Blood sugar reading with gestational diabetes...can you help?

[llareggub]

I am 33 weeks pregnant and have gestational diabetes. I have tested my blood sugar an hour after eating today and have had readings of between 5.3 and 5.6 each time. I even forgot my insulin at lunchtime, and still had a reading of 5.6! I also take metformin.

My consultant has given me a target of being below 5.8 before eating and being below 7.8 after eating, so these readings are a bit odd, although I've had one-off readings like this, but never after breakfast.

However, I did do an exercise DVD after breakfast before testing, and I went swimming before lunch with DS.

I'm worried because the diabetes nurse (who has been wrong on a few things) told me that my GD would get worse as my pregnancy progresses and these readings do not support that. I am however extremely strictly and in accordance with the diabetes diet, so I guess that could be it too. I am also breastfeeding, which lowers blood sugar?

Why am I worried? I guess because I know that these readings are what a "normal" person would have, and I'm worried that there is something wrong with my pregnancy because the readings are low. I do however have a tendancy to worry....

I did try and ring the clinic today but no answer. Can anyone shed any light on this and reassure me, or do I need to drive myself crazy worrying about this until tomorrow?!!!!

Many thanks if you have got this far...

Sounds like you've just got very good control of your diabetes to me? Are you definately eating enough though do you think? If you're confident about that and are feeling baby move as normal then I wouldn't worry - just congratulate yourself! GD isn't like other forms of diabetes, some people can manage it through diet and exercise alone and as you'll have been told, there is an expectation your blood sugars will normalise after giving birth. There's no physical reason why you can't get those readings - very impressive though!

Thanks northernlurker!

I do take insulin but wonder sometimes if I was put on it too quickly by the diabetes nurse, as I do forget it sometimes and it seems to make no difference.

I've experimented with various things at breakfast and now eat 2 small slices of wholemeal with eggs. If I get hungry mid-morning I have a snack, but usually don't get hungry. Today I had a wrap with tuna mayo and salad, with a muffin with clotted cream (yum!) as a snack mid afternoon. I had leftover lamb, veg and mash for my evening meal, so certainly feel like I am eating enough.

I do feel reassured by your post. The diabetes nurse really worried me when I was diagnosed and I've never really got over it, as although my reading was borderline and on the cut-off for referral, she told me I probably was type 2 anyway. It was only when I asked her what made her think that she backtracked and checked my results and said perhaps I wasn't.

She said it would get worse, and I guess I hadn't taken into account me actually managing it well! I'm really grateful to you for posting.

I developed GD at around 33-35ish weeks - it didn't get worse and was easily controlled with a strict diet and without insulin or any other drug. I was borderline also. It doesn't sound to me like you have anything to worry about. Your exercising after meals will have a significant impact on your blood sugar levels also - its what they want you to do .

Relax - you are doing fine.

Gosh that diabetes nurse sounds like a real ray of sunshine

Glad you are feeling a bit better

I was diagnosed with gd at 33 weeks but by the time I saw the diabetic doctor my readings were normal ( between 4 and 6 before meals and usually below 7 after meals).The obstetric doctor at the diabetes clinic told me that when I had had the GTT at 32 weeks was the period when the hormones from the placenta that masked insulin in the body peaked so that it couldn't deal with sugar very efficiently. After this period the hormones decrease and so your natural insulin works better which explained why my sugars were normal. She also said if you tested all pregnant women for gd a this stage they would have loads of people diagnosed. Your readings of 5.3 are really good - like a normal persons so it maybe that your insulin is working better. From what the doctor told me it's not true that the diabetes would get worse as the pregnancy progressed. However, not all doctors are as clued up as the other non pregnacy diabetic doctor told me that he didn't understand why my readings were normal.I hope you get all this - I'm not sure I have explained it very clearly.

I had conflicting information thruout my pregnancy. Was told by one consultant that pre meal blood sugars below 4 do not matter but by another consultant to keep snacking to keep my level above 4 pre meal and that I wasn't eating enough. I was on 5 metformin tablets a day at the end of it and that was after been put on insulin when I was on 4 metformins and told 4 metformins were the maximum dose but when the insulin made me go hypo I then got told the maximum dose was disputed so had it upped to 5! My baby was on the small side in the growth scans and we did say to the diabetic nurse that we were worried about having a small baby, which she said would never happen. Low and behold my ds popped out 2 weeks early weighing 4lb 11oz! All the midwives and HVs said that they'd never seen a GD baby so small! I also went from 10st 6 before pregnancy to 8st 13 a week after birth!! Have enjoyed stuffing my face tho to get back!! Luckily my baby is healthy and guzzling away on his milk. He's now 6lb 9 just over 3 weeks later!