Gestational Diabetes

Nuk-nuk · August 2016

Hi guys plz advise according to your experience, im 27 weeks pregnant ive just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. My gynea put me on Glucophage but my physician is advocating for insulin, how have you managed this and what lifestyle changes have u made to assist with a complication free pregnancy. I also have high blood pressure (on medication for it too)

JessWeck · August 2016

First, relax and know that you can most likely have a healthy pregnancy and baby. I had GD in my second pregnancy. I had to follow a specific carb/protein diet along with exercise. For example, my day looked as such:

Breakfast: 30g of carbs
Mid Morning Snack: 30g of carbs
Lunch: 60g of carbs
Mid afternoon snack: 30g of carbs
Dinner: 60g of carbs
Night Snack: 30g of carbs

Each meal and snack was always paired with protein. ALWAYS! Protein is essential for the proper breakdown of carbs in the body. Good protein sources are greek yogurt, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, lean meats, chicken, cottage cheese. Having that snack before bed is good for glucose stabilization while you sleep.

I walked for 15-30 minutes twice daily. I chose to walk after my lunch and dinner meals and I did well. Exercise helps the body process glucose.

Try to avoid foods that having refined sugars and white flour. Foods such as white bread, white pasta, white rice, cookies, cake, candy are typically sugar spiking foods. Try whole wheat breads, pastas, and rice instead.

Sometimes it was tough because you couldn't indulge in those pregnancy cravings. However, if i chose to have something that was out of my carb range, I always ate them with a regular meal instead of a snack, and I increased the amount of exercise I did.

I tested my blood sugar with a glucometer 4 times a day. I tested on my fingers; when i first woke, and 2 hours after each main meal.

A nutiritionist will be able to help you tremendously! If you need more help or have any questions, feel free to ask!

Good luck! You can do this!

hispenguin · September 2016

Ditto everything that @JessWeck said. I had GD in my first pregnancy and had to be on insulin nightly to regulate my fasting sugars. The most important thing is to keep your carb consumption down and add protein! I also had to check my sugars 4x/day. The most important support I had was having to meet with a dietician at my hospital biweekly. She was a huge help especially at the beginning when I was changing my diet and feeling less than happy about it!

hey&june · September 2016

I remember feeling very discouraged when I was diagnosed in my previous pregnancy with gestational diabetes. My numbers were borderline on the test, but they were high enough to get the diagnosis. Mine was managed with diet and exercise.

From that point on, I ate VERY low carb and high protein at every meal and snack. I eliminated all pastas, breads, desserts, and fruits, drank only water, and exercised daily. I used Skinny Taste for low-carb recipes and snack ideas. It was a change from my normal diet, and it was challenging, but sticking with it kept me and my baby healthy. My blood sugar has been fine ever since, and that was 4 years ago.

Breakfast was probably the most difficult for me, but I made egg white and veggie omelettes, or a scrambled egg with some sort of protein. For lunch and dinner, I stuck with a meat and vegetables (things I would normally eat but without the bread or rice - like a taco salad instead of a taco in a tortilla and I upped the amount of veggies in everything I ate), and for snacks I ate things like nuts, low fat cheese, and veggies. If I absolutely had to have something sweet, I would eat a couple of spoonfuls of greek yogurt as a treat. It has much more protein than other kinds of yogurt. Don't be discouraged! It won't be long before you little one is here and all this will be in the past.

MLS6212 · September 2016

If your OB hasn't referred you to a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, I would ask about that. They specialize in treating women with complicated pregnancies and have resources to help you. I was diagnosed with GDM and my pregnancy was co-managed by an MFM group. I had access to a dietician if I needed to see one. Luckily, the nurse assigned to introduce me to the MFM group was very thorough in explaining what limits I needed to set for myself and I responded very well to diet modification. I was allowed 30g of carbs each for breakfast and three snacks during the day and 45g of carbs each for lunch and dinner, so you can see it can differ for each woman. An MFM specialist will help you determine the best course of action to ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery.

Want a personalized experience?

Gestational Diabetes

Re: Gestational Diabetes

Choose Another Board

Search Boards