who has GD please come in!

Lindsaywillo · June 2011

So, I just got the call from my doctor and my levels were high for the gestational diabetes test. So, just wondering that 3 day diet sounds like a real pain! Did you all have to do that or did some of you just do a 3 hour blood draw? Also....is this harmful for the baby or just the mom, like what are the complications? AND...what do they do for it, just a special diet or what!?!?! UGH! I didn't have this with my first pregnancy but I had Pre-E so I am OVER this whole pregnancy thing, no more apparently my body doesn't agree with it!!! Any information is helpful, thanks!

ambracken · June 2011

I failed the 1 hour test (they told me to eat as normal) and then failed the 3 hour test. I did not have to change my diet prior to testing (you should eat as normal so it is most accurate) but you do have to fast for at least 10 hours I believe. It is not harmful to you or baby. They just give you more of the sugary drink and you wait there for 3 hours while they do 4 sticks (1 blood draw before the drink and then 1 every hour for 3 hours). It wasn't too bad...they put me in my own room with bed and tv. Anyway, I failed so then you do diabetes counseling where you will meet with a dietitian. She will tell you about the foods you should eat and avoid and tell you how many carbs you should have for each meal. You also will need to start testing your blood sugar level. It's easy, it's just more of a pain. You prick your finger and put a drop of blood on a test strip. You have to do this in the morning before you eat, then 2 hours after lunch and dinner. Make sure after you test you have a snack. You also have to record all of your meals and at the end of the week, you submit your sugar levels and food log and they will tell you if you are on the right track. If not, they can help you with your diet, or in my case, start you on a low dose of glyberide. It will help to produce insulin and keep your numbers down so baby doesn't get too big. It is more of a pain than anything, but it's all what's best for the baby.

memali26 · June 2011

I'm GD for the second time. I'm not sure what you mean by a 3-day diet - I was diagnosed after failing the 1 hour with my DD (with a crazy high number) and both the 1 and 3 hours with this LO.

Treatment for GD includes a diet plan designed to limit and spread out your carb intake throughout the day to keep your blood sugar stable. They also recommend exercise for mothers who are healthy enough. Blood sugar is checked at home 4 times a day and adjustments are made to the diet if needed. If diet and exercise don't keep blood sugars under control, doctors may prescribe insulin injections or an oral medication galled glyburide.

There are complications with GD, but many GD moms have healthy, relatively normal pregnancies with some extra monitoring and doctor appts. Complications for the baby can include a larger than average birth weight baby, still birth (very rare), respiratory issues after birth, and jaundice. Complications for the mother include a slightly increased risk of diabetes later in life and higher risk of developing high blood pressure or Pre-E during the pregnancy.

If you want more info on GD pop over to the high risk board. There are quite a few GD moms over there.

ambracken · June 2011

You said you have GD for the 2nd time...how big was your first baby and were you able to deliver vaginally? At 32 weeks my baby was measuring around 5 lbs and in the 97th percentile. they just started me on glyburide. I am hoping to control my sugars so baby doesn't get too big.

docsallen · June 2011

Everything that has been said, plus: increased risk of amniotic fluid, increased risk of going into labor prematurely, if you have GD then the doctors may make sure that the baby is fed earlier. (My mother was a maternity nurse and mentioned that since the baby is used to getting high levels of sugar from Mom, the baby will have a "sugar crash" after birth and so is fed sooner rather than later)

Livs-mama · June 2011

I am currently on day 3 of my 3 day diet and have to do my 3 hour test tomorrow. The diet includes a lot of sugary items. For instance every day for lunch and dinner I have to have a large dessert either ice cream, cake, or a bowl of fruit. The hardest part of the diet is how much you need to eat! I am not hungry enough to eat everything on this list. I just pray I pass my test tomorrow as it sounds like an extra pain to have to deal with if you dont. Also I passed my 1 hour with my 1st pregnancy so I was not expecting to fail this time!

mandyhall2882 · June 2011

It's not really a special diet, it's more of just eating healthier and watching carb intake. I would consider this diet good for anyone with or without GD. I can have 15 carbs for a snack and 45 carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You have to pay attention to nutrition labels.

I check my blood usually around 5-10 minutes after I get out of bed for the day. If I wake up and go pee and plan on going back to sleep, I don't check it. This is called your "fast" test, because you have fasted overnight and haven't ate since your snack the night before. My doctor and dietitian want my fasting number to be 90 or below.

I check my blood again 2 hours after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Doctor and dietitian want my numbers to be 120 or under. I try to eat my snack right after each testing; then wait a couple hours for my next meal.

I have to start going in twice a week for NTS (non-stress tests) for the baby. They will hook a monitoring device up to my belly and check baby's heart rate and other things. You can google NTS to find out all what goes on. It's not harmful.

There are risks to having GD, but if you eat good and take care of yourself then there isn't much of a need to worry. It's important to keep your glucose levels under control and that's what the blood testing and diet is for. Your doctor and dietitian will take good care of you and make sure you are very informed on what's going on.

lovelyophelia · June 2011

With DS I did the diet. This time I did not have to and just took the test.

I was diagnosed at 12 weeks. I was at greater risk for it due to PCOS and a family history of diabetes.I am insulin controlled and haven't had to go up a lot as of yet, but I just hit 3rd trimester.

Honestly, it isn't as bad as everyone make it out to be. I have lost 35 lbs this pregnancy and I don't look like I'll be gaining much, if anything.

The diet will be specific to you though. I get 45 carbs at breakfast, 30 at morning snack, 55 at lunch, 25 for afternoon snack, 60 for dinner and 25 at bedtime snack. I have 3-6 servings of protein with my meals and 2-3 with my snacks.

Testing time will depend on what your dietitian/high risk OB chooses. For me, I test 2 hours from the last bite of a meal. Some people test 1 hour from the first bite. I'm grateful my OB doesn't do that because it takes me an hour to eat most of the time.

It may seem overwhelming, but it will all fall into place over time. The ladies on the high risk board are great and if you are diagnosed as GD and need help, they are definitely there to do that.

memali26 · June 2011

ambracken:
You said you have GD for the 2nd time...how big was your first baby and were you able to deliver vaginally? At 32 weeks my baby was measuring around 5 lbs and in the 97th percentile. they just started me on glyburide. I am hoping to control my sugars so baby doesn't get too big.

Just saw your question. Yes, I delivered vaginally. I had a 56 hour induction, 38 hours in actual labor. Very long, but a very positive experience. DD was 6 lbs 11 oz - 21st percentile, if I remember right. At 34 weeks the u/s put her at 5 lbs 4 oz, right around the 50th percentile. I was on insulin for 11 weeks prior to delivery and my numbers were still too high, so we were expecting a large baby. She was a tiny little thing, and neither of us had complications during or after birth with our blood sugars. She's now 15 months and perfectly healthy

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