Gestational Diabetes-Questions :(

teresal80

I failed my first test by 3-5 points- then with the 3 hour- my Dr had my nurse call and tell me that I was only off by a few numbers for one of the tests- and they werent going to worry about it as I have had a low weight gain for the pregnancy. At my doc appointment 2 weeks later my doc decided to send me to a dietician and now have to monitor my blood sugars.

That appointment was yesterday. So my appointment was done at 530- I ate late around 7ish- my before bed number was high... then my morning number was high and then my after breakfast number was high again! For breakfast I ate 27 carbs...

Here is what I have been eating and my numbers...

yesterday dinner- 2/3 cup pasta with diced tomatoes-this came to about 45 carbs ( i wasnt feeling too well) my numbers came to 147 1 hour after eating.

my before bed snack was a large apple a tbs of carmel and nuts

my morning number was 108... then ate breakfast- 2 waffles with Peanut Butter...(27 carbs) my numbers a little over an hour later was 178.

Mid morning snack- yogurt (19) and a half a banana

For lunch I had a salad with cucumbers (5g), low carb sandwich (16g), yogurt (19g) and a hand full of peanuts....my number was 148

I am freaking out now, and scared to see my numbers.

Can anyone else tell me their stories? Does it take a few days for it to regulate using the diet plan? I am so worried that the diet isn't going to control my numbers.

 

update- yesterday my dinner numbers were great- 110. I had about a cup of pasta with chicken, a cup of cooked veggies, a piece of bread and a piece of strong cheese.

Then this morning I woke up not feeling well, stressed about my morning test- and it was high... at 110.  I had crackers and cheese before bed so I thought that would help. For breakfast I have 2 pieces of low carb bread (16g total) with 2 pieces of string cheese and my numbers were 147 after.  I am really getting stressed out over this, and am freaking out that I will get put on insulin. Could stress make my numbers go up too?

jess1984

Hang in there hun! It will get easier I promise. Every one has different things that spike their  blood sugars. And some days I can eat exactly the same meal and have totally different numbers. It can be very strange and frustrating.

For me I was told the smallest meal should be breakfast and to not drink milk with it since milk is high in carbs/ sugars and can easily spike breakfast numbers. then a small snack (fiber 1 bars 100calorie ones) work great for me. Lunch I can only do 30 -45 g of carbs, make sure what youare having has high high fiber in it, that will decrease the sugar spike. Also eating "free veggies" help fill up without spiking sugars.

Make sure to eat a bed time snack. About 8-10 hours before you are going to be up and test right away in the morning. You are going to want to have some major protien with this snack So cheese and crackers is a great idea.

Hth... you can pm me if you have any more questions. This is my second time around and I am on insulin.

m0132

I don't have GD this time but I did with DD but my numbers were "borderline".  I checked my sugars 4 times a day but they had me on a diet that didn't allow as high of an amount of carbs as you mentioned.  For breakfast I was only allowed 15g of carbs, 15g carb snack, 30g carb lunch, 15g carb snack and then a 60g carb dinner..I believe I was also allowed a 30g carb late night snack but I never really ate after dinner.  I was also told to have protein at every meal (breakfast would be one waffle with pb usually).  I didn't always hit the mark when I went to check my sugars but if you feel like its hard to maintain with what they gave you originally they may need to tweak your diet again.  Try not to freak out, GD can be managed easily and you and LO will be fine. 

monicarosega

I was told to take my blood sugar 2 hours after eating a meal, not 1 hour.  That might be part of your problem.. I would check with your dietician or doctor about that. 

jess1984

monicarosega:

I was told to take my blood sugar 2 hours after eating a meal, not 1 hour.  That might be part of your problem.. I would check with your dietician or doctor about that. 

There are guidelines for both. some dr. judge after an hour, other do 2, but the amount you have to be under changes for what they are looking at. (At least this is what I was told by my drs.) For me (this will look strange becuase it's measured differently up here in Canada)

after 1 hour - under 7.0 mmol, after 2 hours under 6.6 mmol, fasting under 5 mmol.

Now I have an extremely strict dr. If it was my regular dr (not the diabetic one) I would be allowed a lot higher sugar numbers. So I rarely worry when I'm a little over my numbers.

Talk to your drs. and see what they say about times/ amounts.

Another great suggestions I got the first time around. - keep a food journal if you aren't already, and show it to your dietician and see what suggestions they would have to changing your diet.

 

madhatter2003

I was also supposed to check after 2 hours, not 1 hour after meal.

BUT you need to WAYYYYY increase the protein.  I know you are staying roughly in the carb count they gave you, but there was NO protein in your dinner last night and that will make your morning number higher for example (at least in my experience).

And your bedtime snack, have cheese and nuts with the apple rather than caramel for example.

Have more veggies than fruit too if you are having trouble, especially in the snacks.

starlily313

It sounds like you need more protein in your meals & snacks. For example, adding some chicken breast to the pasta, having the apple w/ cheese or peanut butter, or choosing greek style yogurt instead of the regular stuff. You might also want to take a 10-20 minute walk in the evenings to help your morning numbers. Dealing with GD involves a lot of trial and error as to what works for your body.

Lisa Frank

I check 1 hour after meals (and did with my 1st pregnancy too.  I have yet to be diagnosed with this pregnancy, but I just failed my 1 hour so I started testing and dieting this week) This is how my high-risk doctor does it. It's a lot more of an aggressive approach, but that's just how they do it.  Your doctor might be the same way. 

You've gotten good advice here already, so I won't bore you with repeats

ETA: I have to be below 140 after 1 hour. I think it's typically under 120 if you test after 2 hours.  ??

Ladydianna

I keep track of my numbers along w/ what I ate.  After two weeks I went to the nutritionist w/ my diary and numbers and it really helped her figure out a good meal plan for me.  My body can't handle carbs well in the AM so I'm only supposed to have 15 g for breakfast and 15g for am snack.  I can have 45g for lunch and 30g for afternoon snack.  then another 45g for dinner.  Although I am allowed 30g for my evening snack, I find that eating some cheese or even a small amount of ice cream is extremely satisfying and helps keep my fasting below 90.  

I test 1-2 hours after I eat (i'm horrible about doing it an hour after)  And they look at my numbers as a whole.

BrendaK

Ditto what the others said:

It takes a while to get numbers under control, and to figure out what makes your blood sugar go crazy (i.e. I can eat a cupcake or ice cream, but I can't go near peaches, apples, or a slice of white bread). Every person is different.

You really need to increase your protein intake. Looking at your samples meals, you didn't have hardly any protein. My GD super foods: eggs, cheese, chicken, South Beach protein bars, peanut butter and milk. Some women have a really, really hard time with milk though (it'll spike their numbers), so try that one with a grain of salt. And keep in mind that all of those things still have carbs (except eggs and cheese). The protein will help your body use the carbs efficiently and keep your blood sugar even. It's amazing what a piece of toast by itself versus a piece of toast and an egg will do. It's like, you're eating more with the egg, but your blood sugar is way lower. The power of protein. :-)

And ditto PP - some doctors will have you check 2-hours post-meal and some will have you check 1-hour post meal. Some will require you to be under 140, some will use 120 as a baseline. My diabetes RN wants my 2-hour post-meal numbers to be under 110, and the endo told me he wouldn't be happy unless they were all under 100 (he's old and a jerk though, so I go by what my diabetes RN says). Just go by what your doctor says, try not to read into what all of our doctors say!

One thing that I've found is that whole-grain carbs are WAY better on my blood sugar than processed white carbs. I can eat a normal serving of Rice Chex (whole grain certified!) with a double serving of milk in the morning, and it's fine. If I eat the same thing with Rice Krispies (refined/processed cereal), my blood sugar is through the roof. Same applies for rice and pasta - whole grain whenever possible.

And, not to scare you, but if your morning numbers stay high (my doctor's magic number is 90), you may need to go on medicine. I've been on insulin for morning fasting numbers my entire pregnancy (since 5 weeks) and was on it for almost all of my daughter's pregnancy (since 9 weeks). The shots are usually painless - definitely less painful than the 4x daily testing. Some doctors allow women to take glyburide (a pill) - mine won't.

Good luck!! The first few weeks are hard, but you'll find your way in no time!!

azzyberry

1 - If you check our sugar 1 hour after you finish eating your number should be below 140.  2 hours after it should be below 120.  Those are the standard numbers for GD.

2 - It sounds like your eating too much refined carbs/white flour such as the waffles and pasta.  When you eat carbs you should be eating more complexed carbs, whole wheat/whole grains.

3 - ALWAYS include protein with your meals/snacks.  Protein binds to the carbs and slows down your bodies absorption rate so that your blood sugar won't spike.

4 - you should be eating smaller meals and more meals through out the day - 3 main meals and 3 snacks in between, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Your bedtime snack is most important so don't ever skip it.  If you miss a snack here and there throughout the day it's not a huge deal but don't make a habit of it.

5 - Limit carbs/sugars.  I'm only allowed 15-30 grams of carbs during breakfast and during snack times and 30-60 grams of carbs during lunch and dinner.  Again, try to consume mostly complexed carbs and always include protein. 

6 - If continue to find that you are having difficulty controlling your bloos sugar, take a 20 minute walk after each main meal.  This will do WONDERS for keeping your blood sugar controlled.