I’m getting the hang of it more and more each day. Seems the carb that just does it for me it anything potato related. So I’m staying clear of them but oddly enough I can have a massive plate of rice without any added extras and I’m fine. So I think I’ll stick to rice for the carbs and see how it get on.

iv had a look at the gestational diabetes facebook group and made notes of all the dessert I can have lol. Iv been trying to find OPPO because I love icecream but nowhere in my town seems to have it do iv brought some halo top going to try it and see how it get on. Hopefully they are the same !!

@K112 iv been feeling the same, my heart rate and breathing will accelerate. But I do find more recently it’s related to me getting stressed before checking my glucose levels. Or baby just has decided to move around awkwardly :/. I’m in the same boat regarding baby size, in fact this baby is smaller than my son when I was pregnant last.

i think iv found the NHS in general this time round with my pregnancy has declined so rapidly compared to my first pregnancy. I don’t know about anyone else but all my appointments have been later than they should be and I’m 36 weeks next week and my midwife hasn’t even measured for baby’s size. Iv only had my three scans.

thank you all again for your replies I honestly do appreciate them. Anyone who is currently pregnant I hope you have a safe delivery( and quick) and healthy baby x

Ther eis definiteyl an aspect of individual responses. I had to stop eating tomatoes - didn't matter what I did, if i had tomatoes my sugars spiked. So no spag bol, no piza, no salad with tomatoes, no tomato soup. The midwife and specialist told me it was not the tomatoes. But miraculously, after I cut out tomatoes, my sugars stabilised.....