Anyone with GD experience?

[MI_Dawn]

DH is diabetic, so just for chucks and giggles, I tested my blood sugar the other morning - fasting 103. Which is almost borderline for pregnant women.

So I started keeping a log, have for the past three days... here's what it looks like:

8-14-08
Fasting: 103
1 hour after breakfast (oatmeal made with milk) 130
1 hour after lunch (tuna sandwich and glass of milk) 132
2 hours after dinner (tuna on toast, glass of milk) 114

8-15-08
Fasting: 119 (double eek! )
1 hour after breakfast (oatmeal made with milk) 134
2 hours after lunch (2 tacos, homemade) 111
1 hour after dinner (small steak, broccoli, some cheese and chips) 138

8-16-08
Fasting 120 (EEEEK! What is going on?!?)
1 hour after breakfast (oatmeal - didn't have milk, made it with water) 150!!
1 hour after lunch (about 3 oz of steak) 94
1 hour after snack (apple with peanut butter) 114

Those of you with GD issues in the past... anyone alarmed by these numbers??

[claras_mom]

Disclaimer: No experience with GD.

That said, I think you should talk to your provider, but in the meantime not stress it too much. My guess is the 150 is a result of not having any protein to temper the carbs in the oatmeal.

[heatherweh]

I had a GD scare when I was pregnant with DS. I had failed the first glucose and then went out of town for a month so couldn't take the second, longer test for awhile. I just treated it as though I did have it. I picked up a book on it and was really shocked that they said no sugar. No sugar at all. Pretty much no refined carbs, no BBQ sauce or ketchup, no fruit- the recommendations are really extreme and the consequences can be dire (according to this book by the ADA). So it was totally miserable during that month with no sweets or anything, I did do Splenda because I had to have something sweet and it was the least risky. I ended up being very healthy that month and actually losing a couple pounds, not by restricting calories, just by restricting junky food. I recommend the book if you can find it, there isn't a lot of info out there about GD surprisingly. It was probably exactly as I should have been eating during my entire pregnancy for optimal nutrition, but it was just too extreme for me. But of course you do what you must. If I had to I would have gladly done the full 9 months that way to protect "peanut"! GL and I hope you do not have it, but if you do then you will still be just fine, just eschew sugar.

I ended up passing the second test, so went gradually back to my sugar-eating ways. I'm not familiar with how sugar levels should look.

[wobblykate]

I have to say I've been worried about this myself. I've had a couple of borderline fasting sugars in the past (pre pregnancy), like 106-109. Then when I was around 5 weeks I had a non-fasting test done at work for a routine free screening they do for emloyees and it was 159...this was IMMEDIATELY after eating. I haven't been able to find out how high your sugar should be so soon after eating, but the lady at the screening seemed concerned. Both of my parents are diabetic. I eat pretty good, but don't limit carbs at this point.

[MI_Dawn]

Originally Posted by wobblykate

I have to say I've been worried about this myself. I've had a couple of borderline fasting sugars in the past (pre pregnancy), like 106-109. Then when I was around 5 weeks I had a non-fasting test done at work for a routine free screening they do for emloyees and it was 159...this was IMMEDIATELY after eating. I haven't been able to find out how high your sugar should be so soon after eating, but the lady at the screening seemed concerned. Both of my parents are diabetic. I eat pretty good, but don't limit carbs at this point.

Well regular diabetes numbers and GD numbers are different. They're stricter with GD because of the effects blood glucose can have on the baby.

The numbers for GD should be:

Fasting: < 95
1 hour after a meal: < 140
2 hours after a meal: < 120

That's what your normal numbers should be, what you're shooting for. That's not for the actual carb-load GD test. For that, the levels they check after you drink that awful cola stuff are:

Fasting: < 95
1 hour: < 180
2 hour: < 155
3 hour: < 140

But I've been reading about pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes in pg women, and the dangers in early pg are mostly in the form of birth defects - specifically heart and neural tube abnormalities.

Thanks for the book recommendation, Heather... it's a good idea. I've done well on low-carb diets before (i.e. no sugar, no refined carbs) but you're right, they're VERY hard to follow because they're so strict. But if I have to do it for 9 months, c'est la vie. I had gall stones with my first, and had to eat low-fat the entire pregnancy and managed that. (Pain is a great motivator! )

I just hope there isn't already damage done!

[Guinevere]

I've dealt with GD in my last 4 pg's, so I have some idea of what thoughts might be going through your head. Your numbers are on the high side, but only in the mornings, which to me indicates a pre-diabetic tendency, but not necessarily full-blown GD (at least not yet -- women become more insulin-resistant later in pg, so it might become more pronounced later on.)

Our bodies are naturally most insulin-resistant first thing in the morning, which is probably why your fasting and post-breakfast numbers are so high. To bring down your fasting numbers, you might need to have a protein-rich snack right before you go to bed. It's also very important to severely limit carbs during breakfast and instead have something rich in protein. For example, cereal becomes off-limits to me as a breakfast choice while pg, as do bagels, toast, etc. But don't despair -- you can still eat your daily oatmeal, you just need to wait and have it for a late morning snack instead, and eat some cheese or eggs first thing in the day (if you eat cheese or eggs, that is.)

I have not found sticking to a GD diet horribly restrictive (nothing like trying to do Atkins, for example), b/c there are still plenty of yummy foods available. The key is knowing in what quantity and when in the day it is best to eat them. I'd liken it more to Weight Watchers, in that you can have a potato or a piece of bread with dinner, but you can't have both of them. You get to choose.

I personally find the GTT (drinking the glucola) to make me very ill, so I don't take it anymore; instead, I just go on the GD diet once I find out I'm expecting, and then I start monitoring my sugars daily around 18 wks. or so. That has worked very well for me, but I also obviously have very mild GD which responds well solely to dietary changes. I have never had a large-for-gestational-age baby, either, and none of my kiddos have had blood sugar issues after birth. An added bonus to following the diet is that it tends to keep your pg weight gain well under control.

Let me know if you'd like any meal or snack ideas; I'd be happy to help!

Guin

[wobblykate]

Well, I've just established beyond a shadow of a doubt that I cannot force myself to eat eggs in the morning, no matter how good they are for me. Does it matter if you hurk up your prenatal as long as it's not all the time?

[MI_Dawn]

Originally Posted by Guinevere

I've dealt with GD in my last 4 pg's, so I have some idea of what thoughts might be going through your head. Your numbers are on the high side, but only in the mornings, which to me indicates a pre-diabetic tendency, but not necessarily full-blown GD (at least not yet -- women become more insulin-resistant later in pg, so it might become more pronounced later on.)

Our bodies are naturally most insulin-resistant first thing in the morning, which is probably why your fasting and post-breakfast numbers are so high. To bring down your fasting numbers, you might need to have a protein-rich snack right before you go to bed. It's also very important to severely limit carbs during breakfast and instead have something rich in protein. For example, cereal becomes off-limits to me as a breakfast choice while pg, as do bagels, toast, etc. But don't despair -- you can still eat your daily oatmeal, you just need to wait and have it for a late morning snack instead, and eat some cheese or eggs first thing in the day (if you eat cheese or eggs, that is.)

I have not found sticking to a GD diet horribly restrictive (nothing like trying to do Atkins, for example), b/c there are still plenty of yummy foods available. The key is knowing in what quantity and when in the day it is best to eat them. I'd liken it more to Weight Watchers, in that you can have a potato or a piece of bread with dinner, but you can't have both of them. You get to choose.

I personally find the GTT (drinking the glucola) to make me very ill, so I don't take it anymore; instead, I just go on the GD diet once I find out I'm expecting, and then I start monitoring my sugars daily around 18 wks. or so. That has worked very well for me, but I also obviously have very mild GD which responds well solely to dietary changes. I have never had a large-for-gestational-age baby, either, and none of my kiddos have had blood sugar issues after birth. An added bonus to following the diet is that it tends to keep your pg weight gain well under control.

Let me know if you'd like any meal or snack ideas; I'd be happy to help!

Guin

Ah, this is VERY helpful. Thanks! Any suggestions on good high protein snacks before bed? And when you say before bed, do you mean like 8ish while we're still up and watching TV or reading or whatever, or do you mean like 11pm just before I'm about to go to sleep?

I'll try an all-protein breakfast, too, see if that helps with the numbers...

[SallyN]

I technically passed my gd test (the short one) last pregnancy, but had a number of occasions in my third trimester when I was spilling sugars in the pee test.

This time around, I'm going to be looking into the GD diet... though not going to be able to cut out ALL sugars, oh dear! But I can see myself paying more attention to what kinds of food I'm eating at what point/time in the day.

Interestingly enough... I haven't been able to stomach my usual oatmeal breakfast... but a scrambled egg this morning was okay.

[wobblykate]

I can't do the eggs, but I went out and got a really high protein, low carb, sprouted Hemp bread that I eat in the morning with peanut butter (14 g protein in the bread alone!).

[kohlby]

Lurking from March '09...I have insulin resistance when not pg, so I went on a diabetic diet. However, I didn't meet with a dietician then so I made it up based on what I read. I counted how many carbs I ate and made sure to balance it with protien. I learned about high glycemic and lower glycemic index. I did the 6 smaller meals. I found I felt much better. I started this when not pg.

I then met with a dietician a couple weeks ago and was shocked at how relaxed the GD diet is. For example, you can technically have a small serving of white pasta on the GD diet. Yet, I had a problem with 100% whole grain and can only handle Dreamfield's low carb pasta. There's a lot on the GD diet that isn't as strict as I feel it needs to be. I'm not monitoring my blood sugar yet but I'll take the 3 hour GTT next week due to my history. I'll be on a diabetic diet for the rest of my life.

If you're concerned about your numbers, try going on a GD diet. It can't hurt and it's quite relaxed. A stricter, but not impossible diet, is one more like South Beach but not the first phase! You don't want to risk ketosis so the super low carb diets aren't wise when pg or breastfeeding either. You can buy ketosis sticks at any pharmacy and check your urine if you're worried about eating too few carbs. Also, mention your concern to your dr. According to my RE and OB, it's standard to have the one hour glucose screen at around 13-14 weeks for a woman at-risk for type II diabetes. (Due to my history, I skip the one hour and go right to the three hour). Even if you decide that you don't want to do the glucose screen, your dr or midwife could refer you to a dietician who could explain the GD diet to you simply.

*Everyone with diabetes/GD won't be able to handle the same foods equally. One diabetic may have trouble with apples. Another one with carrots. Another one with any starches, even whole grains. The GD diet is a guide, but you really need to find what works for you through trial and error. Everything on the GD diet may not be able to be processed correctly by your body.