Gestational Diabetes Support Group - Page 13

[skinnyhungrymom]

FYI - If you have a Trader Joe's in your area - they sell Stevia, and the price is just right!

[gabysmom617]

Thanks, but I live in the middle of southeast nowhere. Nothing round here but Walmart and Food Lion. I'd have to travel to find a Trader Joe's, or anywhere else that might sell stevia, and by the time I put gas in the tank to do that, I just as well had ordered it online.

[MomtoXane]

Juls - Congrats on your twins! I know how frustrating it is when you are first diagnosed with GD or any complication really. I failed the 1hr at 24wks in my last pregnancy, and I had no risk factors at all. Things will get easier once you're past the learning curve.

Susanna - That site about plus size GD was so so helpful for me last time, even though I'm not overweight at all. It's much more comprehensive than any book I read or handout I received about gestational diabetes. Here is the page to look up the GI of certain foods - http://www.glycemicindex.com/ Hope that helps!

Lifeguard - I'm so happy the new insulin is working for you and that you are home from the hospital. It's quite a relief when things start working how they are supposed to.

Happyhats - The diet can be confusing. One thing that might help is upping your fiber intake. Get lots and lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Avoid processed foods like cereals, breads, crackers. It takes awhile to get used to what works and what doesn't.

Sonya - Bananas are really high carbs and rice cereal is almost as bad as pure sugar, eek! I use honey to sweeten bran flakes and have no trouble keeping my numbers down. Honey has trace minerals and natural enzymes as well. I've never tried Stevia, but I might since I absolutely avoid all artificial sweeteners. I live in a little nowhere town, but there is a tiny health food store that's really great just down the street.

Skinnyhungrymom - It's never too late to do what's best for you and your baby! I also experienced immense frustration when I was already eating very healthy and they told me I needed to "watch my diet", ugh! Apples are one of the few fruits that are really good for GD moms. The fiber and natural sugars are absorbed evenly and do not cause spikes like other fruits do. Other things that help keep your blood sugar under control is daily exercise and lots of water! Don't worry about the wieght gain, you baby gets exactly what it needs. I'm 22wks and I still haven't gained back my first trimester losses...

My appointment with the OB yesterday was terribly frustrating. She just wouldn't listen to me, she just kept flipping through my chart and shaking her head and frowning. She's upset that I didn't have the 3hr after I delivered last time, she was frustrated I didn't have the 3hr in my first trimester, she was disappointed I didn't have the right tests at the right times. Now apparently I'm terribly high risk. I should have never been admitted to the CNM practice. Today I'm having to do a 24hr urine catch. Tomorrow I'm having to have COMPLETE metobolic panel (tests 14 different blood levels), an A1C, pre-eclampsia work up, and possible the 3hr GTT. I do not like this OB and all and I hope that I can switch and never see her again.

[lifeguard]

Ok - the board just did something weird & kicked me off half way through my response - ugh!

skinnyhungrymom - Please try to accept that this is NOT your fault!!! It is NOT because you ate too much or ate too much sweets for that matter!!! Many of us on here got this diagnosis & are in much the same boat as you as far as eating habits before the diagnosis, & that does make it frustrating.

For your meal planning likely what your dietician will tell you is that you are allowed so many servings of carbohydrates per meal (note: carbohydrates NOT just sugar(s) are where the concern is). One serving of carb is 15 grams. Anything with a label is easy 'cause you just look to see how many carbs for servings to figure it out. In general one small piece of fruit is a serving. One serving of dairy is slightly less than one serving of carb (dairy is 12grams of carbs). A serving of whole grains is one serving. Sugar(s) are best avoided as even when they fit into your allotted servings they tend to make blood glucose peak very quickly. Anything like whole fruit or whole grains, that has fibre along with the carbs is best 'cause it slows down absorption. Protein along with a carb also slows down absorption & keeps you feeling full longer. Most vegetables are not a carb serving, accept the starchy ones: potatoes, corn, peas, etc.

I do believe the actual recommended servings of carbs per meal/snack varies quite a bit. For example many of the meals gabysmom has listed she eats would be too high in carb servings for me. So that is part of the challenge, to find the balance that is right for your body. My meal plan is 1 carb for breakfast & snacks & 2-3 carbs for lunch & supper.

My understanding is that the baby really starts to beef up during the last several weeks with GD not really before that point. So no, it's not too late.

[ruthmg]

I just found out I failed my 3hr GTT test, and I'm devastated. I have no idea what to do (just got the phone call 5 minutes ago) and ahven't even talked to the resources center they are referring me to. I ahve to taje DH to work, so I can't even vent properly.

[brandyk]

Ruth - sit down and read this whole thread when you come back. It's getting really long but there are tons of resources in it (including the link earlier on this page). A lot of GD is really frustrating but it's manageable - you just have to figure out what works for you. if your resource center is great, great! if not, you'll find lots of information here. in my experience, the nutritional advice was really crappy (eat the same thing every day, in wrong proportions, and oops they didn't mention that you probably won't eat the same in week 26 as week 32!). but i have a wonderful nurse practitioner that is the diabetes manager and she is great.

Aviva- Did you end up having to go on insulin?

My fastings for the past two days have been high (107, 111). Yesterday we (my diabetes call is on Tues nights) blamed it on me waking up at 9 (!!!) but today I got up at 8. It could be tiredness/stress slightly delayed [ding-dong the inlaws are gone!]. Fortunately I get a few more days of looking at my numbers before I decide to call someone about this second fasting or not. Time to switch out bedtime snack!

I have my 32 week appt with my OB and my first of my bi-weekly NSTs today (except this week its only one). Baby has been moving GREAT and I am still consuming ridiculous amts of water so I'm not concerned about that, just the whole placental degradation thingy.

Skinnyhungry - you may already be controlling GD through diet. The only "results" that you need to see are your blood sugar numbers in control. Take your concerns to your OB or to a good nutritionist. You should be able to add protein & nuts to balance any carbs that you might have to take out. You can also post a day of eating on the board and we can tell you where the carbs are - maybe you're not eating many, maybe you don't know what they are!

take those lancets back to CVS! demand a refund! don't keep poking yourself with big fat lancets

better get a move-on if i want to take a shower today! i have definitely hit that downhill 3d trimester thing everyone talks about. so slooooooow!

[lifeguard]

I am SO tired! I think now that our move is finally done (including finishing up some stuff at the old house) & we have finally found the right insulin & dosage & my blood glucose is finally consistent my body has just crashed. I don't think I even realized how stressed I was ALL the time. I slept most of yesterday & today is quickly heading in that direction.

[superflippy]

Skinnyhungry, that's exactly how I feel! I tried to eat healthy this pregnancy, and I didn't gain a whole lot of weight, and now that I'm on this stupid diet I'm afraid I won't be able to. But even though I don't feel like I'm eating enough, my weight has gradually crept up, a little at a time. I've gained almost 15 lbs so far, and my doctor isn't concerned.

So, speaking of starving, I saw my OB yesterday and she prescribed Metformin for me. My fasting levels are borderline OK, but have been gradually rising so she thought it would be a good preventive measure since insulin resistance increases throughout pregnancy and I've still got 10 weeks to go.

I started taking it last night, and have had a thoroughly rotten day. My fasting was still high (99). After breakfast was pretty low (96), but after lunch was high (123) and stayed high for the next hour! On top of that, I am so hungry I can't concentrate. I just want to eat non-stop, but I'm running out of things to eat because my blood sugar is still high. And to make things worse, [TMI]I've had to run for the bathroom several times today. Not normal.[/TMI]

Has anyone else who's tried Metformin/Glucophage had similar symptoms?

[brandyk]

egh, do you think 123 is high?!?! of course you are hungry. over 140 is high for 1hr PP. are you doing 2hr?

did your dr consider glyburide over metformin? it's not common to prescribe metformin for the pregnant.

[lifeguard]

superflippy - you may want to ask your doctor about the metformin choice. The discussions I had with mine made it pretty clear that glyburide was preferred over metformin in pregnancy. I had wanted to go on metformin as I had been on prior to the pregnancy until the end of my first trimester (for PCOS) & was familiar with it.

Also, the diarrhea is VERY common with metformin at first along with just general stomach upset. It does usually get better after a couple of weeks. Make sure you're getting LOTS of water to offset the diarrhea.

I cannot wait for this baby to come out so I can stop stabbing myself 8x a day. It's really getting old! And I'm finding that I'm becoming more sensitive to the injections. Each one itches & gets a little inflamed for 20 minutes afterwards & my stomach is starting to look just awful. For some reason some of the injections are leaving thumb sized bruises! I'm really careful about cleaning the spot before & after & using a new needle every single time so I think it is just a sensitivity. Sigh.

[MomtoXane]

Lifeguard - I remember the insulin injections started feeling worse over time too. I was also very skinny at the time and didn't have much to work with as far as pinch/poke. My new OB seems very anti-insulin. I'm not sure how I feel about that since doing all my research I feel it is safer for the baby than medications.

I called the nurse this morning, it's been two weeks and the diabetic counselor STILL hasn't called to set up an appointment with me. I don't have any testing supplies or anything until after that appointment and waiting so long has been frustrating. I didn't have to do the 3hr GTT, but I did finish all my other lab work on Wednesday. The OB is supposed to be reviewing the results today. I'm so nervous it's going to be abnormal. I've been an emotional wreck, panic attacks and everything...

[superflippy]

Brandy, yes, I'm doing 2hr tests, so it's supposed to be under 120 after meals.

My OB prescribed metformin because she said it's been studied more in pregnancy than other drugs. But so far, it's done nothing but make me feel queasy or hungry - my blood sugar remains exactly the same as before. Talked to nurse on the phone yesterday, she said give it a few days to start working. If I don't start seeing some improvement after a week, I will definitely ask about Glyburide - it's what my friends who had GD used, and it seemed to work really well for them.

MTX, sending good thoughts your way for good test results.

[avivaelona]

interesting usually they feel its Glyburide that's been studied the best. Yes for some people Metformin causes bad stomach upset, it usually does subside but not always. It takes some time too to show real affects. They do not usually put someone on it in pregnancy, I'm surprised your doctor has. I am on Metformin but for me it was a choice not to go off it, I've been taking it since 2000 approximately and the only time I've been off it was the 2nd trimester of my first pregnancy and I lost the baby. I made a decision to stay on it as there is some scant evidence that it helps prevent second and third trimester losses in diabetics who are already taking it. But it isn't common. FWIW too, while it helped me never need insulin in my second pregnancy, I'm still walking very close to the line now in my third.

So far I'm not on insulin, but I'm having to work very hard to keep the numbers down and not always succeeding, and I can't seem to keep my fastings under 90 anymore. I have an appointment next week and if I can't get it under control by then we will revisit it. At this point I'd consider going off the met and trying Glyburide too as I'm past the real danger point where going into labor would be catastrophic. (I'm 31 weeks today, will be 32 by then)

Ruthmg welcome. Its ok, take a deep breath, its all a pain and confusing and irritating but its not that bad. Until you get a chance to go for some assistance just try to avoid sugar and "white" carbs in your meals (potatos, rice, bread) and add more protein and if possible leafy greens to your diet. Eat smaller more frequent meals. That's the super simplified version but everything else is just tweaking it.

[NicaG]

Hi Ladies,
just checking in...I had my baby on September 30! Her name is Anna and she was 8lbs 9oz (4oz larger than my ds). I was induced, but everything worked out just fine, normal vaginal delivery. It is such a relief to be done with needles, insulin, bs numbers, etc. I haven't checked my blood sugar at all since I delivered. I keep meaning to check my fasting numbers, but I forget every morning. Good luck to everyone! The diabetes won't last forever, and it's such a wonderful feeling to finally hold your baby in your arms, makes it all worth it.

One comment about insulin injections--try numbing the injection site with an ice cube before you inject. A friend on Heparin recommended this, and it really does help. And after you inject and remove the needle, apply pressure on the site with your finger for a minute, but don't rub. The pressure should help prevent bruising. I was having a lot of bruising until I started doing this.

Wishing happy healthy births and babies to all!

[lifeguard]

NicaG - Congratulations on your baby. I'm happy to hear it went well. I have been doing the pressure thing after I inject but unfortunately I have this (VERY crazy) condition where I break out in hives from the cold so the ice cube trick would make things worse for me - lol!

MomtoXane - I hope you get an appointment soon. It seems pretty crazy to me to make someone wait so long before they even bother to call you. Did you have any luck calling them?

Avivaelona - I find it interesting that you have stayed on the metformin. I wish that I had & hearing your story I will definitely be looking more into before my next pregnancy. I'm actually a little bothered that the doctor never discussed with me the possibility that doing so might have helped decrease the chances/severity of GD for me.

[avivaelona]

I have this (VERY crazy) condition where I break out in hives from the cold so the ice cube trick would make things worse for me - lol!

Hey! I have that too! Cold induced Uticaria. Of course you are smart and live in Costa Rica...I'm in New England! Brilliant eh? Are we twins or something? I only have ever met one other person who had this.

[lifeguard]

lol - when I was diagnosed with it I was living in Canada. The doctor told me (straight faced mind you) to stop swimming & move somewhere warm! Hahahaha - the move to Costa Rica was totally coincidental. Stopping swimming - I don't think so!!!

Did you always have it? I only developed out of the blue about 3-4 years ago.

[ruthmg]

Thanks for the calming words. I met with the diabetes cousnelor yesterday and she explained the diet, testing, etc. I'm actually doing well with numbers 2 hours after meals, but my fasting level this morning was 116!!!! And i'm in moderate ketosis!

I'm very frustrated, because I have other issues, including chronic hypertension and hypothyroidsim, plus my first DS was born early, in the throes of beginning pre-eclampsia, so I'm feeling like what ELSE can make this a harder pregnancy? Oh yeah, GD!!!

What am I doing wrong to get such high a high fasting number? I had cottage cheese with crisp bread as a snack (yum ) around 8:30 last night, then took my numbers at 8:30 this morning.

I also take Synthroid, so I have to wait and hour after taking the pill to eat. Does anyone else have to do this? I wonder if I should take my blood before the pill, rather than after.

[avivaelona]

You should do your blood sugar the moment you get up if you can, or as close to it as possible. If you are in ketosis you might be having a rebound affect...your sugar crashes in the middle of the night and your body compensates by making its own sugar...making it high in the morning. What time do you go to sleep? Try having your snack just a little closer to bedtime and try upping the protein (more cottage cheese, less crisp bread and maybe add a few almonds or something) . Before fiddling with it though definitely take your blood sugar before you have the pill and see if its high still. You also might find that your synthroid dose needs to be adjusted during pregnancy.

Lifeguard, I've had it for maybe 10 years now, but no I didn't always have it, my mom gets it too and also developed it later. The one other person I know who has it is a young man who developed it as a kid, I don't know if he actually still suffers from it or if he's outgrown it. Strangely mine seems to have gotten a bit better since I was pregnant the first time, it still happens but not quite as badly. Thus far I've never gotten it from swimming, only from cold (and especially cold and damp) air under 35 degrees or from putting ice on an injury. I wonder if there is any connection between this and a tendency for insulin resistance? Or if its just a coincidence.

[brandyk]

Nica - Congrats on your baby!!! You must be so excited to have a new bundle of joy!

superflippy - Well although I have been more than ambivalent about the Glyburide, I'm happy with the choice. It's easy and it works.

Aviva - do you think the 90 fasting is too strict? My OB & NP are thrilled with my fastings - which occasionally dip below 90 but mostly hover in the 95 range. I know you've been doing this over multiple pregnancies but it seems that you are really stressed out about keeping your numbers in a place where I don't think it's universally agreed they need to be. Of course the stress doesn't help (see prior note about my numbers went up to 111 while the in-laws were driving me crazy). This morning 85!

I had my first 2 NSTs this week. Yesterday's (They insisted on one on Friday) was really annoying because baby just moved around so there were gaps on the heartbeat chart so they kept me there longer after delaying the appt's start by 25 minutes. My appt was at 11:45, I was already hungry, and I was late for meeting my friend for lunch, which I didn't eat until 1:30. I mean gobbled. I was starving. So annoying because of that and also just laying there in this stupid reclined position that I hate. I can see how I will not tolerate it during labor at all.

To follow up on diapers, what about the NB size covers? Can I just get smalls? I got one as a gift and it barely fits over the kissaluv on sunni bear (our official diaper tester, my childhood teddy bear).