GDD screening---are you doing it? Not doing it?

[jondee0]

I talked about this with my doctor last week. With no history of GD, and no family history of diabetes, and with a history of smallish babies, I was inclined to opt out completely. But, I guess one thing I've got going against me is my age (I'm 43), and "older" moms apparently develop GD more frequently, even with no risk factors.

So, after talking this over, we agreed that rather than consuming the sugary drink, I would just eat a hearty, carb-heavy breakfast, then get my blood drawn 1-2 hours later. This was the regime I did for the screen with my last pregnancy 3 years ago, and it was pretty painless. In fact, the scone and mocha I added to my breakfast of scrambled eggs and an orange were pretty tasty, LOL!

What all are you all doing?

Joni, due 7-17-ish

[kris1225]

I am refusing it. I went through a hellish 3 hour screen TWICE with DD because they lost my vials of blood the first time and they couldn't find my veins and UGH!! It's just not worth it to me. The biggest risk is having a large baby. I say, so what? I've read enough birth stories now to know that big babies do come out of vaginas. :)

But to put this in perspective, I am refusing everything....(except u/s to find out sex - lol)

[butterflyma]

I'm having it done next week. My baby is already quite large for his gestational age, so my midwives want to be sure that there are no extra factors that will increase his size further. I'm not worried about the results because my dh is diabetic and he tests my blood whenever I'm concerned/paranoid. (it's always within normal range)

BTW/OT: I like your Hotslings "button" Kris :D

[kris1225]

Originally posted by butterflyma

BTW/OT: I like your Hotslings "button" Kris :D

Thankya! I call it 'accidental graphic design'. LOL.

[my2girlz]

I'm having it done on the 27th of this month. Truthfully, I really never gave it a second thought. :scratch

[Aura_Kitten]

i'm doing a 10-day (or, the equivalent of 10 days) monitoring of my blood glucose levels... same thing diabetics do. i check my morning blood glucose level, 2 hours post-brekkie, 2 hours post-lunch, 2 hours post-dinner, and so on. it's a lot more pricks but it's nice not having to fast and then go in for that dumb drink. that put so much stress on me last time. blegh. it's also... empowering. :) my OB thinks is a hassle though. ;) i told him, "yup, i'm just trying to make your life difficult!" :D

[gigismom]

Just did it today....YUCK!! The worst part of it all was the obviously inexperienced lab tech who tried to give me 100mg of glucose instead of 50!!!:eek Is she crazy!! The nurse straightened her out when I refused to drink the entire 16 oz she handed me.... Then she proceeded to try the left overs herself. She complained the entire time about how awful it tastes and how she certainly would have thrown up by now....as I choked down the remaining!!

[2PrezGirls]

I'm getting it on the 30th. I just hope I pass it this time. I did with my first dd and with my 2nd I didn't but went for the 3 hour and couldn't get through it so this time I am NOT going to eat Easter candy and I am trying to eat balanced meals until then. We'll see what the turn out is.

[Dawnalex]

Thankfully my dr said i dont have to. I havent had it with either of the other kids and im not too big, and landons actually a little on the small side. SO there not worried!

[Jennifer H]

Mine is on the 27th as well.

I have not had problems with it in my past pregnancies and am not required to fast.

I choose to select my battles and in the scheme of things this is not a biggie for ME.

[williamsmommy2002]

I already had it done and passed it. This was definately something that I decided to pick my battle with. I failed the one hour with my ds and he was big so I didn't want to have to go through a big thing with my ob about it.

[Snowbaby]

I had my screen yesterday and failed it so now I have to go in for the 3-hour one on Thursday.

I got a score of 180 and apparently they want it to be 140 or below on the screen. I had to fast for it.

But, reading info online, it says that you shouldn't fast for the screen but you should for the 3-hour. It also says the cutoff for the 3-hour is 180 (at the 1hr mark and then lower each hour).

That makes no f-ing sense. If 180's okay at the 1-hr mark, then the 180 I got at the 1 hr screen should've been fine.

I just hate being stressed. But now that I've started the process I've gotta finish it. Plus I have an extensive history of diabetes in my family so I didn't want to skip this test.

[Artisan]

I really don't want to do it, but in order to deliver at the birth center, I have to. :( My test will be done 5/11.

[gigismom]

just got my results...passed at 84!! mw said that that was great as anywhere under 135 was passing...thank goodness no more yucky drinks!!

[Mamma2Addison]

Done it twice now, plus one three-hour. Had off the charts gd with ds so there was no question I'd do it again; and I knew with him that something just wasn't right b/c I felt horrible until they got me on the insulin.

This pregnancy, my one-hour was 112 so well under the cut-off for the three hour test. That was at 24 weeks, and I'm not required to get another one unless there are sugars in my urine or a bizarre jump in weight. I'm occasionally doing finger pricks just to check, but even that's not close to the fasting or one-hour limits.

[Michelle Leigh]

I did the terrible drink with dd & thought I was going to die. I passed it.

The midwife I've seen at the end of Feb & Mar for prenatal visits said she'd give a diabetes test w/o the drink on the next visit, which is scheduled for next Wed, April 21st.

I'm hoping to find midwives or assistants willing to come to my house before Wed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

(This lady can only practice in the neighboring state & isn't willing to cross the border.)

I'm sure I'll find the perfect someone(s) to be at the birth, but I know patience is a virtue.

[butterflyma]

I did the GTT yesterday and...I know this makes me weird...I liked the drink. It was like an orange soda and I really miss sodas :p

I'll hear next week if I didn't pass.

[Foobar]

I did this on the 7th. My sister had GD with her youngest and my dad is borderline diabetic, so I feel it is important to check.

However, both my dad and I do poorly with the actual test. Last time, I passed out in the waiting room.

This time, knowing that, I was given a special chair to lay in for the hour. The drink is yucky, but that was the easy part. I read for a half hour before the words started dancing and I started to fade. The lab people made me get my feet above my head and got me water and cold compresses for my forhead. They were sure I was going to pass out again.

Dh came to take me to my OB appt after the test and I needed him because I fell backwards off the scale, I forgot to pee in the cup (oops!) and when they took my bp it was 90/60.

I got home, crawled into bed and slept for the next 3 hours....

I hate this test, but I passed and that was important for me to know.

[Aura_Kitten]

ok, Foobar, i have to ask... why subject yourself to that stress when there are alternatives? that can't be good for you, or the baby...

[Foobar]

At the time, we discussed the alternatives and decided that this was the best option. I am not keeping food down very well this pregnancy, so having the meal with the blood draw two hours later was nixed because I can't eat enough to do that.

I've had alot of nausea and vomiting this time 'round (sorry if TMI) and this was the best option...

I know, I sound like a gluton for punishment, don't I!
:eek

[Aura_Kitten]

I know, I sound like a gluton for punishment, don't I

i'm sorry, yes, that's exactly what i was thinking. :LOL

:hug i hope you feel better.

[majazama]

I haven't had any tests done, because I'm going unassisted. I know I'm fine and healthy.. don't want to subject myself or the baby to that kind of stress. (I HATE needles)

[Aura_Kitten]

I haven't had any tests done, because I'm going unassisted. I know I'm fine and healthy.. don't want to subject myself or the baby to that kind of stress.

:thumb

[Threefold]

I'm gonna do it, but will pick my own 50 gr of sugar and do not have to fast. i wanted to skip it, but I do want the blood test for anemia, and they will both be done at the same time. Plus, I was a little afraid to roust the Kaiser Gestapo as I;m already bucking them abit with their plans for monitoring me for preterm labor (see my post in the "I'm pregnant" forum if interested.
Somehwat strssed about it, just because tests of any sort always stress me out, but I'm pretty sure I ahve no reason to worry.

[Aura_Kitten]

see, what gets me is that when a person is under any kind of stress -- physiological or psychological -- glucose is dumped into your bloodstream to fuel the fight-or-flight response. so fasting, even for a short time, or even worrying about the test, would cause the test results to be skewed... but how many people know that?

[Foobar]

Hey, Dalai Mama-

The blood work for anemia (called a complete blood count or CBC) doesn't require fasting or any special prep. Why can't you just do that alone?

I actually requested that on my own before it was scheduled because I was getting so tired. Turned out my hemocrit was low (meaning anemic) so I went on iron suppliments (as previously staed, I am not getting great nutrition from food these days).

just a prick and 1 tube of blood. Very easy test.

[Aura_Kitten]

in some places, they can test for anemia by just a finger prick and 1 droplet of blood (they do that at my local blood bank).

a word on iron supplements: i've found i absorb my iron best if i don't take the iron supplement at the same time as my prenatal vitamin; i take the prenatal in the morning / mid-morning, and then the iron in the afternoon / mid-afternoon. also remember iron doesn't absorb well if you take it with a lot of calcium-rich foods, and it gets in your system best when eaten / taken with vitamin C rich foods.

[Threefold]

I don't have to fast for the GDD, so I may as well do them together and avoid another trip into the lab and the wait there! Not so nervous about drinking the natural soda I have picked out, kinda looking forward to it. :LOL

[LLLKerry]

I too discussed this in detail with my midwives. What they do differently is have you eat a completely typical meal for YOU, nothing extra heavy on the carbs unless that is what you typically eat, then they test your blood at the regular prenatal visit 2 hours after the meal. If the results are in any way questionable they leave a glucose moniter and you test your blood 6 times, once before and once after breakfast one day, lunch the next, and dinner the following. In all my pregnancies it has been done differently, but this one makes the most sense because it shows how your body naturally copes, not giving it anything artificial which skews the results. One thing I have heard though is that the risk is not just in having a large baby, but that the baby is at a greatly increased risk of being harmed by the increased insulin, which can possibly be fatal. Personally I don't feel at risk because I am measuring perfectly right for my dates, have no sugar spilling in my urine, have no family history, and even though my third baby was large, he wasn't abnormally so. Still, I guess to be safe, and since it doesn't do anything invasive to my baby, I'll do the simple version of the test.

[oceanbaby]

I just did the same test on Friday - ate a high carb breakfast and then took the test 2 hrs later. Passed with flying colors.

I knew I didn't have GD, but I have no problem with the test so for me there was no reason not to do it.

[Foobar]

Good point on the taking of extra iron. I am on another medication for a hypoactive thyroid, so I must take my iron and thyroid medicine 12 hours apart. The thryoid meds bind to iron and then don't work.
Sigh...

So I actually do take iron and my prenatals at the same time. I wish I could split them for better absorption, but I can't because of the thyroid.

Congrats to those who did take the GTT and pass it. One less thing to worry about

[MamiBeth]

I didn't take it with my first baby and I'm not going to take it with this one. All of these tests seem ridiculous to me, unless you have a known health problem or a really bad diet and high blood pressure. I already regret doing the AFP test. What a nightmare. We live in such a culture of fear.