The Atkins drinks and bars are pretty good. Expensive but, good. Very few carbs in the drinks about 2. I pair them with many snacks so I can feel more full. They have a good amount of protein.
I saw my new doctor today. (Couldn't see my friend/family doc anymore since it's a risk for their clinic liability whatever to have a GD patient.) omg. I don't like the new doctor at all, but it's wayyyy too much hassle to switch.
I explained to her that I think I failed because of my normally very healthy diet and the sudden downing of twice the amount of sugar I eat in an entire day (typically) in only 5 minutes....obviously I would fail because my pancreas isn't used to having to make that much insulin that quickly. She said my diet shouldn't have anything to do with blood sugar results. Then she proceeded to tell me horror stories about patients who still had issues on insulin shots.
Seriously?? So why should I bother checking my blood sugar (which has been very normal every day for 2 weeks, with absolutely no dietary changes)?? Why do they recommend seeing a dietitian if diet doesn't affect the blood sugar???
Then when I talked about wanting natural birth with no meds, she was all "oh, where were you planning to deliver with your other doctor?" When I said the hospital, she said "oh good, I was afraid you'd say a home birth."..........
It's gonna be a long 3 more months.
Here's hoping my blood sugar remains normal (which I see no reason why it shouldn't...), so I don't have to endure her horror stories anymore.
Joining you ladies. Was diagnosed today after the 1-hour test. I failed so spectacularly that they diagnosed with GD immediately. Not sure how I will get through the next 15 weeks. Apparently will get a call next week to discuss how to manage it. Would welcome any other diet resources anyone has!
@ArielleRene- your doctor is right, if your body didn't process the sugar correctly then that is why your diagnosed. Just listen to the docs and do what's right for baby. Checking your sugars isn't anyone a lot of effort.
@ArielleRene- your diet shouldn't have anything to do with the results of your glucose test. Your body can either process sugar correctly, or it can't. (At least that's what my OB told me because I also didn't eat much sugar/carbs in my regular diet and thought it may be the reason I failed.) Your diet does affect you blood sugar levels on a day to day basis though. If you're already on a diet that maintains healthy blood sugar levels, then that's great! You'll probably be easily diet controlled during pregnancy.
@sassysister18- I didn't take the 2-hour test- just a 1hr and 3hr. If you were close to the cut-off and are concerned, I would first suggest talking to your doctor about it again. If you are still concerned, you can monitor your blood sugar on your own at home. Monitors are usually fairly cheap, but the test strips can be really pricey. I have heard there are some brands with cheaper strips- I think there is a brand at walmart that is under $10 for 50 strips. I've also heard that different doctors have different blood sugar goals- but my doctor wants to see under 90 for fasting, and under 130 at 1 hour after I take my first bite of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If your numbers are high, then you can show your doctor, and then go from there.
My fasting numbers seem to be on the rise again. My OB has been slowly increasing my dosage of glyburide, but it only seems to work for about a month, and then she has to increase it again. My after-meal numbers are slowly rising too. The same meals I could eat a month ago and have numbers in the low 100's, are now landing me in the high 120's-low 130's. I'm getting very frustrated with it. I have an appt with an endocrinologist on Tues, so hoping to get more direction about how to control this then.
My fasting numbers vary with what I eat and how late I eat. I'm content checking my sugars and making dietary changes. I had GD with my first pregnancy and it's important to manage. Even though my sugars are staying fine, my baby has a large abdomen which could indicate high glucose from me even though my numbers when I check have been fine
@ArielleRene- your doctor is right, if your body didn't process the sugar correctly then that is why your diagnosed. Just listen to the docs and do what's right for baby. Checking your sugars isn't anyone a lot of effort.
Oh don't worry - I will do what's right for baby. I just wish she would have been more understanding and kind to me. I felt that she was incredibly rude in the way she addressed it, talking down to me as if I was a small child. I'm an adult, and I've actually done quite a lot of research and can understand the "medical" language. The horror stories were completely unnecessary.
I just got diagnosed today with GD. I'm really nervous about having the right diet and what I can and cannot eat. I also am nervous that she said I need to test my sugar every four hours daily. I have my first meeting tomorrow to find out all about it and learn how to use the glucometer.
I'm all about making this thread active haha I'm still in shock over my diagnosis and tend to get pretty emotional about it. I love the idea of having a support group to help cope. I'm too ashamed (I know I shouldn't be) to tell anyone other than immediate family. I still feel like I did something wrong as I have no risk factors other than being older than 25 (I'm 26). Maybe I'll feel better after I see the dietician Tuesday?
I'm having a hard time with with having high numbers. It's not all of the time but when it is the carbs are within the amount they told me so I don't understand what's wrong. Amy suggestions on things you have noticed are ok to eat and things to just stay away from? Especially breakfast time!!
I found out last week but don't go to the education class until the 29th to find out what to eat and how to use the glucometer. I still haven't picked that up yet because I think they ordered me the most expensive one and I said get me a generic one! Then they said they didn't have the lancets in stock so it would be Monday before I could go get it. I'm living it up until then... Not smart to do but I'll behave when I get the teaching. What have you all been told to eat carb wise per meal?
I found out last week but don't go to the education class until the 29th to find out what to eat and how to use the glucometer. I still haven't picked that up yet because I think they ordered me the most expensive one and I said get me a generic one! Then they said they didn't have the lancets in stock so it would be Monday before I could go get it. I'm living it up until then... Not smart to do but I'll behave when I get the teaching. What have you all been told to eat carb wise per meal?
I don't know about carbs yet since I don't go to class until next week but what is the deal with the expensive crap?! We went ahead and picked my stuff up last night and it was way more than I anticipated even after insurance brought the price down some.. Ugh.
The meter was $17 and the lancets were $8 but they wanted $120 for the strips! I said no, get me a different brand. So I'm getting Kroger store brand and its $32 for everything now. Try Amazon... They have a Bayer set with everything for $38! I almost bought that but wanted the stuff to count toward my deductible :P
Just diagnosed in Thursday and a little concerned. First, I'm upset because I feel like this is my fault. Second, I'm concerned that I've harmed my baby since I didn't know and haven't been closely watching what I eat. I will be 29 weeks tomorrow and reading through this post it seems like some people have know since 12 weeks that they had GD. I am just worried about any potential harm that I've caused my baby by not knowing for so long.
If you are eating the correct amount of carbs and your glucose is still high you may need medication. GD is not often related to personal choices or anything you did. It's tested for because many women often have increased insulin resistance during pregnancy. Your body is still producing insulin it may not be producing enough or your body isn't using it as effectively. Insulin acts like a key that unlocks the cells and let's glucose in to do its job. You don't have enough keys or your keys are rusty. We treat this by reducing the amount of glucose floating freely in your blood stream through diet and excersize. If that isn't effective alone we can use oral or injectable medications. Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
I look at carbs as anything that looks good, tastes good and I want to eat it. If my mom had to force me to eat it as a child it likely is not a carb and will not raise my blood sugar. I try to limit my carbs to 3-4 servings per meal (your first = two serving typically) and make choices that involved more healthy carbs and less processed foods. I try to refrain from drinking them and save them for food because it's much more fun to eat them than drink them.
Just remember thousands of people live with diabetes and there are amazing resources everywhere. You can find almost every favorite recipe you want to eat online made in a more diabetic friendly manner. Make it a fun family affair to plan meals together, try new things etc.
@KRH6829 It's a hormone problem... Nothing we did. It just happens to some people. You haven't harmed the baby. People who know early are usually tested early because they've had it before or are really high risk or had glucose in their urine. GD doesn't usually develop until around the time they test for it, so you probably haven't had it long. We can get through it!
I'm on week 3 after being diagnosed. The first week was super hard, the second and third has been better. It's hard when you have high numbers and your staying inside you carb limit but there isn't much more we can do except eating healthy and exercise. I'll find out next week if I need medication which I likely will as my mornings are high. On the plus side, I gained 0 weight at this weeks appointment and my blood pressure was the best it's been yet. We only have 3(+/-) months left, we can do this.
For those that haven't been to your specialist apt yet. I was given 30g carbs at breakfast, 15g for snacks(3 times a day) and 45g for breakfast and dinner.(I've noticed every doc is different though).
Try not to get discouraged if sugars are higher than they should be, it's tough but the specialist know best abs they'll get you whatever you need to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
@KRH6829- I was tested early because I had a lot of risk factors, and had sugar in my urine at my first OB appt. Most women that have GD do not develop it until sometime between week 24-28, so it is very unlikely that you had GD at 12 weeks like I did. (There is also a good chance that I had un-diagnosed type 2 or was at least pre-diabetic before I was pregnant. I won't know for sure until after the baby is born.)
@amarrow5812- Breakfast is my most difficult meal. I was told to eat 30 carbs at breakfast, and I just can't handle that many in the morning. I've done really well with 2 scrambled eggs with kale and cheese, and a slice of whole wheat toast with butter. Sometimes I have coffee with a splash of cream and a little stevia. I always go for a 10-15 minute walk after breakfast, and I always get good numbers with the walk and that breakfast- but it's only about 15 carbs instead of 30. I absolutely can't drink milk in the morning- my blood sugar sky-rockets. I can sometimes eat berries in the morning, but all other fruit I've tried makes my blood sugar really high. I've heard it can really vary from person to person though, so just keep trying different things until you find something that works.
My insurance has been a pain about paying for testing supplies. My co-pay for 100 strips at CVS was somewhere around $100! My insurance has a mail order option through express-scripts, and my co-pay for 300 strips is now $46. Now the issue I'm having is that my insurance only wants to cover 100 strips every 30 days. I'm supposed to test 4x a day, so that just isn't enough. My OB contacted my insurance company and explained that I need more than 100 strips, and it looks like they've agreed to cover more than 100- but it's been 2 weeks and I'm still waiting for my next shipment of strips. My dad has the same meter, and gave me some of his strips, but hopefully I'll get more test strips soon!
I've been on glyburide at bed time for a few months now. I just could not get my fasting numbers under control no matter what I ate or how much I exercised. I started at 1.25mg, and it worked for a few weeks, but then it didn't work as well. My OB increased my dose to 2.5mg, and then last week it was increased again so I'm now at 5mg. Last night I ate my snack and took my med as usual, then went to bed. I woke up at 2am extremely hot, like I was in an oven. I got up to get a drink of water and turn on the fan, but I was dizzy and felt really weak. I checked my blood sugar, and it was 47. I panicked a little bit, and then got up and ate some grapes. (The only kind of sugary thing I could think of that we actually have in the house right now.) I checked again after 15 minutes, and it was in the 70's- still a little low according to my OB. I ate a few more grapes, checked again, was in the 80's, and went back to sleep. This morning my fasting was 71. I called the on-call number, and was told by another OB at the practice that I should go back down to the 2.5mg dose, and talk to my OB about this at my next appt on Wed. She said she didn't know what my OB would do, but that she would recommend I switch to insulin.
Have seen the dietitian several times over the years.
Breakfast 25-30 carbs
Snack 15 carbs
Lunch 45-50 carbs
Snack 15 carbs
Dinner 45-50 carbs
Snack 15 carbs
It is also important that I eat at the same times and stick to a schedule so that levels in my body are the same when those carbs hit my system and that the medication I am taking (insulin and oral) is the same in my system for that meal every day.
I am meeting with the dietician on Monday. I am concerned about my schedule. I eat breakfast at 6:30 and don't get to eat lunch until 1:30. Is that going to be a problem? I'm a teacher, so I don't get to pick my schedule and it would be ridiculous to eat during a class.
I just got my results back last Thursday and found I scored a 142 or 144 on the one hour test. Going for the three hour test on Monday. I'm totally devastated. I cried so much after getting the first results that I had to take the afternoon off from work. This thread has eased my mind a bit...thank you!! Good luck to all-sounds like you're all figuring it out.
Echoing the schedule for carb allowance that the others spelled out. Same for me but I have to make sure I have at least 2 hours between each snack and meal.
I've been checking glucose levels since Wednesday. Having difficulties getting my fasting number under control. So far every morning it has been too high (above 100). I think that I don't tolerate whole wheat bread well though - I noticed higher numbers after having my one slice so now I am trying to figure out a good breakfast alternative to have with my eggs. Trying an English muffin tomorrow.
Happily my post-lunch and dinner numbers have been good so far. Still working on getting rid of the ketones since apparently I was carb-starving myself after I was diagnosed (and lost 5 pounds!)
Now that I have met with the nutritionist I am really finding it a lot more manageable. Breakfast and late night are hard just because of the restrictions around fruit and dairy. Snacks are reasonable. Started using a diabetes in check app on my phone to keep track of things easier. I miss ice cream. Need to see if I can find a decent low-carb option for the occasional treat.
No idea what the supplies are costing me - they gave me the first bag of stuff and a meter, and are billing my insurance, so we shall see what happens.
Echoing the schedule for carb allowance that the others spelled out. Same for me but I have to make sure I have at least 2 hours between each snack and meal.
I've been checking glucose levels since Wednesday. Having difficulties getting my fasting number under control. So far every morning it has been too high (above 100). I think that I don't tolerate whole wheat bread well though - I noticed higher numbers after having my one slice so now I am trying to figure out a good breakfast alternative to have with my eggs. Trying an English muffin tomorrow.
Happily my post-lunch and dinner numbers have been good so far. Still working on getting rid of the ketones since apparently I was carb-starving myself after I was diagnosed (and lost 5 pounds!)
Now that I have met with the nutritionist I am really finding it a lot more manageable. Breakfast and late night are hard just because of the restrictions around fruit and dairy. Snacks are reasonable. Started using a diabetes in check app on my phone to keep track of things easier. I miss ice cream. Need to see if I can find a decent low-carb option for the occasional treat.
No idea what the supplies are costing me - they gave me the first bag of stuff and a meter, and are billing my insurance, so we shall see what happens.
I found a coconut milk ice cream that's super low in sugar( you can find it in the health food section) I also found that frozen yogurt didn't spike my sugars at all. I am also struggling with fasting numbers in the AM And my after breakfast. Sucks but not much I can do.
I am meeting with the dietician on Monday. I am concerned about my schedule. I eat breakfast at 6:30 and don't get to eat lunch until 1:30. Is that going to be a problem? I'm a teacher, so I don't get to pick my schedule and it would be ridiculous to eat during a class.
This is a long time between meals you'll likely have to discuss this with the dietician. They gave me strict times for eating 7:30-8am, 10am snack 12-1230 lunch 3 pm snack 6pm dinner and 9pm snack. Good luck!
Is anyone or did anyone have a last supper? Since my appointment is Tuesday, we're going out to have mexican tonight for dinner since it's my favorite. I've never been huge on sweets so I'm grateful for that at least but I'd like to say goodbye to my chimichangas.
The biggest worry I have is I'm a night shift nurse and I sleep at really weird hours... And they change every day depending on if I work or not! That's going to be really hard to deal with. I don't have a sleep routine (
Is anyone or did anyone have a last supper? Since my appointment is Tuesday, we're going out to have mexican tonight for dinner since it's my favorite. I've never been huge on sweets so I'm grateful for that at least but I'd like to say goodbye to my chimichangas.
I have my appointment with the diabetes counselor and dietician tomorrow. My husband is taking me out for chinese food tonight.
Ladies, it's not about saying goodbye to bad food like Mexican or Chinese. If you choose to eat poorly before your appointments you may as well continue afterward. Your body is going to react the same way today as it will next week. I personally found it easier to start eating healthier right away. You can still eat tortilla wraps, and fried rice you just have to do it in moderation(and substitute for whole wheat).
Ladies, it's not about saying goodbye to bad food like Mexican or Chinese. If you choose to eat poorly before your appointments you may as well continue afterward. Your body is going to react the same way today as it will next week. I personally found it easier to start eating healthier right away. You can still eat tortilla wraps, and fried rice you just have to do it in moderation(and substitute for whole wheat).
I don't know what/when I'm supposed to eat yet, but plan on following the plan I'm given 100%. I think I am being realistic in thinking that it will just be easier to cook the meals that I need to eat at home, so this was kind of our last meal or before I cook every meal for the next 11 weeks.
I am meeting with the dietician on Monday. I am concerned about my schedule. I eat breakfast at 6:30 and don't get to eat lunch until 1:30. Is that going to be a problem? I'm a teacher, so I don't get to pick my schedule and it would be ridiculous to eat during a class.
I am a teacher too and have also had to deal with eating around my class schedule. This has also made checking my blood sugar at the right time difficult! I take Cliff bars to work with me and usually have time to eat that, even if I'm crunched for time. I have found that my blood sugar drops quickly if I don't eat something every couple of hours.
I am meeting with the dietician on Monday. I am concerned about my schedule. I eat breakfast at 6:30 and don't get to eat lunch until 1:30. Is that going to be a problem? I'm a teacher, so I don't get to pick my schedule and it would be ridiculous to eat during a class.
I am a teacher too and have also had to deal with eating around my class schedule. This has also made checking my blood sugar at the right time difficult! I take Cliff bars to work with me and usually have time to eat that, even if I'm crunched for time. I have found that my blood sugar drops quickly if I don't eat something every couple of hours.
Thanks for the info on cliff bars. I think I might be trying to sneak snacks in between periods.
I was a high school teacher, but I'm just subbing (hs) til baby is born and I'll be a stay at home mom.
Since your schedule changes all the time, and you're not guaranteed a conference period as a sub, I bring a bag of mixed nuts and chocolate chips with me, and try to snack on those between classes or during class if I feel the need.... I make sure to bring a lunch of many small things, too, in case I get a dizzy spell (sugar and/or BP drops) and need a snack immediately.
Joining the group - just found out this morning and I'm at 27 weeks. I tested so high they are skipping the 3 hour. My first 1 hour weeks ago was normal. I'm so shocked and like many others I feel like I did something wrong. I'm dreading monitoring my eating and blood sugar. I just want to cry. Places to eat around my office - sandwiches, sandwiches and more sandwiches. Really Afraid I've hurt the baby - not knowing when this all started.
For everyone worried if they're hurting the baby..... From what I understand, it doesn't hurt the baby, but acts more like miracle grow and can cause them to get bigger faster, which is why it's a concern because the baby can get too big to fit to be born naturally. They could have too much sugar in their blood when they're born, which could result in them needing insulin, but that's about it....
If I'm wrong, sorry! But that's what I understood..
There are several reasons to control your blood sugar, baby size is one. The larger concern is due to the fact that glucose crosses your placenta and excess glucose means the babies pancreas has to kick in and work to crank out insulin to reduce its glucose. The concern is that after birth their pancreas is already working and will continue to pump out excess insulin which can result in hypoglycemia, the monitor for this after birth. Having high glucose affect them in utero predisposes them to diabetes and obesity themselves as they grow, several studies have shown strong correlations which is one reason we really urge mothers to control their glucose to minimize these complications.
I met with my diabetes counselor and the dietician this morning. They were super nice and the dietician was all about working around my schedule. It definitely put my mind at ease.
Joining the group - just found out this morning and I'm at 27 weeks. I tested so high they are skipping the 3 hour. My first 1 hour weeks ago was normal. I'm so shocked and like many others I feel like I did something wrong. I'm dreading monitoring my eating and blood sugar. I just want to cry. Places to eat around my office - sandwiches, sandwiches and more sandwiches. Really Afraid I've hurt the baby - not knowing when this all started.
I was just diagnosed last week Thursday. I met with a diabetes counselor and dietician today. They really put me at ease about everything. I will obviously be making some changes to my diet, but everything seemed really manageable. And remember...it's only for a limited amount of time. I hope that you get to meet with whomever will be helping you soon.
Re: Gestational diabetes support group
I explained to her that I think I failed because of my normally very healthy diet and the sudden downing of twice the amount of sugar I eat in an entire day (typically) in only 5 minutes....obviously I would fail because my pancreas isn't used to having to make that much insulin that quickly. She said my diet shouldn't have anything to do with blood sugar results. Then she proceeded to tell me horror stories about patients who still had issues on insulin shots.
Seriously?? So why should I bother checking my blood sugar (which has been very normal every day for 2 weeks, with absolutely no dietary changes)?? Why do they recommend seeing a dietitian if diet doesn't affect the blood sugar???
Then when I talked about wanting natural birth with no meds, she was all "oh, where were you planning to deliver with your other doctor?" When I said the hospital, she said "oh good, I was afraid you'd say a home birth."..........
It's gonna be a long 3 more months.
Here's hoping my blood sugar remains normal (which I see no reason why it shouldn't...), so I don't have to endure her horror stories anymore.
@BumpAdmin or @BumpTara could sticky this to the top.
I look at carbs as anything that looks good, tastes good and I want to eat it. If my mom had to force me to eat it as a child it likely is not a carb and will not raise my blood sugar. I try to limit my carbs to 3-4 servings per meal (your first = two serving typically) and make choices that involved more healthy carbs and less processed foods. I try to refrain from drinking them and save them for food because it's much more fun to eat them than drink them.
Just remember thousands of people live with diabetes and there are amazing resources everywhere. You can find almost every favorite recipe you want to eat online made in a more diabetic friendly manner. Make it a fun family affair to plan meals together, try new things etc.
For those that haven't been to your specialist apt yet. I was given 30g carbs at breakfast, 15g for snacks(3 times a day) and 45g for breakfast and dinner.(I've noticed every doc is different though).
Try not to get discouraged if sugars are higher than they should be, it's tough but the specialist know best abs they'll get you whatever you need to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
I've been checking glucose levels since Wednesday. Having difficulties getting my fasting number under control. So far every morning it has been too high (above 100). I think that I don't tolerate whole wheat bread well though - I noticed higher numbers after having my one slice so now I am trying to figure out a good breakfast alternative to have with my eggs. Trying an English muffin tomorrow.
Happily my post-lunch and dinner numbers have been good so far. Still working on getting rid of the ketones since apparently I was carb-starving myself after I was diagnosed (and lost 5 pounds!)
Now that I have met with the nutritionist I am really finding it a lot more manageable. Breakfast and late night are hard just because of the restrictions around fruit and dairy. Snacks are reasonable. Started using a diabetes in check app on my phone to keep track of things easier. I miss ice cream. Need to see if I can find a decent low-carb option for the occasional treat.
No idea what the supplies are costing me - they gave me the first bag of stuff and a meter, and are billing my insurance, so we shall see what happens.
Good luck!
Since your schedule changes all the time, and you're not guaranteed a conference period as a sub, I bring a bag of mixed nuts and chocolate chips with me, and try to snack on those between classes or during class if I feel the need.... I make sure to bring a lunch of many small things, too, in case I get a dizzy spell (sugar and/or BP drops) and need a snack immediately.
If I'm wrong, sorry! But that's what I understood..
There are several reasons to control your blood sugar, baby size is one. The larger concern is due to the fact that glucose crosses your placenta and excess glucose means the babies pancreas has to kick in and work to crank out insulin to reduce its glucose. The concern is that after birth their pancreas is already working and will continue to pump out excess insulin which can result in hypoglycemia, the monitor for this after birth. Having high glucose affect them in utero predisposes them to diabetes and obesity themselves as they grow, several studies have shown strong correlations which is one reason we really urge mothers to control their glucose to minimize these complications.