GD Test - Glucola drink vs Jelly Beans

[khaoskat]

Because I so detest Orange, my OB is letting me do the Jelly Bean test.

My question is what is the purpose of fasting before taking the Jelly Bean test. I was told I had to fast from midnight until I did the test -- and whereas with the Glucola drink they have a few minutes leway on drawing the blood, it MUST be drawn at EXACTLY 1 hour after finishing the last Jelly Bean.

BTW - in case you are wondering I was told to eat 18 of the Brach's Jelly beans, any flavor.

Is the fasting going to make it much more difficult to pass and make me end up having to do the 3 hour test and drinking the stuff. I know if I have to drink 2 10 ouncle bottles of that stuff in 5 minutes I will be puking my guts up before I even get through the first bottle of it.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

Well, I think the whole test is ridiculous (and please, please don't say "My OB is letting me..." It's not like he owns you). I took it with my first but ate food and refused either the glucola or jelly beans. A test that pumps you full of sugar on an empty stomach, then tries to determine if your body acts strangely. Of course it acts funny after that. Here 's a link -

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gdhgoer.html

[pamamidwife]

I agree with Laura - it's a bunk test with huge false results, hard on your baby and your body and the "treatment" doesn't "improve" outcome.

I'd say get away from a surgeon and find someone that deals in normal, evidence-based birth! But, that's just my biased opinion.

[thorn]

why would you have to drink 2 of the glucolas? I only had to drink 1 with both of my tests last time - for the one hour it had 50g of sugar (I think) and for the 3 hour it had 100g of sugar but just a stronger drink.

I wasn't told to fast for the one hour test, either.

[DoomaYula]

My thought as to why they want you want you to fast and eat/drink nasty tasting things to see how your body will react is: in order to torture you and because they can.

I'd be like Nancy Reagan and Just Say No.

[majikfaerie]

it seems we have a consensus!
no need to do that test
(in our biased opinion)

[khaoskat]

Originally Posted by pamamidwife

I'd say get away from a surgeon and find someone that deals in normal, evidence-based birth! But, that's just my biased opinion.

This is actually one of the more laid back OB groups here in town. Unfortunately to switch to a Midwife practice means:

1) Going with the Midwife group who severely mismanaged my last pregnancy, and the only saving grace on why they do not have a medical malpractice lawsuit is that there was a knot in the cord and with the knot it is very difficult to prove anything else caused the death, including the significant mismanagements that occurred (refusing to do anything about a baby being breach until I went into labor; not diagnosing a 2 vessel cord and following the recommended procedures for then in this area; failing to notice or do anything about a significant slow down in babies growth at the end of the pregnancy; failure to do anything when they had trouble keeping the baby's HB on the fetal dopplar long enough to get either manually or electronically get a read out of BPM).

2) Ending up in a hospital that has a high rate of medical interventions, including a significant amount of continous fetal monitoring; nurses who do not support natural childbrith and want you stuck in a bed being monitored; only has the ability for ONE patient at a time to be on a portable continuous fetal monitor; high rates of internal fetal monitoring; only has a few rooms with the ability to water birth or water therapy during labor.

Every other provider I talked to who takes my insurance demanded that I be continuously fetal monitored during birth because I had a previous fetal demise. I also had one group demand that I subject myself to either IV pain medication or an epidural or they would refuse me as a patient.

With my last two pregnancies, since the group I used gave you the glucola drink, I just didn't bother to drink it beyond the point I could handle the taste. Once I started gagging and wanting to puke I stopped.

If I had my choice I wouldn't do the test, but to use the only natural birth center in this area, I have no choice - if I don't do the test, they will refuse me as a patient in the birth center and then will end up with a hospital birth (we have considered home birth, but if it is done we have to do it in secret, because we have family who would take us to Court to prevent it).

I am one of those women, who always give birth to big babies. Of my three pregnancies, DS1 was 9 pounds 2 ounces 23 inches; DS2 was 9 pounds 15 1/2 ounces 22 1/2 inches; DD1 - full term stillbrith (also had 2 vessel cord and major slow down in growth after the 31st week) was 7 pounds 6 ounces 22 1/4 inches. I also generally have a good diet, have no health or risk factors or family members who have diabetes. As a matter of fact my mother is hypoglycemic, and if I don't eat regularly (when not pregnant) I tend to get light headed and dizzy and headaches until I get something in my system.

I have never had to do the 3 hour test, but I thought you had to drink 2 of the bottles instead of just one...

[thorn]

*hugs* for your loss mama

yep it is just one glucola as far as i know. they use the weaker one for the 1 hour test and the stronger one for the 3 hour. also, my practice last time had it in a cola flavor - maybe the lab could order that for you?

[khaoskat]

Originally Posted by majikfaerie

it seems we have a consensus!
no need to do that test
(in our biased opinion)

Trust me, if I could get away w/o it I would. But it would mean either a Hospital Birth or a UC Birth at home. To be able to use the birth center, you are required to take the test.

But due to nosy IL's who are against our beliefs anyways, it would be extremely difficult to do a homebith. They do not like us using a Midwife or even a CNP (that is who I mainly see for my office visits, but do see the OB to meet them so I know them at birth -- I think after this apt, I will be with the CNP for the rest of the pregnancy until birth, as I have met with both OB's in the group).

They have to be in the know, and right now we are keeping them completely in the dark even about me being pregnant....first time we saw them I was about 23 1/2 weeks pregnant, and MIL asked DH and he would neither confirm nor deny the allegation she made. With DS1, fully knowing she was unwelcome at the hospital, she showed up anyways and tried to get in the middle of it. I couldn't even bond with the baby after birth because she showed up right after I gave birth and got cleaned up....and wouldn't leave. FIL showed up the next uninvited and w/o calling first to see if I was up to visitors...which I really wasn't and a friend had already called and asked to come at the same time he just "showed up". I wasn't feeling good after almost 24 hours on pitocin and trying to figure out a newborn w/o any help.



If they ever found out we were considering or even planning a home birth, things would get really nasty with them. I could fully see them taking us to Court...

[khaoskat]

Originally Posted by thorn

*hugs* for your loss mama

yep it is just one glucola as far as i know. they use the weaker one for the 1 hour test and the stronger one for the 3 hour. also, my practice last time had it in a cola flavor - maybe the lab could order that for you?

I asked, they only do the orange, because everyone hated the other flavors. I know a few private OB offices have more than just Orange that they give their patients...but not sure who they are. A friend of a friend who had their daughter right around the time of DS1 got to choose between 3 flavors and was even able to pour hers over ice.

*LOL*

I could always fake the jelly bean test...but I am sure if I just go in w/o eating anything my numbers will be too low....

Melissa S.

[mendomidwife]

I sometimes have women use the "jellybean method"....here is a website with an explanation....I don't tell women to fast.
A few years ago the recommendations changed - prior to that we would have women fast before the 3 hour - at least at the lab I use.


http://www.mfm-evms.org/dm4diabetescreen.html

Carla

[Jane]

I don't share the distain for the GDM screen that others have shared. I trust the body to work well. Even given a bunch of sugar, it will remove it from the blood stream in good order. The pancreas is not wussy - it is capable of going above and beyond, handling whole chocolate pies, or entire jars of jam. It can handle 50 grams of sugar. That's a big glass of orange juice - something many people consider a healthy treat.
If someone has long lasting high blood sugar, I would want them to limit their sugar spikes in pregnancy. Perhaps I am jaded by the treatment I've seen, but a woman who has a high reading after the one hour test goes onto the 3 hour test. If she "fails" that test, she is offered diabetes counseling, and a meter. Most women find a routine that works for them, and are able to go to 2 measurements a week after 4 weeks of normal numbers. Even those that are on a plan with lots of testing are encouraged to have normal home and birth center births. Only out of control numbers are a reason for hospital birth - usually vaginally, often induced (), but vaginal.
If someone is taking the test, I want an accurate result for the test.

For the day of testing,I encourage women to eat a protein meal before bed, and remember not to carb load the prior day (avoid that orange juice). Nothing for at least 5 hours, but I encourage them to put something with fat and protein in the bathroom to eat when they are up to pee (nuts, for example).

[bryonyvaughn]

Originally Posted by Apricot

...For the day of testing,I encourage women to eat a protein meal before bed, and remember not to carb load the prior day (avoid that orange juice). Nothing for at least 5 hours, but I encourage them to put something with fat and protein in the bathroom to eat when they are up to pee (nuts, for example).

This seems far more humane than the practices which order three days of IMO high carb/high protein diet with no food after dinner the night before the test. I have no clue why the order the procedures for the fasting test for the GTT.

~BV

[khaoskat]

Originally Posted by Apricot

Even those that are on a plan with lots of testing are encouraged to have normal home and birth center births. Only out of control numbers are a reason for hospital birth - usually vaginally, often induced (), but vaginal.

The only birth center here will not take you with GD, because you are no longer a "low risk" pregnancy and you can expect complications at birth with a GD Mother and Baby. Because a mom has GD it is automatically assumed around here that the baby is going to have complications either "high" or "low" blood sugars or another potential complication often associated with GD Mothers. But I have already proven I can birth a 10 pound baby w/o having GD....so being large for GA is not an issue with me for birth.

I had to fight a lable of "high risk" already by finding an OB who would not label me as such after just having suffered a full term stillbirth back in Oct. 2006. Every other practice I could use with my insurance who delivered at a Mother/Baby friendly hospital was going to label me "high risk".

In this practice they did not and are perfectly fine with my use of the birth center and water birth and I am mostly see'ing the CNP (so far 3 out of my 5 visits have been with the CNP, the other 2 were one with each of the OB's as they do the birth's and the CNP only does prenatal care). The only additional requirement they are putting on me is they want to do NSTs on a weekly basis once I hit 32 weeks, so if there is another problem it will hopefully be caught and there not be another loss. The only other thing is they request I get there a bit earlier this time (when contractions are 5-7 mins apart).

[Nan'sMom]

Can you use juice instead? Or fake the jellybeans, i.e., not eat them? I've also heard exercise after ingesting the sugar helps a lot...as does eating protein and fat right before the test.

Are you able to travel to the Farm for your birth? Or something similar? Sounds like you have limited choices locally, but I know travel can be impossible as well.

Sorry about your prior experiences...it sounds awful.

[Nan'sMom]

Xxx

[Jane]

I wouldn't use juice instead. The idea is to use pure glucose, which has a quick entry into the bloodstream. Juice usually has fructose, with a slower entry into the blood. If it doesn't enter until later, it can't be removed "on time" and might cause a "fake" higher number. I assume that someone has verified that the jelly beans are almost all glucose?
You can look up the numbers desired on the 1 hr. test - usually under 130 or 140 to avoid the 3 hr. test. Those are also the goal numbers for 1 or 2 hours after a meal. If you just didn't drink the solution, you'd be too low and I'd be following that up to figure out why. A small breakfast with the last bite 90 minutes before the test would probably give a "good" number. I am against trying to gig the test, thought, b/c the risk of add'l problems is pretty high.

I hope you are having a charmed pregnancy. I know a little of the struggle to get the care you want - not too much, not too little...with someone you trust. In my case, I can get good care for myself (nonpregnancy related), but I have to make all the decisions and ride them to get what I need. I wish I could have a doctor to collaborate with.

[khaoskat]

Originally Posted by Nan'sMom

Can you use juice instead? Or fake the jellybeans, i.e., not eat them? I've also heard exercise after ingesting the sugar helps a lot...as does eating protein and fat right before the test.

Are you able to travel to the Farm for your birth? Or something similar? Sounds like you have limited choices locally, but I know travel can be impossible as well.

Sorry about your prior experiences...it sounds awful.

We are too far from the farm...we are in Ohio.

My choices are 4 hospitals and one of them has a 3 room natural birth center.

1) Hospital w/ Birth Center - this is where I am planning on delivering. Generally a very good hospital, and the birth center is really a birth center and not a medicalized birth. The nurses are all trained in natural birth and believe in it. If there are complications you can be transferred into the hospital, it is just a short walk down the corridor. They have a very low transfer rate.

2) Hospital I had DS1 in and a bad experience with.

3) Hospital that mandates mother baby seperation after birth and does not allow rooming in unless someone remains awake 24/7 in the room with the lights on.

4) Have not heard much good about this hospital for natural birth, plus if I waited until I was sure I was in labor, probalby would have the kid on the way there....

[3daughters]

My birth center had me drink not from concentrate orange juice in place of the glucola. In Israel I drank a concentrated grape sugar/water drink. Not too bad tasting. Find out if these are options for you.

[cfiddlinmama]

My mw uses maple syrup for her clients that want the test. I think it's a couple of TBS in water. I could ask my sister, she just had it.