Diagnosed with gestational diabetes--a few questions

[hillarywhitney]

At my last appointment (around 16ish weeks) the nurse tested my urine and said sugar was showing up. So they sent me for a 2 hour gestational diabetes test. And I didn't pass (all 3 tests were elevated--fasting, 1 hour and 2 hour). I was not all that surprised because my mom has diabetes (so I'm pre-disposed). 

I've been struggling some with finding this information out. I feel somewhat guilty (I should have lost more weight before we ttc) and a scared of what could happen. I'm watching my diet and testing my sugars 4 times a day. I'm hoping to avoid medication. 

I have a few questions for those of you who also have gestational diabetes. 

1. What do you typically eat during the day? 
2. Any snack suggestions? 
3. What do you eat when you want something sweet? 
4. My morning readings are a little high (dr. wants them 90 or below and mine are mid 90's to 102 so far). What were your first week's readings like? Is it normal for them to fluctuate more in the beginning? I will of course talk to my dr. about this when I see her next week. 

Any input/advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[mrsnole]

First off, hugs to you! It is hard to hear that diagnosis... I had it with DD. Know that it is nothing that you did or didn't do, so don't feel guilty, blame it on that darn placenta! =P

1. I don't remember exactly what I ate day to day sorry!  But I do know it was a challenge and took a lot of planning.
2. Apple with peanut butter was delish.
3. I remember eating a couple of hershey kisses to try and satisfy the sweet tooth.
4. It is definitely normal to fluctuate at first. Plus it will take time to figure out what exact snacks before bed will help with your morning numbers. I actually had to start taking glyburide towards the end of my pregnancy to help with my morning numbers.

A good resource that I found when I was researching about GD this pregnancy was this babycenter group. There is a lot of great tips on there that I wish I had found during my first pregnancy!

[robyn]

I don't have answers to your questions, but my doctor's office required me to do the 1 hour test in the first trimester because I have a higher than average BMI. I failed it and have the 3 hour tomorrow. Therefore, I have been doing a ton of research in case I don't pass tomorrow. I've found a lot of helpful threads on MMM just by putting Gestational Diabetes in the search bar on that board. I've also done some reading on this board, which seems to have a ton of useful information: community.babycenter.com/groups/a6715863/gestational_diabetes_mamas. If you're a Pinterest user, I've done some searches there just under gestational diabetes diet and found quite a few things as well.

A good friend of mine had GD with all three of her kiddos and all three were born healthy and easily with no problems. You'll do great!

[hillarywhitney]

Thank you mrsnole. Logically I know it's not my fault, but it was my initial reaction to feel bad/guilty. I really appreciate the reminder that I shouldn't blame myself.

And thank you for the tips. I've been working on a meal plan. I'm definitely going to have to be more organized with food. I was really frustrated today trying to figure out lunch. All I wanted was frosted flakes!

I will definitely check out that group.

[hillarywhitney]

Thanks for the links/tips robyn.

Hopefully your test goes well tomorrow.

[mrsnole]

Also hillarywhitney make sure you keep a detailed food journal. It will help you to figure out what foods help to lower your sugars and which foods you should avoid.

[hillarywhitney]

Feb 21, 2014 16:24:37 GMT -5 mrsnole said:

Also hillarywhitney make sure you keep a detailed food journal. It will help you to figure out what foods help to lower your sugars and which foods you should avoid.

My dr. is having me record my meals. So far, salads seem to be the best thing for getting low sugars. 

[catsarecute]

I don't have any advice but I wanted to say try not to feel guilty-especially about your weight. I know two people who were normal weight and very healthy people who had GD-one even required meds to keep it under control. The body does weird things during pregnancy and it isn't your fault. I hope you find it easy to manage!

[hillarywhitney]

Feb 21, 2014 16:29:51 GMT -5 catsarecute said:

I don't have any advice but I wanted to say try not to feel guilty-especially about your weight. I know two people who were normal weight and very healthy people who had GD-one even required meds to keep it under control. The body does weird things during pregnancy and it isn't your fault. I hope you find it easy to manage!

Thank you. 

[mamaree]

I was just diagnosed last week and met with the nutritionist on Wednesday

1. What do you typically eat during the day? Breakfast was an english muffin with PB on it and a glass of milk
2. Any snack suggestions? cubed cheese, yogurt and fruit, fruit and cheese
3. What do you eat when you want something sweet? greek yogurt with fruit or a couple of dark chocolate chips
4. What were your first week's readings like? Mine have both been above my target of 90 (97 and 99). The GD board on BC suggest a small portion of full fat ice cream before bed as a snack--they have all said that has helped their sugars come down for fasting. Not sure if I'm brave enough to try that yet.


Read more: pandce.proboards.com/thread/293111/diagnosed-gestational-diabetes#ixzz2u044mZZb

[statlerwaldorf]

I don't have any advice, but I was recently diagnosed as well. Don't feel guilty. Plus it's my understanding that controlled gestational diabetes isn't really a big deal, so getting diagnosed early is a really good thing. It's mostly when it goes undiagnosed and uncontrolled that the risks are so bad.

[chicago]

Feb 21, 2014 15:56:28 GMT -5 hillarywhitney said:

I was diagnosed with GD around 26 weeks IIRC.  It was devastating to me even though diabetes (both GD and type 2) runs in my family.  I am in much better health than my mom was and she made it through two pregnancies without getting diagnosed; I thought I'd be ok.  I have definitely had a roller coaster of a time, emotions, managing my numbers, figuring out what I can and can't tolerate but still trying to indulge my cravings, worrying about the implications for my future health, baby's health, my labor experience.  Feel free to pm me any time.  It's good to have some buddies around here.

1. What do you typically eat during the day? 
Here's what works for me - breakfast sandwiches (Jimmy Dean Dlites), oatmeal with nuts or breakfast sandwiches w half the bun from Starbucks (high in fat, but a good amt of protein - my numbers are best when I eat these), whole wheat bread or a whole grain English muffin with peanut butter.  I usually drink a tall, half decaf, skinny latte from Starbucks.  Those are my main go-tos.  On the weekends, sometimes I'll make sausage/bacon with two scrambled eggs and Nutrigrain waffles with a touch of sugar free syrup.  


2. Any snack suggestions? 

Again, these are just my main go-tos - clementines, cheese sticks, cheese and crackers, hard boiled eggs, peanut butter (sometimes just a spoonful or on a piece of whole wheat bread), Greek yogurt, Fiber One protein bars, other fruit, skim milk.  The hardest part for me is pairing the protein because you need a certain amt to go with the carbs and sometimes my protein options for snack feel more limited (cheese, egg, pb, wash, rinse, repeat).


3. What do you eat when you want something sweet? 

Fiber One protein bars are delicious, as are the Jello sugar free pudding cups with a little bit of lite cool whip.  Fruit.  Depending on what else I've eaten with my meal, I've been able to enjoy a piece of cake at my showers or a cookie here and there - the difference is it's one cookie, not the bunches I would have eaten earlier on in my pregnancy.  


4. My morning readings are a little high (dr. wants them 90 or below and mine are mid 90's to 102 so far). What were your first week's readings like? Is it normal for them to fluctuate more in the beginning? I will of course talk to my dr. about this when I see her next week. 

My fasting numbers have never been an issue.  My numbers the first week were so good overall that I wasn't convinced I had GD.  Then, about a week in, they started creeping up after lunch and dinner.  I was determined to stay diet/exercise controlled but by the time I hit my early 30 weeks, it was so much harder.  I couldn't keep a lot of my numbers down without eating a salad, but doing so left me super hungry and I had ketones in my urine in the morning.  Three weeks ago I started taking the lowest does of Glyburide once a day and it has helped amazingly.  Just know that your hormones will surge during certain weeks and things may not be so in your control.  It's hard to know that you're following the diet, counting your carbs, and there's nothing you can do because your placenta is just an asshole and has a plan of its own.  


Some things that don't work for me - flour tortillas, full fat ice cream, pizza (unless it's suuuuuuuper thin crust and I have like one piece which is no fun).  I keep joking that once I have the baby I am going to gain all the weight since I can go back to eating anything (well, fingers crossed).  I never craved sweets and fast food this much before I got pregnant, but the early days of pregnancy were such a gluttony fest.  It's hard to restrict myself sometimes or watch H eat certain things or have to follow such a strict schedule of when to eat, test, etc.  it's a lifestyle change for sure, but you will get through it!

[starlily]

I had it last time. I was tested early this tone and am in the clear so far, but still try to apply some of the diet's principles.

1. I was given a breakdown of 20g carbs for breakfast, 60g each for lunch & dinner, and 20g for three snacks per day. I also had to eat at 3 hour intervals, including right before bed. A typical day was:
- 2 eggs, 1 slice toast
- raw veggies, a bit of regular ranch dip, and some almonds
- salad with protein; an apple or citrus fruit
- tuna salad on whole wheat crackers
- 6 oz. protein with 2 servings of veg, or 1 veg and 1 carb serving (15g) worth of a starch; berries
- flavored greek yogurt

You basically want a balance of protein, fat, and carb every time you eat. I was lucky in that as long as I stayed within my carb allowances, I didn't have to give up rice, bread, or pasta entirely.

Pizza and anything fried were totally a no-go for me.

2. Snacks: cheese, nuts, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, veggies with dip, protein bars (must check label carefully!), hard boiled eggs, glass of milk, etc.

3. Fruit at lunch or dinner, or ricotta cheese mixed with vanilla extract & Splenda as a "dessert." Sugar-free jello was also a "free" food

4. My morning numbers the first week were between 95-100, so my OB put me on metformin. They were fine after that.

[disappointedkittens]

1. What do you typically eat during the day?
My normal day was hard boiled egg and applesauce for breakfast, apple and a few babybels for morning snack, orange and low sugar greek yogurt for afternoon snack and popcorn for evening snack. Lunches and dinners varied but I found lots of yummy options. I just made sure to have lots of meat and veggies each night and tried to make extra for lunch the next day. Soup was also easy and I'd add bread or a bun to up the carbs
2. Any snack suggestions? Things listed above, and I always brought a bag of raw veggies to work and turkey pepperoni to eat throughout the day if I was snacky
3. What do you eat when you want something sweet? I would buy Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt and caramel bars. One square was 5 carbs so I could sneak them in for dessert or when I really needed something
4. My morning readings are a little high (dr. wants them 90 or below and mine are mid 90's to 102 so far). What were your first week's readings like? Is it normal for them to fluctuate more in the beginning? I will of course talk to my dr. about this when I see her next week.
My fasting numbers were a bit high throughout, but gradually came down by the end. Good luck with your numbers and try not to stress!

Hope things go well with you, I was SO stressed when I found out I had GD but it worked out fine. I had a very healthy baby and I'm down 25 pounds from my pre pregnancy weight and I think I made some positive changes to my eating habits Feel free to pm me if you ever need to talk

[hillarywhitney]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I really appreciate it.

My fasting number was good today. Yay!

[pinotgrig]

robyn

[robyn]

Feb 27, 2014 10:49:01 GMT -5 pinotgrig said:

robyn

Thanks Pinotgrig! I've got this one bookmarked!