gestational diabetes…for women who have or had this during there pregnancy?
Posted by admin on Oct 27, 2009
this question is for women who have actually had diabetes or have this during there pregnancy..i wanna know what symptoms u had that made u or your doc believe u had diabetes? what i read online sounds like symptoms are the same as pregnancy..please give your symptoms in details..thanks
In hindsight I realized there were a few things that may have indicated I was developing gestational diabetes. Some of those indications were cravings of sweets such as chocolate cake (i normally never crave sweets), headaches, and constant fatigue. As for the fatigue I just figured that it was normal because of the pregnancy…the same for the cravings. The headaches were just a result of the high blood sugar. Thirst wasn’t a factor because I was religious about drinking a ton of water. Much later did I discover that I was diabetic because I failed the 1 & 3 hour glucose tests.
The glucose test is routine but if you have concerns or a family history then let your OB know ASAP. The sooner you start to monitor the problem the better for you & your baby. Good luck.
gestational diabetes…for women who have or had this during there pregnancy?
Posted by admin on Oct 27, 2009
this question is for women who have actually had diabetes or have this during there pregnancy..i wanna know what symptoms u had that made u or your doc believe u had diabetes? what i read online sounds like symptoms are the same as pregnancy..please give your symptoms in details..thanks
In hindsight I realized there were a few things that may have indicated I was developing gestational diabetes. Some of those indications were cravings of sweets such as chocolate cake (i normally never crave sweets), headaches, and constant fatigue. As for the fatigue I just figured that it was normal because of the pregnancy…the same for the cravings. The headaches were just a result of the high blood sugar. Thirst wasn’t a factor because I was religious about drinking a ton of water. Much later did I discover that I was diabetic because I failed the 1 & 3 hour glucose tests.
The glucose test is routine but if you have concerns or a family history then let your OB know ASAP. The sooner you start to monitor the problem the better for you & your baby. Good luck.
What kind of diet were or are you on for gestational diabetes?
Posted by admin on Oct 27, 2009
How hard is the diet to stick to? I have a bad feeling that I am going to be hungry all of the time:(
So far, it’s mainly a low-carb diet . . . kind of. One of the things I did wrong early on was to cut back TOO far on my carbs, so that I wasn’t getting enough calories, and I started having ketones in my urine.
So far, I’ve had to cut out fruit juice, soda and sweet snacks (cake, cookies, candy, etc.) out entirely. I’ve been experimenting a bit with some other things. Waffles are bad, tacos are ok. Apparently, for each person, it’s a little different. You’ll get a blood glucose meter (like a regular diabetic person!) so that you can see how certain foods affect your blood sugar. You’ll have to avoid fruit early in the day, but you’ll be encouraged to eat it later in the day.
In terms of being worried about being hungry — it’s unlikely. You’ll be asked to eat at least 6 times/day. I have trouble making myself eat often ENOUGH and I haven’t gained any weight since being diagnosed, so I don’t think I’m eating too much.
Overall, I find the diet not so bad to stick to. It’s the way we all know we should have been eating all around.
How important is it to have the gestational diabetes test?
Posted by admin on Oct 24, 2009
I don’t think I need it, but I may be wrong. So far I am 24 weeks and haven’t put on any weight, would that make me lower risk?
I know it’s a stupid reason, but I have a needle phobia and they can never find my bloody veins. Why can’t there be a urine test or something?
Great, I have 4 weeks to try not to freak out about the needle : (
PLEASE, please, please do it. I didn’t gain any weight either and had none of the additional risk factors. Because I lacked the risk factors, my doc decided it wasn’t important to do. Well I wasn’t feeling right at 35 weeks and finally said I thought we should do it and while my doc looked at me like I was nutty, I pushed to have it done. THANK goodness I had done that. I ended up failing the test and have been diagnosed with the condition. That’s almost 10 weeks lost that I could have been making the changes necessary to treat it. Even if you don’t have it, it is definitely worth having the test done to be sure.
Good luck and let me know if you end up having gd and need any advice.
If I took my gestational diabetes test at 24 weeks, was that okay?
Posted by admin on Oct 21, 2009
or too soon? I am 31 weeks. the results were normal. I am just wondering also if I had say type 1 diabetes or even type 2 (though i’m very slim so i doubt that) would that have shwoed up on the test? does gestational diabetes screen for all types of diabetes?
It’s supposed to be done between 24-28 weeks, so you are fine! You were tested and cleared of any sign of being a diabetic!!! I didn’t have it with any of my pregnancies until this one, which is my 4th. I failed the first 1 hr test, so now I go back for the 3 hr…. I hope you have a great pregnancy!!!!! Congrats!!!!!!
Has anyone else had gestational diabetes and controled it through diet?
Posted by admin on Oct 21, 2009
I had it 6 years ago and was able to cut out bread, sugar/sweets, potatoes.
I have it again and need help with finding what I can eat. Any good websites or books that you know about? Experiences to share?
Hi – I had it with my recent pregnancy. The first thing I cut out was sweets. Then I stayed away from high carb foods like pasta and breads. I still ate fruit and whole wheat products. The best bet for me was to eat continuously throughout the day. Every two-three hours I was eating something. It kept my blood sugar constant.
Good luck!
What’s the latest doc’s will wait to do a gestational diabetes test?
Posted by admin on Oct 18, 2009
I know that they usually do the test around 28 weeks and such but my husband and I just got stationed to another state and I had a doctor’s appt. about 2 1/2 weeks before I left. The doctor said I needed to be seen around 4 weeks later (he was not my usual doc so he didn’t see that I wouldn’t be here). Anyways I just got set up at the hospital here in the new state and had to wait a few days to be in the system and I’m calling to schedule tomorrow and sometimes they can get me in right away and sometimes in weeks. So what is the cut off to get the test done if any? Thank you.
I do not believe there is a cut off. They usually check after finding protiene in your urin at your visits. Good luck ask the obgyn they should be able to test you any time. But ask the person when schedualing they can tell you if that is a possibility.
Has anyone else had gestational diabetes and controlled it through diet?
Posted by admin on Oct 18, 2009
I had it 6 years ago and was able to cut out bread, sugar/sweets, potatoes.
I have it again and need help with finding what I can eat. Any good websites or books that you know about? Experiences to share?
You shouldn’t be cutting out all carbs! A pregnant woman needs 4-6 serves per day. I found the only way I could keep it under control and still have adequate carbs was to have two slices of a multigrain Burgen brand bread with each meal. Everyone’s body is different though, so you may be able to eat other carbs, or you may have it worse this time and have to go on insulin. You ought to be referred to a diabetes educator and dietician for support. Ask your doctor/midwife about that.
What is a "normal" number for the gestational diabetes test?
Posted by admin on Oct 15, 2009
.
I am referring to the 1-hour test. My score was 111 and I wonder what that means. Thanks.
111 is fine – anything under 130 or 140 is fine. If it’s higher than that they do the 3 hour test. If it’s above 200 then they don’t make you do another test they just diagnose you as having gestational diabetes.
The test basically measures how well your body metabolizes sugar.
Anyone have gestational diabetes? What kind of diet were you on? Are there different levels of diabetes?
Posted by admin on Oct 15, 2009
I just had my 3 hr test done yesterday and will find out if I have gestational diabetes on Friday when I go to the doctor. I was just wondering what to expect if I do have it… and if there are different levels of diabetes? How will it effect the baby?
Its a low carb diet. It totally sucks and you have to poke yourself 4-6 times a day. If you have severe GD then you will have to take insulin and be on a low carb diet. In GD, the glucose in your blood is processed at a much slower rate-therefore exposing your baby to increased sugar for longer periods of time.
The only way that GD really affects the baby is that he/she runs the risk of being large which can lead to a difficult birth. If baby is too large, sometimes during a vaginal delivery arms and shoulders are broken. Doctors do not want this to happen and hopefully the size can be determined before hand and a c-section can be performed. These extremes really only happen with untreated GD.
Additionally, babies can be born with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This is generally cured by breastfeeding immediately after birth.
