High-Risk Pregnancy

GD mamas, a little help?

I was diagnosed with GD last week and have been taking my levels and trying to keep everything low with diet, etc. My concern is that my morning levels are never under the 130 range and I have a hard time keeping my after meal levels any lower as well. The only time I get below 120 is when I have 0 carbs and of course I know I can't do that either. I am only eating whole grains when I do eat carbs, and have cut out all sugar. I have to go back to see the DR on friday and am afraid that If I don't get these numbers under control that I'm going to have to go on insulin. I'm really freaking out about having to give myself injections, I have problems with anxiety around needles. getting my blood drawn is a real ordeal for me most days. Any tips on getting my levels lower? I really don't want to have to take meds. 
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Re: GD mamas, a little help?

  • First off, do not stress, it will only make your sugars even higher! Then you stress more, and it is a bad cycle!

    I had/have issues with my morning numbers, too. They tend to spike in the AM from your body giving you it's own boost to get your day going. I have found that eating my low-carb breakfast as soon as possible in the AM helped my numbers a lot. That way you are choosing what sugars you get, which are hopefully some that you know won't make your number spike. Some say a bedtime snack with some carbs helped them with this issue, as it kept their body from the need to produce so much.

    You are probably quite a few steps from insulin, but just in case it helps, I have been a diabetic for 4 years, but never on insulin until I got pregnant. I actually opted to get going on insulin in my 10th week, so I could get the program down before I got further along and things get more and more tricky. It was quite a relief to have so much more control, and I could suddenly eat more than 30 carbs per day without my sugar spiking! The needles they have now are so tiny that I would rather take a shot than test my sugar, because honestly the prick hurts more!

     

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  • Have you tried going for a walk after breakfast, before you test? For me this is the only thing that works to keep my numbers down. I have found as well that if I can manage to keep that one number down, then usually the rest of the day is fine. If I don't walk then I know my numbers will be high and I will struggle all day. I tried cutting down my carbs in the morning too, but the dr didn't like that at all so I'm making sure to eat what I am supposed to. She said 45g of carbs with every meal and 15-20g every snack.

     

    Also  I was told to make sure to have some sort of protein with your carbs as it slows down their digestion and therefore your sugar surge. Usually for me that means i eat some cheese with my apple/grape/orange (one of) snack. I also have a dish with 1c frozen fruit (I thaw a bunch at the beginning of the week in 1c portions) with a lunch sized yogurt and a couple spoonfuls of cottage cheese. Both seem to be fine for my sugars and keep me satisfied for a couple hours. 

     

     She told me that I will probably have to be on insulin by the end, no matter what I do (because most women do). I am disappointed with that, but as long as the baby is ok in the end I am happy. As long as you are doing what you need to to stay healthy then you are doing it right!

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  • How many carbs are you having for breakfast?  I have to keep mine between 15-20g for breakfast.  And add more protein too.

    Erin- I got through my 2nd pregnancy with GD without any insulin and I'm hoping to do the same this time around!!! 

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  • not exactly sure what my carbs are, i generally have 2 eggs  a slice of whole wheat toast and cheese with a glass of milk. It's to the point where I really don't know how much more carbs I can cut out I'm already limiting them so much. Of course I will talk to my Dr about it but I was just curious if anything else could be going on. I really haven't gone for walks, etc. I'm on my feet most of the day but was going to try doing that tomorrow morning since I have the day off. 
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  • Your body may not be responding well to milk or the bread.  I know there is basically one type of bread that I can eat that works with my system and other low-carb wraps and stuff just don't. 

    What is your nighttime snack?  When do you eat it?  What time do you test in the morning? 

    I never had a problem with my numbers going above range, but it was/is a big learning curve about what works for your body and what doesn't.

    I also really liked this site: https://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_index.html

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  • imagebrienne00:
    not exactly sure what my carbs are, i generally have 2 eggs  a slice of whole wheat toast and cheese with a glass of milk. It's to the point where I really don't know how much more carbs I can cut out I'm already limiting them so much. Of course I will talk to my Dr about it but I was just curious if anything else could be going on. I really haven't gone for walks, etc. I'm on my feet most of the day but was going to try doing that tomorrow morning since I have the day off. 

    so that's 3 proteins, a starch, and a milk... i would cut out the milk if i were you. the diet i've been prescribed says no milk at breakfast. also, try orowheat brand double fiber bread. it doesn't taste too different from whole wheat toast and it doesn't have honey like some whole wheat toast does. hope that helps!

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  • I have had GD since I was 19 weeks and I have been working very hard to keep my numbers down without insulin and so far, I've been successful.  Here are some things that I found helpful:

    *Eat protein every time you eat carbs to balance them out

    *I had to stop eating fruit, most breads and all cereals, because my body couldn't tolerate it - my blood sugar spikes when I eat it, even if I stay within my carb range.  I also can't eat anything with artificial sugar - my body reacts to it just like regular sugar for some reason.

    *Work out or at least move around for at least 15 minutes after each meal.  This has helped me A LOT, and is probably one of the only reasons I'm still not on insulin.

    *Eat your snacks, even if your blood sugar was higher after your meal.  Skipping meals/snacks will only make your next reading higher because your body goes into fasting mode.

    *Play around with your bedtime snack to see what works the best for your fasting numbers the next day.  I've found I have a better fasting number if I have 10 hours or less between bedtime snack and fasting.  

    *Tell your doctor and your nutritionist that you're committed to doing this WITHOUT insulin and ask for their support.  If you're really serious about it and they can tell you're working hard to keep your numbers in range naturally, they'll be a big help to you.  My nutritionist has adjusted my diet several times to accommodate my goals of not going on insulin. For instance, she had me eating 3 servings of carbs for lunch and 3 for dinner.  My numbers were starting to be higher after eating these meals and we experimented and found that I tolerate 2 servings of carbs much better, so we cut down my meal carb limit and added more to my snacks, which had only been 1 serving of carbs.

    I hope this helps you!  Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

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  • thanks ladies! My Dr.s are great so I'm sure they will give me some time to figure things out before they put me on meds. That Idea makes me feel better. I will try different breads, I guess maybe I should ask about talking to a dietitian. I'm such a picky eater sometimes lol! =) Thanks for al the help ladies! 
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  • you probably already know this, but w/ first pregnancy I took a Glyburide pill to help control my fasting numbers.  THey say fasting numbers are the hardest to control by diet.  I was glad I didn't have to take injections.  I remember my mom doing that when she was PG with my little bro. 
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  • I can't handle whole grains for some reason, but do OK with proper amounts of white carbs - potato bread, regular pasta. Its weird. I was diagnosed around week 18. I just started insulin at week 28. I am also terrified of needles; blood draws are particular bad b/c they generally take from my hand or side of my wrist....blehhh...anyhow, my point is the worrying about needles was way worse than the reality. I was so worked up the first time I injected myself I didn't feel the needle go in at all. Now, I feel it, but its really not bad. The peace of mind that I'm not spiking overnight and waking up with normal readings is soooo worth it.
  • Here are some of the tips i have been advised on by the nutritionist i saw:

    Many pregnant females are unable to handle milk, or fruits at breakfast- so i don't even go there.

    For breakfast I tend to eat whole grain muffin's (check the back of the packet to see that it's actually whole grains as the main ingredient, enriched wheat flour can spike Blood Sugar (BS) levels)), butter- as fats slow down the rise in BS levels and a protein or two- varies from scrambled eggs, turkey sausages, cheese stick, roast chicken, roast turkey, omelette's.

    My morning levels had to be in the 70 - 90 range, and my 1 hour after main meals was to be in the 70 - 130 range.

    When i started to fail the morning ranges, with 94- 98's, and my later meals started to rise to high 120's - 140's i knew i had to do something else rather than just diet alone. So i started swimming every day for 30 minutes- nothing fancy- just kickboard, or breast stroke, and an occasional lap of crawl.  My levels dropped within 10 days, i am now back to fasting in the ranges of  70 - 85's, and post meals  rarely go over 110.  I am 35 weeks pregnant, and had GD diagnosed from week 28. I am also age 42 (in march).

    One other thing i changed on my diet- as i detested the thought of insulin, was to eat roughly every 2- 2.5 hours, of 1-2 carb's, one fat, 1-2 protein's for most of the meals. My later snack meals at 9.30 was a salad with feta cheese and dressing, and my last snack at 11.30/12.00 is a 6oz glass of whole organic milk, sometime with 1/2 a slice of whole grain bread, and 1 TBSP of organic peanut butter.  

     

    The changes to diet, eating every 2- 2.5 hours, monitoring my levels with the tester after every meal for 2 weeks, and the swimming helped me alot to get the figures back down.

    If anything i say makes sense to you, or you want to talk more bncybncytigger@gmail.com is my email, as i hear you on the whole freak out at the thought of meds.

    One carb - usually equals a 15g serving

    One protein - is usually about 5-7g

    Look for healthier fats like avocado, mono or polyunsaturated nuts,  organic peanut butter- the type you stir to mix as its usually higher in mono, or polyunsaturated fats, eat healthy fish, and most meats choices would be lean turkey, chicken (no skin), with occasional lean cuts of red meat, or pork, cottage cheese. Also, eat lots of veggies as they help the digestion, contain soluble or insoluble fiber- which slows down BS levels.

    Personally for myself, i was advised to exercise 10- 15 minutes after every meal, before i tested my BS levels- due to a knee injury that is just not feasible as it began to make my knees ache, and it is a quick fix only to basically get the glucose into the cells there and then.  I looked at the longer term approach of exercising for the 30 - 45 minutes which helps the body to lower overall glucose resistance as a long term approach, without going technical it makes the cell membrane receptors start working again to transport sugars properly into the muscle tissues.

    The thought of my exercise split into short spurts after every meal, just didn't work for me, and to get my BS levels lower i had to do at least 20 minutes of vigorous stationary bike- not very comfortable as you get bigger and bigger- as the recommended brisk walk did nada for my levels. So the swimming works great, if i miss a day my levels don't spike back up, as they did if i missed a day of bike riding, and swimming is such a great feeling of weightlessness off the ribs, pelvis, and back, that it';s a treat to go.

     

     Good luck 

     

     

     

    I  

  • Try cutting out the milk, drink only water and exercise immediately after eating until you test.  It's annoying but I've found that if I exercise immediately after eating until I test, my numbers are better.  Even if you can't get outside for a walk, unload the dishwasher, sweep, mop, go up and down stairs, shower - anything to keep your body moving.  I was diagnosed at seven weeks and it has taken me at least two months to get used to the diet and exercise.  It takes a long time of trial and error to find out how to keep your numbers in range.
  • imagebrienne00:
    not exactly sure what my carbs are, i generally have 2 eggs  a slice of whole wheat toast and cheese with a glass of milk. It's to the point where I really don't know how much more carbs I can cut out I'm already limiting them so much. Of course I will talk to my Dr about it but I was just curious if anything else could be going on. I really haven't gone for walks, etc. I'm on my feet most of the day but was going to try doing that tomorrow morning since I have the day off. 

    NO MILK in the morning! This is your problem. I had the same problem my first week. Also you need to keep track of your carbs/ carb count for every meal. It will take awhile to figure out what works for you. For me I could only do 15carbs for breakfast. Also I had a hard time with my fasting numbers even after eating a snack right before bed. I was adamant about not going on insulin because I had a fear of needles. I asked my doctor to refer me to a nutritionist and give me a chance to get the diet portion under control. Then I asked if there was an oral alternative I could do instead of insulin and then I was put on Glyburide. That helped but most importantly I had to be really strict with my diet. Good luck! Patience is key!

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