GDD screening---are you doing it? Not doing it? - Page 2

[Aura_Kitten]

I know, I sound like a gluton for punishment, don't I

i'm sorry, yes, that's exactly what i was thinking. :LOL

i hope you feel better.

[majazama]

I haven't had any tests done, because I'm going unassisted. I know I'm fine and healthy.. don't want to subject myself or the baby to that kind of stress. (I HATE needles)

[Aura_Kitten]

I haven't had any tests done, because I'm going unassisted. I know I'm fine and healthy.. don't want to subject myself or the baby to that kind of stress.

[Threefold]

I'm gonna do it, but will pick my own 50 gr of sugar and do not have to fast. i wanted to skip it, but I do want the blood test for anemia, and they will both be done at the same time. Plus, I was a little afraid to roust the Kaiser Gestapo as I;m already bucking them abit with their plans for monitoring me for preterm labor (see my post in the "I'm pregnant" forum if interested.
Somehwat strssed about it, just because tests of any sort always stress me out, but I'm pretty sure I ahve no reason to worry.

[Aura_Kitten]

see, what gets me is that when a person is under any kind of stress -- physiological or psychological -- glucose is dumped into your bloodstream to fuel the fight-or-flight response. so fasting, even for a short time, or even worrying about the test, would cause the test results to be skewed... but how many people know that?

[Foobar]

Hey, Dalai Mama-

The blood work for anemia (called a complete blood count or CBC) doesn't require fasting or any special prep. Why can't you just do that alone?

I actually requested that on my own before it was scheduled because I was getting so tired. Turned out my hemocrit was low (meaning anemic) so I went on iron suppliments (as previously staed, I am not getting great nutrition from food these days).

just a prick and 1 tube of blood. Very easy test.

[Aura_Kitten]

in some places, they can test for anemia by just a finger prick and 1 droplet of blood (they do that at my local blood bank).

a word on iron supplements: i've found i absorb my iron best if i don't take the iron supplement at the same time as my prenatal vitamin; i take the prenatal in the morning / mid-morning, and then the iron in the afternoon / mid-afternoon. also remember iron doesn't absorb well if you take it with a lot of calcium-rich foods, and it gets in your system best when eaten / taken with vitamin C rich foods.

[Threefold]

I don't have to fast for the GDD, so I may as well do them together and avoid another trip into the lab and the wait there! Not so nervous about drinking the natural soda I have picked out, kinda looking forward to it. :LOL

[LLLKerry]

GDD screening

I too discussed this in detail with my midwives. What they do differently is have you eat a completely typical meal for YOU, nothing extra heavy on the carbs unless that is what you typically eat, then they test your blood at the regular prenatal visit 2 hours after the meal. If the results are in any way questionable they leave a glucose moniter and you test your blood 6 times, once before and once after breakfast one day, lunch the next, and dinner the following. In all my pregnancies it has been done differently, but this one makes the most sense because it shows how your body naturally copes, not giving it anything artificial which skews the results. One thing I have heard though is that the risk is not just in having a large baby, but that the baby is at a greatly increased risk of being harmed by the increased insulin, which can possibly be fatal. Personally I don't feel at risk because I am measuring perfectly right for my dates, have no sugar spilling in my urine, have no family history, and even though my third baby was large, he wasn't abnormally so. Still, I guess to be safe, and since it doesn't do anything invasive to my baby, I'll do the simple version of the test.

[oceanbaby]

I just did the same test on Friday - ate a high carb breakfast and then took the test 2 hrs later. Passed with flying colors.

I knew I didn't have GD, but I have no problem with the test so for me there was no reason not to do it.

[Foobar]

Good point on the taking of extra iron. I am on another medication for a hypoactive thyroid, so I must take my iron and thyroid medicine 12 hours apart. The thryoid meds bind to iron and then don't work.
Sigh...

So I actually do take iron and my prenatals at the same time. I wish I could split them for better absorption, but I can't because of the thyroid.

Congrats to those who did take the GTT and pass it. One less thing to worry about

[MamiBeth]

I didn't take it with my first baby and I'm not going to take it with this one. All of these tests seem ridiculous to me, unless you have a known health problem or a really bad diet and high blood pressure. I already regret doing the AFP test. What a nightmare. We live in such a culture of fear.