How long for gestational diabetes to go away?

CDiesel

For those of you who have had gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies, how long after birth was it before your sugar levels were fine?  (This is, of course, assuming it went away.)  The doctors seem pretty certain that mine will go away after delivery since I'm fully diet controlled and almost always have good numbers...just looking for what to expect after delivery so I know when I would be able to assume that I have type 2 as opposed to GD.

Thanks! 

chatty6176

They said my sugars were fine right after birth.  the checked them while in the hospital.  I was also just diet controlled.  3 years later when I got pregnant again they did my a1c at my first appt. and it was completely normal. Praying it's the same this time.

AMcLaws

Mine went back to normal immediately after birth. Was fortunate not to have GD this time around

KutiePebbles

mine went back to normal within a few days after the birth of my son.  it took a few days because I went into pre-term labor and was given a few different IV's and a steriod shot to boost my sons lungs. steriods tend raise b/s levels so it took 2 days for it to come back to normal range.  

CDiesel

Thanks ladies!!  Such a relief to hear stories of success!

kerbear135

Lurker here...with DD, I had bad (insulin controlled, diagnosed at 6 weeks) GD..it took a couple of days, but I monitored my sugars 1 week from the day we were discharged and they were fine, so even if you have a severe case, it shouldn't take long to get back to normal.

angelsnight

I was on insulin and my dosage was increased almost every appt, so by the end I was on quite a bit, so they were worried I could actually be an overt diabetic.  I'm only 4 months PP but I honestly can't remember how my sugars were in the hospital after birth.  I want to say they were good, but they also had me on my diet still and half of my dosage of insulin.

Once home, I only half assed my insulin (I could barely get time to eat/remember to eat with a newborn so insulin wasn't happening often) and blood sugar testing, but when I did test my numbers were good, even after a super carb-y meal.  I took the official 2 hour glucola at my 6 week PP appt and my numbers were great, no more GD.  So even bad cases can go away eventually.

runnergirl4

I was diet controlled but mine went away right after delivery - well - c-section.  I was tested again at 16 weeks with my current pregnancy and I do not have GD again, thankfully!  Hopefully yours will go away just as quickly as mine and as it sounds like, most others too!

acutypie

Mine went away immediately after delivery and I had a premie baby. The doctor told me to eat what i was craving since i hadn't eaten all day, so my brother went out and got me a burger and shake. I was tested afterwards and passed with flying colors. Unfortunately, I have GD this time as well, but not nearly as bad as the first time.

actres

I had GD my first pregnancy and took the glucose test at my 6 week post c-section appointment and passed. I am pregnant again and took the glucose test at 12 weeks and failed it again so I am DX with GD for this pregnancy as well. I was diet controlled last time and have been fine with my numbers so far this time. They also checked my A1C at the 12 week appointment and it came back normal at 5.2 so hopefully after this little one comes everything will also return to normal.

lizzyrae78

#Kerbear135 can you tell me more about your diagnosis with GD at six weeks? I was diagnosed with diabetes also at 5 to 6 weeks and honestly they're not sure what type of diabetes I have? They think it's probably type one, and they said it could not be gestational diabetes because it was so early on in the pregnancy ? But your case sounds interesting can you tell me more?

BabyTonkin

@lizzyrae78‌ I was diagnosed at 5-6 weeks also. (Now 9 weeks) they haven't said anything about it not being GD however I had insulin resistance years ago which I diet controlled and it went away. I see the dietician Wednesday and have been testing for a week. After meals I am usually a 5.4-6.5 reading. Hopefully they keep it was diet controlled. Hope they sort it out for you.

KnitPixy

@lizzyrae78 Usually if someone has undiagnosed diabetes going in to pregnancy versus developing GD during pregnancy it is type 2. 

It's easier for type 2 to go undiagnosed for longer than type 1 just becuase your body is still producing insulin, just not using it effectively.  With type 1 the symptoms are usually pretty bad prior to diagnosis (of course that doesn't mean it doesn't go undiagnosed from time to time) as your immune system has killed off your beta (insulin producing cells) completely.

Being diagnoses with diabetes early in pregnancy doesn't always mean that it isn't GD but it usually indicates that you have some sort of pre-existing insulin resistance that could be exasperated by the placenta.  It could just mean that you are at a higher risk of developing type 2 later on in life.

greenwl

immediately

lizzyrae78

BabyTonkin said:

@lizzyrae78‌ I was diagnosed at 5-6 weeks also. (Now 9 weeks) they haven't said anything about it not being GD however I had insulin resistance years ago which I diet controlled and it went away. I see the dietician Wednesday and have been testing for a week. After meals I am usually a 5.4-6.5 reading. Hopefully they keep it was diet controlled. Hope they sort it out for you.

Thanks ladies for the reply. Getting the diagnosis of diabetes has left a bit of a shadow over my happiness on becoming pregnant after trying for about eight months. I'm 36 years old so it really felt like a blessing to be able to have this baby. My hopes that this is some sort of exasperated gestational diabetes, or a type 2 scenario but if it ends up being type 1, I know there was nothing I could do to cause it or prevent it from coming. I have to say I wish I could just feel "normal" and just be enjoying the ups and downs of Pregnancy rather than pregnancy with The anxiety of a new diagnosis of diabetes and insulin therapy. Right now I keep getting lower doses of insulin based on my carb ratio,but maybe it's what they talk about as the honeymoon period. After an initial diabetes diagnosis?

KnitPixy

@lizzyrae78 The whole "honeymoon" period is usually linked to type 1 diabetes.  There is a lot of debate in the medical community if it actually exists or not. 

I do know that for me, there was a point pretty early on in pregnancy where my insulin needs did drop for while.  My endo says it has something to do with the fetus starting to produce their own insulin etc.  As the pregnancy has gone on though the placenta is interferring more and more with how my body absorbs insulin and my needs have gone up and up.

It is frustrating, my doctors are actually talking about putting me on a stress leave from work for a bit to try and take something off my plate, but it is managable.  Take it one day at a time and if you ever need to talk feel free to PM me

lizzyrae78

Hi ladies. I am not sure how to add your names here with the at symbol is it manual?

Current on about 1.5 units humalog bfast. Usually eat about 15 carbs oatmeal and cottage cheese

1 unit at lunch. Usually have about 50 carbs

2 unit for dinner. Usually have about 50 carbs

No insulin on my three in between meals snacks /bedtime snack

Then

21 units lantus at bed time

Been waking up with low bs. 58-60's

Then sometimes after meals bs don't rise. Had a burrito bowl from Chipotle at lunch. About 60 carbs. Took my usual one unit of Humalog, and my blood sugar before lunch was 87 it rose to 89 one hour after lunch? Still hungry too.

This whole thing is really frustrating