New to this board...abnormal GTT

mandyhall2882

Well, I've pretty much resigned to the fact that I probably have GD. I called the doctor's office and all they could tell me is that my 3 hour GTT results are abnormal. The doctor won't be in until this afternoon to look at the results and someone will call when he checks them out.

I know nothing about GD. I'm ok with having to be on a strict diet, but it's going to be hard. I want what's best for the baby and myself.

Any advice on food choices, exercise choices, testing, would be greatly appreciated. I'm gonna make it through this!

 

pixiegirl131415

There are plenty of us GD mommas on this board, and we're always passing around new ideas for snacks/meals, etc. If you look back a bit you should find some. Protein will help keep you full and make your sugars more stable, so try to incorporate it into almost every meal/snack (even just a bit of cheese). The diet isn't that bad, but can be frustrating or monotonous at times. Exercise immediately after a meal helps a ton, even just a 10 min walk. And don't forget to wash your hands before you test... it can really mess with your numbers if you have anything on your skin.

I keep telling myself it's only for a short time... like a bad class in college or high school. You just have to push through it, doing the best you can, and it will be over after a few months. You can do anything for a few months!

memali26

I am feeling reallllly lazy and don't want to type a lot, so here is a copy and paste of an answer I wrote out for a Sept 2011 momma with GD. Hope it helps!

I have GD for the second time. It's very manageable, and while it can have serious effects on the baby/pregnancy, if you are well-controlled it is honestly more of a nuisance than anything, and you should have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Many women can easily control GD with diet and exercise, though some do need medication. I do one injection of insulin at bedtime right now.

First advice: pop over to the high risk board. There are lots of GD moms over there that are always happy to answer questions and if you search back there are several threads with meal ideas!

The basics: Drinking lots of water and walking/exercising will be very helpful with keeping your blood sugar in check. Choose as many whole wheat/whole grain options as possible for breads, pastas, etc. You'll have three meals and three snacks a day, all balanced with carbs/protein/veggies. You'll test blood sugar 4 times a day - fasting and 1 or 2 hours after each meal. The diet is different for each person based on your nutritional needs, but to give you an idea here's mine:

Breakfast, morning and afternoon snacks are all 15 grams of carbs and 1 protein serving. So for breakfast I usually have half an English muffing and one or two eggs. Snacks are whole wheat toast with peanut butter, wheat crackers with cheese, popcorn and string cheese.

Lunch and dinner are 30 grams of carbs and 3-4 protein servings, plus at least 1 cup of veggies and 8 oz milk. I am allowed one fruit serving at lunch. Lunch for me is a lot of turkey sandwiches or dinner leftovers. Dinner is often grilled chicken a thousand different ways, tacos, hamburgers, anything high in protein.

My bedtime snack is much higher than most. Most women get about 15 grams of carbs and a protein at bedtime, but I get up to 45 grams of carbs and protein is optional. this is because I spill ketones, which means I'm not getting enough carbs, so I carb load at bedtime. Bedtime snack is very often ice cream

Fruit is allowed, but in very small amounts - half of a banana is one fruit serving, for example. Fruit and milk should generally be avoided before lunch, when your blood sugar is more easily spiked. Juice isn't allowed because it's mostly sugar. Potatoes, corn, winter squash are all starchy vegetables and count toward your carb allowance.

I know I wrote a novel, but I hope it helps answer some of your questions! GD sounds scarier than it really is. It's a little trial and error to learn the diet and which foods work for you, but after a few weeks you get used to it. Also, don't be scared of the GD=big baby talk. It can lead to high birth weight if it's not controlled well, but if you follow the "rules" you should be fine. My DD was only 6 lbs 11 oz.

mandyhall2882

Thank you, ladies!

rainlily

The only thing I would add is that keeping a food log is helpful in the beginning.  You will find that there are some carb foods that you tolerate better than others.  It is much easier to see what is raising you blood sugar if you write everything down.  You don't have to keep a log for the rest of your pregnancy, just until you get the hang of things.

Like memali, this is my 2nd GD pregnancy.  If it was awful- I wouldn't have gotten pregnant again!  It is manageable and you may even find that you will be feeling better than you've felt in awhile.  Exercising after meals helped lower my blood sugar immediately, was a great stress reliever, and helped with my cardiovascular health.  I don't know that I would have been as dedicated to exercise after every meal if I didn't feel like I had to for the blood sugar lowering effects.  I won't pretend that there were not days when I just felt hungry or wished I could eat more fruit.  But, I didn't feel like that everyday or even most days.  GL!