I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my son (born 8/23/06). I also had my test later - like 26weeks.
The worst part of the GD was sticking myself with a glucometer - I did it before breakfast, 2hr after breakfast, 2hr after lunch, 2 hr after dinner. I can definately feel for Diabetics.
From my testing I had really high numbers in the mornings before breakfast. Because of that, I had other trips to the nutritionist and doc.. and ultimately need medicine (glucophage) in lieu of insulin injections.
The nutritionist was very thorough and definately was into himself, but always had my best interest and that of my son in mind. The goal is not to just decrease sugars but to eat more wisely. I had a sweet tooth and loved sweet tea and pastries ( I was military so I wasn't overweight to begin with, I just had a weakness for ice cream, pastries and sweet tea - living in Virginia). I had to give those up pretty much - I substituted the ice cream for sugar free though.
Making better eating choices for myself and my baby was paramount. Things like complementing whole wheat toast with peanut butter were the right things. Also, you have to eat every 4 hours... so you have to make sure you have snacks on hand.
Also, DECREASING STRESS is very important.
For the most part, everything is a big deal when you're pregnant especially with your first, but I found out GD wasn't so gargantuane... it was something that was doable.
Other stuff I'd tell you is that you risk something called "fat baby" upon delivery. They thought my son may be this, but he turned out to be 8lb, 2oz so definately was within normal size. They check GD diabetes blood sugar upon delivery and then 30 minutes after ... and sometimes more... so there are 2 sticks more these babies get than others, my son's blood sugar was fine and so he didn't need any other measures.
If you or your friend have any other questions or concerns, you can email me at ____@____.com
Best of Luck and try not to worry... It's wonderful that your friend has you and you are so supportive.