Stupid, stupid gestational diabetes! « Back to Group Discussions

[Breed210]

So diet hasn't controlled my numbers well enough and I'm getting ready to go pick up oral medication.. The issue is my midwife says it can cause light headed/dizziness. Now I'm paranoid to drive after taking it and I'm here alone with all the boys.. Very frustrating!

Yesterday I had contractions pretty rythmic but about 12 minutes apart and it never progressed.. I was nervous though. Then this morning I woke up and have had the worst diarrhea all day long when for three months going to the bathroom has been less than pleasant. Trying to make it until the EDD because my midwife says babies from moms with GD tend to have lungs that mature more slowly and surfactant issues which I'd like to avoid.. BUT then they don't want me to go over my EDD because of size. Our last was nine pounds without GD. I'm not really sure how to make any of that happen.. haha.. Don't come out until now but don't stay in past then either! EDD is the 16th. Honestly I had been hoping to make it to at least Thanksgiving with the hopes of still having an itty bitty when John made it home.

I'm slightly frustrated with the whole GD diagnosis because while my fasting sugars are always pretty well over the 90 cut off, generally 120s, my after meal numbers are never high. I've had no excessive weight gain, my bp is a steady 98 over 48 to 50, and I don't seem to fit into the mold of any other symptom other than the slightly higher numbers. Maybe I'm just in denial..

And really I don't know the reason for this post other than to vent because I hate laying it all out there when I do get a phone call from John!

[jbk21]

I hear you.  GD sucks.  Mine is kind of the opposite of yours though- I have perfect fasting numbers but high postprandials.  I am able to control it with diet, thankfully, so I kind of feel like I just have a mild glucose intolerance.  But from my understanding the high fasting numbers are really the kicker.  So I think the meds are a good choice.  

I never heard that about the lungs or surfactants.  Hmm.  Now I have something new to worry about haha!  My MWs said that GD babies are usually much healthier than average babies because we have had to take so much care to make sure their glucose is okay by eating a really healthy diet.  

Now that you're on meds though, they'll do NSTs and BPPs right?  So you'll get some size estimates?  That might be reassuring.  I won't *need* any further testing at this point but I did mention that I'd like another BPP just out of curiosity. We'll see if that happens.

Originally Posted by Breed210 

So diet hasn't controlled my numbers well enough and I'm getting ready to go pick up oral medication.. The issue is my midwife says it can cause light headed/dizziness. Now I'm paranoid to drive after taking it and I'm here alone with all the boys.. Very frustrating!

Yesterday I had contractions pretty rythmic but about 12 minutes apart and it never progressed.. I was nervous though. Then this morning I woke up and have had the worst diarrhea all day long when for three months going to the bathroom has been less than pleasant. Trying to make it until the EDD because my midwife says babies from moms with GD tend to have lungs that mature more slowly and surfactant issues which I'd like to avoid.. BUT then they don't want me to go over my EDD because of size. Our last was nine pounds without GD. I'm not really sure how to make any of that happen.. haha.. Don't come out until now but don't stay in past then either! EDD is the 16th. Honestly I had been hoping to make it to at least Thanksgiving with the hopes of still having an itty bitty when John made it home.

I'm slightly frustrated with the whole GD diagnosis because while my fasting sugars are always pretty well over the 90 cut off, generally 120s, my after meal numbers are never high. I've had no excessive weight gain, my bp is a steady 98 over 48 to 50, and I don't seem to fit into the mold of any other symptom other than the slightly higher numbers. Maybe I'm just in denial..

And really I don't know the reason for this post other than to vent because I hate laying it all out there when I do get a phone call from John!

[Breed210]

No NSTs or BPPs mentioned.. I'll ask next week at my appointment. They did an u/s three weeks ago because Naval lost my report and she wanted to have one on hand for her records and the guesstimate weight was right at six and a half pounds..

I got kind of freaked out today talking about symptoms with the baby having low blood sugar but she said the meds will help keep the babe's levels at a normal rate even if they suck for me.. My first has looooow blood sugar at birth even though I wasn't diagnosed with GD and because I had no clue about anything 13 years ago they just started feeding him formula to get his levels up before they even allowed me skin to skin. 

I'm concerned about the process if I go over dates.. She has the means to do herbs and such to get labor kick started but I really want to let this baby come when he or she is ready, ya know? I've never been not induced!

[jbk21]

Totally.  I'm due the 17th, by the way.  What a coincidence!  

Yeah I think as soon as you're put on meds they will want to start frequent monitoring.  

You know, this is just my hairbrained theory but I think sometimes they don't catch GD.  I know the 50g glucola is straight sugar but it is only 50g of carbs.... now that I've been carb-counting I can see how fast carbs add up - many, many, many normal meals that may seem really healthy are really high in carbs- like 100g or more- so I think *sometimes* (MAYBE) the glucola might not be enough to put someone's glucose into the GD range.  Some people are tested really early, too (my friend was tested at 23 weeks, which I think is too early).  ETA: Some women do the alternative test, too, and 50g of a normal meal (like a pancake breakfast) might not spike some women's glucose high enough.  I mean, I am allowed to have 45g of carbs with a meal and I do have GD.  You know?  So I think perhaps you *could* have had GD with your first and they just missed the diagnosis.  I mean, it's possible right?  I'm not sure if there are other reasons for hypoglycemia in an infant, though.

Yeah I will do herbs/pumping if I go over dates.  Probably not until like 41 weeks though, unless my sugars get crazy and they want him out sooner.  It really would be better for a GD baby to be out sooner than later, and to me the natural methods are much gentler and don't seem as forced as medical inductions (I was induced too).  I think they just kind of move things along faster, but only really work if the body is ready anyway.  Sometimes you just need a kickstart.  At least that's how I think of it.