Low Blood sugar in pregnancy?

[jecombs]

A bit of my history: in my last pregnancy I failed the 1 hr GTT and had to take the 3 hr test, which I passed. This time around I have been checking my own blood sugar, just to stay on top of things and reassure myself that I am not developing GD. I do have risk factors of being overweight/obese (although 20# lighter prepregnancy this time around) and family history of type II diabetes.

My fasting sugars have been fine in the AM, usually in the 70s. I eat breakfast around 7:30, usually cereal with milk or toast with peanut butter and fruit, and an hour later my sugar is usally in the range of 110-117. My problem comes around 10:30 AM I start to feel a little hungry and very sleepy. I've started checking my sugar and it's usually in the 60s. Is this normal? I'm really watching my weight-gain with this pregnancy... do you have any suggestions for snacks that will bring my sugar back up to normal, but aren't too high-calorie, but are nutritious and good for the baby?

I guess my other worry is that this may be a sign that I will get GD later in this pregnancy... does anyone have any info on that?

[chai]

Originally Posted by jecombs

I eat breakfast around 7:30, usually cereal with milk or toast with peanut butter and fruit, and an hour later my sugar is usally in the range of 110-117. My problem comes around 10:30 AM I start to feel a little hungry and very sleepy. I've started checking my sugar and it's usually in the 60s. Is this normal?

Those foods sound like they may have a high glycemic index... I know milk and peanut butter are pretty easily converted to sugars. Cereal and toast are usually, too (if it contains refined flour vs. whole grains). Fruit can be depending on the kind of fruit.

I have trouble with my blood sugar getting low, and the kinds of foods that maintain blood sugar are high protein and high fiber (even fat is good, depending on the kind of fat). So I eat lots of meat, nuts, whole grains, etc. Fruit and veggies are good for fiber, but be careful because some fruits are not. (You can Google "glycemic index fruit" to get a list.)

The main thing you want to avoid are certain types of carbs and sugars. I don't worry too much about the details (I still eat plenty of carbs/sugars) but I try to keep the bulk of my diet protein/fiber.

I'm thinking if you added sausage to your breakfast and made sure your toast/cereal was high in fiber, your blood sugar would not dip down so much.

[Jenica]

I agree with PP I think your breakfast is to blame. If you like eggs I would suggest having 2-3 eggs with breakfast. Eggs are super healthy for you and the baby and they are a great source of protein. Definitely make sure you have a good amount of protein with every meal. Fat in the food will help you stay full longer too and is something your baby really needs while its growing, just avoid too much trans fats.

In case it helps here's my typical breakfast and lunch: For breakfast, 2-3 eggs with about 1 oz of cheese, some sliced tomatoes and one piece of whole grain toast with butter. If I'm hungry before lunch I'll eat an apple and some nuts. For lunch: a turkey sandwich with cheese, tomatoes, mayonaise (made with preservative free turkey meat of course ) cut vegetables (green pepper, celery, cucumbers, etc) with homemade garlic, dill, yogurt dip. I make a point of including dairy in every meal for the calcium.

[jecombs]

I eat kashi cereal, so it has a good bit of fiber in it... I think about 6 g... and a little bit of protein... probably 6 g. For toast I have the whole grain sandwhich thins, which also have 5 g of fiber and 5 g of protein. I top them with natural (unsweetened) peanut butter. I usually eat a banana, too.

Do you think veggie sausage would work as well as regular? I might try that tomorrow...

[jecombs]

So I tried having an egg sandwhich for breakfast today and it seems to have really helped! At my usual "low time" (10:30 AM), my sugar was 83! That's a huge improvement over the 61 it was yesterday. I'm hungry and I'm going to try a piece of fruit for a snack. I think I should be okay, since I eat lunch in 1 1/2 hr. I don't know if I can eat eggs everyday for breakfast though... I think I'll get really sick of them after a few days... but I'll give it a try!

[chai]

Originally Posted by jecombs

I don't know if I can eat eggs everyday for breakfast though... I think I'll get really sick of them after a few days... but I'll give it a try!

Eggs are great, but it doesn't have to be eggs. Could be ham, bacon, sausage, or any other kind of meat, really. (I can't digest eggs at all any more this pregnancy! And that bums me out!)

[chai]

Originally Posted by jecombs

Do you think veggie sausage would work as well as regular? I might try that tomorrow...

I just saw this so if you are not a meat-eater, my apologies! It depends on how much protein is in veggie sausage. I'm guessing not as much.

[jecombs]

I do eat some meat, I just seem to have a bit of a meat-aversion since I got pregnant. I checked my veggie sausage and it has 10 g of protein per pattie, which seems pretty good to me, especially since 1 egg has 7 g of protein.

[Jenica]

I'm glad the egg helped you! Personally, eggs are the only thing that hold me over in the morning. If I eat anything else for breakfast I'm starving in a couple hours. I think it's not just the protein of the egg but the good fats that keep your blood sugar stable. I had an egg aversion in my first trimester and I hated not being able to eat my eggs. The good thing about them is there's a ton of different ways to make them so you don't get bored as quickly. I make scrambled egg sandwiches, fried egg sandwiches, eggs and potatoes, scrambled eggs with cheese, eggs with cheese and salsa, cheese omelets, veggie omelets, even french toast works if you let the bread soak up the egg.

[starrmama]

Yes, I'd say try eating protein AND fat with any carbs. A piece of fruit by itself will tend to spike up your blood sugar and then you'd be lined up for more of a dip down again... try eating fruit with cheese or nuts or in a smoothie with whole milk yogurt.

Personally, I limit my own soy consumption, as there has been some really troubling more recent research about it. Mothering even had an article about this a couple yrs back... maybe called the Whole Soy Story?

I think eggs are great great great and there are lots of different ways to fix them. If you're not a meat eater, could you try incorporating beans or more nuts or hemp protein into your morning meal? Possibly some hard cheese or plain yogurt over milk (milk is much higher in sugar)?

For fats, unrefined coconut oil and organic butter are my main ones, along with some olive oil. More fat should also slow down the carbs from entering your bloodstream and level out your bloodsugar. If you can find heavy cream that's not ultrapasteurized, that's also yummy to have with fruit, or you can make your own dip from some plain sour cream and add real fruit or herbs/spices to it.

[Plummeting]

I was going to suggest a different protein, so I'm glad the eggs helped. If I eat cereal or toast with pb for breakfast I can expect to have crazy low blood sugar a couple hours later (bad enough to cause shaking, sweating, panic, etc.). I do an egg and veggie omelette with a tiny bit of tofu in the morning to avoid that and it makes all the difference for me.

[Jenica]

Originally Posted by starrmama

Yes, I'd say try eating protein AND fat with any carbs. A piece of fruit by itself will tend to spike up your blood sugar and then you'd be lined up for more of a dip down again... try eating fruit with cheese or nuts or in a smoothie with whole milk yogurt.

Personally, I limit my own soy consumption, as there has been some really troubling more recent research about it. Mothering even had an article about this a couple yrs back... maybe called the Whole Soy Story?

I think eggs are great great great and there are lots of different ways to fix them. If you're not a meat eater, could you try incorporating beans or more nuts or hemp protein into your morning meal? Possibly some hard cheese or plain yogurt over milk (milk is much higher in sugar)?

For fats, unrefined coconut oil and organic butter are my main ones, along with some olive oil. More fat should also slow down the carbs from entering your bloodstream and level out your bloodsugar. If you can find heavy cream that's not ultrapasteurized, that's also yummy to have with fruit, or you can make your own dip from some plain sour cream and add real fruit or herbs/spices to it.

Oh Starmama, I'm so glad you posted! I've been promoting fats so much in some posts of mine that I was afraid I was beginning to sound like a commercial! I'm glad I'm not the only one who is suggesting, horror of horrors, that we need fat. Actually, there was a wonderful article in this month's Men's Health about how fats don't really cause heart disease and having high LDL cholesterol is not a good predictor of heart problems (it's the size of the LDL cholesterol particles that matter).

Anyway, I agree with all that you said. I also avoid soy because of the phytoestrogens it contains and how it can mess with hormone levels. All the studies that seemed to show all these great health benefits have since been shown to be flawed and it is no longer recommended as a good health food. Unfortunately, it was advertised so well in it's heyday that the general public still thinks it's manna.

I second the coconut oil suggestion too, it's a very healthy fat. I love making smoothies with frozen organic berries and a can of unsweetened coconut milk, yum. And this isn't really the best for you, but I just made chocolate chip cookies with coconut oil and half whole wheat flour. I figure if I'm going to eat a cookie, at least I can make it healthier.

I am also lucky to have a neighbor who has milk cows and I get organic milk from her. I skim some of the cream off it but I still drink my milk pretty darn fatty. I use the cream to make butter and I cook mainly with coconut oil and butter.

As a side note, after eating all this fat for years now, I am very healthy, and have a great BMI. So don't be afraid of fat, it won't make you fat and it won't give you heart problems.