Blood sugar bottoming out.

kp90

Hey mommas,

So yesterday morning was my 2nd trip to L&D. I was getting ready for work when I started getting very hot, felt my heart racing, couldn't catch my breath and felt like passing out. I made it to my bed and drank some water. Decided to call the OB on call who said I could be checked out at the hospital and make sure LO was okay since she wasn't moving much and my stomach was kind of hard. Once in L&D they were asking me all the questions about what I had ate, drank, etc. so they took my blood sugar and it was 72 (low given that I did eat that morning) so they continued to monitor me and made me order food so they could recheck after I ate again... which is then came up to 140 and a few hours later I was released. I did fail my one hour but passed my 3 hour. My doctor advised me to change what I eat in the mornings. More protein/carbs and to stay away from sugary cereals. Are any of you experiencing anything like this with your sugar levels? Today I am back to work but still have the headache and just generally feeling like crap. The nurse told me it doesn't mean I have diabetes but if it continues to happen to alert my doctor.

kp90

Anyone?

proudparent2b

Not the same thing, but I have noticed that I gain weight more quickly when I don't have protein with any sugars/carbs I consume.

My doctor made me give up sugary cereal around week 20 when she was worried I wouldn't pass the glucose test to a bad month weight gain. Since then, I mainly have Kashi and limit to one portion daily.

missnc77

If your blood sugar is crashing, it means you need to eat something to level it back out. Did you try and eat a healthier breakfast this morning? It didn't help? Can you keep kashi bars or something that has a good protein/carb ratio around for when you start feeling a crash or if you go more than 3 hours without eating?

kp90

This morning I had two of those frozen jimmy dean brand breakfast sandwiches.. I didn't have an episode but still had a headache and just felt exhausted all day long to the point I kept wanting to fall asleep if I sat still more than a few minutes. Although that may just be from the exhausting day yesterday and little sleep I get.  

TheThornBird

I can definitely tell that the more sugar I eat, the more my blood sugar goes out of whack. It's bad enough in every day life, but it's gotten even more pronounced during pregnancy (especially the last few weeks). It helps tremendously to eat healthy and cut out as much sugar as possible. I've been eating way too much sugar lately and am trying to cut it out of my diet entirely (which is tough!). 

The best breakfast I've found for stabilizing my
blood sugar is oatmeal and 2-3 eggs. When I eat that, I stay full and my blood sugar is fine all morning long. Anything else- even things like fruit or non-sugar cereal- makes me crash an hour or two later. The rest of the day I try to eat lots of lean proteins (chicken, turkey, skim milk), vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. I handle fruit better in the afternoon than in the morning, so I try to eat it only then. 

Kurrant

I passed my blood tests "with flying colors" but I experience this (and have been since the second Tri.)  I eat oats in the morning with some greek yogurt and every morning without fail I get hot, lightheaded, my heart-rate goes nuts and I need to lay down because I am dizzy.  I thought for a while it was protein and so I started having eggs in the morning but it started right back up again after a week. At this point I just feel lucky that I am not obligated to do anything in the mornings so I can relax till it passes. I'm not sure what I would do if I was working. 

missnc77

You traded highly processed cereal for highly processed breakfast sandwiches. You need to eat whole foods. Instead of sandwiches, try cooking up two eggs and an english muffin.

This is from their light version: x 2 = 1300mg of sodium. Yeah, you're getting more protein, but at what cost?


An english muffin is going to have about 150mg of sodium. 2 eggs will have all together about 150mg of sodium and half as much saturated fat. That's 1,000mg of sodium LESS than what you ate this morning. I work from home now, but when I used to go in office early in the morning, I'd cook up one egg with cheese, put it on an english muffin, then wrap in tin foil and bring to work. It maybe added about 10 minutes to my morning, and it gave me something healthier than a frozen processed meal.

okcountrygirl

I am very strange when it comes to sugar levels... I failed my one hour, and was unable to complete the three hour because I kept throwing up the drink. So my doc said the only other option was to treat me like I have GD. Well I have found in my testing just how frequently I need to make myself eat. My GD nutritionist seriously got mad at me with some of my 2 hour after breakfast testing being 50... " please tell me you ate and drank something like juice after this! " which I do of course. At the other end of the spectrum though if I'm having a lazy Saturday, my levels can be 'high' (around 130-140)... The nutritionist did recommend I eat more protein filled things like yogurt as a snack or eating an English muffin breakfast sandwich instead of cereal for breakfast.

obryana6219

The key is to think about how your body processes different types of food. Protein and fiber take the longest, complex carbs next, and simple carbs and straight sugar are the quickest. That's why it's important for you to eat a mix of things. You need protein to sustain yourself after the carbs are digested.

Eating whole fruit instead of drinking juice has a huge impact on blood glucose levels. Everyone is different but if I eat an apple my sugar will go up by 20 points and come back down, if I drink 4 ounces of apple juice my sugar goes up 100 points and doesn't come back down. The fiber is what helps to process the sugars more slowly and helps to even out your glucose levels. I make myself eat every 2 hours. Something small so I don't feel full all the time. I like to eat veggies and hummus, an apple, beef jerky (if you're not watching sodium intake), yogurt, or nuts.

 I also make it my mission to stay hydrated. If you're dehydrated it will skew your blood sugar levels. It's a diabetic trick to bring your blood sugar down by drinking lots of water and going for a short walk. If you're not getting at least 64 ounces of liquid a day then your blood sugar is probably actually lower than what it tested because your blood is more concentrated. I know you want to know how to keep your blood sugar up, the answer is eating protein and fiber. 

doozer1345

kp90 said:

This morning I had two of those frozen jimmy dean brand breakfast sandwiches.. I didn't have an episode but still had a headache and just felt exhausted all day long to the point I kept wanting to fall asleep if I sat still more than a few minutes. Although that may just be from the exhausting day yesterday and little sleep I get.  

Those sandwiches are crap. The saying is you are what you eat. What you put in your body you will get out. Try smoothies in the morning. You can make a weeks worth on Sunday, freeze them, and set one out in the fridge every night before bed. Any of those premade and store bought (essentially tv breakfasts, lunches, or dinners) are sooo processed and have no great nutritional value. I understand having limited time but if you want to feel and/or eat better you have to make it a priority. On your days off just cut out some time to premake meals for the week. Once you get the hang of it it doesn't take any time at all and it saves money like crazy. Your body and LO will thank you.

wamam027

My favorite high protein breakfast ever is plain Greek yogurt with a chopped Apple, some peanut or almond butter, some cinnamon, and a little bit of whatever sweetener you prefer (sugar, honey, stevia). Mix it all up and eat. It's got about 20g of protein and you actually know what you're eating. You can make it the night before and grab it on your way out. I also make a huge batch of my own granola/granola bars and I'll grab one of those to eat as a snack later. Oatmeal or cream of wheat are great breakfast options as well. You can throw peanut butter or some other kind of nut butter into pretty much anything to up the protein in a meal and help it to take you further through your day and help with crashes. I put them in smoothies, hot cereals, obviously yogurt, pair them with my fruits and veggies that I snack on throughout the day. Just like pp's have mentioned it just takes some planning and some prep time but it's well worth it! 

Bellodomani

I have had this same thing happen quite a few times too. Also, I failed the 1 hour test and my 3 hour numbers were borderline so I've been pretty cautious about what I eat, esp in the morning. My two go-to breakfasts:
-1 piece of Ezekiel bread toasted (any sprouted wheat bread would work), spread with 1/4-1/2 of an avocado, salt & chile flakes, and a fried or poached egg on top. 
-1/2 cup of full fat plain Greek yogurt (the fage brand is good), some defrosted frozen berries (they kind of liquefy and mix into the yogurt to make it taste like flavored yogurt without all the extra crap), 1 Tbsp of chia seeds, small handful of chopped almonds, and a small sprinkle of low sugar granola like Kashi. 

I feel significantly better when I have one of these breakfasts- I think it's just important to have a good mix of protein, healthy fat, and fiber. Also, during the day I never go longer than 3 hours without eating, which I know is easier with some jobs than others- my students just tease me about my constant snacking.