Gestational Diabetes

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

Hi Mama's with Gestational Diabetes!

I was just diagnosed last week. We, @CecilB93 and I, wanted to start a thread where we can ask questions, support each other, and share GD approved recipes/foods! It's not a fun thing to get diagnosed with but we can get through it together!

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

@CecilB93 I thought I'd respond in our new thread! Wow, those are very strict numbers. I'm sorry! Is there a specific time frame that we should test our fasting numbers after our last snack? I was like 13 hours this time because I slept in today but I'm assuming that's too long. Oh my word, I totally understand on the fruit! Fruit is like the one thing that always sounded good to me this pregnancy and I am dreading so much not being able to have it! Are you not able to eat it at all? Or just in very strict moderation? I'm hoping I can get by with some here and there but who knows.

CecilB93 · June 2018

In moderation for sure with the fruit! For one of my snacks I like to do a few strawberries and a stick of string cheese. And certain fruits have a higher carb count than others, so the lower ones are easier to work in obviously. As long as you pair it with a protein and don't go crazy you should be okay. I'm probably a little too lenient with my snacks, but I know my sugars aren't that bad and I don't have to test after my snacks lol. If I had serious trouble keeping my numbers low then I'd be better, but I know they're not that bad.

And yea, I feel like my numbers are super strict, it kind of pisses me off how strict they are honestly. For my fasting number, I was told somewhere between 8-10 hours. My OB literally told me, "you should be eating your snack between 10 and midnight" since I wake up between 6-6:45 depending on the day. Umm...seriously dude?? I'm pregnant, which means I'm tired. I was told "after 10 hours the body goes into starvation mode and raises your blood sugar" by the dietician I saw for the education. I'm bad and make sure I take my fasting number during that time frame, but then breakfast is still usually more than 10 hours later...

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

Ugh I'm sorry your rules are so strict. I was able to get into my Diabetes educator today. I honestly feel a lot better than I did. I get one more snack than I thought and more carbs than I thought which is going to help a lot. I was feeling so miserable these last few days trying to be careful. It's obviously not the dream way I wanted to spend my first pregnancy, counting carbs but it is nice to know there is some leniancy. Oh she also told me 8 to 12 hours for fasting numbers which I thought seemed more doable!

CecilB93 · June 2018

Glad you got in to see your educator! It definitely makes a difference once you know for sure what to avoid and what you can still have. And definitely not a fun way to spend pregnancy, but I've already gotten to a point where I can tell for the most part what/how much is okay or if it'll put me over. It's a lot less stressful once you get the hang of it! Still annoying though lol.

I was thinking eventually we could share recipes on this thread! I've had to come up with creative ways to get my pizza and pasta fix since those make my numbers too high (per my doctors ranges...), so I've got a couple good ones!

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

@CecilB93 Yes, I would love to share recipes! I actually found a cauliflower pizza recipe that I plan to try out soon so as soon as I do I will let you know how that goes!
Also, I don't know if you're craving sweets but my diabetes educator suggested Yasso Greek yogurt bars. While you can tell it's not full blown ice cream, they are hitting the spot when I need my sweets at night and they only have 16 carbs!

CecilB93 · June 2018

@mamajudec2018 I actually get my ice cream fix with Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla! I can't remember the carb count off the top of my head, but it's something like 4 or 8 grams per half cup. They've got chocolate too if you prefer that!

I haven't tried cauliflower crust pizza, but I do make one that's cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, almond flour, egg, and seasoning, I never have an issue with it!

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

@CecilB93 I will have to try Breyer's Carb Smart! That sounds delicious! I have been craving sweets like crazy.

That pizza sounds amazing! Pizza is my weakness. I have found that I can have a slice of normal pizza paired with veggies but I'd love to be able to have two slices if possible haha!

CecilB93 · June 2018

@mamajudec2018 I wish I could eat regular pizza, I just don't have the will power to stop after one slice lol. So I have to improvise and make a crust that will still allow me 2-3 slices!

LLynde5 · June 2018

Hey Ya’ll! I fail my 12 week one hour test. I go for the three hour test next Wednesday. I had GD last time. I kind just figured I would have it again.

I second the carb smart ice cream!!

CecilB93 · June 2018

@LLynde5 FX you pass this time!! Good luck! I think if you had it once you have a high chance of having it again, but I hope you get lucky!

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

@LLynde5 Yes, fingers crossed that you pass! If not, we'd love another person to swap recipes and support with!

@CecilB93 I would love to be able to have three slices of pizza! Would you be able to share that recipe with me?

CecilB93 · June 2018

@mamajudec2018 of course!! It was a Pinterest find lol. I haven't done toppings other than pepperoni but I want to see if I can put just a little bit of pineapple on and still be okay! Of course more meat and veggies for toppings wouldn't be an issue lol.

https://www.recipe-diaries.com/2017/02/19/fat-head-pizza-crust/

karfatish · June 2018

I didn't pass the 1h test either... I was freaking out with all the information you can find on internet!
I found this channel, where you guys are taking it more relax and made me feel better.
I'm waiting to schedule the 3h Test; let's see what comes out of it...

rcultrona · June 2018

I haven't had GD but since we are talking cauliflower, Trader Joe's has an AMAZING frozen cauliflower gnocchi. A little garlic, evoo and lemon and your set.

LLynde5 · June 2018

Thanks ladies!! I hope I pass too but because of the previous GD, I get to take the 3 hour again at 26 weeks too. (or 28, can’t remember)

I don’t remember what I ate last time but We are all in this together, right?! I’m going to look for my food journal tonight.

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

@karfatish I was super overwhelmed when I was diagnosed but since taking to @CecilB93 and meeting with my diabetes educator I feel so much better. I was essentially starving myself because I was so worried and I realized I can eat enough to be full which is glorious when pregnant! Once you get the hang of it it's not too bad!

@rcultrona ooooh! I love traders! I'll have to give that a try. My diabetes educator also suggested adding zucchini spaghetti in with regular spaghetti so that I get enough food and still get the pasta feel so I'm going to try that!

@LLynde5 Yay, I can't wait to see what ideas you have in your food journal! I'm sorry about having to do the test again later in your pregnancy. The test is so brutal.

rcultrona · June 2018

mamajudec2018 I am a big believer in zoodles ( zucchini noodles). I honestly can't remember the last time we had real pasta at home. If you have a kitchenaid there is an attachment you can get. Our go-to lazy night dinner is zoodles, with ground turkey meatballs and sauce ( I'm not sure where you live but if you are near a Sprouts or similar grocery store they have a whole line of sauces that have no added sugar so the only sugar you are getting is natural from the tomatoes etc...)

CecilB93 · June 2018

@rcultrona jealous that you like zoodles. We've tried it with both red and white sauce, I just can't do it. I do like spaghetti squash though!

@karfatish it's super overwhelming at first! Especially if you're like me and don't have anyone in your family or close friends that's diabetic. Like @mamajudec2018, my diabetes educator and dietician meeting was a big relief. Even still though, I get worked up some days about it all, but in the beginning before I got educated I would break down and cry daily. Today I met with a different nurse educator for instruction on how to administer the insulin since I'll be going on that now (not everyone gets here though!! So don't freak out too much about insulin!), and omg she was great!! Super comforting, great at explaining things, very kind in general. I seriously felt so good after leaving my meeting with her, and the only new things I learned from her was administering the insulin, but she just made me feel good lol. FX that you pass the 3 hour though!!

LLynde5 · June 2018

Here are a few of my breakfasts...that didn’t spike my sugar too bad. After breakfast was usually my highest readings.

One slice of low low carb bread with natural peanut butter. And a hard boiled egg.

Steel cut oats flavored with peanut butter again. (This only lasted a few weeks before taking it out of rotation)

Omlets of all kinds, mostly veggie and cheese based. (I hate eggs when I am pregnant but was really the only thing that resulted in good numbers)

Greek yogurt was a go to for a long time too and then my body started to reject it

I could not eat fruit ever in the morning, but then could one small serving with morning snack or lunch.

Snacks: hummus with celery, Almonds, small serving of fruit with cheese, veggie patty, carrots with ranch (small serving. Too many carrots might as well have been fruit)

Lunches I was so boring. Salad, salad, salad. Usually chicken or sometimes tuna.

Dinner was my favorite, 1. because my hubby is a good cook and 2. It was followed by some carb smart. Not kidding ate carb smart ice cream almost every night and the later at night the better my fasting number.

Favorite meals were burgers and
tacos served in lettuce or my hubby’s knock off Cheesecake Factory lettuce wraps. Spaghetti squash with meatballs. (Low sugar sauce was an issue, and I didnt write what brand) Stir fry with udon noodles. Turkey sliders on thick cut pickles with whole grain mustard and tomato. (I could eat as many sliders as i wanted)
I love salmon, looks like I had it pretty much weekly. And it appears sweet potatoes were a big thing for me in the beginning but then stopped do to increased readings. All meals were heavy with veggies.

Side Bar: as my pregnancy progressed my sugar creeped higher and higher, didn’t really matter what I ate. The only way to keep the numbers in range was to walk after every meal at the end. If I didn’t I was high. I was boaderline for insulin at the end.

CecilB93 · June 2018

@LLynde5 thanks for the food tips!! I just started insulin for my fasting number, I'm not having too much issue with my after meal numbers (unless I over do it on experimenting), so I'm keeping my FX that I can just adjust my meals and not have to add in more insulin for those numbers. I know numbers are higher further in pregnancy, but man I really don't want more insulin. Mainly because I keep being told that since I failed so early (like 6-7 weeks along...) they think I may be type 2 and didn't know it. I feel like being on insulin will increase the chances of that hanging on, so I want to decrease those chances as much as possible.

In regards to experimenting though with what works and what doesn't (because yes, I'm still trying to figure this out lol), I'm shocked by some things. There's this roast I make, that is actually fairly low carb (less that 15g I think) and I usually eat it with one slice of wheat bread, and that puts me over (by just a few points, but still...) or I went to Smokehouse and had pulled pork with BBQ sauce and a few fries, and that put me way over. But then, things like Chick Fil A (grilled nuggets and fries with CFA sauce), home made tots with shredded beef and BBQ sauce, and Dickey's BBQ don't put me over. It almost feels like my body can't decide if it wants to be diabetic or not lol. I was shocked the tots and shredded BBQ beef didn't put me over last night, truly shocked. But, I was happy!! Lol.

LLynde5 · June 2018

@CecilB93 I will be completely honest when it comes to numbers, insulin and your endocrinologist it completely varies on what is okay and what isn’t per practice. I lived out of state when I had my DD, if I was home in PA I would have been on insulin from day one with the practice I am with. I have a friend who’s numbers were boarderline, her OB they let her retest the three hour and she somehow passed. I was shocked!! My previous OB’s biggest thing was tracking my fitness because it had the biggest effect on my numbers. (My OB hated my Endo, lol.).

It’s normal for foods to react differently on different days if you are active. So say you went shopping and you didn’t realize you walked as much as you did, had BBQ and your number was good. You put that meal on the approved list. The following week you had a lazy Sunday and topped it off with BBQ and it was the worst numbers you ever had. That’s totally normal.

My Endo swore I would be type 2 the whole time. I am a little over weight and had a family history. However, after DD was born I ate chocolate none stop because your body gives you a little break after the added stress of the baby is gone. They tested a1c three or four months later and it was perfect. My advice would be don’t think that far ahead yet.

For this pregnancy, my a1c was on the higher side of the normal range at 8 weeks. Four weeks later I failed the one hour. I am not surprised but kinda disappointed because I know how to control the numbers and I haven’t been doing as good as I could. I’ve been very sick and carbs were life to get me through:(

karfatish · June 2018

Thank you, guys! I'll have the 3h test on Saturday. I'll keep you posted

CecilB93 · June 2018

@LLynde5 pretty much every day is low activity for me

and I haven't seen an endocrinologist...is that someone I should see during pregnancy? No one has mentioned needing to at all.

My high risk OB had me do an A1C a couple weeks ago and I passed well within normal range, so that made me feel a little less worried about being Type 2 since the test was done late enough that it was basically the whole first part of my pregnancy and not before that it tested.

LLynde5 · June 2018

@karfatish good luck!!

@CecilB93 I had my DD in Wheeling, WV and it was their hospitals policy to see the endocrinologist on top of your OB. My guess is if it was necessary your OB would have already referred you. It was a huge pain in the ass, they were bi-weekly and then weekly appointments too. Plus I had three NST a week for the last 10 weeks.

mommabear12142018 · June 2018

I was just diagnosed with GD today. I failed teo of the four components of the 3 hr GTT. I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to this. I had been diagnosed with PCOS before becoming pregnant, so I knew there was a chance that I would be diagnosed with GD. I go next week to speak with one of the doctors at my OB. Any advice and/or tips would be greatly appreciated.

LLynde5 · June 2018

I’m sorry knottie. It will take some time to figure everything out and figure out what foods will work for you and what will not.

CecilB93 · June 2018

@LLynde5 well I'm not going to mention anything then, I'm of the same opinion if he hasn't referred me I'm probably okay.

knottie, welcome to the board! I'm so sorry you're GD, it definitely sucks, but it does get easier with time! Once you see your Diabetes educator you'll feel a lot more at ease, but for now just be mindful of your carb intake. You don't have to completely cut carbs, just minimize. Also, if you plan to stick around be sure to sign in to The Knot and change your screen name so we can recognize and tag you better! It's just hard with how many "knottie(letters and numbers)" come through here.

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

Welcome knottie! It can be a little overwhelming but you get the hang of it pretty quickly! There are times when it's frustrating because you just want to eat normally but then you remember what it's for and it's beyond worth it ❤️

karfatish · June 2018

Hi ladies, they measured the fasting glucose level before doing the 3h Test and was 97 ( the threshold is defined at 95), so they didn't move forward with the 3h test... I have to follow up with my Dr now...

CecilB93 · June 2018

@karfatish I honestly can't tell if that's good or bad? It seems weird to me that they wouldn't do the three hour test after just one reading, but I've never done the three hour so I guess I don't know, but still seems weird.

karfatish · June 2018

@CecilB93 I guess I'll find out on Monday

CecilB93 · June 2018

FFC, I ate regular pizza yesterday knowing I'd have a high reading

Also, I'm now amazed at how much physical activity can help. I ate a burger and fries for lunch yesterday knowing I'd go over about 9 points or so. After lunch DH and I worked on cleaning out our basement which require some moving some heavy things. My reading was only 107 after!! I was thrilled that it was a guilt free meal!

CecilB93 · June 2018

Venting here because it's GD related...just took my blood sugar for after dinner, it was freaking 183. The meal I had was not the greatest, and I wasn't sure if I'd go over or not, but this specific meal has NEVER even put my levels over 130!! Wth?! Now I'm just pissed and feel horrible...

prudence9-2 · June 2018

Hi, I’m new on this board though I’ve been lurking for a while.

I’m 16w 5d today and was diagnosed with GD almost 6 weeks ago at 10w 6d. About 1.5 weeks ago I started doing insulin at bedtime.

The only way i can manage my numbers is by doing some sort of exercise after every single meal. Dinners are usually the toughest as by the time I’m done with dinner I’m very tired and don’t feel like getting up from the sofa. But if I don’t do much the numbers are much higher. Though sometimes I do a lot and the number is still high. Which is very frustrating.

@CecilB93 I totally understand your frustration. Sometimes the exact same meals will give me a totally different number.

I also think that if I wait longer for a meal without a snack, my number is higher.

LLynde5 · June 2018

@prudence9-2 Welcome!! GD is kinda a bummer but after you hold your sweet little baby the sacrifice is totally worth it!! As with most parts of motherhood, lol!!

@CecilB93 don’t beat yourself up. It’s going to happen from time to time. I would try the meal one more time before you write it off, if it’s one of your favorites. Or maybe cut your portion a little if that’s possible?

CecilB93 · June 2018

@LLynde5 the weird thing is, it was homemade burger and fries, meanwhile fast food burger and fries barely puts me over, if at all. I would have thought the homemade would be better since DH uses flax seed instead of breadcrumbs for the patties, but whatevs. Next time I'll just leave the bun off, I just wasn't feeling a lettuce wrapped burger lol. So I don't have to totally write it off, just make the annoying adjustments lol.

@prudence9-2 welcome to the board! Sorry you'll be joining us on this thread though. I just recently started insulin at bedtime myself. It's been mostly helping for me, so hopefully it's working for you, too! It can be frustrating as you're figuring it out, I'm still figuring it out myself honestly. Any particular meals you enjoy that are worse for your numbers? I've found a couple good substitute meals! I know I shared a link for a pizza crust up a few comments, if that's something you don't want to give up (like me...) definitely try that recipe!

prudence9-2 · June 2018

@CecilB93 yeah the bedtime insulin def helps!!! It kinda also help my after breakfast numbers because I start from a lower number!

Basically, I can’t eat anything that I was craving in the weeks before I found out: pizza, pasta, potatoes and ice cream...

so I will def look up the pizza crust recipe that you posted! Just the thought of pizza.

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

@CecilB93 I tried that pizza recipe and it was so yum!! Thank you for sharing! I'm sorry about that high reading. That is so weird and definitely very frustrating. I can't figure out why you would've gone that far over.

@prudence9-2 Welcome to the thread! GD is rough but we do what we have to to hold our sweet munchkins!

I've actually felt like my numbers don't sky rocket too easily. I have a burrito bowl at Chipotle for lunch today with brown rice and black beans and my numbers were only in the 130's (I only have to stay below 140.) But milk is my nemesis which is annoying since baby needs calcium. I've been eating lots of yogurt to try and make up for it. I did make pasta last night but what I did was make ground turkey, whole wheat noodles, and tomato sauce. But I also sauteed 3 zucchinis that I peeled into noodles and so I made exactly 8 servings. It was yummy and I got my pasta kick!

This is unrelated to GD for the most part. But I feel so frustrated because we work so hard to be careful about what we eat and watch our numbers and all I want is a bump. Instead, I have what I'm calling a flump, flubber bump. Stomach is sticking out and you can feel my uterus but instead of a cute bump it's like flubber below my belly button. Sorry needed to complain. I just tried on cute maternity clothes and I know I can't get them because it's not a normal bump.

CecilB93 · June 2018

@prudence9-2 someone else had suggested Breyer's Carb Smart ice cream to me early on! I haven't eaten it with a meal where I have to test my number after, I generally eat it after I test, but it's only got 8 carbs per 1/2 cup (I think) in it! Definitely try it! It's a small serving size, but it's just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth at night.

For pasta we typically do spaghetti squash. I tried zucchini noodles and just did not like them, but I can do the squash. Usually with red meat sauce, but I just tried this recipe (https://www.eatwell101.com/roasted-spaghetti-squash-recipe) and it wasn't bad. We didn't do enough sauce since I think I bought too much squash in comparison, but more sauce and tweaking the seasonings (per mine and DHs tastes at least) and I'm really going to like this dish!

@mamajudec2018 yay! Glad you liked the pizza! It's not the same as regular crust (I like the fluffy hand tossed usually) but definitely works! And I'm feeling you on the bump, or lack there of. I was technically in the overweight category when I got pregnant, so idk when I'll truly feel like I have a baby bump. But, at the same time I've lost quite a few pounds since being on this new diet, yet my waist hasn't gone down. And I can definitely feel my uterus pushing up and out, so I'm just about ready to embrace it as a baby bump lol.

mamajudec2018 · June 2018

@CecilB93 Yea definitely not the same as like Papa John's haha but it filled my craving! Today I tried on maternity clothes because I said the same thing, I'm just going to embrace it as a bump but then I got discouraged when I tried on the maternity shirts. Everyday I check when I wake up to see if it's an actual bump haha!

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