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Hey there, just had my glucose testing done and was confirmed with having gestational diabetes! This is my third pregnancy and my other two were diabetes free! If anyone has some helpful tips or things they have found that work please share. I will meet with the dietician on Monday, but would like a some help before hand, to help ease my mind before then. So if anyone has any good food/snack ideas, or low-impact exercise they would be much appreciated! Thanks so much!!:grouphug2
I just finished a GD pregnancy. There are some good support groups on FB if you are on there at all. Just search gestational diabetes to find groups.
Here is what you will likely encounter - they'll tell you to limit and spread out your carbs through the day. Your recommendations may be different than mine but basically I was told to alternate meals and snacks, eating every 2-3 hours. Carbs, for me, were 30 - 15 - 45 - 30 - 45 - 30. That was breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, etc.
Walk, exercise some right after eating.
You'll be required to test your blood several times a day, possibly starting off with 6 times (before and after meals) then when they have the baseline set, you may drop down to 4 or fewer times a day. They'll say test fasting (when you first wake up) and then before eating and either 1 hour or 2 hours after eating. One hour tests how high the sugar spike goes. Two hours tests whether your body can come back to baseline with fewer problems.
If you can't stay within test limits, they SHOULD tweak diet and exercise first, then go for medicine - unless your numbers are just wildly crazy. If you do need medicine - you'll be offered either pills - gly-buride or metformin, or insulin. The insulin can be fast acting or slow acting. Some I knew had to do a little of both types of insulin.
Carbs are very fun to count. Many root veggies - carrots, potatoes, turnips, etc. are carbs. So are many squashes - pumpkin, butternut, acorn, etc. You'll want to match up a protein with a carb. Protein helps slow the absorption of the carb sugars.
Your dietician will provide you with handouts that detail all the carbs, what counts as sugars, what veggies are "free" and can be eaten at any time even if it is within your test period.
Remember that GD is an issue with your placenta and hormones interfering with insulin in the body. It won't necessarily mean you are now permanently diabetic or that you will become diabetic. Nor does going on meds reflect on you. It is something you have minimal control over. You may hear people say things like "But you can't have GD? You eat so healthy." Or "of course you got it, you eat all that junk." Or, "But you exercise daily? How can you get that?" Or they'll say "Just cut the sugar out (meaning cookies, soda, etc.) and you'll be fine" ignoring the fact that carbs turn in to sugars.
GD is equal opportunity. It hits marathon runners and obese people and skips others in the same categories.
I should clarify the 30-15-45 thing. That is grams of carbs per meal. 15 grams is approximately one serving of an item.
You also don't have to do totally without any snacks or sweets. Many people discovered that eating a full fat snack at night - like ice cream helped with fasting numbers in the morning. The fat helps slow down absorption too.
Keep a journal of your numbers and what you eat. That way if you have a spike that can be explained - I went to a bridal shower the other day and my numbers were high after the cake - they usually won't ding you for it. Doctors and dieticians tend to follow trends. If the same post meal number is high more than half the time or if more than half your weekly numbers are always a little over, that is when they'll want to tweak things. I had it over just about every major feast and candy holiday and they were cool with the spikes that came with Thanksgiving feast and Christmas candy.
I had GD with my last one ( he is now 19+ yrs old) and it was actually a great blessing. For me, I have a placenta problem that actually starves my babies, cutting off the food supply to them. My oldest, they didn't catch the problem in time and when he was born was very week and underweight and the placenta had actually died about 3 weeks before he was born. since the diabetes porks weight on to babies, it was a blessing with my last, because it porked the weight on to him so that he was a whopping 6 pounds when he was born. ( If i had not had the diabetes, I would have had a very sickly 2-3 pound baby) so therefore I believe it was a blessing from above. I followed exactly what the dietitian said to do. I know it is scary when you first get that diagnosis. Best of luck to you!
I was diagnosed in my second pregnancy years ago (he just turned 28). It was all fine, and he has always been fine. He was 9# 12oz, though.
I was put on a 2000 cal. diabetic diet, and I honestly had a hard time eating that much food! The only difference was, I laid off the snackie junk food, and only ate healthier....more fruits and vegs, more lean protein, less carby stuff. The dietician will help you a lot. I wasn't diagnosed until my 8th month, but still felt better and had less ankle swelling etc. (less salt, probably, in the form of potato chips---my worst craving)
I am almost 60, and am not diabetic (despite the warnings that this could come back as type 2 later in life), and DS is not diabetic. Dr. said I was probably diabetic in my first pg also, but it was missed. He was also 9+ pounds. Don't worry too much, it should all be fine if you follow the dietary advice and maybe go walking short distances when you can.