Ever had GD? I have questions! (long)

[HaikuMommy]

Had a 3-hr GTT today and had these reactions: 15 min or so after drinking the 100 grams of sugar drink, I felt my heart racing and was kind of woozy. 1 hour later I was sleepy and could barely stay awake. :yawning By the end of the 3rd hour, I had dark circles under my eyes and the lab technician asked me if I was alright. I think I failed the test. Does this sound like GD symptoms to you?

I also had an ultrasound today (scheduled just by coincidence to follow-up the 20 wk anatomy ultrasound where they couldn't see everything). The baby looks great but is measuring 2 weeks ahead, based on femur length. I'm guessing I am headed for GD diagnosis and all that entails. I won't get the test results for a few days.

Background: I am normally somewhat insulin resistant, and I do my best weight-wise when I eat a low-GI diet. I lost 55 lbs when I started eating this way, over about a year. Then I got pregnant with my now 22-m-o daughter (hubby likes to say that's WHY I got pregnant, ha ha). I gained 57 lbs during that pregnancy, just as I had with my first pregnancy. I had 20 lbs still to lose when 13 months later I got pregnant again, with the baby I am currently carrying. I am 27 weeks preg. When I am pregnant I crave carbs and don't eat as carefully as I should. I am on track to gain 57 pounds again. Argh! I need to get this under control either way.

If I have GD, am I going to have to prick my fingers to test my blood? Any advice or experiences to relate? Thanks...

[lifeguard]

Try really hard to take a big breathe & relax. The worst part of gd ime was the stress. You already know how to eat & that's a big part of it.

The femur length does not sound gd related to me. Generally gd babies (if they are affected) are big in the barrel chested, extra weight way.

It is likely you will need to prick your fingers & test - it's not so bad - the first time is the hardest.

Take a peak at the gd thread - lots of helpful info there.

Again - deep breathe. Relax.

[annahawk]

I had GD with my first. If you did fail, you will have to do finger pricks, but personally, I really liked being able to monitor my sugar. I wanted to know it was in check. And you will get used to the sticks. I seriously may be the biggest blood-a-phobe on the planet (I've passed out like 15 times from blood related stuff) and even I got used to it.
Also, I followed the diet pretty consistently and gave birth to a perfectly healthy 7lbs 5oz, 20 1/2 in baby boy.

[tngirl11]

I had GD in both of my previous pg and was kind of freaked out the first time. I eventually found that it wasn't too difficult to deal with. The key for me was to eat as much protein and fat (eggs, cheese, nuts, meats, etc) and avoid sugar and refined carbs. If I did eat carbs, I had to make sure that I ate an equal amount of protein/fat to balance it out. I tested a lot too, especially in the beginning, just to learn what worked for me and kept my sugars under control. The finger pricking isn't bad at all. You get used to it very quickly. My babies were all born very healthy with no ill-effects from the GD. As long as your blood sugar is under control, it's basically as if you don't have GD at all, KWIM?

[ecky]

i too had gd with my first wee one. when i first found out i had a really hard time keeping my levels in check. i cried a lot...but basically it just took a little bit for me to figure out what worked for me. i found that processed carbs were a big no-no. i got most of my carbs from veggies. for example for dinner i could have a big pile of steamed broccoli, spinach, etc and then 1/3 cup of brown rice or pasta. teeny tiny amounts. any kind of bread threw me over the top. i ended up not needing insulin and having a healthy 8 lber. i used the guides i was given by the dietician and weighed stuff at first until i figured out my own system.
the pricking was difficult at first but you get very used to it.

good luck!!! and don't let it overwhelm you. it sounds like you already had the diet working for you in the past so it shouldnt be too much of a struggle.