Gestational diabetes

Nicolecie

Hi all! I was just diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have no idea what I should be eating... Those who have or have had it, what do you recommend for meals & snacks?? I work full-time so I need things that are quick, easy and pack well. Thanks!!

Belovedvirgo0209

Don't feel bad I was told I had it May 3rd and they schedule my appt with the counselor May 28th 

RJHarmon

30 carbs for breakfast (no milk no fruit)

15 carbs for snack

45-60 carbs for lunch

15 carbs for snack

45-60 carbs for dinner

15 carbs for snack

Make sure to have protein and carbs at each meal.  This is the general plan that I've used in all 3 of my pregnancies.  Your nutritionist will modify it for you when you see them.

kara222

I suggest heading over to babycenter.com - they have a group - "Gestational Diabetes Mamas" and everyone is SO support!  The leaders are amazing and answer almost every question.  I've been on the diet now for 7 weeks and still log on everyday to read through the posts because I learn so much!!  Good luck!

PrimRoseMama

You can ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist.

kara222

I would think your doctor would refer you to a nutritionist or endocrinologist to get started and figure out a meal plan or if you need to begin oral meds or insulin.

Nicolecie

What are the good carbs I should be eating?? I'm so confused..

Nicolecie

My dr is in the process of booking me with a specialist, I'm waiting for an appointment.

missmiss307

@Nicolecie, I'm also waiting to see a nutritionist (appointment is Tuesday). I have been using MyFitnessPal to at least ensure I am in the correct range for carb intake. I'm not sure yet what it's doing to my blood sugar, but I'm getting into the habit of eating the "right" things. The numbers listed by PP for total carbs per meal are generally good but may require some tweaking once you are tracking your blood sugar.

You can get lots of meal ideas from Pinterest or just by Googling. Think lots of fresh fruits and veggies + lean proteins, dairy (cheese and Greek yogurt are good snacks) and smaller servings of carbs you would normally eat (a single slice of toast or five crackers with cheese, etc.). Just do a little research, and you will find it's really not as overwhelming as it may seem at first, at least as far as the general diet. Good luck.

kara222

Good carbs: veggies (5g per serving), grains (whole wheat bread, pasta), fruits (serving size is small cuz they have so much sugar), beans, corn, potatoes fall under "grains" and not veggies for ppl with GD, milk (1% or fat free, serving size is 1 cup).

Free foods (you can eat unlimited usually) are proteins: eggs, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, meats.

Stay away from processes foods.

missmiss307

FYI, I'm not certain how potatoes affect my blood sugar because I'm not checking it yet (waiting for my doctor's appointment this week), but I know for sure that white potatoes don't fit in with the max carb intake I am "allowed" per meal. So those are one thing I've cut out completely, which is a little sad for me, because I have LOVED loaded baked potatoes this pregnancy!

I've also seen a number of people recommend a serving of ice cream (with some berries or a tablespoon of peanut butter) as the pre-bedtime snack. Breyer's natural vanilla is only 14g of carbs per half-cup serving.

vixey

Fruit: berries are the best.  Non-berry fruits (bananas, grapes, etc) have more carbs than berries

Veggies: limit corn and potatoes.  Other veggies are fine in any amount

Breads: you want whole grain/multigrain.  Stay away from white breads/pastas.  

A typical day for me:

breakfast: Chiobani greek yogurt (sometimes I'll have eggs instead)

snack: vanilla yogurt with fruit in it

lunch: turkey sandwich (on whole grain bread or a wrap), lettuce, cheese, mayo

snack: either wheat thins with laughing cow cheese wedge or celery with peanut butter

dinner: grilled chicken with either grilled veggies or frozen veggies

snack: cottage cheese

I also have to monitor my ketones.  If I don't have a glass of milk around 3-4am, my ketones are really high in the mornings.  The milk has been the only things to make a difference.  I tried all kinds of different bedtime snacks and have been unable to get my fasting number below 90.  So now I have to have one insulin injection with dinner.  I was freaked out at first, but the insulin injection doesn't hurt at all.  Pricking my fingers 4x a day is way worse.

Keep in mind the more your pregnancy progresses, the more difficult it can be to control your numbers.  One week I'll be fine eating something, and the next week it won't work anymore.

Good luck!

missmiss307

@vixey Not to threadjack, but can you tell me a little bit about ketones? I'm waiting to talk with my doctor this week about my GD diagnosis, but I've experience pretty rapid weight loss since starting the GD diet (according to my home scale, about 10 pounds since my appointment on 4/29 ... I was overweight pre-pregnancy and had gained about 15 pounds total on 4/29, up about 5 pounds for the pregnancy now). Somebody on another board mentioned that it might be related to ketones, but I don't know what that means. I'm meeting with a nutritionist Tuesday and my doctor on Thursday, but I'm trying to do as much research as I can because my doctor has offered very little support beyond offering meds at this point.

Mally2011

Gestational diabetes is a condition that needs to be handled appropriately. Asking a message board for menu or recipe ideas is a great resource, but questions about ketones and other specific issues need to be directed towards your doctor.

missmiss307

Mally2011 said:

Gestational diabetes is a condition that needs to be handled appropriately. Asking a message board for menu or recipe ideas is a great resource, but questions about ketones and other specific issues need to be directed towards your doctor.

Did you miss the multiple times I said I am meeting with multiple health professionals in the next week? I am not depending on an internet message board for medical advice, just asking for information.

Mally2011

Well my point was that information provided here may not be accurate. I appreciate the name calling, though! 

missmiss307

Mally2011 said:

Well my point was that information provided here may not be accurate. I appreciate the name calling, though! 

Yeah, legitimately sorry for the name calling. I realized it was unnecessary and had actually edited it out before your post popped up.

Mally2011

Don't worry about it, we have bigger fish to fry what with upcoming babies and all 

missmiss307

Mally2011 said:

Don't worry about it, we have bigger fish to fry what with upcoming babies and all 

No kidding! I've got a toddler, too, so this is a hectic time in life! And I do appreciate your sentiment above and realize that some women probably think they can manage a serious medical condition by playing on Pinterest and reading TB and BC. I've had a pretty frustrating experience so far with GD and my doctor, and I have had to do a lot of my own research, seek out a nutritionist on my own, etc. This Thursday is the first time I will even get to talk with my OB about the diagnosis. It's all been talking to the nurse in her office to this point, and I've been given no instructions on testing sugars or changing my diet. Hoping this week will help clarify some things!

vixey

@missmiss307 This is what my endocrinologist has me doing.  You'll want to talk with yours so you know what you should be doing.

To monitor my ketones, I test FMU with OTC strips.  The strips tell me where my ketones fall on a scale from negative to large.  If ketones are large, then baby isn't getting enough nutrition.  So it's a constant balancing act - eating enough carbs to give baby nutrition and energy, but not eating so many that my numbers are high.

I've found that if I don't have a snack or milk in the middle of the night, my ketones are large.  Milk has worked best at keeping them in the negative to small range.

missmiss307

@vixey Thanks for the info. That helps me know what to ask my OB this week. She has been pushing meds heavily even though my numbers weren't incredibly high, so I may have to request a referral to an endocrinologist if she doesn't offer it.

missmiss307

Thanks again for the info, @vixey. I actually met with my nutritionist today, and she said, based on the amount of carbs I've been eating daily, she doesn't think ketones are a problem, but that I do need to increase carbs slightly and increase calories by about 500/day. She said she doesn't think I will need a referral to an endocrinologist at this time. I'm still having a conversation with my OB about everything on Thursday, too.