Gestational Diabetes - Kalamazoo,MI

Gestational diabetes actually requires a low carb diet! Often type 2 diabetes can be treated with slight changes in diet, weight loss, and excercise... but in the case of gestational diabetes... you really have to be dillegent about cutting out excess carbs and following any recommendations your doctor makes to a "T".

My doctor sent me to a diabetes education dietician who put me on a very strict diet. I had to eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. Since one cause of gestational diabetes is that your placenta "eats" the insulin you produce... as my pregnancy progessed... my gestation diabetes got worse and worse, even though I was religiously following my diet, excercising, and taking my injections/checking blood glucose.

Really though, your dietician will probably give you a very specific diet to follow, tailored to you, and what type of management you need.

In the meantime, carbs to avoid are; fruit juices, simple cereals (no cheerios or rice krispies), any "white" starches... like white bread, white rice, white crackers, white pasta, pancakes... potatoes. Instead, substitute with whole grains. Keep in mind serving size; 15 grams of carbs is one serving... lunch and dinner are the only meals that you eat 2 servings of carbs (in the diet plan they gave me)- all other meals and snacks are just one serving. Don't forget to include the carbs hidden in foods like fruits, starchy vegetables, sauces (including marinara) and of course drinks. Pair every carb you eat with at least one serving of protein.

also inform your dietician and doctor about any artificial sweeteners you are using, especially if you go on insulin. Don't feel like you are "bad" if you do either... it doesn't necessarily mean that you are doing something wrong... it just means that had the pregnancy continues on, it is becoming harder for your body to produce insulin. Most women have the diabetes dissapear as soon as the placenta is delivered.

How do you take the news? Well this is your "wake up call" if you've had unhealthy habits in the past. Absorb the information given by your doctor and dietician and take it to heart. Even after you have the baby, integrate a lower carb diet and healthy lifestyle into your life. If you had gestational diabetes in this pregnancy you have a 50% chance of having it in a subsequent pregnancy... and according to my doctor... the people who make the changes to a healthy lifestyle, and lose excess weight, are almost always the ones who DON'T have it in second pregnancies, and are almost always the ones who also don't have type 2 diabetes in 10 years. Through hard work and good luck I didn't have diabetes in my second pregnancy, which actually greatly reduces my chance of getting type 2.

That is not a guarantee, but it is some serious incentive to take this seriously! You can do it! Just follow the doc's directions! Oh and relax... stress won't help at all!

By the way... some good foods to start you off:
Nutrigrain whole grain waffles with Log Cabin sugar free syrup
Rao's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (very low carb)
Brocolli with cheddar cheese is a great snack!
Diet V8 Splash (replaces orange juice or fruit juices)
Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup (1 carb)
Walden Farms Products (condiments, dressings, dips)

And at the store read all the nutrition labels for favorite foods, noting carbs and proteins, and write up a list of foods and brands that are 15g or less of carbs per serving!

Good luck!
-M.
-M.

Gestational diabetes is not the same as diabetes in a non-pregnant person, so the diet isn't going to be exactly the same from what I know..

I was borderline gestational diabetes also, but it went unnoticed and it was a nightmare, since I also have hypoglycemia. Severe swelling, carpal tunnel due to swelling, I was very sick, and had a large baby that had to be a vacuum delivery...

Here is some good information on it:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/what-...

You really do need to have some carbs to help with the absorption of protein, just be very choosy with what you eat and don't overindulge. Eating carbs with protein also helps keep your body from crashing. Examples would be cheese and whole wheat crackers, peanut butter on whole wheat toast. Stay away from too many refined or enriched carbs, go for whole wheat, brown rice instead of white for example.... More on diet on page 3 in the link above.

I developed gestational diabetes during my 6th month. Avoid sugar, honey, and corn syrup. Good rule of thumb, if one of the first 5 ingredients is sugar (honey, etc) then don't eat it. The diet that I followed was 2 servings of protein to 1 carb. Some carbs are better than others: brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato instead of a plain one. Some fruits and veggies have a high sugar content (like corn) and you want to be careful how much you eat. Regular exercise helps keep your sugar levels in check. Watch your portions too.
I was borderline too, but controlled my sugar and checked it after every meal with a glucose monitor.

This is how they explained it to me.

One portion of carbs = 1/2 c. pasta/potatoes/rice or 1 slice of bread (bagel would be 2 portions), or cereal. 1/2 c. fruit.

Avoid sugar, soda, anything with processed carbs, as it will spike your blood sugar levels. If you're getting your carbs from whole grains and fruits, then your body can handle it better since the fiber slows down the sugar released into your blood stream, so no spikes. Exercise helps regulate this as well, so if you're borderline, diet and exercise will hopefully keep you off medication!!!

Also AVOID artificial sweeteners!!! My grandma didn't get the whole carb concept. She'd make Apple strudle with splenda and think it was okay to eat! She forgot about the crust and apples being carbs, and that I was not allowed to eat artificial sweeteners because I was pregnant. Sigh... So be careful of things labeled half the sugar, or diet. Often they just replace the sugar with artificial sweeteners, and that might be fine for normal diabetics, but not for us prego ones.

As for diet. You can eat 2 carb portions with breakfast, 1 for each of three snacks between meals, and 5 for lunch and dinner. This is DIFFERENT from the diet they give to non-gestational diabetes patients, so don't follow their information, we need more and at different times. (I learned all this while helping my grandma with her diabetes and getting my gestational diabetes diagnosis within a few weeks). The reason you can't have more carbs in the morning is that your body can't seem to handle it early on and you'll tend to get higher blood sugar numbers in the morning.

I would eat whole grain toast with PB, eggs, and veggie sausages for breakfast. I had to skip cereal, it made my BS go up more then I wanted, and I was eating cheerios and chex, not frosted flakes. (I went straight to insulin to avoid the side affects of the oral medications, and I did not break the rules. My husband is a physician and used to tease me that no one else followed the rules like I did. But it paid off.) I ate my fruit for snacks, so I'd have an apple with cream cheese or PB, or a yogurt (activia seemed to have the lowest sugar and not have artificial flavor, but regular not the lite version), or crackers with cheese/pb.

Remember to read labels! Ketchup has more sugar/oz then ice cream! :) A sandwich has 2 carbs because of the bread, so keep your fries to a small portion, or skip the bun and use lettuce to hold it together! Be careful about grains & legumes (corn, rice, beans & peas), they are considered a carb for diabetics!

The best thing you can do is load up on vegetables, that will keep you from getting hungry and the fiber will help keep your BS from spiking!

And remember, this condition is caused by the placenta releasing a hormone that competes with insulin, so you can do EVERYTHING right and still need insulin. Don't feel bad, just keep up with your meds, exercise and diet and you'll be fine.

I used the women's clinic at Bronson during the beginning of my last pregnancy, and they were very good and kept on top of my BS numbers. Much better then when I moved and had to use a new practice.

Best wishes! I know its frustrating and the last thing you want to deal with in the last trimester, but you can do it!

When I got the diagnosis my ob sent me home with a long list of stuff I was no longer "allowed" to eat, and I actually lost 5 lbs in the following week because I was having trouble figuring out what I still COULD eat!
After that I booked a visit with a nutritionist and it was extremely helpful.

Yes your dr would tell you to avoid all carbs but that is wrong. You need some carbs to survive. Bascially you will need to drastically cut your carb/sugar intake (carbs turn into sugar as they get broken down in your blood stream and your body can't produce insulin due to hormones from your uterus). When you meet with a dietician or nutrionist, they will make up a meal plan for you. You will need to eat about 5-6 small meals a day, mostly protein and a little bit of carbs. The more protein you eat (hard boiled egg, string cheese, etc) the better your body responds to breaking down carbs. You will test your blood anywhere from 1 to 3 times a day depending how badly you "failed" your test. Don't worry...this is actually how we are all suppose to eat! You'll need to watch your fruits (one serving of carbs is 15 grams = one cup of cherries). Look at labels (Arnolds Thins are best for bread) and half a cup of pasta or potatoes is 15 grams = one serving of carbs. Milk is also considered a carb. If you are on babycenter.com there is a support group and many other tips. I would sign up there too. And excercise, even walking, will help greatly with your body and absorbing sugar. So try to take a 20 minute walk after every meal if you can. Good luck!

Meeting with the dietician is the best thing you can do. She will explain the different foods to eat and to avoid. You have some good advice on here already. The "borderline" part comes from what the numbers were when you did your glucose tolerance test. He will probably have you check you blood sugar several times a day, but sometimes with the borderline type they don't. It's very important to keep your blood sugars controlled because the sugar in your system will cross the placenta to the baby, but your insulin won't. So then the baby creates it's own increased insulin level to deal with the increased sugar coming from you. It can lead to a larger baby, some cardiac issues (usually only in poorly controlled insulin diabetics), and other issues. After delivery, the hospital will probably monitor the baby's blood sugar for the first 24 hours just to make sure that he/she's maintaining his own sugars. Sometimes the baby might have to have an IV with sugar in it and be weaned off over a day or two, as opposed to the sudden weaning after delivery.
For diet controlled diabetes there usually aren't as many problems with the baby, so don't worry too much, but do follow the diet plan that they give you.
good luck!
D.

dont believe every thing the doctor tells you, think about it. first he told you that you HAD gestational diabetes, then he changed his tune and said that it was borderline, get the real numbers, FIRST. medication for diabetes is NOT, repeat, NOT recommended during pregnancy. your pregnant, the less extra medication you take during pregnancy, the better, because, if something goes horribly wrong with your pregnancy because of the diabetes medication, your good doctor isnt going to tell you that was probably caused by the medication that he told you you had to take.my obgyn tried to convince me that he "just knew that i had gestational diabetes and high pressure due to pregnancy", i laughed at him and told him, "DO I LOOK THAT STUPID ? " there is no way you can just look at a patient and just know that they have gestational diabetes and gestational high blood pressure. get a second opinion,before doing anything
K. h.

Yes you want to limit your sugar intake, but not completely. Read labels. Under carbohydrates it breaks down what is in the item.

When their is fiber in the food item, you can subtract that amount from the total carbs.

If you aren't familiar with the glycemic index, that would be a good start.

Also, there are simple carbs (ie potato chips, candy, etc) and complex carbs (carrots, bananas to name a few). You want the complex carbs as
hey get into the blood stream slower.

Getting protein in at every meal is a great way to keep your blood sugars stable.

If you don't have a history of diabetes in your family, don't be concerned. With that said, having a healthy weight is also a good prevention to diabetes.

Hope this helps and I feel confident the nurse who specializes in diabetes will be a tremendous help.