Received a phone call today...I have GD & am scared.
It all started last week at my midwife prenatal appt. I was 31 weeks along, but my midwife couldn't get my uterus to measure any lower than 35 weeks. She also looked at me, said I was extremely swollen, saw that I had gained a lot of weight during this pregnancy, and said she really thought I had GD. I should mention I already had failed one hour test, and was going to be having my 3 hour test the next day anyway. She wanted an ultrasound as well, so she scheduled it in between my 3 hour test.
Baby girl is measuring 9 days ahead, and her head is a little larger than that, and I also do have a little bit of extra fluid in there.
I honestly never thought it was GD. I had a fairly large son (for me) with my first pregnancy, he was 8lbs 5.5 ounces, 20 1/2 inches long, and I am petite, 4 ft 11 1/2 inches tall. I DIDN'T have gd with my son, although I failed the one hour test, I passed the 3 hour test with him, and I honestly thought that would happen again, but it didn't.
Anyone who has or had GD in pregnancy, please tell me what I can expect? I received the call today, and the nurse was awesome, she made sure I knew this wasn't anything I did, not my fault, but I do not see my midwife until monday, and I am just overwhelmed and worried about the possible issues my baby could have. I am also going to be 33 weeks along on Monday, is this enough time to get the GD under control? I know the ultrasound showed she is not overly huge, and they are not concerned about her health or weight right now, but I am just nervous. It is my job to do everything I can to bring her into this world healthy, and with a strong start at life, and I can't help but feel guilty about this, even if they say it isn't my fault. It is also very overwhelming for me because I knew before that I had to make all the right choices for my baby, which I thought I was doing, by eating healthy and exercising, but that wasn't enough, and now it is even more pressure to make sure she is healthy, yet my body seems to be working against me with this.
Thanks in advance, I know I am more emotional about this right now because I just found out, and do not have answers from my midwife yet.
Sorry so long 
Re: Received a phone call today...I have GD & am scared.
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I was quite overwhelmed and upset when I found out as well. I hadn't expected it and had gained very little weight.
I'm happy to say that it's not nearly as bad as I originally thought it would be. I have to test my blood 7x a day (before each meal and 1 hour after and before bed). I'm on insulin twice a day. The finger pricks barely hurt and I usually can't feel the insulin injection at all.
I have found the diet quite easy to follow and haven't really needed to change much from my pre-pregnancy diet, just that I need to eat more. I need to eat 3 meals a day and 3 snacks. I have a specific number of carbs and protein I can eat at each meal and snack.
I've got a great handout with some suggested foods and portion sizes. If you're interested, pm me with your e-mail address and it may help give you some food ideas.
If it makes you feel better, I did my 3 hr test on 9/23 and didn't find out until 10/18 that i'd failed. The doctors office never contacted me. I've only been adjusting my diet for about a week now, and I'm 32.5 weeks. At 33 weeks is enough time to get it under control, usually after adjusting your diet you'll start to see your numbers settle down within a few days.
Try not to freak out, though I know it's hard! The finger pricks aren't too bad (I do 4x day) and the diet is actually helping me and DH both to eat healthier like we've wanted to. My biggest challenge is getting everything in - I feel like I eat way more than I used to!
thank you, your comment is very much appreciated, especially reminding me that it isnt my fault.
I feel much better today, I am just going to try to start a diet on my own today and this weekend, and then I see my midwife monday for more info.
You definitely have time to control it! It is not your fault- it's your placenta's fault!
I was really upset by it as well during my last pregnancy- this time I was prepared for it.
I check my BS 4x a day (though I do forget a lot running around on the weekends!) and do insulin at bedtime. It's not that bad- I was a little scared to do it as first, but it's not biggie.
I also feel like I eat MORE food than before sometimes! Especially now that my stomach is squashed and I have zero appetite!
GL! There's a lot of us on here if you have questions, and we have a "sugar mamas" check in on the Dec Mommies board- I think it's on Tues or Wed??
I agree with everyone else, it's not so bad and it's really not your fault at all!! I do want to add, to be flexible with your idea of "under control." The important thing is to eat right and log your numbers. For me, I've only had one fasting number under 90. We keep upping it at night but as the pregnancy continues the placenta produces more hormones. It's like we're playing catch up. This really bothered me at first, but I'm ok with it now. I'm doing everything right and as long as we're treating it, LO is fine. I've also recently been put on insulin before dinner. I managed for several weeks without it, so again I know I was doing everything right. Things just change as the pregnancy continues.
I'll give this advice: see a dietician. They are trained to help you with eating and giving you loads of options. People digest things differently. I'm ok with white bread, many people aren't. That sort of thing. My midwife referenced me out to an OB practice, which while I"m not the happiest with them due to other things (not explicitly GD related) I'm glad she did. First of all, her advice to me was to not eat any carbs. That's not the way to do it! You need a certain amount a day or else your body enters starvation mode and will use your stored fat for energy. Hopefully your MW is more educated. Also, having GD does put you at higher risk for other complications. In my state the MWs are only allowed to handle non complicated pregnancies, so I was automatically to be sent out with GD and she has little to no experience dealing with other complications (like pre-eclampsia etc.) Just food for thought.
Oh, and about the eating healthy and excercising. I was too! I didn't have near as much protein as I need to eat now, but I didn't eat over the top sugar and carbs. I ate a good bit of veggies and definitely enough fruit. A typical breakfast for me would be fruit and yogurt. That is healthy, low fat, low calorie etc. But not low carb. GD is different from other diets but you'll get the hang of it, and it's temporary.
The ladies on here are great about helping you come up with meal ideas and are a good resource in general.
It has only been 4 days of testing and eating the exact diet, and so far so good!!! I am definitely going to check in with the sugar mamas too, thanks!
Thanks to all of you ladies for your replies!
It has been 4 days of testing and eating the diet, but I honestly feel really optimistic about it! IT IS NOT AS HARD OR AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE!
I am hungry often, but I think I will get the hang of eating more filling things as I go on with this diet.
My husband has been amazing...he has been researching recipes for me, he went and stocked up on all of the foods I am allowed to eat, and has been cooking for me and preparing all my snacks for me for the last 3 days. What am I going to do when he goes to work tomorrow morning?!?!
You rock, and are super positive, I appreciate it, thanks!
I really hope your visit went well with the nutritionist! I felt A LOT better after meeting with mine, she taught me how to check my blood sugar, which did not hurt at all, thank goodness, and she gave me guidelines of what to eat, and a booklet with all my info.
I was embarrassed too! I am not anymore, however, because I have learned so much about GD, and that there is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is not anything you did, or I did, or anyone with GD did, it is just how our bodies are reacting to pregnancy. People may have the misconception that people "cause" GD but it is simply not true.
I hope you are doing well with this, I have been super hungry getting used to this diet, but it is much easier than I thought it would be!