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UCing with GD anyone?

833 views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  bobandjess99 
#1 ·
I had GD with my first... and my OB was just terrible. no help at all. and this was back before info was readily available online. and i had no friends who had had it... so you know. I gained a ton of weight and ended up with a c/s. There was just so many things wrong with my experience with them... that's just a drop in the bucket.

looking back 9 yrs now, as an educated person I can see why all this happened. I had severe HG with all my pregnancies and this leads right into GD for me. as soon as i get my ability to hold down food my body starts freaking out and my blood sugar is all over the place. I eat SO much better now anyhow. I am celiac so wheat isn't even an option. I eat veggies, meats and some various carbs. I have always been hypoglycemic so this blood sugar thing is nothing new to me. well this time I have the symptoms BIG time and I know exactly what it is... b/c I've done this before (and had the history of hypoglycemia) the symptoms were recognizable right away...no confusion there.

anyhow I'm choosing not to see an OB (or even midwife) about it unless it becomes something I can't handle on my own. I have a glucometer and I'm monitoring my diet... I'm just curious if anyone else has chosen to handle this on their own? any advise?

(and to those of you who choose to go to an OB/midwife for monitoring, I respect that... just don't flame me for my choice)
 
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#3 ·
I'm not going to flame you, but this concerns me. GD is no joke. Is there not another OB or CNM who can work with you on this in a way you feel comfortable with? I know how a bad experience can make you want to flip a 180, but there is always a middle ground that is safe and sane, if you look for it.
 
#4 ·
You are going to know, based on your experiences and researching, if and when your blood sugar is too high and then make the decision to find professional care at that point. Some people would say GD is a joke (see Michel Odent on GD). Also its a matter of what you feel like you want/can handle. If one of the scary consequnces of GD is a big baby, but you aren't terrified of being able to birth a big baby (and you may very well have a better chance of doing that unassisted without the typical medical regime) then that becomes a non-issue for you. Just like everything in unassisted, its a matter of researching the risks and consequences and deciding which you will accept full responsibility for, and which you want to share the responsibility with other.

I'm sorry I can't tell you from my own experience with GD, but I can rationalize it with the general knowledge I have and the rationale leading a person to unassisted birth. I hope you find some mamas here who can share their knowledge with you.
 
#5 ·
I was diagnosed GD with my first. I did not have any problems though, only ever had slightly high reading when I ate or drank things with artificial sugars or corn syrup and my baby came out at 36w4d at 7lb4oz so I don't know that I truly had GD to begin with. With my second I declined the test for GD and tested my sugars on my own. My midwife thought I was growing a baby that would be too big and get stuck so she dumped me as a client at 39wks and told me to go to a hospital instead. I had a UC (found a midwife, but he was born so quick I didn't need one) He was only 8lb12oz. I did gain around 50lb for each pregnancy but my sugars didn't get higher than 120 more than once or twice but I do know what triggers it in me.

This is my third child and I have been testing my sugars on a regular basis again and have not had a single high reading yet. I don't eat wheat any longer because my dh and kids have issues. I eat healthy, not much different then previously with the exception of wheat free and I have not gained nearly the weight I had before. If this is your first gluten free pregnancy, I would be interested to hear if this is your experience too or just my own phenomenon. (I don't mind gaining weight for my baby, I feel as long as I eat good my body will do what it needs to grow the baby as it should)

My biggest issue this time around it keeping my sugars high enough. If I forget to eat for a couple of hours my sugars drop to the low 60's sometimes below my fasting levels if I'm not careful. This didn't happen to me before, only since being wheat free but I had noticed this while not pregnant too.

I don't know if my story is of any help to you or not. You just need to listen to your intuition. You will know if you need help. Did you take medication for it before? If you cut out all sugar do you still have problems? Michel Odent is a great resource for this and gave me a lot of encouragement last time around.
 
#6 ·
to answer the questions:

I'm not sure how other people are... but how I know my blood sugar is off is b/c i feel it immediately. I'm confused by people who say they don't realize it. maybe b/c I've always had hypoglycemia that I notice it much better? but I can tell before it drops or rises b/c I get this certain feeling all over that means "crash coming on! eat quickly!". I've monitored myself and realize that is I sleep in late this happens. of I eat sugar in any form it happens and if I go more than 2 hrs without eating it happens. (So I eat every two hours and I am fine).

the thing about numbers (I've done a bunch of reading on this).... is that everyone's numbers are goign to be different. what might be low for you might be normal for me. within a certain range of course! b/c I know my body well the numbers and glucometer are only used as "proof" of what I already know to be true. monitoring I never found nearly as helpful as listening to my body's signs.

GD is dangerous... yes it can be, if it's not taken care of. it can be life threatening if you don't take it seriously - but I do.

I've never had ot take insulin with my last pregnancies or any other meds. If I was faithful with my diet I was always fine. but in the last two I wasn't very faithful. this time I am!

those babies were 9lb 3oz and 8lb 10 oz - so not really too big at all. I've also know people without GD to have 11 or 12 lbers...

My post here wasn't asking anyone's persmission for me to go wthout "professional monitoring".... it was more looking for support from people who've been there. that's all


inthezoo-
Yes cutting out wheat has made a HUGE difference in my blood sugar and weight gain. but this time last pregancies i had gained a TON. this time i'm 24 weeks and I've gained 11 lbs. I am very happy with it. I dind't cut out gluten for the pregnancy, I cut it out over a yr ago when I found out I was celiac. thank you so much for your support and thoughtful comment
 
#7 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Jwebbal View Post
My question to you is what are you going to do if your blood sugars come up too high?
call the midwife I know who is willing to take me on as a client if I ever desire her to. we have this arrangement already. She would refer me elsewhere if I needed more help.
 
#8 ·
I don't have any experience with this but just wanted to say good for you! I think that a well educated person is far better off handling things themselves than assuming that a OB would better handle the situation. I have been so amazed at how aware I have become of my body, and what is going on with it. Far better to tune into your intuition then to hand your body over to someone else to care for! Good Luck, with the right energy you can do anyting!
 
#9 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by marcitrix View Post
I don't have any experience with this but just wanted to say good for you! I think that a well educated person is far better off handling things themselves than assuming that a OB would better handle the situation. I have been so amazed at how aware I have become of my body, and what is going on with it. Far better to tune into your intuition then to hand your body over to someone else to care for! Good Luck, with the right energy you can do anyting!
that was about the most encouraging and nicest comment I've ever gotten on MDC! wow! thanks!
 
#10 ·
I have to say that those who speak of the dire dangers of GD are simply not as informed and pro-active as you are, Henny Penny! Too many care providers--and so, too many of the moms they serve--act like GD is something that will sneak up on you with some kind of disaster, when this is simply UNTRUE! ITA with Marcitrix, you are way better off taking responsibility for this yourself, than relying on an OB and all that med hoohaa.

The ONLY real issue with so-called GD, or any kind of diabetes problem, arises when blood sugar levels are not well-controlled. When blood sugars are all over the map, then yes, you can see problems for mothers and babies both. But when moms eat responsively to their needs, and keep an eye on sugars, then you are really no different than a mom who was never diagnosed w/GD.

It sounds like you are doing all you should be--including having a back up helper (mw) should you begin to feel the need. Only thing I would add, in case you haven't thought of this already anyway, is that you'll want to remember to keep your sugars steady during labor. Plan to have the right foods on hand (right for you), and to make it part of the 'birth-plan' to nibble periodically through labor and also starting soon after birth. This is actually something that I recommend for all moms, to keep energy up for the work of labor and to prevent excess blood loss following birth--but it's probably more important for someone like you than for moms who have no history of hypoglycemia.

You go!
 
#11 ·
Okay, so I always have weird blood sugar. I am healthy and normal weight, but tend toward hypoglycemia, especially if I eat HFCS. I do not have diabetes.

During pregnancy, I have blood sugar that is not necessarily "high" by normal definitions, but it is "higher" than my usual blood sugar. I don't think it would even register as high for most OBs. My hypoglycemia pretty much disappears entirely in pregnancy.

In my first two pregnancies, I noticed a lot more blood sugar fluctuations, and also my blood sugar stayed high longer after meals than when I am not pregnant. My blood sugar seemed to skyrocket (relatively speaking) when I ate anything with HFCS. So, with my first pregnancy I skipped that stuff; didn't drink soda or anything like that and I was fine.

Same with pregnancy #2. Pregnancy number three I was not so good. I gave into a lot of my cravings, especially for soda. But I also ate Reese's peanut butter cups or S'mores every night! Not good for the blood sugar. I noticed blood sugar fluctuations, but when I checked my blood sugar it was always normal.....I realize now they were higher even when I was feeling hypoglycemic! I didn't check them other times, but I should have. Glucose never spilled in my urinalyses, though. So I thought I was fine.

I was not, though. I ended up having a 10 pound 3 ounce baby (my other two were 7 lbs. and some change!). She had shoulder dystocia and that was also very unexpected. However, she was not born with respiratory problems or any other problem, really. I think (based on the way she cried and responded) that she may have had some low blood sugar early on. That resolved itself with lots of nursing. My milk came in early. We are both very, very healthy now.

Looking back, I wish I had done more to monitor and care for my blood sugar levels. I wish I had a better diet. I know that was the problem in my case. Soda and candy were not the best thing for me. However, the baby was fine and other than the shoulder dystocia (which we were intellectually prepared to handle and did handle quite well), the birth was "uneventful." I only had one small tear that healed itself within a few days. I am glad that given that I did have blood sugar issues (and subsequent large baby and shoulder dystocia), I had UP/UC because I know it would have been managed out the wazoo if I had OB care.

As long as you stay on top of caring for your health, especially with your diet. I think you should be fine. It sounds like you are very in touch with your body and know what is going on with your blood sugar. Just stay away from the soda, Reese's peanut butter cups and the S'mores every night!
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by augustacherri View Post
It sounds like you are very in touch with your body and know what is going on with your blood sugar. Just stay away from the soda, Reese's peanut butter cups and the S'mores every night!

oh the pregnancy cravings are killer aren't they!? I LOVE chocolate right now. and dr. pepper. yum. (eww actually) but I just as much crave collard greens and grass fed beef... so it kinda evens out. I find if I eat way more of the good protein and iron foods I can handle a bit of sugar now and again. I just have to make sure I have a very good balance. if I get out of balance my body knows and then I have to make sure to have ZERO sugar for a few days and start over. (like at christmas I was a little irresponsible - oops!) so I ate really well for 3 days and today I haven't had a sugar problem once =) no headaches, no nothing. I'm very pleased with how it's working out.

having to be so diligent in my diet isn't that far fetched for me. if anyone has ever tried going gluten free they'd vouch for me how complicated it is!! If I can do that, I can do anything
 
#13 ·
just wanted to add listening to your body is KEY. really!!!! and OP you sound so on top of everything. truly i learnt the hard way THAT is the way to go.

i had my dd before i had even heard of another option. so i went the usual OB way. had a great OB though. and here is the thing. my BG levels were always borderline. i had to do teh GD test twice. yukh!!! the conclusion. no GD. from the doctors. but me - no way. my body was telling me to eat according to a GD diet (this is without being aware of what exactly my figures were) but i figured doctors knew better after all and i ignored my body's language.

result 9 pounder. way too big for me tiny and petite. had to have a Csection. i was going in shock after my water broke and i stayed at 7 cms for many, many hours.

in both families the average baby size had been between 6 and 7 pounds. at one year my dd was the size of a 7 pounder.

so i knew i was robbed of my natural birth experience just because i didnt listen to my body.

here is another part of how body works. at 6 weeks they found a fibroid inside me. one of the 'signs' of pregnancy was i could not handle any kind of animal protein. i could do nuts but NOTHING else. my ob was getting concerned and even asked me to make a smoothie with raw eggs. yukh!!! i wouldnt do that. i could not take any kind of protein for teh first 3 months so i lived on mostly fruits adn nuts and veggies. after 3 months i was back to my normal food.

while researching fibroids and trying to read up a lot on it, i found that during pregnancy they really grow exponentially and specially feed off the protein. esp. hte first 3 months and then they slow down.

wow. what a moment for me!!! the body is sooo amazing - if we pay attention and listen to it.

to date these two incidences blow me away.
 
#14 ·
I agree that GD is potentially very serious. I also agree that this is most often the case when someone isn't taking care of their body properly. However, I do have to say that I had GD last pregnancy and management was extremely difficult. I was committed to eating perfectly and exercising exactly as I needed to, though, so I was able to keep my blood sugar well within range the vast majority of the time. There was a week or so where it was way too high and I thought I may end up birthing in the hospital, but I did more tweaking of my diet and got it under control.

If someone is willing to manage it themselves, and really, truly be committed to that, I think that is without question the absolute best way to do it. If I hadn't been able to control my blood sugar, I would have birthed in the hospital. If I had ended up on insulin, I would have done the same, because there can be major risks during birth while taking insulin.
 
#15 ·
I know I had HG issues early on in this pregnancy... I was worried and scheduled an appt with an OB as soon as my insurance kicked in -- yet they wouldn't see me for 5 weeks. I bought a glucose monitor and have been keeping track of it sense. My levels are high just the last few weeks but still under 140 ... but I have gained over 60 lbs. maybe even 70 now... think size 8 to size 18!


I am trying to avoid anything sugary or white flour etc and concentrate more on proteins, but it sure is hard. I would of course go to a hospital if things got out of control, but for now things are manageable.

Q -- were you able to lose the weight ok after the birth? I am just shocked and dismayed at my weight gain.
 
#16 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by elephantine View Post
Q -- were you able to lose the weight ok after the birth? I am just shocked and dismayed at my weight gain.
How far are you? I had always had problems losing weight in the past but after a few months of breastfeeding I was able to lose all that I gained while pregnant if I watched my diet a little. I really saw a huge difference when I stopped eating wheat and I was able to lose more weight then I ever had but I still think breastfeeding was key there too. I eat a ton of meat, mostly red meat, and no artificial sugars or refined white sugar. My pregnancy diet isn't much different then my nursing diet except I cut all dairy while nursing because both my kids had problems with it so even when pregnant I only do goats milk in hopes the baby inside is not adversly effected by it.
 
#17 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by inthezoo View Post
How far are you? I had always had problems losing weight in the past but after a few months of breastfeeding I was able to lose all that I gained while pregnant if I watched my diet a little. I really saw a huge difference when I stopped eating wheat and I was able to lose more weight then I ever had but I still think breastfeeding was key there too. I eat a ton of meat, mostly red meat, and no artificial sugars or refined white sugar. My pregnancy diet isn't much different then my nursing diet except I cut all dairy while nursing because both my kids had problems with it so even when pregnant I only do goats milk in hopes the baby inside is not adversly effected by it.
I'm 29/30 weeks and I am larger than I have ever been in my life. I weigh about 30 lbs more now than I did at the same gestation with my twin pregnancy, but I did start off 20 lbs thinner(size 3/4) and gained 65 lbs with them.

It took me a long time to lose the weight due to my milk drying up if I cut my calories at all -- but I also didn't have the HG or GD symptoms at all in that first pregnancy.
 
#18 ·
It seems most people's response to HG (once they get to a point when they can eat and keep foods down again) is to pack on the weight and hold it tight for several months. This is my experience anyhow.

I've only gained 11lbs this time around and i'm 24 weeks. by this time last times I had gained more than double that AFTER losing and regaining the weight i lost from the HG. My body was so upset with me and totally disorganized. I've had trouble losing weight ever since and my body holds on to it's little "fat deposits" on my thighs and tummy - very very difficult to lose. plus I have candida issues and now I'm celiac. so it jus totally threw me into a metabilic chaos. I am PRAYING I don't gain like I did the first time. I don't have a set number goal at all... I'm more of worried about gaining at rapid speed. I'm happy to gain healthy weight (which is different for everyone's bodies) but I can't stand it when my body goes into starvation mode. I'ma lso hoping to loose this weight a little faster. I never lost much until 1.5-2.5 yr PP with the othr two, even when I tried.
 
#19 ·
I am type 2 diabetic ALL the time, not just during pregnancy, and have had 2 UC's after 2 HG pregnancies. Due to the HG, which did not really resolve either time, I was unable to eat in a way as to keep my sugars at good levels. For example, with dd, I went through a phase where I could ONLY keep milkshakes down..and not anything healthy, npo protein or vitamin powder or anythign like that......dairy queen chocolate milkshakes. I had bad throwing up until about week 19, then it tapered from 19-24 and then I was mostly okay. With ds, I actually threw up a little less overall, but felt a lot worse all the time and just never got better..was sick until delivery. I was 32 pounds lighter at delivery with dd, and only about 12 pounds lighter at delivery with ds. DD was 8, 10 and ds was..wait for it...5, 10. *shrugs*
I DID have 2 babies who were NOT interested in eating for the first 36 hours of their lives...I have NO idea what their blood sugar levels were during that time, we never stuck them. Both times I ended up using a dropper and finally a bottle to get some milk into them to wake them up, and then after that, they nursed like champs.
I did not have any complications..dd was a little on the big side, but no problems with delivering her....she actually flew right out, it was tiny little midget boy who was hard to get out, lol!
 
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