Managing hypoglycemia in 3rd tri - failing royally!

JamieFL · July 2010

I found out I had PG hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in the 1st tri after complaining of being shaky and wanting to faint. I also have low BP, too.

I started managing my blood sugar better and felt really good up until about 2 weeks ago. I stay home whenever possible now because of feeling so poorly. My old tricks of keeping up my sugars was to drink juices diluted with water throughout the day. When I'm hungry I always eat but sometimes the shakiness lingers after eating.

Any ways that you manage this - please share! I see my OB next week and will bring it up again. Right now I just don't trust myself to drive and usually have DH take me on errands/necessary trips. I hate to admit defeat and would love to feel better so that I can enjoy the PG while it lasts.

historychick79 · July 2010

I had hypoglycaemia before/without pregnancy and it's always been managed by diet/exercise. My trick has been to always have a protein with any kind of carb or sugar. I've always avoided fruit juices, fake sugars, or starches (potatoes, french fries, corn) because they're either processed too quickly or dump too much carb into the system which spurs your body to produce too much insulin. Try drinking more milk or plain water rather than diluted juice; and eating eggs, cheese, low sugar (but not light with aspertame) yogurt, nuts, PB regularly; have veggies as your snacks over fruit. Also eat every 2hrs or so. This stabilizes your sugar levels instead of shocking your system every time you eat. Hope you feel better soon!

Stacyc625 · July 2010

I have always had low blood sugars- including with both of these pregnancies. Best suggestion I can recommend- eat protein & carbs often- with every meal.

The juices are ok-- however its a quick fix- and it isn't going to sustain the level of sugar in your bloodstream and you are going to feel crappy again fast. Proteins and carbs release a steady stream of sugars into your bloodstream. lean meats, whole grains and veggies at least 6 meals a day. you need to eat small meals ALL the time. So you should easily be eating every two hours. this will help balance out your sugars and avoid dips.

avoid the quick sugar fixes to bring it back up- because it will just crash shortly.

Dobie_Mama · July 2010

Are you eating regularly? I eat something every 2hrs., whether I'm feeling very hungry or not, to ward off the blood sugar drop. Normally if I wait until I'm feeling hungry it's too late and I'll feel sick anyway.

Tracey1984 · July 2010

wow I am so happy that you brought this up. I felt very alone because no one knew what I was going through. I have been on bedrest since 17 weeks because of my low blood sugars. Sadly it took me to be pregnant before someone would listen to me about it. I have been told to eat every hour a carb and protien. Sadly I am to the point that it is not working and they are thinking about putting me on IV drip to keep me from crashing. Eggs are always a good source to eat. My doctor has also told me to drink at least three glasses of whole milk a day. Not really the best thing in the world but it does seem to be helping.

jenniferueding · July 2010

I was hypoglycemic pp, but it was so severe when I was pregnant with DD (constant dizziness, frequent fainting) that my doctor sent me to a diabetic nutrionist to help me try to manage it better through my diet. As PP's have said, the nutritionist told me to make sure I eat complex carbohydrates (i.e. whole grains) or proteins with every meal, eat every 2-3 hours, drink plenty of water, exercise, and avoid the simple, refined sugars (such as high fructose corn syrup) found in most juices and sodas. I've followed the same advice this pregnancy and haven't had any problems. The best thing you can do for yourself is to maintain a healthy diet and eat before you get hungry (and avoid the juice!).

Silvergirl6405 · July 2010

I don't have that condition, but I can tell you that the juice is probably one of the worst things you can be drinking. All it will do is spike your blood sugar then make you crash and feel worse than before. Make sure you are eating QUALITY foods - whole grain breads with NO high fructose corn syrup - in fact try to check everything you are eating to see whether this is in here or not, it is one of the worst things you can consume - those new commercials are bullshit. It makes your sugar spike, you crash, then you are hungry and craving it again, it's a vicious cycle. Also - lots of protein-- eggs, cheese, yogurts (again careful with the ingredients in these - Stoneyfield is a good one, it uses cane sugar) nuts, nut butters - check the ingredients on peanut butters, etc. too - get one with just the nuts and sometimes there's a touch of sea salt. Talking to a dietician would probably be very beneficial for you too! Good luck!

RosesRRed · July 2010

I have hypoglycemia and have had it since I was a child. You have to eat protein and stay far away from sugar which includes white bread, potatoes, white rice. Really anything that is white. If you start to feel shaky and dizzy eat peanut butter or a piece of cheese. That will help you feel better until you can eat a protein rich meal.

NantucketSunset · July 2010

Ditto what the other posters have said - eat every 2 hours and eat protein with every meal/snack. Use juice only in an emergency - ie when you are feeling like you might faint (or if you do faint), and even then follow it up with some protein. Drinking juice is like pouring sugar down the drain - it won't help you past 15 min or so, and if you have reactive hypoglycemia, it will make your blood sugar lower than it was before you had the juice. It is hard to change your diet, but you will feel a ton better once you get some protein and complex carbs on a regular basis - on a constant sugar diet you probably feel a little faint/weak all the time. GL!

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