Dealing with Gestational Diabetes

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Hi J.,

I am surprised that they put you on insulin. Here is why...I too was diagnosed with GD when I was pregnant with my 3rd child. (She is now 16.) The doctor did not put me on any medications, and had to monitor my blood glucose during my pregnancy. When my daughter was 9, I had diabetes. I have been on Metformin now for 7 years. A bummer. With diet and exercise, (have been told I can beat it, however, when you get older,I am 55,) have found it to be a very difficult thing.
Have cut back my portions to half of what I used to eat, and though I don't exercise like I should, I am certainly not inactive.
I wish for you the best. Have you considered a second opinion regarding taking insulin? I would definately.

Blessings,
C.

Believe it or not, the blood sugar levels that are considered diabetic in a pregnant woman vary from state to state and from year to year. As you might have guessed, the numbers keep going down, making it harder and harder for women to NOT be labeled as diabetic when they are pregnant, when it should be considered a naturally occuring physiological response to pregnancy when the fluctuations are minor.

Insulin is made from your pancreas and is a product that turns glucose (sugar/carbs) into energy. The hormones of pregnancy trigger anti-insulin mechanisms so enough sugar remains in your bloodstream to feed your baby. When the anti-insulin effect is too strong, then there is too much glucose in your bloodstream and your kidneys filter out the rest to be dumped out in your urine. When this process does not regulate then moms are labeled with "gestational diabetes."

There is some controversy with the accuracy of the GTT so some doctors are switching to eating a big meal for the test instead of drinking that sugar liquid that you probably had to drink. True symptoms of diabetes in pregnancy would be:
1) excessive hunger and thirst
2) more frequent urination in your second trimester
3) recurrent vaginal infections
4) increase in blood pressure
Have you had two or more of these symptoms?

ALSO, pregnancy exercises........ Develop a daily routine in which you are doing some gentle exercises in the morn and walking for 20 minutes or more in the evening. This will help stabilize your blood sugar by using up that excess glucose.

For the rest of pregnancy eat something with protein in it for every meal/snack in order to balance your protein and carb ratios. Put cheese on your crackers. Remember, protein does not have to come in just meats and nuts.

C. M., CBE, CLD, MWA
The Westside Birth Connection
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www.westsidebirthconnection.com
Marketing Chair, Colorado Doulas Association
www.coloradodoulas.com

Did you have the long 3 hour appointment where they check you blood sugar every 45 min? I also had gestational diabetes, but my blood sugar was only high on the 2 hour mark, so I was just told to watch my sugar intake. I would let your Dr. know and maybe they can redo the test at different time intervals.
Good Luck

I wondered about those GD tests too. I say trust in your doctors and be glad they caught what they did and be grateful it's not an extreme case. I just had to do the finger pricks every few hours, but never had to be on insulin. In the end I was having non stress tests every Monday and fluid checks. If I didn't have the GD diagnosis and they weren't checking those things weekly, my baby could have died. My placenta failed him at 38 weeks and I wouldn't have known if we weren't keeping track. So hang in there. You are doing what's best for the baby and yourself. My boy was only 6 lbs when he was born, but they freaked me out with the 12 lb baby stories too. You'll be fine and so will the baby because they caught this "borderline" gestational diabetes.

I'm surprised your Dr automatically gave you insulin. I had gestational diabetes and controlled it completely by diet modification. The dietary changes were not drastic and it wasn't hard to do at all but at times could be a pain in the butt (like when someone brings yummy donuts to the office and the best you can do is look at them). If you really think there may have been a mixup at the lab call your Dr and discuss what you are seeing in your sugar levels and ask for more details on your tests (I'm assuming you took the three hour test where you had your blood drawn four times). Your baby might be the normal size right now but remember now and going forward is when the baby gains the most weight. Just because the baby is normal size now does not mean he will stay on that track.

I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant w/my now 7 month old. She was not a big baby either, in fact she was only 6 lbs when she was born (my older daughter was almost 8lbs.) Did they test you more than once? Chances are there isn't a mix up if they tested you more than once. If your sugar levels are within the accepted range then don't worry about having GD, be glad it's all good. Keeping a balanced diet when you are pregnant is always a good thing anyway. I never had to take insulin, but there were days when I didn't do anything out of the ordinary & my sugars still spiked. I actually lost weight while pregnant instead of gaining weight like the norm. With my 1st pregnancy, I gained almost 50 lbs. & with this last pregnancy I only gained 18lbs. Blessings & smooth 'travels' for your next couple of months.

I had gestational diabetes, and if I didn't stick to my diet, my levels were always messed up. Oh, and the babies aren't always big,my daughter ws only 6lbs 8 oz, smalle than my son, who I didn't have diabetes with. If your levels aren't wrong when you aren't following a diet, you might want to see if you can take the test again. You might be like my sister, she always has dr. orders to eat candy bars before the test, otherwise ie doesn't come out right. it could also be a fasting thing, I know some places make you fast, and some places don't. See if you can take it again, only do the opposite of what you did last time.

You know you need to go with your gut on this one. My father- in-law has diabetes and if his blood sugar reading is in normal range then he doesn't take insulin. You absolutely do NOT have to take anything if your blood sugars are fine. I am sick of doctors making mistakes and this sounds like a biggy. Don't hurt your health because of a wronged doc. You have to take your health into your own hands sometimes. I didn't take any diabetes test when I was pregnant or drink that yucky sugar water and they tried to make me but I knew the syrup would make me sick and throw up. Rose :o)

My sister in-law was recently diagnosed with it too. The only time her blood sugar was even a little high was in the morning, just after she woke up. The rest of the time, its pretty normal and she hasn't done anything really different.

Did you have to do the one-hour test or the three-hour test? I understand that sometimes after the one hour test, your levels can be a little high, but the three hour test is the one that they really use to screen for gestational diabetes.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was able to control it with just diet (didn't really increase my exercise level, but tried to keep active and not become a total couch potato). I thought that it was a bit of a mix up as well, as I don't EVER drink soda so when I had to drink the yucky orange drink for the test and it showed a bit high I wasn't totally convinced I was diabetic, but had all the risk factors etc...But my Family practicioner is totally laid back and didn't prescribe insulin. BUT I did speak with the dietician and got a good meal plan going that was easy to work with my daily lifestyle and kept me satisfied. I really think of it as a blessing in disguise, as I would likely have used my pregnancy to eat the whole tub of ice cream and the diet kept me in check.
Only once did my test ever show high sugar count, but that was after I had chewed some sugar free gum (turns out it was sweetened by a "natural carbohydrate" that wasn't sugar, but still effected blood sugar, as I tested it again) Now I've often thought that my "pregnancy diet" was probably the best diet for me, and I should try to get back on it for my own weight and health...y'know extra processed carbohydrates (white flour and white sugar) aren't good for anyone...Oh well, hang in there, do pay attention to your blood sugar, but don't stress out on any of it...I believe that a happy pregnancy leads to a happy baby. enjoy this time while you can. BTW my baby was 7 lbs, 11 oz and a week late (according to "the wheel thingy" but I think right on time according to my cycles)

I was also diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes with my last child and I never changed anything and I often wondered if there was a mistake. In the end my child came out perfectly normal and I have had no problems since. Toward the end of the pregnancy I would just check my sugars every now and then and they seemed normal so I just quick checking all together. I found out afterward that the reading that said I fit into the category of gestational diabetes was only 2 # away from where I would not of been in that category. So my advice is just watch things and if you feel wired check your sugar other wise I would just not worry about it too much unless the doctor tell's you you baby is getting big.
Good luck

This is a question you need to ask your doctor. If you don't trust the results then ask for a retest. Or find a new doctor. Don't just do something based on what happened to some one else. everyone's body is different and diabetes can lead to some serious consequences now and down the road.

Hi there,

I was in the same situation. My sugar tests both at 28 weeks and the long 3 hour test were off the charts and I felt the effects of the high sugar, but my daily testing was always on the low side. My doctor never prescribed insulin, but I did see a specialist that helped me control my blood sugars with diet and exercise. I adjusted when I ate and not so much what I ate, continued to exercise, and my blood sugars stayed under control. I ended up losing weight the first month after my diagnosis and only gained 20 pounds during my pregnancy. My little girl never was classified as "big" as a matter of fact she ended up about a pound less than what they thought she would be. She was 6lbs and 8.5oz when she was born, not a normal "large baby" for a gestational diabetic mom. From what I read on the subject of gestational diabetes it is much more dangerous for the baby than it is for mom. The baby can have more immediate and lingering effects of high sugars and you have a higher risk of type 2 if not controlled. So it is best to do what you can to keep your sugars in your range and not gain too much weight. Get lots of support and you just have to focus on doing what is best for your little guy. Good luck and feel free to write me for support.

You are tested for GD around that time period because the "big" baby part comes in the last couple of months -- where your baby can really pack on the pounds and make delivery hard.
You say your sugar levels are normal when you check; are they high-normal or just normal? If they hare high-normal you can probably just make some diet adjustments to control it. Don't hesitate to take the insulin if you get an actual high result. My BIL and a good friend are both type 1 diabetic and on insulin. It's not like other drugs, this one is actually natural to your body instead of something alien. Controlling blood sugar is important to your baby (and not just for the extra weight). And, since your results aren't coming back high, you might want to ask for another 3 hour test to verify the first test results.
Good luck. Hang in there -- those last couple of months are hard but worth it (my baby is 6 weeks old now!)