Help, Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy, 28 weeks?
Posted by admin on Feb 12, 2009
Please help, I don’t know what to do. I’ve been eating very healthy since the beginning. I have 1 glass of 2% milk blended with strawberries, then 2 cups of fruit with yogurt (melon & cantaloupe cantaloupe, sometimes apple, other days i have strawberries and oat meal, i love brocolli, so I pretty much have it everyday, some day, most of the time i use olive oil and red wine vinagrette as dressing, i also have with cheese and red onions. On the weekends i have what i want, mexican, italian etc. I drink 80 ounces of water everyday and sometimes i also drink orange juice and that’s it…….i hate soda, i hate sugar, donuts, i never liked them. I try so hard to be healthy for our baby and I am just so frustrated because I don’t know what I am doing wrong. I failed the 3 hour Glucosa tes, my sugar level came out very high. My Dr. can’t tell what is wrong just to watch my blood everyday at home, so they’ll teach me at the hospital how to do it, if I don’t get better they’ll put me on insulin. This is not generic because when they did my tests everything came back normal, gestational diabetes is something I developed during pregnancy but they can’t tell what’s causing it. My Dr. frustrates me because he doesn’t help me much, but I’m only 2 months away from labor and I don’t want to change Drs. If you experiences anything similar please share it with me, any advise will be helpful. I appreciate your help.
I’m 28 weeks pregnant, a boy
I’m 5′ 1", i was 120 pound, I’ve gained 26 pounds so far.
(just in case this info is needed)
I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 16 weeks, so trust me, i know how you feel :S
The way to keep your sugars down is to watch your carbohydrate intake. Bearing in mind that nearly ALL foods contain carbs, and sugar is nearly pure carbs. (NO MORE FRUIT JUICE- have an orange instead!).
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/Living-with-Diabetes/Gestational-Diabetes/Managing-Gestational-Diabetes/
Your doctor should be sending you to a diabetes centre so that you can learn about what foods you can/can’t have, and HOW MUCH of them you are able to have. It’s very complex and would take far too long for me to explain it all.
My basic diet lately has been
1 average size banana for brekky, and an instant coffee (minimal milk)
morning snack- yoghurt or cappucino
lunch- 1 multi grain roll with salad
afternoon snack- yogurt or cappucino, or 2 slices of burgen wholemeal and grain toast (this bread is only 1/2 carb per slice).
dinner- 2/3 cup pasta with bolognaise. or 2/3 cup doongara clever rice with stir fry
evening snack- yogurt or toast or fruit.
Try not to feel bad that you have gestational diabetes- it is not in anyway your fault. The placenta creates lots of hormones which in some women interferes with the way your insulin works. :S Nothing you can do about it. this is one of the suckiest things in the world. Because you can be being 100% good, and your readings can keep getting worse- because your hormones increase. and some women will end up on insulin NO MATTER what they do. Also, even with being 100% good with your diet/sugars/insulin/exercise you still have a 30% increased chance of ending up with a bigger baby!
The important thing is to get to the end of the pregnancy knowing you did everything you could to help your baby come out healthy. It is important to listen to your diabetes educators because if you don’t manage it well, your baby is at significantly increased risk of all sorts of things.
It’s important that you go to a dietician who is specifically trained in managing gestational diabetes with diet.
I’m sorry that you have to deal with all this. It really really sucks. I have been really good, and at 36 weeks pregnant, my baby is still on the 80th%ile for size. But i’ve only put on 7 kilos during my pregnancy (about 15 pounds) and at least 5 kilos of that is baby/placenta etc. Eating like this is really good for you. Try to minimize weight gain, so that you’re less likely to develop diabetes later in life. Also, risk for things goes up for every 10 pounds you gain during pregnancy.
Well ever pregnancy is different, so the way your body will react in each pregnancy may change. I’m a plus size mom to be and I’ve been tested for Gestational Diabetes as well, and my levels were normal, so it just depends on your body. I was tested at 15 weeks for Diabetes period (which I don’t have) only because I’m over weight and pregnant. I actually changed my diet when I got pregnant and since then have lost 13lbs. within 5 months. You sound like you’re eating well, I would see if your OBGYN has any suggestions.
References :
Honey, your body is not processing insulin. THAT is all gestational diabetes means. Cut out too much fruit and watch the refined carbs.
Really, nothing to worry about. I have had it with 4 pregnancies and it isn’t a big deal.
References :
all that yummy fresh fruit you are eating turns to sugar and the oj too. Has your dr referred you to a blood sugar dr? If he hasnt ask him to. They are better qualified to monitor this for you and have nutritionist there that help you with a diet plan. I had it with my last pregnancy and fail my 1 hour test I have had 3 times this go around but I manage to pass the 3 hour ones.
Go to your public library or barnes and noble book store. There are really good books on gestational diabetes that offer meal ideas and good healthy snacks that will help you maintain a good blood sugar count.
References :
been there
i also found out i had gestational diabetes at 30 weeks i have tryed to Control it with diet but the last 2 weeks have been put on insulin as my bloods are to high still, there is nothing you have done wrong its just one of them things, when you see your doctor he will pass you over to a diabetic team who will show you how to do your blood reading and also what foods to eat and not to eat and watch how your blood is every day, you will e surprised at what foods you cant eat, if you want to email me you can and i will give you a list that they gave me, also if your blood levels don’t correct them self with diet only you may have to go on insulin which ain’t as bad as it sounds, you will also have more scans to check baby’s growth and maybe be induced earlier as diabetics are prone to bigger babies, im being induced at 39 weeks
References :
I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 16 weeks, so trust me, i know how you feel :S
The way to keep your sugars down is to watch your carbohydrate intake. Bearing in mind that nearly ALL foods contain carbs, and sugar is nearly pure carbs. (NO MORE FRUIT JUICE- have an orange instead!).
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/Living-with-Diabetes/Gestational-Diabetes/Managing-Gestational-Diabetes/
Your doctor should be sending you to a diabetes centre so that you can learn about what foods you can/can’t have, and HOW MUCH of them you are able to have. It’s very complex and would take far too long for me to explain it all.
My basic diet lately has been
1 average size banana for brekky, and an instant coffee (minimal milk)
morning snack- yoghurt or cappucino
lunch- 1 multi grain roll with salad
afternoon snack- yogurt or cappucino, or 2 slices of burgen wholemeal and grain toast (this bread is only 1/2 carb per slice).
dinner- 2/3 cup pasta with bolognaise. or 2/3 cup doongara clever rice with stir fry
evening snack- yogurt or toast or fruit.
Try not to feel bad that you have gestational diabetes- it is not in anyway your fault. The placenta creates lots of hormones which in some women interferes with the way your insulin works. :S Nothing you can do about it. this is one of the suckiest things in the world. Because you can be being 100% good, and your readings can keep getting worse- because your hormones increase. and some women will end up on insulin NO MATTER what they do. Also, even with being 100% good with your diet/sugars/insulin/exercise you still have a 30% increased chance of ending up with a bigger baby!
The important thing is to get to the end of the pregnancy knowing you did everything you could to help your baby come out healthy. It is important to listen to your diabetes educators because if you don’t manage it well, your baby is at significantly increased risk of all sorts of things.
It’s important that you go to a dietician who is specifically trained in managing gestational diabetes with diet.
I’m sorry that you have to deal with all this. It really really sucks. I have been really good, and at 36 weeks pregnant, my baby is still on the 80th%ile for size. But i’ve only put on 7 kilos during my pregnancy (about 15 pounds) and at least 5 kilos of that is baby/placenta etc. Eating like this is really good for you. Try to minimize weight gain, so that you’re less likely to develop diabetes later in life. Also, risk for things goes up for every 10 pounds you gain during pregnancy.
References :
It is a common misconception that people with diabetes only have to worry about eating too much sugar. However, there is much more to it than that. A person with any type of diabetes has to work towards having a consistent intake of carbohydrates throughout the day. Foods that contain carbohydrates are breads, grains, cereals, pasta, rice, legumes (dried beans), starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn, green peas), milk, yogurt, fruit (and fruit juice), starchy snacks (chips, crackers), and sweets. Usually a person diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes will have an appointment with a diabetes counselor or nurse who will go over a meal plan as well as teach you how to use a blood glucose monitor. If your doctor has not referred you than ask if he will. Even though milk and fruit are very healthy choices, they both contain carbohydrates so you will have to eat them in moderation. If you begin your day with an 8 ounce glass of milk mixed with 1 1/4 cups of strawberries you’ve consumed about 27 g of carbohydrates which is not a bad start for the day. If you added some type of protein to that such as a hard boiled egg or a slice of ham you could do very well. However, if you are saying you also have 2 cups of fruit and yogurt in addition to the milk and strawberries than you are really packing on the carbs which is not good for your blood sugar management. You can still have more fruit throughout the day, but don’t go with 2 cups at a time. Read the label on your yogurt for the carb content. Melon contains 15 g carb per 1 cup, so if you are eating 2 cups, you have already gotten 30 g of carbs plus whatever your yogurt contains. You can eat fruit and yogurt, but spread it out throughout your meals and snacks. You’ll probably want to skip the juice when you are pregnant with Gestational Diabetes as it typically packs a pretty powerful punch of carbs with very little in the way of staying power. Every person is slightly different when it comes to appropriate carb intake and your diabetes counselor can help you devise a meal plan that works best with your needs. I had Gestational Diabetes with my 4th pregnancy. What causes it is not something you do, but rather is just something that sometimes happens. The pregnancy hormones your body produces make your cells insulin resisitant. In most cases, a pregnant woman’s pancreas will produce additional insulin, but for about 3-8% of pregnant woman, the pancreas can’t keep up and Gestational Diabetes is the result. I think once you work with a dietician or diabetes counselor that you will find ways to eat the foods you like, but in a quantity and spaced out throughout the day that will help keep your blood sugar numbers consistent. Gestational Diabetes typically is gone as soon as the baby is born, actually it is usually gone as soon as the placenta is expelled. One of the things women with Gestational Diabetes have is an increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes later in life. I now have a pre-diabetic condition called Glucose Intolerance and I am eating much like I did when I had Gestational Diabetes. As an example of a meal plan, I eat 30 g of carbs at my first meal of the day, then for a snack I also have 30 g of carbs. A mid day meal is my largest carb meal and I am allowed 60 g of carbs. Dinner is 45 g of carbs with an evening snack of 15-30 g. Looking at your diet, you will want to focus on limiting your carb intake, increasing your protein intake and eating consistently every day of the week.
References :