Gestational Diabetes Thread - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[spughy]

In that case, it certainly can happen.  Your body may have been able to muster enough insulin (or use enough) to deal with the amount of glucose in your blood stream after one hour but if the glucose kept being released by your digestive system then your pancreas might not have been able to keep up.  I think?  I wouldn't worry too much - your numbers aren't scary-high and 75g of straight glucose is WAY more than a normal person usually gets at one time.  Unless you're shotgunning cola or grape juice or something, which I trust is not a past-time in which you regularly indulge.

[madelaine]

Well, I don't have it - my doctor said - "You poor thing, your numbers were so low!"

Sigh of relief. Failing the 1-hour has actually been kind of good for me, though, by getting me back into some regular exercise and keeping me from over-indulging in the post-christmas chocolate stash.

[beautifulnm]

I've got the GD :P

I pestered my lady to check my numbers each time from the lab since it was early on a saturday morning and they were not busy. 

My fasting was totally fine but that stupid drink.. I felt awful after having it, even drinking water and walking around. I was over by around 9 pts each of the three times.

I haven't been called back by the office yet but in the meantime I'm just being mindful of my carbs and sugar. 

[withlittlelungs]

Originally Posted by beautifulnm 

I felt awful after having it, even drinking water and walking around. I was over by around 9 pts each of the three times. 

I felt awful, too. 
And I totally should have walked around. Probably wouldn't have helped my numbers enough, but it would have made an impact. The power was out at the birth center so they let me lay in a birthing room and I took a nap.

 

When I took my GD test, my fasting number was 73. Since I have started checking my sugars in the morning, my fasting numbers are 93-99. I didn't buy an expensive monitor, and it has mixed reviews. Some people saying that it was 20+ points higher than their regular monitor, others saying it was right on. 
Since my fasting numbers have changed so much in so little time is it likely that my monitor is just off? 

[cabbitdancer]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about GD. They test for it, now, when the placenta is intentionally sabotaging your ability to process glucose, and they shock the system with far more glucose than any normal person would eat in a day, let alone an hour, or two hours. If they wanted an honest and REALISTIC test of what your body can and can't do, they would test your fasting, and then test you two hours after a normal meal. On top of that, they expect your numbers to be far lower than they would expect of a non-pregnant non-diabetic. It's like they want you to fail. I tested positive for GD with my daughter, my fasting actually being ridiculously high, let alone my post parandials, and they had suspicions of pre-diabetes. Still, being delivered the day before her due date, she was only 6 12, which is hardly gargantuan. I think there is a lot more that goes into a baby's size than insulin resistance.

For those whose numbers are coming up far different on a meter than the blood draw done during the test, that's because 1) glucometers can have up to a ±20 mg/dl (±1.11 mmol/liter) deviation, some being more accurate than others, and 2) the blood is taken from 2 separate sources. Typically, the glucose enters the main stream before it gets out into the capillaries, and into the cells, etc., so, for instance, if you took your blood glucose from both places as soon as you've eaten, the venous draw would probably show higher than the finger stick, because the glucose would not yet have reached the place where you took the finger stick. However, a couple of hours later, the venous draw may show lower than the finger stick, because the glucose has moved from the blood stream and into the extremities, cells, what-have-you. Washing your hands (or not washing them) prior to a finger stick can also affect your results.

[withlittlelungs]

thank you so much for that info, Cabbit!
I've had a feeling that washing hands vs. using an alcohol wipe vs. not washing hands affects things. 
The whole thing baffles me sometimes. Like why a small bowl of cereal for breakfast (that was a recommended cereal on diabetes living) has yielded a glucose level as high as when I gave in and had chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. 
I can't wait until I don't have to worry about this anymore. If we get pregnant again, I'm opting out of the test and will just monitor it myself. A lot less stressful than being labeled GD.

[spughy]

Originally Posted by withlittlelungs 

The whole thing baffles me sometimes. Like why a small bowl of cereal for breakfast (that was a recommended cereal on diabetes living) has yielded a glucose level as high as when I gave in and had chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. 
 

Cereal is straight carbs.  If you ate it with skim milk (which is probably also recommended) there's no fat to buffer it and slow the absorption of the carbs into your blood stream.  Also, even "whole grain" cereals are highly processed and have added sugar, which makes them both palatable (so you tend to eat them faster) and easily digestible. Which cereal was it, just out of curiosity?

Pancakes, OTOH, are simple starch, true, but they also usually contain eggs, and don't normally have added sugar (except for the chocolate) and the whipped cream has enough fat in it to slow the absorption of the carbs.  Also not exactly super-awesome diabetic food, but you could probably get away with one or two small pancakes, unsweetened whipping cream, and a pile of blueberries.  Add some protein powder to your pancakes to make them a little less starchy and more proteiny (if you add too much though they're kind of like eating cardboard, so there's definitely a happy medium there.)

Bacon and eggs is a MUCH better breakfast for the glucose intolerant.  Bacon and eggs with a side of sauteed kale and a few slices of fried tomato is even better, because it provides SOME carbs, lots of fiber, lots of protein and lots of fat.  Standard diabetes management, from what I've seen, is ridiculous and seems geared towards making people need insulin.  Insulin resistance is usually highest in the morning - no way should anyone be telling you to have cereal for breakfast.  If you want cereal, have it for lunch and eat a good salad with a creamy or olive oil dressing  (NOT low-fat) and some sliced meat or a good handful of almonds as well.

[withlittlelungs]

Thank you, Spughy!!! I can't afford to see a dietician so I am kind of just winging this whole thing. Your knowledge is very helpful!
It was multigrain cheerios with 2% milk. I will definitely keep the cereal for later meals if I have it at all. 
The pancakes were a moment of weakness and I knew it was a bad idea. 

Does anyone have breakfast suggestions besides eggs? I like eggs, but not every morning.

[spughy]

Breakfasts... Cottage cheese and fruit is a good quick one.  High in protein, moderate-low carb depending on the fruit.  I like blueberries in there (but I like blueberries everywhere!!!).  Greek yogurt and slivered almonds (or other nuts)... sausages and sauteed veg... buckwheat crepes stuffed with asparagus & cream cheese (ok now I'm gettin' fancy ).  Steel-cut oats, cooked in whole milk and served with heavy cream and a sprinkling of nuts & fruit, would probably be okay if you can't live without a morning grain fix. (When you cook oatmeal in milk, you will feel full with a much smaller serving, plus it's extra protein.)

If you want a good fancy meal for weekend brunch - make veggie pancakes (grate zucchini, sprinkle with salt & leave half an hour, rinse briefly and wring out in a towel or cheesecloth; grate carrot & potato so you have 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 carrot + potato (leave skins on potatoes if possible) - toss together, salt, add an egg & fry in light olive oil, butter or bacon fat in vaguely pancake form).  Use these as a base for eggs benny.  MMmmmmmmm...  I try to make these for dinner on the odd Friday night and then on Saturday morning the leftovers get turned into bennies.  FTR, Hollandaise sauce is pretty easy to make   Okay YES it involves eggs, but yum!

If you look on paleo (and sorta paleo) websites like Mark's Daily Apple  you'll find lots of recipe ideas that simply by virtue of eliminating the grains and sugars tend towards the lower-carb (and high-fibre, high-protein, high-fat) end of things.  (Maybe avoid the ones that are heavy on the sweet potatoes...) If you're not at all interested in eliminating grains, you can just do grains on the side (barley pilaf was one of my faves until I connected it to the horrible abdominal pain I would get periodically - but it's awesome, just use hulled barley not pearled and cook like a rice risotto).  Cook whole grains - don't rely on manufacturers to whole-grain-ify you... Cheerios might start out with whole grains but they're turned into flour (which increases speed of digestion) and a lot of the bran is sifted out before they're turned into a slurry and extruded at high temps & pressure (which further break down the starches and make them even easier for your body to digest super-fast).  Most whole-grain breads are likewise made from flour and are only partly whole-grain - I can live happily without bread but if you need it, look for breads without any sugars in the ingredients (or glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, etc. - if it has an -ose on the ingredients it's probably not so good, unless it's cellulose which is entirely indigestible and made from wood) and which don't have the words "unbleached flour" or "unbleached wheat flour" or simply "wheat flour" on the label - that's just white flour.  There are a few brands here that don't, but I don't know what's available in your neck of the woods.  And keep it in the freezer and limit yourself to a piece or two a day.

[cabbitdancer]

Honestly? I'm diabetic, and I've discovered that NOT eating enough carbs in the morning will cause my sugars to spike, due to the whole dawn phenomenon thing. I don't know if GD would react differently, because I don't know if the dawn phenom is only applicable to full-on diabetics. A single serving of Kashi Go Lean with fat free milk has been amazing for me, though I am definitely hungry for that mid-morning snack, two hours later. Eggs, sausage, and a slice of toast with a bit of homemade jam works, too. I've had mixed results with steel-cut oats, and I cook mine with a mix of milk and heavy cream. I've had to ramp up my insulin intake so much this pregnancy, it's ridiculous, though "normal," I've discovered, for diabetics. That is one thing that I will be happy to do without when this pregnancy is over and done with, and one reason that I'm considering us very much done after this baby. :P

[chocolatechip]

I also have heard that a lot of "whole grain" processed foods actually aren't the *entire* grain, because of all the sifting and processing and so forth. I am far from an expert on diabetic diets, but anecdotally, I know that I feel much more satisfied when I eat hot cereal made from the actual whole grains, rather than processed cold cereal. So when I make hot cereal, I use rolled oats, or amaranth, or brown rice, or toasted buckwheat... They're all really good as hot cereal! I like to put greek yogurt, walnuts or pecans, some banana, and flax meal on it. Yum!

Also, my midwives said early on when I was having trouble eating much besides carbs and protein, that bread was fine, but the best kind for me would be the sprouted grain, not just "whole grain." I think when it's sprouted grain, you actually DO get more of the entire grain? I eat other kinds of bread too, but I've kept the sprouted grain as my main bread intake (which has also gone down, as my diet got back more to normal with my second trimester).

I have been eating much more dairy since getting pregnant, and my body is not at ALL interested in low/nonfat varieties! My milk is still 2% (I'm much better off with lactose-free, and the highest fat content of organic is 2%), but I much prefer whole fat for everything else (yogurt, cheese...). It is much more satisfying!

As an aside, I *really* want chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream, now!! 

[spughy]

Sprouted grain is definitely better for you for a couple of reasons (lower phytates so you absorb more minerals being the main one) but I think that the process of sprouting actually turns some of the starches to sugars - it doesn't reduce the GI value at all.  But, like true whole grain flour, it does keep all the fiber so that will cushion the effects of the starch somewhat. 

I have to admit those chocolate chip pancakes DO sound really good.  Sigh.

I think my DD has similar issues to me with grains.  This morning I cooked her and her father oatmeal for breakfast.  She stopped before she finished and complained that oatmeal always made her too full, but then an hour later she'd be hungry again.  Then she demanded cheese 20 minutes later.  I've never understood people who find oatmeal (or other whole-grain cooked cereals) keep them satisfied for long, but I have friends who swear it's the only breakfast that "sticks" and they're hungry again an hour later if they eat eggs - whereas I can go for a good 3-4 hours on 2 eggs and a tbsp of butter.   Humans are so weird. 

[beautifulnm]

I had my GD appointment today, chortle chortle. It was four hours. I guess it could have been worse. Anyways, checked my sugar and it's 79. At least that's vaguely reassuring. 

[chocolatechip]

spughy, if I just eat oatmeal, I'm hungry an hour later too! But oatmeal plus yogurt (with fat) and nuts, etc., lasts much better. When I used to help run wilderness trips, we'd serve oatmeal for some breakfasts, but then have everyone top it with a bunch of peanut butter (and some jam). That sticks to your ribs pretty well too! 

That said, I visited some friends last spring who were on a low/no carb diet, and we had poached eggs every morning with some fried chorizo or homemade bacon (yes, these are the kind of people who make their own bacon), and it totally kept me going all morning. I did it several times after I got home, but the bacon was never quite as good. 

[Melany]

Originally Posted by chocolatechip 

spughy, if I just eat oatmeal, I'm hungry an hour later too! But oatmeal plus yogurt (with fat) and nuts, etc., lasts much better. When I used to help run wilderness trips, we'd serve oatmeal for some breakfasts, but then have everyone top it with a bunch of peanut butter (and some jam). That sticks to your ribs pretty well too! 

I've actually started chopping an entire apple into my oatmeal while I cook it. Add a little vanilla and some cinnamon. Then some almonds or pecans on top when I serve it. I don't need to add sugar at all (the apple sweetens it up) and I'm  full all morning. 

[beautifulnm]

I jinxed myself. I had a good day on the 9th, and then yesterday I was all over God's green earth, missed every meal and snack "time," had some work stress, was 3 pts over at dinner, and one point over fasting this morning, and 11 points over after breakfast. Also, my sister called 3x in the middle of the night last night which kind of stressed me out too. That's another long post but seriously.. I am under when I eat a bunch of pasta and raisin bran which I expected to be awful but I wanted to check, and then when I am doing my super duper portion control it's crap. 

tomorrow I think I'll see what just bacon and eggs does. 

[rachelalle]

I am so glad that someone started  talking about GD. I am so agrivated that I failed my 1 hr. The nurse called me and told me I failed. I had a feeling I would fail because I have with two other pregnancy's. Then when I take the 3 hr I have passed. I was sorta frustrated and told them I have too many kids to sit at the doctors for over three hrs, so just send me to a nutritionist. I am already eating low carb because wheat and carbs tend to make me sick also they give me heartburn. I cheated and had some wheat buscuits I made tonight and I am now up at 12:30 with heartburn.  Anyway, I am now panicking a bit and wondering if maybe that was a bad idea to just let them call me GD. Do they treat you diff. when you are GD?  I also didn't fast for the 1 hr.  I have had big babies but I am Italian and my family always cooks them big. LOL

[spughy]

Originally Posted by rachelalle 

I am so glad that someone started  talking about GD. I am so agrivated that I failed my 1 hr. The nurse called me and told me I failed. I had a feeling I would fail because I have with two other pregnancy's. Then when I take the 3 hr I have passed. I was sorta frustrated and told them I have too many kids to sit at the doctors for over three hrs, so just send me to a nutritionist. I am already eating low carb because wheat and carbs tend to make me sick also they give me heartburn. I cheated and had some wheat buscuits I made tonight and I am now up at 12:30 with heartburn.  Anyway, I am now panicking a bit and wondering if maybe that was a bad idea to just let them call me GD. Do they treat you diff. when you are GD?  I also didn't fast for the 1 hr.  I have had big babies but I am Italian and my family always cooks them big. LOL

If you're diagnosed with GD there'll be more pressure to induce early and the baby's blood sugar will be tested after birth (heel-prick, I believe).  How big were your other two?

[cabbitdancer]

They also tend to insist on far more testing with GD. They'll want to do NSTs (non-stress tests) regularly from about 32 weeks, as well as BPPs (biophysical profiles aka yet another ultrasound) to check baby's growth, blood flow, and fluid volume.

I did terribly over the holidays. My baby supposedly went from the 34th percentile in size to around the 68th percentile. Not a good sign. My mom says it's no wonder I hurt as much as I do. I'm seriously kicking myself and stressing over my sugars, now. Of course, they predicted that my daughter would be big and she came out 6lb 12oz the day before her EDD, so I dunno how much I trust these ultrasounds to be accurate...

[withlittlelungs]

Originally Posted by cabbitdancer 
I did terribly over the holidays. My baby supposedly went from the 34th percentile in size to around the 68th percentile. Not a good sign. My mom says it's no wonder I hurt as much as I do. I'm seriously kicking myself and stressing over my sugars, now. Of course, they predicted that my daughter would be big and she came out 6lb 12oz the day before her EDD, so I dunno how much I trust these ultrasounds to be accurate...

I did terribly over the holidays, too. I have an ultrasound on Thursday, and I'm worried to see how big they will be. The dr was already commenting on how big they were at my 24 week u/s