GD test question

[wendizbaby]

Hi Ladies!
I am going in for my 1hr. glucose test this Thursday and the instructions that my doctor gave me are to drink the fruit punch and then nothing afterwards. So, I email my doula that I am having the test done this Thursday and she sends me this:
For your glucose test be sure to illiminate all sugars including orange juice this week. Beef up eat meat (high protien) and less carbs (breads). Eat more veggies especially dark green veggies. This will be good for baby and a good outcome on the glucose test.

I'm wondering.....what is a "good outcome" on the glucose test? Wouldn't I want to eat like I normally do so that my levels are more accurate to how I am actually eating?

Thank you for all of your help!

Wendi

[MamaChel]

The test tends to have a high false positive rate, meaning many people are referred to the 3 hour test unnecessarily. You want to eat a higher protein diet in pregnancy anyway. If you don't normally eat like that, making the change this week could help. A "good outcome" is a negative on the test. (There is a much higer rate of false postives than false negatives)

When does your Dr have you drink the stuff? Are you to fast before the test (many are fasting as in nothing by mouth but water the 12 hours before the test) or is it eating as usual then taking the drink and test?

I'd go for the route that makes you the most comfortable. Try to remember that no test is completely accurate and the amount of glucose you're ingesting for this test is much larger than what most people take in at any one time. (The test made me sick)The results are not likely to be very accurate to what you normally eat anyway. If it makes you most comfortable to eat as you normally do then that's what you should do.

[CalebsMama05]

a good outcome is a negative. I just fasted for 12 hrs before hand. not like it mattered cuz I never ate sweets during my pregnancy. I did eat a lot of salt though. when he was born he was 9lbs 10oz and at the hosp they made me feel like crap saying i had GD and *cheated* to pass the test. not sure what they meant. I hope you all enjoy your march babies! I remember last year when I was so big and wanting my baby already!! :D

[wendizbaby]

When does your Dr have you drink the stuff? Are you to fast before the test (many are fasting as in nothing by mouth but water the 12 hours before the test) or is it eating as usual then taking the drink and test?

I can eat normally and then nothing after I drink the stuff, which is an hour before my appointment. I actually have tended to eat more carbs with this pregnancy because meat has made me so sick the entire time. I try to balance it with dairy products, but I worry that I am eating too many simple sugars.
Anyway, thank you for the feedback!

Wendi

[Smileyllc]

I was not told to eat/do anything special before the one hour test. Good luck to you. Mine came back a high normal and they sent me for the 3 hour test anyhow, this past weekend. I failed that too, or so I believe, but they have yet to call me to tell me I failed it.

[honeybee]

a good outcome is a negative. I just fasted for 12 hrs before hand. not like it mattered cuz I never ate sweets during my pregnancy. I did eat a lot of salt though. when he was born he was 9lbs 10oz and at the hosp they made me feel like crap saying i had GD and *cheated* to pass the test. not sure what they meant. I hope you all enjoy your march babies! I remember last year when I was so big and wanting my baby already!! :D

Now where did you get your crib sheets, because other moms here may want to borrow them! ;)

Really, what morons. A big baby doesn't automatically mean GD and if you didn't have other symptoms that your dr should've caught anyway, then it's not likely you had it. Besides, "cheating" on the test would be eating normally. Fasting is more likely to give you a positive result.

Idiots... especially when they claim to be qualified medical professionals... really annoy me.

Melisa

[MamaChel]

I can eat normally and then nothing after I drink the stuff, which is an hour before my appointment.
Wendi

That sounds much better than what I had to do, which is probably part of why the test made me so ill. In that case I'd eat normally. Seems like it shouldn't shock your system so much then.

(I'm still not a fan of these tests but it's nice to hear that some Drs are being humane about them now. Imagine telling a preggo NOT to eat for half a day then giving her a massive dose of sugar, that's just cruel!)

Good luck, sending nice healthy negative vibes your way.

[jenny-g]

The inititial test, IMHO, was not a big deal. The soda stuff wasn't even that gross (put it on ice, though!). It tasted like a small glass of normal orange soda. No fasting except 1 hour after the soda. I haven't had any soda at all during this pregnancy, so this was like a little treat! (Maybe I have more of a sweet tooth.. ;) )

The diet that is good for GD is really good for everyone! It's not a no-carb diet- it's choosing carbs that keep your blood sugar steady. [carbs with a lot of fiber, and mostly eliminating white flour, all rice (even brown!), and vegan sweets (like tofutti) which are the three biggest culprits.] If anyone wants to eat this way to reduce the likelyhood of a positive test.. it's a good idea just to eat this way, period! (It's not easy when you realize most tasty things in life are made with white flour, though :( ). See www.glycemicindex.com and there are also other sites out there.

I don't have a problem taking the test- I'm overweight although I live a healthy lifestyle, and GD can be a big problem if you get it. My grandparents had diabetes, so for me it's totally worth it.

[CalebsMama05]

Now where did you get your crib sheets, because other moms here may want to borrow them! ;)

Really, what morons. A big baby doesn't automatically mean GD and if you didn't have other symptoms that your dr should've caught anyway, then it's not likely you had it. Besides, "cheating" on the test would be eating normally. Fasting is more likely to give you a positive result.

Idiots... especially when they claim to be qualified medical professionals... really annoy me.

Melisa
I was upset at the time but now its faded a lil..my march baby is already 9 mos old...*sigh* he's even bigger now...but I won't bore you or anything bragging about my boy ;)

I really should stop ddc hopping and stick to my own LoL :thumb

[CalebsMama05]

I just wanted to say that if you have probs drinking oj (i did) the orange glucola would make you feel like puking for HOURS afterward. :(

[wendizbaby]

I've heard so many horror stories about this test. I must have a progressive doctor or something because they didn't make me fast at all, the drink tasted like Hawaiian Punch and they gave me my results while I was still there for my appointment. I really love how my doctor seems to be very hands-off about a lot of things and usually reassures me if I'm worried about something.

Anyway ladies, thank you for all of the feedback. I didn't realize what a high false positive rate this test had, so I'm glad that I don't have to go on and do more testing. I'm a little worried though that my doula would give me advice for a "good outcome" (see OP). I emailed her asking what she meant by this and she hasn't responded back. I'm thinking perhaps I need to look around some more for other doulas. Am I just taking this the wrong way?

Take care,
Wendi