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Originally Posted by Siennaflower  Hi. I'm 24 weeks today and just got the news that I failed the 3 hour test. I have to call and make an appointment next week to talk to a specialist. I'm clueless about this, didn't have any problem passing the 1 hour test with dd and don't know what to expect. Is there a site with a good source of info? Should I go ahead and start some kind of GD diet this weekend since I don't know when I'll get an apt (military, so who knows)? I'm so confused and it's so unfair that I find this out like minutes before the OB clinic closes for the weekend!!  : |
Siennaflower, I really feel for you! I felt really alone and scared when I got my diagnosis, too. I really hope your appointment comes soon...luckily 24 weeks isn't too late to catch it and do some good. I wasn't diagnosed until 31/32 weeks just because of random timing of the labs and tests.
As far as good info, there is a lot of conflicting info out there. AFter I met with my dietitian I came back here and read through the last ten pages of posts or so (there are so many!) and learned a lot of things that the dietitian hadn't told me. For one, my diet is more flexible than the one my dietitian gave me -- as with many other women on this forum, I was told to eat WAY MORE carbs than I would normally eat at each meal. I found that I was simply unable to tolerate them at breakfast, so I stick with protein-heavy breakfasts and get my carbs in later in the day. I also wasn't really told about how much the evening snack can affect my fasting blood sugar in the morning...I assumed that my blood sugar would just continue to go down after I ate, but actually the liver will produce more blood sugar and spike my readings if I don't eat a good protein + carb snack before bed.
The biggest confusion out there seems to be about when to test, either one or two hours after meals. Many women are given differing advice. Your person will tell you what to do...I think some of the difference comes from whether they believe your GD is purely gestational (i.e. you didn't have undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes prior to pregnancy) or if they think there may have been diabetes there all along. Also, I think not all dietitians are well trained in what is good for regular diabetes versus gestational diabetes -- they are not totally the same. So it may make a difference whether you see a dietitian who works within a prenatal/birth clinic, versus a dietitian who works with lots of different clients, not just mamas.
In terms of starting a diet, I would immediately try or start to try cutting out sugary foods, breakfast cereals, sodas, and treats, if they are in your diet. I was told to eat as much protein and vegetables as I want, and have 20-30grams whole grain carbs with each meal; for snacks (between each meal and one before bed) I can have a piece of fruit with some protein, like a nectarine and a cheese stick or almonds. Getting yourself onto a regular schedule of eating is really important (and sometimes really hard if you are already juggling meals for your a little one!), because regular eating will help your blood sugar regulate and not spike or dip too low during the day.
Edited to add: it's also important to add exercise if you aren't doing some already! I find my post-breakfast readings are way too high (even without carbs) unless I go for a 20 min walk right after I eat and before I test. So I've been doing that every day and now I love it. Walking is excellent for you in general (baby positioning, heart health, stamina, all that good stuff) but actually exercising right after you eat will help the glucose get converted by your muscles. I find the morning is best anyway since it's not hot outside yet! The most important thing is to keep excess glucose from spilling into your baby's bloodstream, and exercise after breakfast is really helpful if that's when your sugars are highest, like mine are. I dunno, might be different for you, just wanted to mention this because I think it is the one thing keeping me away from having to start medication to manage my bG!
Good luck and stay strong!
But she had a good point: I don't want to worry the nurses into giving me more drugs and stuff.
right after eating because dd wasn't up yet, would that inactivity cause a high number like that? I had a half a ww bagel (25 carbs) with cream cheese and a little less than 1/2 a cup of 2% milk (5 carbs) so I was right at 30 carbs which is my goal for breakfast.
Dawn in WI
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