Another thing to add to the complications list..Ges Diabetes

makhutch

Hey all! I just got a call that I have diabetes...can anyone tell me anything about this?? I'm so worried now! does this affect the babies??? I know my diet will have to change but I just wanted to get some other opinions...Thanks!!!

mirnb

You will probably meet with a dietician and get a glucose meter to check your blood 4x a day....the biggest change will be diet but honestly it isn't too bad once you get the hang of it! It can affect the babies if it isn't controlled but I am sure you will be closely monitored and if can't be controlled by diet alone some people go on insulin...I was able to be diet controlled so it didn't change things too much!

emilyec1

mirnb:

You will probably meet with a dietician and get a glucose meter to check your blood 4x a day....the biggest change will be diet but honestly it isn't too bad once you get the hang of it! It can affect the babies if it isn't controlled but I am sure you will be closely monitored and if can't be controlled by diet alone some people go on insulin...I was able to be diet controlled so it didn't change things too much!

 All this...once you get the hang of it after a week or so it's not so bad...plus for me it made it easier to eat healthy and get motivated to get back in shape post-delivery because I couldn't just eat whatever I wanted to...it was everything in moderation, which is good no matter what. Now almost 2 months post-delivery it is a distant memory. Follow their advice and then hang in there! 

zombiemommy

I was diagnosed at 28 weeks. The past week and a half has been a lot less horrible than I thought it would be. As PP said, I take my blood four times a day, have to restrict my carb intake per meal, eat snacks more frequently, and test my urine every morning for ketones which apparently measures whether I'm restricting my carb intake too much.

It really hasn't been that bad so far, although I was super stressed and upset when I was first diagnosed. Just ask good questions to the dietician and don't freak out if you're a point or two out of range. My doctor makes me call her when I'm like one point out of range, but I've kind of slacked on that. The glucose meter isn't perfect, so as long as you're usually in range, don't worry too much.

As far as the effect, it mostly makes the babies more likely to be big and more likely to be c-section. They'll have to take the babies' blood sugar levels right after birth. Just follow the dietician and the doctor's orders, and you'll be okay.

222my

I have gestational diabetes too. In addition to the babies growing too big, after delivery the babies can become hypoglycemic because the placenta is gone. This is very dangerous for newborns.
I test 4x day and loosely follow a meal plan. It isn't as bad as you think. The extra protein and less carbs is actually giving me more energy. Good luck!!

regenab

It really was not all that bad once you get the hang of the diet and testing your blood. For me the diet was too restrictive. I didn't gain one ounce in almost 6 weeks. The babies were still growing, but I was not putting on any weight. So at that point they put me on glyberide (a pill not insulin shot) and it allowed me to eat more food and take in more calories every day. That helped a lot and I was able to start putting on weight again. I only ended up gaining 40 lbs. during whole PG and delivered at 36 weeks. The babies were fine, they weighed 4lbs. 14oz. and 4lbs. 15oz. and had no NICU time. Their blood sugar was a little low when they were delivered, which is common when the mother has GD. So they gave them both a couple of ml of formula and their sugars came right up to normal levels. Once the placentas were delivered it went away and I didn't have any after affects.

My biggest piece of advice is to bring your own testing supplies to the hospital when you deliver. If you go through labor, like I did, they test your blood every 2 hours because they have you on an insulin drip since you cannot eat during labor. I didn't bring my meter and they had to use the hospital supplied ones. Those suckers hurt. They are the old style and when pricking for blood really hurt. By the time I delivered (24 hours of labor) I had little purple bruises on each one of my fingers. So bring your own testing supplies that have the new meters that don't hurt much at all. All GD PG girls take this advice please!