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.

[burmesegrumbler]

Oh I hope so Crapweasel, I would just love to be in labour before my next chat about induction - it would save so much stress!
Hi Negril the other ladies are better placed than me to advise on breakfast as my highest breakfast reading ever was 8.1 after fruit, yoghurt, smoothie and toast (no insulin)....but having said that, I have defo found the vogel soya and linseed bread seems to give lower readings than others (you would be surprised just how many manufacturers actually add sugar to their bread, even wholesome looking brown bread). Maybe try one slice and see how you go before you try for two.
I also found my high readings seemed to be associated with milk and yoghurt, so have switched to goat, sheep and soya milk products- lower in natural sugars than cows milk and can now happily have tea and coffee in the morning along with my toast.
An alternative to bacon and eggs if you want something fresher is mild goats cheese with oat cakes (make sure they have no added sugar!) with sliced tomatoes and cucumber - very summery!
I also find a handful of nuts helps to make me feel fuller....plus the odd oat cake through the day keeps me going until mealtimes....
Little and often is defo best generally and especially so with GD.
I have also been sprinkling a little ground cinnamon in hot drinks, on toast in most my meals, as I was told it's a natural way to reduce blood sugar (not sure if this is true....but I guess is makes sense that the spice is often combined with very sweet things like tagines, puddings etc), I wonder if it's worth experimenting with yourselves?

Hope some of that is useful!

Ruby, I have bought some clary sage oil as it has been recommended to me for help with contractions during labour - but I don't know how I am supposed to use it. You seem to know your way around the aromatherapy stuff, can you advise how I should use it - I was thinking a few drops on a hot flannel than putting it over my face and breathing deeply???? Also I keep reading arnica is great for recovering from labour - again, how should I use it???

[RubyReins]

Hi there.

Of course pineapple has sugar in it... the wheel's turning but the hamster is dead. Curry it is then!

Weirdly I'm ok with most carbs. I now have ketones present so apparently I'm burning fat now which is not good. I've been told to eat more toast. I'm very puzzled as to what I should be eating/avoiding. All I know is that my levels are all within target and no one seems too bothered by it.

burmesegrumbler - I am very into aromatherapy but I'm only a keen amateur so take what I am about to say with a pinch of salt!

Clary sage oil is the labour oil and you can put a couple of drops on a handkerchief and inhale it but it is also great blended with other "labour" oils to make a massage oil - great for your back, tummy and feet.

A blend I am making is:
10 drops jasmine
5 drops clary sage
5 drops rose otto oil
25 ml apricot kernel oil (base oil)

This is my "bring labour on and keep it coming" oil. I plan on using it from when I want labour start and not before. It's meant to be good for expelling the placenta too.

Oils that are good for labour are: lavender (great all rounder - have a bath with it after the birth and add a drop to maternity pads to soothe sore bits), frankincense, neroli, geranium, ylang ylang, Roman chamomile, jasmine and rose. They all smell wonderful and blend well with clary sage which doesn't smell quite as lovely! Neroli and jasmine are very expensive - pure oil is about £20 for a tiny bottle - but you can buy diluted versions (5% oil blended with jojoba) for a couple of quid. I've found the pure stuff for a tenner a bottle online and it's fine. You can buy labour blends premixed too - oils4u.co.uk have some.

The most important thing is that you like the fragrance. So, you can use the base oil with the clary sage and add any others that you like. Most of the oils above have calming properties.

Frankincense and neroli have been used in place of gas and air - you add a few drops to a hanky and breathe deeply - but I am not sure how effective it might be! Worth a shot perhaps.

Five drops of lavender blended with eight of geranium and a few tablespoons of a base oil (e.g apricot kernel, almond etc) makes a great perinium massage oil. Maybe not your thing but I've heard good reports. Use from 3 weeks before EDD. You can add a couple of drops of fennel 1 week beforehand. Stretches the perinium and may assist in softening the cervix.

Arnica is a homeopathic remedy which is wonderful for bruising. I have tablets and cream in my first aid kit. I haven't taken any tablets yet as I need to check safety etc first. My mum used to take it as a tablet before surgery (this was a while ago and her doctors thought she was mad) and she felt it helped - she had a lot of abdominal surgery at one time. Another cream that you might consider is hypercal - a blend of hypericum and calendula - it is remarkable for cuts but is very gentle so I have some put aside for any tears. Nelsons do a good version of both arnica and hypercal creams at Boots and they are pretty cheap.

A massage oil with lavender and chamomile is great for after the birth and can be used on babies too but I'm not sure that I would use oils on a baby without running it past an expert first.

Neal's Yard do a base oil with arnica in it which might be worth investigating for achy post birth bodies.

Can you tell I'm into this stuff ?! My friends don't shout "burn the witch!" when I start on this for nothing. Some of them laughed at my homemade cough syrup but I have repeat orders from them all so I've done something right! I have cauldrons of all sorts on the go for Xmas gifts. I'm planning on making my own baby creams but I reckon I might be too knackered.

Hope that helps but as I said, I'm just a keen amateur!

[ChocolateCalculator]

Wow it's been busy on here today ladies!

Negrilbaby- I would second the advice about soya and linseed bread, pitta is also a no-go for me. I have a slice of that, about 3tbsps of Greek yoghurt with a sprinkling of granola (probably about 1tsp). This works for me, but I am getting pretty bored of it now!

I had my midwife appointment today, it didn't go brilliantly unfortunately as I'm measuring small for my dates (20 weeks rather than 24) and given my history of low birth weight (DS was 4lbs 6 ozs) they are now worried about the baby.

I'm booked in for growth scans every 4 weeks and have to keep a close eye on the movements. Ifthe baby hasn't caught up in 4 weeks time then I will be back under consultant care. I'm pleased that they've picked up on a problem that went under the radar last time, so I can be monitored properly and they can get the baby out if it's struggling, but even so it's fairly worrying. On the plus side she was pleased with
my sugars!

hoping to hear lots of lovely labour stories from all of you soon. I'm going to be on my own on here in a couple of weeks!

[burmesegrumbler]

Thanks Ruby, very useful indeed!

Hey Chocolate were your measurements fundal height or from a scan? I was told at 24 weeks I was measuring small (based on fundal height) then at 34 weeks was told I was measuring large (based on fundal height) - which turned out to be constipation, but was the trigger for the GTT.....all scans have shown normal size, slightly smaller than the centre curve (I am 5'3" and a size 8 so no surprises there). Good to get checked out though. Hope it all goes Ok.

Just found out my sister in law is now pregnant! After two early miscarriages and a full term still birth last autumn, I am so happy for her today!

[ChocolateCalculator]

It was based on fundal height (19cms), but to be honest I'm not sure I trust scans a whole lot more, the one I had with DS five days before he was born, overestimated his weight by nearly 30%! It's not really a surprise I'm measuring small, I barely look pregnant, like last time, and I've only put on 4lbs since I got pregnant, and I was at the lower end of normal weight when I got pregnant. I'm focussing on the positive now of the fact that I will be properly monitored, unlike last time, but it's hard not to worry.

[mrsPmumof4]

hello ladies
i have just had a brief glimpse through your thread and wondered whether or not anyone could offer and advice please
i had a gtt done yesterday...my starting results were 4.9 and then after 2 hours (doing nothing) it was 3.3
noone has actually explained what this means, they mentioned that a new consultant might want to talk to me...but other than that nothing!!
now im left wondering what the results mean, anyone any ideas????

[ChocolateCalculator]

mrsPmumof4- I wouldn't want to try and even hazard a guess as to what the results actually mean, that's definitely one for a consultant. To try and put them into some context though, the readings were your blood sugar levels. The first one, your fasting level, looks pretty much what I understand a non-diabetic reading might look like. Consuming a gluscose drink would obviously raise your blood sugar level, but after two hours a non-diabetic would be expected to have produced enough insulin to bring their blood sugar levels back down again. Those of us with GD (or any other kind of diabetes!) would still have raised levels after two hours.

Your levels had clearly fallen. 3.3 is low, but as to whether or not this is a problem will depend on lots of different factors and in particular how you felt with blood sugars this low. I get readings in the 3's from time to time (not after a sugary drink though!) and the midwife has always said that as long as I feel fine and its only occasional it's fine. Others would feel very unwell with blood sugars at this level.

Definitely one for the consultant! Good luck.

[Crapweasel]

MrsP I would agree with Chocolate.

Your starting level was "normal" but 3.3 is a low reading and probably not what would be expected 2 hours after a sugary drink even in a non-diabetic patient.

I would also agree that how you feel with a reading under 4 is very subjective but once you get near to 3 people can begin to feel woozy.

As to what it means in terms of any kind of diagnosis, sorry I don't know. Please try not to worry, however. If you've read this thread you'll have seen how random some of our readings have been and I really wouldn't be concerned over one isolated number.

I'd suggest that you are definitely not diabetic though (which is good )

Good luck and pop back and let us know how you get on.

[burmesegrumbler]

Hey Chocolate,

The fundal height measurements are just silly, but they do make you panic. I also agree the estimated weight seems to be a shot in the dark, no one I know had a baby anywhere near the predicted weight, but the head circumference, thigh bone length and abdominal circumference are usually very accurate, so as long as your scan shows those dimensions are good, I wouldn't worry too much if you can help it given your previous experience. Both my sister and I were small babies, I was just 5"4oz at full term, some people have large babies, some people have small babies, but it's good you are being monitored this time so that you can feel more at ease through the pregnancy.
It's tricky eating well on the GD diet, especially if you are not the type to fancy bacon and eggs for breakfast and cheese snacks all day long. Perhaps your diabetic consultant/nurse could give you some extra advice on protein rich low GI foods and perhaps some carbs that work for you - I have found brown basmati rice is great (I cook up a big pot when I am having rice for dinner and add the left overs in my stir fries and salads for the next couple of days). Also chick peas and lentils seem to be a great for me, no sugar hit. Both very tasty in salads and curries and very nutritious!

Welcome Mrs P, 3.3 after a full 2 hour GTT is very low, it's readings over 7.8 that indicate gestational diabetes/ glucose intolerance maybe present, so can't offer you any advice as the WHO and NICE guidelines I have read only discuss readings over 7.8 after the GTT, not under. Let us know how you get on when you see the consultant! I'm intrigued!

[ChocolateCalculator]

Burmese, fortunately i am the type to snack on cheese all day long, and I get through nuts like you wouldn't believe! Not too keen on bacon and eggs though...

I've added up what I'm eating and I'm eating well over 2000 calories on an average day, but I'm making a concious effort to keep eating, hopefully that will help.

I agree that the fundal height thing is no better measurement than anything else and if it wasn't for my previous history I wouldn't be bothered. I just have a feeling though that something isn't quite right...

No sign of labour for anyone yet then?

[negrilbaby]

Have taken some of the advice offered - including measuring out the granola. Haven't gone down to 35g yet - it looked such a tiny portion - but have kept it at 50g. A huge reduction!!
I am spending a lot of time at the moment dreaming of things to eat post birth. Have been giving DH a list already (6 or 7 weeks to go). Top is a pain au raisin from Pauls bakery to much on for breakfast - can't wait.

[mrsPmumof4]

thanks ladies....not heard back from the hospital..so i am assuming im 'normal' whatever that might be
i just wish they would explain themselves instead of saying it may or may not need further investigation!!!!!!!!
wish id never had the bloomin test now!!!
if i ever get any more info on what it means i will post back
thanks for taking the time to reply to me
good luck with all your pregnancies xx

[RubyReins]

Evening,

Hope the heat isn't getting to you all! My ankles have swollen up a treat today

I'm having a very odd day of readings - 2.8 in morning and 2.6 before lunch . I haven't done anything differently at all, same breakfast, same activity etc. It's 5.5 now and I've just eaten. Managing blood sugar levels is a dark art indeed. I'll bring it up at my appointment on Monday but levels in the twos are surely a bit low? I've felt fine, bit on the warm side but no shakes or anything. All very peculiar! Hopefully I'll be reassured.

Any of you guys had very low readings?

Hope you're all hanging in there!

[ChocolateCalculator]

I've never had readings inthe twos, I think the lowest I've had is a 3.3. Definitely mention it next week and if you feel bad at all over the weekend, do an extra test or two.

Hope you feel ok.

[Crapweasel]

Hello, posted a long message on Friday night then it crashed and I've only just got back online properly (old spare room-study is now well on its way to being nursery-study. Lots of shouting and bad temper in the Crapweasel house, don't recommend mixing hot attics, dust, furniture removal and 38 week pregnant ladies!)

Went into town on Friday and splurged on lots of cooling/pampering bits (Clarins leg gel is brilliant but V expensive ) as well as additional stocks of Raspberry Leaf and some Clary Sage.

Chocolate, sorry to hear that you are having to have extra scans but I'm pleased that they are taking you more seriously this time. Was there any speculation as to why your DS was so small at the time? Placenta/cord looked OK?

Ruby, I've had a few readings in the 2s. I think it's more common when you're medicating so definitely mention it this week. I've certainly known my were going to be low IYSWIM and have had to eat my way out of them quite urgently.

Will be an odd week for us. Funeral of DH's best friend from school tomorrow followed by scan/sweep and possible induction/birth by the end of the week.

Burmese, you still there?

Hope all are OK and not melted yet.

[ChocolateCalculator]

Crapweasal, glad to hear you're on the homestraight now, make sure you keep us updated. Sorry you've got such a difficult time before that though. Have you decided on your celebratory non-GD meal? I can keep myself occupied for hours fantasising about what I will have when I come home, last time I went for pizza and champagne, thinking about ringing the changes with fish and chips this time, keeping the champagne of course! Last time DH bought me a creme egg in the hospital and it was heaven...

No idea why DS was so small, the placenta wasn't in a good way and the cord looked more like string than the pictures I have seen of others, so that was obviously the route of the problem. Nobody ever suggested trying to find out why at the time and it didn't occur to me to push for tests. The funny thing now is all the medical staff keep asking me why DS was so small, despite having my notes there, including the diabetic midwife who coincidentally delivered DS, but doesn't remember me at all.

Hope you ladies aren't suffering too much in the heat, I'm glad this weekend I'm only 25 weeks!

[burmesegrumbler]

Hey Ladies,

I am still here, how bloody long does this 'early labour' last then??? I have had backache cramps and loads of BH since Saturday! It seems no amount of walking (walked 2 hours on Sat and 4 hours on Sun) pineapple, raspberry leaf tea or curry speeds things up!!! Any tips?

Midwife says she will check me out tomorrow to see if I am 'ripe' enough for a sweep, otherwise the hospital have agreed to leave me alone for my home birth until a routine induction date of term plus 12 (next Wednesday).

I am only monitoring blood glucose in the mornings now, the hospital seem to have accepted that eating my usual food without high readings may mean I don't actually have diabetes, just had a bad day at 36 weeks when I took the GTT and am a bit slow to react to sugars in the morning, which is quite common in the late stages of pregnancy.

However, they have insisted that the baby is checked for it's blood sugar 3hrs and 6hrs after birth, which has annoyed me as the only reason I agreed to self monitor for the past month is because they told me they wouldn't need to check the baby if my sugars were under control, which they are, only three high readings (when I say high you will laugh - highest reading ever is 8.1) in four weeks.

I have agreed to allow them to monitor the baby as they have agreed to the home birth, despite me being 'high risk', as a person who probably doesn't have diabetes after all and whose baby is slightly on the small side of normal, no high blood pressure, not overweight, all blood and urine tests fine...........go figure!

Is grumpiness a sign of impending full on labour or just a symptom of impatience?

Hope you are all well and keeping cool in the heat!

xx

[RubyReins]

Argh! So last week's appointment went well, today's was appalling. "So we're inducing you at 38 weeks" said the fourth doctor I have seen in as many weeks. I again asked why and she said "because there's a risk of stillbirth". I told her that the risk is low and is more in keeping with type 1 and not GD. She stammered a bit and said that was true but she couldn't understand why I wouldn't consent. She smuggled a student in without asking my permission - she flippantly passed her off as the diabetes doctor . That came out when I asked about my low readings. "Oh she's a student" she said. I insisted on seeing someone about my blood readings which seemed to surprise her. At the diabetes clinic - surely not!

I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall. Every week it's the same and with the exception of the doctor last week no one listens.

Start on the scans etc next week. The good news is that baby is fine and I'm fine - my low readings are nothing to worry about either. Feeling very pissed off and pretty despondent about everything. Still, only a few more weeks to go.

Hope you guys are well and that things are ticking along well Burmese!

[burmesegrumbler]

Oh Ruby sorry you are still having problems at your hospital, such a merry go round!
Hopefully your scans will show the baby is not massive and they will lighten up on the induction talk, fingers crossed for you!
I am still grumpy, crampy, achey and getting lots of BH, but still no sign of proper labour (despite another 2 hour walk today), just this early labour stuff for days now........currently two days overdue, routine induction date is next Wednesday, really hoping this happens spontaneously before d day!
The clary sage oil mixed with my usual massage stuff really does seem to make the BH stronger - so I am applying four times a day to my lower back in the hope it will eventually cause the real contractions to kick in, still on the pineapple, spicy food and raspberry leaf tea, what else can I try that's safe?

[ChocolateCalculator]

Burmese, I'm afraid I have no advice on how to get things going as it all happened very quickly with my first labour. I can't believe you're still here though, having seen on another thread that you had a show. It does sound like it's close though. Glad that you had a sensible meeting with your consultant. I would accept the monitoring of the baby's blood sugars though, my sugars were in perfect control last time (no high readings after 28 weeks when I was diagnosed and even then my highest ever was a 9.0) and despite that DS's blood sugars plummeted after birth, although whether that was linked to my diabetes or his low birth weight i never thought to ask.

Ruby- sorry you had such a negative experience today. It sounds like you were treated appalingly, are you tempted to make a fuss and maybe see the last doctor again? It does seem like too many doctors dislike the inherent unpredictability of childbirth and want to control it just for the sake of it.

[burmesegrumbler]

Hey Choc, I know, I didn't expect to still be here either!
I had my show two weeks ago today! Good news is today is the first morning I have woken up with the feeling she is still engaged, up until now she seems to drop down during the day and pop back up over night, so perhaps we have some progress (though trying not to get too excited as I have already been convinced she was coming three times).
I guess it's true, they come when they are ready and nothing works if they are not (hence even sweeps and inductions fail).
I did buy a herbal remedy that is supposed to bring on labour, recommended in my local chemist, but I goggled it when I brought it home and decided to throw it away as there were lot's of links saying it was potentially dangerous as it can bring on full labour too quickly, I thought I may as well agree to the induction if I'm going to force her out with dodgy concoctions and as I had made such a big stink about that, it was hardly right to do the same thing with a different product!

[RubyReins]

Hi Burmese - was it black cohosh by any chance? It's got something of a dark reputation as do other remedies. I think you did the right thing trusting your instincts. Sorry it's taking so long - sending you lots of labour vibes!

I am seeing my community midwife today against my first consultant's advice... she's irrelevant apparently) and I will go through it all today with her. She managed to change who I saw last time so she might be able to do something. If not then I am just going to be a right PITA until someone listens to me. In my job I eat people like the doctor I saw yesterday for breakfast and I am not going to be bullied by their obsessive need to control everything. She honestly couldn't understand why I would want to avoid intervention and possible C section (75% rate for inductions at this hospital - I asked). It baffled her completely.

We'll see! The end is in sight at least.

Hope you guys are all well.

[burmesegrumbler]

Hey Ruby, it was cohosh - not sure which colour, glad I threw is away though!
Just had an examination by my fab MW, all looking good! Apparently I'm 50% effaced and 2cm dilated, I just need to keep doing my exercises to get the head as far down as possible to exert enough pressure for things to kick off in a big way. Woohoo!

I would defo speak with your MW about your concerns, if you read the Nice guidelines that they like to go on about, it is very debatable - does GD increase risk, or does the cascade of intervention used to reduce risk actually do more harm than good....it's very interesting reading if you have several hours to kill, if you do it bouncing on a birth ball you might put yourself into labour while you learn!

I got to see the senior consultant and the consultant MW when I had an antinatal appointment like yours that really upset me, maybe it's time you asked to speak with someone more senior about your choices?

Seems to me we all need to be sensible, if the baby is very large then it makes sense to be cautious to prevent a traumatic birth - but I guess in cases where the size is really an issue, wouldn't they be more sensible to suggest a CS, rather than induction? There is no induction in the world that shrinks a baby! I agree with Choc about the control thing, which induction allows - where you have the baby, easy monitoring your blood sugar and the babies afterwards, doctors on hand to use forceps/ventouse, drugs on hand to try and speed up labour so that the baby doesn't get distressed and have a hypo - if they just said that rather than go on and on about risk of still birth, we might be less defensive about our choices and more open to recommendations. The still birth thing is so unproven in real scientific research terms. The only clearly proven link to between GD and birth is that GD results in more CS which are more costly and ultimately more risky than VB, but perhaps if they didn't scare women about giant babies and still births, we might see a reduction in the CS rate for GD pregnancies.....?

I know I'm not a doctor and someone is bound to get onto this thread at some point saying 'don't you think the doctors know better than you' the point is in GD they simply don't know, there is no conclusive risk data from a good clinical trials (if there were we would be told about it in no uncertain terms rather than the foggy increased risk blah), so they go with a very cautious approach, rightly I'm sure in general, but doctors are not gods and we are all capable of reading scientific papers and drawing conclusions, thats all NICE have done.

Good luck Ruby!

Crapweasel I hope your week hasn't been too difficult and you are managing to stay positive despite everything else you are dealing with at the moment.

Gosh, I am fiesty today (which beats grumpy), maybe thats the sign for impending full blown labour.....

[ChocolateCalculator]

Well ladies, we made it to 100 posts before you all ran off and deserted me! I can't believe that there are no babies yet!

Ruby, good on you for arranging to go back to the community midwife, it sounds like the best bet for avoiding unhelpful doctors. I think I was lucky last time as no mention was ever made of induction, even when I saw the doctors at 37 weeks, my next appointment, which obviously I never got to go to was for 39 weeks, doctors don't seem that interested if your diet controlled. Induction has been mentioned this time in context of low birth weight, but I'm happy with that as it seems a valid reason and from what I've heard inductions if you've already given birth tend to go fairly well.

Sending lots of labour vibes to Burmese and crapweasal. I can't believe still no baby 2 weeks after a show, I only had to wait 6 hours!

[marmitesandwiches]

'Evening everyone! Can I join the GD discussion: My current new favourite topic ?

I'm 34 weeks and was diagnosed through a GTT result, after dodgy wee test, on Monday. Was quite surprised as am v slim, a runner, have no family history of diabetes and generally have quite a good low GI diet if you ignore the occasional almond croissant.

Have been monitoring blood sugar since and all readings except one breakfast (toast + peanut butter with milk in coffee obviously = evil combination) have been within range. I eat smallish meals and snack quite a lot on things like apples or oakcakes with homous and this seems to work well for GD.

Odd to see how the blood glucose target figures vary by health authority: I've been told below 5 before meals and below 7 after: Very strict compared to the tests for diabetes outside pregnancy. I agree that there seems quite a bit of confusion even among health professionals and not a huge amount of clinical evidence.

I have my first clinic appointment on Tuesday and have been told to be prepared for a long wait as they routinely overbook patients. I asked why that was and they said they're seeing a big increase in cases because they do more testing these days. Hhhmmm.

Am not expecting anyone to push insulin my way as I seem to be fine without it (and am still not convinced there's anything actually wrong with me ) - but found it really useful reading through this thread so I know what I can expect. I'm really shocked at the behaviour some of you have had to put up with . Bully tactics are not what you need when you're pregnant, managing work, other children and complicated diet plans - and I'm glad you're standing up to them. For those of you about to pop, I wish you the very best of luck and hope you get to manage things the way you want them to go.