Support and help with Gestational Diabetes?

[Crapweasel]

Failed the "Lucozade test" last week, I've now been told that my GTT has also come back high and have therefore been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.

Having failed the Lucozade test but passed GTT during my last pregancy I was really hoping to dodge that particular bullet again. Oh well....

Did some searching in the archives and found this fab old thread with lots of support and tips on diet etc. Any current sufferers (or experienced old timers) fancy joining a similar thread for 2010?

I have a diabetic clinic appt on Tues (where I understand I'll get a finger prick testing kit and see a dietician) so I'll report back then.

I'm 29 weeks by the way.

Hi everyone...I was wondering if I could join you? I found out today that I have GD, having had the GTT on Friday. When I asked the midwife what the risks to the baby were she said being very large and dying in utero :(

I had sort of convinced myself it was fine. I have been extremely tired, but I also have an iron deficiency and hoped it was that. There has been glucose in my urine since 28 weeks I think, but the test was only done at 32. But aside from that, I don't have any of the risk factors and I know it is stupid, but feel like it is my fault. But I'm old by baby standards - I'm 37.

I had a fasting level of 5.3 (or something) and 2 hours after the hideous sugar drink, it was 8.8. They have refered me to the diebetes clinic and said I'd probably get an appointment on Monday.

I've been reading all your posts, I'm about half way through, and I'm feeling a bit confused, scared (but a bit less so because having read all your stories). I had been worrying about the hospital I'm supposed to be giving birth in before all this. I wanted to give birth at Kings College, but it isn't in my borough and so am supposed to be giving birth at PRUH (in orpington). But they are much less progressive and have more chance of a c-section, have protected mealtimes (which I find hideously archaic) and I'm worried they won't let me co-sleep (which Kings encourage, I give birth to DC1 there). Anyway, all your posts about induction at 38 weeks and planned c-sections are really worrying me.

Also, my baby is measuring big, but last time they told me my baby was going to be about 9lbs 10 and she was 8lbs 2oz, so I don't really have much faith in the accuracy of their scans.

I'm also confused about what I can and can't eat, and am really worried about portion sizes!?! I eat quite a lot (tons of cereal which I guess I'll have to stop), brown bread, I actually like wholewheat pasta :o , and rice. I eat lots of yogurts (not low-sugar) so I guess I'll have to stop that.

It seems that a lot of the things I've been eating to get my iron levels back up I also need to stop.

I so wanted a natural birth. My DD is only 18 months and still gets picked up a lot and I'm terrified of having a c-section 'cause I don't think she'll understand why Mummy carries the new baby but not her.

Loftygen, I think I saw you were at Kings - how have they been in terms of the GD care? I'm going to try and see if I can get refered (ironically before I couldn't because I wasn't a complicated pregnancy and now maybe I can).

Sorry, this is such a long rambly post. I'm just all over the place and don't know what to do, or what is going to happen.

Thanks,

Alison

Hey there,

I'd really recommend Kings in terms of the GD care I've received - they run a wkly clinic where you see diabetic/obs team in one. They also have midwives who take on the GD cases, but as I've had a straight forward run of it, I've stayed under the care of my community mw's.

Have a friend who is also GD being cared for in SW London, where the care seems to have been a bit more chaotic - think I was able to give her more info than the professionals did initially, and while I do my blood sugars 4 times a day (pre brekfast then 1hr post each main meal) she is doing pre breakfast and randomly pre one meal and post another - which seems to my mind open to "cheating" the result (which would be discovered with the blood tests that are done).

I had a friend who fell just into Bromley (they live just down hill of Crystal Palace) and she was able to be ref to Kings for all of her mat care.

Maybe if you speak to your GP/MW's about your concerns - the v good reputation Kings has for diabetic care is well known so hopefully they'll understand/help.

Fingers crossed for you xx

Jen, I only had to have my waters broken fortunately. I was already 3cm when they started me off (although I don't think that's uncommon in second pregnancies!). My top tip us to keep as active as you can. I was having continual monitoring, but made sure I was up of the bed and pacing around the tiny area the wires could reach. I noticed everytime I stopped moving the contractions eased off again. They had the syntocin drip set up, but I always managed to stay the right side of the targets for progress.

Ally- c-section was my big worry too fir the same reasons as you. It doesn't seem to me to be any more common for GD pregnancies in my experience though. I don't think anyone on this thread has had one.

Thanks so much for replying Jen and ChocolateCalculator.

Jen, I will talk to my doctor and get him to write the letter and hope. I would be so much happier there. Probably a bit unfair on Bromley, but I just have lots of faith in a teaching hospital!!! I saw a few posts back that you are really close to d-day...Last time I tried bouncing on a birth ball and my waters broke. Obviously, I put it all down to ball bouncing, but it could have been coincidence.

ChocolateCalculator, I got half way down the thread and was feeling much better about the natural possibility. I'm so pleased to hear you say that you don't know anyone yet who has had one. Congratulations on DS2 too :) So glad all is going well.

I guess I just need to wait for my appointment with the diabetic team, and to see if I can get the referal sorted! I'm just not very good at waiting without knowing what is going on or what exactly I should be doing!

ally

Allyfe what no baby is this one?
I was induced with no 4 due to baby not growing and GD. She was 4 weeks early and my body did a shutdown and it took me ages to get into labour. The consultant said as I was on an Epi and baby was doing fine and this was no 4 he was happy for me to just wait it out for labour to develop. He didn't see the point in a C-section as it just meant unnecessary recovery time. It was a bit of a drag strapped to a bed for 24+ hours but well worth not having a C-section.

Have the follow-up GTT on Monday and am pleased to say I have lost another 7 kilos since having Lucy. It is well worth sticking to as much of the GD diet as you can. I have kept up portion sizes on Carbs, stuck to diet coke and banished chocolate bars.
I'm not perfect and I know I will probably stick at this weight as I eat more when I am knackered so new baby = weight gain for me.
Must try to stay positive though and have a good GTT on Monday

Hello everyone,
I havent been diagnosed with GD. I am 11 weeks + and had my booking appointment last week when they also took masses of blood samples for various 'routine' tests.
The next day I got a call from the midwife saying the glucose level in my blood was very high and have now booked me in for a Lucozade test during the first week of October.
My test results came through yesterday and it is 7.4, they said between 3-6 is acceptable.
I have been really worried since then, but this wasnt a reading when I was fasting, i had had a cereal bar about an hour before the test. I wasnt told that I wasnt supposed to have one and the midwife didnt tell me either (I ate it in front of her!)
Does this mean I might have developed GD? Midwife refused to answer any questions and said I would have to take the Lucozade test asap. What do you think?

you shouldn't starve before your random blood glucose - thus it's nature as a random reading.

Seems odd you've been picked up so early, but would say go with it as if you have GD the sooner it's recognised the sooner you can be monitored/will reduce the risks there could be.

Debs75, it is baby number 2. Had GTT with last pregnancy, but no GD that time (baby was 8.2 at 40 weeks on the dot, even though they predicted 9.11 at 36 weeks!). Congrats on weight loss :) Did the test come back as all clear?

I had my appointment with the diabetes clinic today. It was...interesting. I was a bit apprehensive about the diabetes nurse, but she was very nice. The dietician was interesting. Based on what she said, I can eat a lot more than I thought, but from you guys I've learnt that it is so very personal and I'll just have to see what triggers higher readings and what doesn't. I also saw the consultant (partly for other reasons), and was a little less keen on him.

A friend of mine taked to her consultant obstetrican friend, who said that she would normally recommend induction at 39 weeks for 1st time mums with GD, but for those who have had a natural childbirth before, she'd let them go to 41 weeks before inducing.

The consultant i saw today said it would be 38-39 if the GD can't be managed by diet alone, and 40 weeks if it can be. He played the stillbirth card ("we don't know why some babies are stillborn and others aren't so we need to deliver early"), which obviously is a real guilt one. The scary idea is that you argue and then the baby is stillborn. But I was telling myself that actually, you can monitor closely (kicks etc) to see what is going on.

Anyway, so I guess I now have my testing kit and just need to try it and see how my low-GI diet works.

I have asked for the referal to Kings...I do so hope it happens!

Silkenwings - any more news for you?

Jen - Hope everything goes smoothly for your induction tomorrow!!

xx

Just a quick question about the finger prick test! I did one after dinner and the first reading was 9.1 (although I had no carbs at all), so I tried it again because I had smudged my blood the first time. The second time it came up 5.5 (on a different finger).

Do you think the first time was just high because I smudged the blood? I hadn't washed my hands first either (oops).

Just wondering. I want to make sure that I get the right readings!?!

For two readings I've used about 6 strips. I need to get a bit better at this!

Thanks, ally :)

allyfe Test went ok will find out later in the week had a cold over the weekend which could send the readings up a bit. if it comes back high i will tell them and ask for another test.

With readings always wash your hands first and yes sometimes you can get different readings from different hands. Make sure you change the needles every day as well. I used loads of strips at first, usually because there wasn't enough blood. tyou will get better so don't worry too much

Hi Everyone,

I was also diagnosed with GD after a GTT at 28 weeks, I'm currently 36.5 weeks - it's taken me a while to find this thread. I had my GTT because I have PCOS although I've never suffered overly with it - irregular periods that come every 28-36 days and that's about it (I've been lucky I know). This is my second pregnancy and I didn't develop GD with DS1.

For the last 8/9 weeks I have been managing to control my BG readings with diet alone, although it is getting harder now. In fact this week alone toast and marmite made with seedy bread has gone from fine to a no-no. This is a pain as I'm now having to work out exactly what I can and can't eat all over again, but hey-ho I guess not long to go now.

My dietician was really useful, told me to make sure the carbs on my plate were no more that a quarter of the plate and this seems to work well for me. I have even managed to be fine with pasta as long as there is plenty of cheese/veg/protein sauce with it. She also advised me to look for products where the sugars were 6g or less and I find that as long as I don't eat a crazy amount this rule seems to work for me. I'm guessing that if following these rules doesn't work and you can't eat even this controlled amount of carbs it possibly sugsests you need metformin or insulin to help?

Anyway, haven't had the labour plan talk yet as my obstetrician/consultant doesn't like to induce anyone before 39 weeks. I'm due for that check up and talk at 38+4. I'm planning to accept a sweep if offered (annoyingly I am 39 weeks the day before DS1's 2nd birthday) and to see a friend who is a qualified acupuncturist to try and help things along and avoid medical induction that way.

DS1 was born at 39weeks, my waters broke (in full on dramatic soap opera style) at 39+4 and he was finally born at 39+6 after my labour was augmented with a syntocinon drip to speed things up. My diabetes midwife has been reassuring me by saying this unlikely to be needed again as first time round you uterus can be a little "lazy"! She has also encouraged me to continue seeing my community midwife between diabetic/antenatal appointments at the hospital, which is good as the community midwife is now aware of all the GD ins and outs and after she will be the one supporting me after baby arrives.

Sorry for such a long message.

Hello Hanbee :) I really enjoyed reading your post. I'm so new to this and find other people's experiences reassuring. Your dietician sounds a bit stricter than the one I saw yesterday. She suggested carb sugars below 10g. She also said 1/3 of a plate, or perhaps closer to 1/4.

I'm so hoping I can control this with diet, but got very depressed this morning with a reading of 10.9 Debs75 I tried two fingers just in case, but both were about the same!! I am hoping it was a combination of having thrown up my dinner at about midnight, and as a result I woke up feeling a bit dreadful and had a 30g bowl of cereal on the 'allowed' list and then a bacon sandwich (I tried to have it with very little bread). I think that the two sets of carbs were probably a bad idea, but I felt so dreadful when I woke up cereal was quickest, but the new portion size is no where near enough but as a result I probably over did it on the carbs. I was still a bit shocked by 10.9 :(

My first baby sounds a bit like yours too! My waters broke at 39+5, I went into labour at 39+6, got a bit stalled, had syntocinon and DD was born at 40 on the dot. I think I'm really most worried about a c-section because DD1 is only little and still needs lots of carrying (more for the cuddles I think). But I've been reassured to hear that none of the previous GD mums on here had c-sections. So fingers crossed!

I am looking forward to cake again already. I was dreaming about melon the other day too. I miss my huge quantities of fruit!?!

ally x

allyfe if you like berries then you can use them to snack on and to add to cereal. I agree a 30g bowl is tiny. If you can eat nuts then they are also a great snack and you can have peanut butter as well.

Have they given you a date for induction. I was told with this one that it would be 38 weeks which I was refusing until she stopped growing at 36 weeks.

I noticed early on in the post a lot of people refer to porridge not being a good choice.

The dietician I saw said to only have rolled jumbo oats (and they would be medium gi(with milk to lower the glyceamic load). She said that any of the other porridges (smaller sized oats were actually high gi and not to use them. Also that I should have 30g not 50g as I'd been having.

Just wondered if people saying porridge not good choice for them were actually using the higher gi type of oats? Or were the jumbo oats causing high levels also?

Hello everyone,

Could I join you all please? My GP found Glucose in my urine 3 weeks ago, then did a blood test which came back normal. They then did a blood test at 28 weeks and rang me yesteday to say it found glucose so I have to have a proper glucose test on Thursday. I'm so worried about all this now, I'm finding it all quite confusing about what I can and can't eat. I feel really guilty if I haven't been eating well enough - I have been drinking lucosade (not before my blood tests though) try to quell sickness and eat pretty healthily with the odd bit of chocolate thrown in but am obviously cutting that out now. Just so worried.

Hi everyone, I am new to this Mumsnet and this is my first post. I am 29 weeks pregnant :-)

About two weeks ago I went for my GTT and the results came back abnormal. The test done before drinking the Lucozade was OK as it was around the 5 mark, the test done after the two hours of drinking Lucozade came back above 8 (I can't remember the exact figures)

My doctor tried to get me on insulin but I refused and said I wanted to try dieting first, so they have given me until next Friday 1st October to try out a diet but keep telling me eventually I will have to go on insulin.

The thing is I have been cheating a bit, instead of testing an hour after meal I do it sometimes an hour and a half later and my results are fine. Even if I have a bowl of cereals my blood sugar levels rise and its very annoying :(

Does anyone know why we have to test an hour after every meal instead of two hours?

Gestational Diabetes is really depressing me, as I am not enjoying my pregnancy anymore :-(

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Additional Info
This is my first baby.
My mum has Type 2 diabetes

Hi Everyone,

PseudoAngel try not to get too depressed, the good thing about GD is it's not forever as the majority of women do go back to normal after delivering the placenta. Don't cheat your readings though, it's important for both your health and the baby's that your BG levels are controlled, it's uncontrolled levels and bingeing between readings that can put baby most at risk. Knowing what your blood glucose is doing will help your support team in pregnancy and labour keep the best eye on your safety, if they don't have accurate information they can't help you make the best decisions.

Happygirl - I've found the recipes on diabetes UK website useful and have also been using Anthony Worrell Thompson's diabetes cookbooks. At least it's varied the menu a bit and even DS1 has been eating them so they must taste OK and he's still putting on weight!

Ally - I've written a list of things I want to eat after the baby - everyone has been instructed they can't visit without bringing something from the list!! Cake and cheesecake are top of the list.

Kettlecrisps - I've been eating oastsosimple (the plain variety with semi-skim milk) and finding I have quite low blood sugar levels after (between 4 and 5). Problem is everyone reacts so differently it's hard to predict, but I was recommended porridge generally by the diabetes midwife.

Will let you all know how the big chat goes in a couple of weeks plus if I have any joy using acupuncture for induction.

Hey guys,

Just having half a chance to post on here (time online now v limited!).

Having been ready to face induction on Tues (I'd have been 40/40 going by scan adjusted dates - would have been 40+4 going by LMP)
I went into spontaneous labour Saturday/Sunday.

Ellie Rose arrived 1/2hr after arriving at hospital (joy of our mw coming to assess us at home first!) weighing a tiny 4lb 10oz - about 1.5oz less than her 39wk growth scan had predicted her at (she is all arms and legs though!).

All GD symptoms are gone, weigh 3lb less than I did at conception, but having to fully concentrate on Ellie's feeding/expressing as her latch isn't so great at the moment.

Best of luck to all others - hope to pop back on here every so often x

....that should be 1.5lbs rather than ounces!

Loftyjen Huge congratulations onthe arrival of Ellie Rose. I struggled a bit with Lucy's feeding as she was so small her mouth struggled to take my nipple. we managed to bypass the expressing malarky and she has now put on 2lb since birth and is doing fine. I am sure little Ellie will catch up and you will be feeding like a pro soon. My friend expressed and used a small cup to feed her baby so she didn't get confused with different sucking.

Psuedoangel Cereals are really bad GI wise, you need to either eat a minscule amount or find a different breakfast option. I tend to live on cereals but have hardley touched them when pregnant as they send my bm high. Eggs are better or Burgens Soya and Linseed toast. You test every hour now as pregnant women need to snack inbetween meals so most women would eat about 2 hours after their meal, messing up the test. That's what my dietician told me.

LoftyJen huge congratulations on your baby girl. It sounds like a fabulously straight-forward birth! I had so much milk the first time round I needed to express out a bit first so that my DD was able to latch on. I didn't do that for too long, but it made it a little easier. I also used the small cup to feed Freya on occasions when it wasn't working. But after a few stressful weeks, things got easier...although I was still phoning the NCT or La Leche League occasionally at 3 months. Hang in there!!

Happygirl1 hope your ggt goes okay today. Fingers crossed it is all clear, but if not welcome :)

Psuedoangel My levels weren't so high in the GGT but it seems that I only need to smell carbs (allowed cereals, granary bread etc.) in the morning and my levels go shooting up. I had the same problem with a small portion of couscous. I've only been doing this for a few days, but I have been over every morning so far . Although, to be honest, it may also be to do with the sprinkle (honestly, nearly nothing) of sugar I have in my tea. I'm going to try abandoning that tomorrow, and see how I go.

Hanbee I LOVED your idea informing post-baby visitors that they were only welcome if they brought something from the contraband list. I'm so taking that one up. Although you now have me dreaming about cheesecake .

Haven't heard from hospital so I am assuming my GTT is clear. I have my 6 week check up next Thursday so can't imagine they would wait that long to tell me if it was positive.

I don't think I'm doing very well with controlling the GD with food at the moment :( My post-breakfast readings are always really high. I've been trying different things, but can't seem to get them low. Today I had two wholemeal wraps with carrots, lettuce and cheese my levels were as high as 10! I thought that if I reduced the carbs they would go down .

I seem to do okay for lunch and dinner, but I'm sort of cutting carbs totally from some means and I'm not sure, but I think that is making me feel sick and making me throw up. I threw up regularly through the last pregnancy, but in this one it seemed to be happening a lot less often, and mainly only if I smelt something dreadful (haven't been able to change my daughters smelly nappies - her Daddy has had to do them!!). But since Monday, I've thrown up twice already and spent a fair bit of time feeling sick.

I've just looked up at the previous posts and am wondering if I should try having a little more carb, but keeping it with something a bit fatty at the same time.

This is more complicated than I had hoped :( I've not been trying it for too long I guess, but I know it is only going to get harder as I get further along (am 33+6 today).

:(

Sorry Debs - was too busy feeling sorry for myself and forgot to say HORRAH! That is great news.

Oh allfe it sounds like you're having a really hard time. I seem to remember from the history of posts that lots of people find it harder in the mornings, must be something to do with the lack of movement overnight perhaps?

I find I can have 2 slice of burgen toast with peanut butter in the mornings, plain porridge made with milk, 40g bran flakes with milk etc. but not some other things that seem like less carbs. Not sure how I'd manage with wraps are they white or wholemeal? As I've got further into pregnancy I've had to eat only really seedy bread/bread products as any other send my readings sky high.

If you're feeling really terrible and hardly eating any carbs this can't be good for you or baby and perhaps you should give your diabetes midwife a ring and have a chat about it? I found my digestion was upset for the first week or two after changing my diet but after that it was fine. I phoned my diabetes midwife and she was really helpful and reassuring.

Hope you feel better soon x