I Have Gestational Diabetes and Scared

I had gestational diabetes for my 3 pregnancies and my babies were born ok, in good weight. I did take care of my diet and did not eat anything that had bad carbs. Good luck and a happy birth

Hey Eraia, first i want to congratulate you on your pregnancy. Yes Gestational Diabetes SUX big time!!! I had it with all 4 out 5 pregnancies!! and its HARD, but the diet is sooo healthy for you and your baby. There are alot of things that can happen to your body if you don't eat correctly and the babies, when i was pregnant with my 4th baby my diabetes went out of control and my doctor that i had with the other 3 had retired and my new doctors weren't concerned, I ended up having a 9 pound baby boy!! My numbers were really out of control and i was eating right. I told them i needed medicine but they never were too concerned, but my last pregnancy i just had my son is 9 months the numbers were awesome and i had to make sure of that because he also has a Congenital heart defect. There are alot of Diabetic recipes out there that can let you have a pizza like get a whole wheat pita bread and some sauce and cheese and veggies and put it in the oven for 10 min or until the cheese is melted. No its not like having your favorite but i actually started likeing them and eating them for lunch. And if you have a sweet tooth then their is good sugar free ice cream out there. Also i was getting sooo sick of drinking just water, and they have Crystal Light water bottle packets that are sugar free and they have fruit punch and peach tea and lemonade and all flavors to give your mouth that sweetness that diabetics crave for anyway. It sounds like your doing good and having that pizza and being 148 wasn't too bad just as long as you don't do all the time. I know this is hard and your due date is right around the corner and all of your testing and diabetes will be gone as soon as you deliver!! If you have any questions feel free to send me a message i can help you out with other recipes. Good Luck!!
S. mommy to 5 beautiful children 16yrs, 8yrs,6yrs,2yrs, and 9 months check out my sons journey at www.liamlockhart.com

I have had diabetes for 14 years and I have a gorgeous baby boy who will be 3 in 2 weeks. My suagars were out of control when I got pregnant and stablized 2-3 months into my pregnancy. The baby will not be affected by occasional highs or lows but if they remain high and low like a roller coaster or just plain high then you can worry. My baby was born healthy. Just stick to your diet, and soon enough you can go back to eating what you like.

I had gestational diabetes with my last child. I had high readings once or twice a week when I just couldn't resist a slice of pizza or a bagel. It concerned me that they might be too high. But when my doctor looked over my booklet, she said that the rest of the time my readings were so good that there was no reason for concern. She said occasionally, you will have high readings and that the goal is to keep them low most of the time. I also found that if I really wanted something like that, if I exercised for an hour first, I could eat it and my blood sugar stayed low. Of course that might not work for everyone. Keep in mind that it goes the other way too, you have to eat regularly so your blood sugar doesn't drop. They delivered my son a week early because they said that babies tend to be bigger with diabetes. But my son was perfectly healthy and only 6 pounds. He showed no symptoms, and mine were gone within two days. Just hang in there and do your best, and you will be fine! Oh, and 200 or lower for a high reading is good!

An occasional high number is not going to hurt you. I have had gd with both of my sons and now I am pregnant again and am border line gd at 15 weeks. Are you on oral meds? glyburide? The doctors and dieticians don't get concerned unless you continue to have numbers out of range and they don't want it to be consistent. 148 was that an hour after eating? If yes, then you are only 8 out of range and it's not going to hurt you. If you tested a second time you may even get a different number. Do your best to follow the diet, I KNOW it's hard but worth it in the end. My boys were both born at 38 weeks and they were both 7 lbs 2 oz. How many weeks are you? When were you diagnosed? Hang in there!!!! It's worth it in the end. I found it was easier to control my carbs knowing something precious was inside me as opposed to doing it just for myself.

Dear E.,

I had gestational diabetes with my daughter, Beth. Back then (1980), the doctors were very concerned, and I had to go into the hospital for checkups three times a week, and they induced labor, so she was born two weeks early. The good news: she was just fine! Very smart, beautiful and had no physical, mental or any other problems! She is now married, and the mother of a little boy. Also, the second she was born, the diabetes went away.

The only thing I would advise you to do, is after the birth, make sure you eat right, try not to gain too much weight, and get plenty of exersize, because you could get type II diabetes later on in life.

So don't be scared, your doctors will take good care of you, and both you and your baby should be just fine! I was!

F.

Hello, I recently gave birth in April 08 and I also had gestational diabetes. I was not able to eat any carbs because they raised my numbers drastically. When the baby was born her blood sugar was low because I had taken my medicine that morning, otherwise she was fine. She was 5 weeks early and only had to have formula to raise her blood sugar. Good luck

I had gestational diabetes with my third pregnancy. some food just send different people over the edge. Like me, I couldn't eat corn. it would send my blood sugar sky-rocketing. although 148 is high, you caught it and now know to stear clear of that pizza :) I know it's hard, but the thing that helped me was knowing that it was temporary. I'm a carb-lover so it was especially hard to give up things like bread and pizza...but it's worth it for your baby. I think the main concern with GD regarding the baby is that the they can gain extra weight and become too large for a vaginal delivery. the thought of a C-section kept my eating under wraps, too. you can eat carbs, just a little at a time, and spread them out. eat some protein with them too. sometimes that helps. good luck!

I had it. Some of my numbers were really high. I really ate badly. I took medication also. It was a pill a day. My daughter is 16 months now. She has no effects because of it.She is perfect! Don't beat yourself up over it. Sometimes it will be high no matter what you eat. It could be your mood also. Good luck!!

Hi,
I am Diabetic, was before I got pregnant, and was able to control it off meds during my pregnancy. Had a scare at about 6 months, with some mixed up numbers from the lab, Was hospitalized to be put on insulin, but escaped that, as 7 tests later, 1 1/2 days in hospital, all tests were ok. The key to maintaining good numbers is twofold: 1. watch what you eat (I love pizza myself), and 2. try to maintain a lower level of weight gain. That does not mean dieting to lose weight, it really means that you need to have good quality food whenever you eat. After you have the baby, be careful about weight gain, because a lot of women become diabetic then. And try not to worry, I was 41 when my beautiful 8 lb 1 oz Adam was born, he is perfectly normal in most ways (intelligence high for his age). Try to learn relaxation techniques and that de-stressing can also help. I'm a single mom, work f/t, am a Physical Therapist as well as university lecturer in PT. Have one big boy. We (Me & his doc/ped) monitor him, as the diabetes risk is high for him.

Try not to let yourself feel scared. Gestational diabetes is manageable, with eating the right foods.You and your baby will be fine if you concentrate on eating healthy and do not worry about the numbers. Educate yourself about foods that have low glycemic values. Carbohydrates are necessary for you and your baby to be healthy, so don't think all carbs are bad or off limits. The lower the glycemic value a food has the slower the sugars are released in your body. All carbs break down to simple sugar to fuel your body's energy needs. When the carbs are released more slowly you don't get that sugar rush and then you don't get that crash feeling of hunger when the sugar burns up too fast and you start craving more carbs.
Try to plan your meals with foods with a lower glycemic index, you will feel full longer, have more energy and less cravings for sweets, your numbers wont stay high either. What makes your numbers high is, when there is too much sugar in your blood and your body is not releasing insulin in the way it should to keep your blood sugar number in a normal range. Anything over 120, especially if it is consistently over 120 is cause for concern.Insulin is the substance your body produces in response to amounts of sugar in your blood to help your cells convert sugar to energy. The more sugar you take in the more your body is forced to produce more insulin. When your body produces the right amount of insulin for the sugar you eat your numbers stay in the normal range.When your numbers are higher than normal it means your body is not able to produce enough insulin to help your body's cells take in the correct amount of sugar they need and the excess sugar builds up in your blood. Be careful because your numbers can go in the opposite direction too and anything below 50 is cause for concern. Always have orange juice in your home to drink if your numbers get low, if you start to feel very hungry and jittery. Carry hard candy in your purse too. Eat as healthy as you can with low glycemic carbs such as whole grain pasta,barley, soy milk,sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. All whole grain foods are lower in glycemic index than foods that are white, like white bread. You can look up information on low glycemic foods at the library,or on the computer and of course ask your doctor to recommend foods too.
I am a nurse and am very concerned about helping people stay healthy. I will also send you a personal reply if you want to ask more questions. You and your baby might weigh a little more than a mom and baby who do not have gestational diabetes, but you can have a happy, healthy pregnancy, free of worry.

I had it as well having your numbers high every once in a while was not a concern for my dr
however if it is on a regular basis then they talk medication
my daughter was fine and normal size whenever someone offered me cake I just thought
about having a large baby and it was easier to say no.
you should ask for suggestions of food that will help also there was a previous post ok that subject

Dear E.,
I teach prenatal yoga, have had a few women with gestational diabetes come to class during pregnancy. Just want to share with you that exercise (a kind that you enjoy),a healthy diet, and relaxing activities in your life are all great ways to promote optimal health, and there is research on the benefits of exercise for diabetes. www.nurturingmoves.com has more info on mind-body fitness classes I offer, please come to a class, my gift to you. A way of having fun, and forgetting and enjoying the moment during this sacred time ... remember your mind affects your body, so trust you are ok. Usually students say they sort of had a blessing with the diabetes, as it forces you to eat very healthy, and take extra time to nurture yourself. Stress does not help it. Wishing you well,
M.