Hey Ladies,
I just got a call from my doctor's office telling me I failed the 1 Hour glucose test and they want me to meet with a nutrionist. I was wondering what other ladies experienced. TIA
I had GD. I failed my 1-hour by 8 points, but I failed my 3 hour by more. I met with an endocrinologist and a dietician who put me on a controlled carb diet and told to exercise. I could eat 30 grams of carbs for breakfast, 15 for a snack, 60 for lunch, 15 for a snack and 60 for dinner. I was given a list of carb counts of lots of foods. I had to check my blood 4 times a day. After fasting all night, I was supposed to be below 100 and 2 hours after each meal I was supposed to be below 120. Diet and exercise did not get my numbers where they needed to be, unfortunately; so I had to go the way of insulin. I ended up losing about 12 pounds during pregnancy, which thrilled both my endo and my OB.
My DD did end up being a big baby. She was 9 pounds 2 ounces (though some people have had bigger). I had to be induced at 39 weeks because she was measuring big. She also had slight shoulder dystocia, so I had to have a small episiotomy.
I can tell you some of the risks associated with GD if you want, but I don't want you to get worried or anything...
I have GD. I met with a dietician who put me on the exact same diet that
lml41981 was on. I think the only difference was that I was told to have an after dinner snack of 15 carbs. I also had to test my sugar level 4 times a day and keep it in the range that lml41981 listed below. I was not allowed any cookies, cakes, candy, soda, or fruit juice (the only exception was during baby showers).
I hate needles so having to prick my finger was a nightmare for me. Now it doesn't bother me as much. I still pause and brace myself each time for the needle, but it does get easier.
The first few weeks, my scores were great and within range. I started thinking I didn't have GD. As I'm getting further along in my pregnancy, the scores have become a lot higher - even though I'm eating the some of the same stuff as earlier. I've heard the GD gets worse as you get further along in your pregnancy. I know a lot of women who are borderline and their Dr. will let them pass. I don't think that's wise b/c the dietician looked at my score at first and said she thought I was more borderline. Now, it is a lot worse and I'm glad I know to control it. My scores have been high at times, but I now realize if I eat 2-3X more protein that carbs, it really helps. The protein helps your body breakdown the sugar better. I'd be happy to give you more tips on how to eat, but I'll wait til you meet with the dietician first who will explain the basics to you.
I have lost weight as a result. Eating too much carbs really does add weight. The baby is weighing at an average weight now (4.6 lbs @ 32weeks) but the Dr will continue to monitor her size. He plans to induce 7-10 days early if she gets too big. The GD usually goes away after the pregnancy.
lml41981.... Thanks for posting.. yes please share what info you have on the risk associated with GD. It doesn't hurt to be well informed. Thank you
Camara... Thank you for sharing, it really sucks but at least it can be controlled and more then likely will go away after birth.
I called the hospital to schedule my nutrition class and asked what was my number? I was told it was 252 at the time of the glucose test and the norm is 65-139. I don't understand how if it is that much higher how come it didn't show up in my urine?
Anyway I go to the class tomorrow, I'm praying diet can work.
Iris, I haven't gone back to my endocrinologist to be checked...I'd imagine it is all gone (and unless they say otherwise, I will have a little cake and cookies if I want it ).
Both my OB and the endo said that the majority of the time, the GD disappears the minute the placenta is delivered. My OB's words were, "As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer diabetic. Try the hospital's key lime pie. It is great!"
TW,
The risks...well, my doctor would likely have stopped labor if it had happened at 36 weeks...for most people, delivering at 36 weeks is relatively risk-free because it is so close to full term. My doctor wouldn't even induce at 37 weeks..she waited until 39 weeks (wouldn't dare let me go to 40 weeks). The reason she wanted to wait a little while is that sometimes the lungs take a little while longer to develop in a GD patient's baby. Someone had said that here on WC and I hadn't heard it....my OB confirmed it the next week.
Also, if you attempt a vaginal delivery (and there is no reason you can't!), your doctor ought to agree not to use forceps or a vacuum to deliver your baby. This is because of the risk of shoulder dystocia. If the head is delivered, but the shoulders can't come through, there's a risk for nerve damage or brain damage.
There is also a risk that your baby's blood sugar levels will be low. My hospital said anything above 40 was ok. Apparently most hospitals like to see above 45. I don't know if you're planning to breastfeed, but if you are, make sure that your doctor, pediatrician and nurses know this. That way you can give her colostrum right away and try to keep her levels from dropping. Colostrum is perfect for maintaining the baby's BSL because it has the right balance of sugars and proteins...it will keep her levels steady for longer. The next best thing after colostrum is a little bit of formula. The last resort for getting the BSL up is glucose water. This causes a spike in her levels that will lead to a drop. It shouldn't be used except for an emergency.
I would ask your OB if she thinks you ought to visit with an endocrinologist as well. That way if your levels don't get under control, you can go ahead and be put on insulin.
Know that there's nothing you did wrong. As your pregnancy progresses, it will likely be harder to control your BSLs with diet and exercise. I found that I might be able to have something at, say, 30 weeks and be just fine, but at 32 weeks, the same thing sent my BSL up too high. If this happens to you, don't get discouraged.
GD was really frustrating to me because I felt like I had lost control over my body and what I could eat. It was especially bad in the beginning when I thought, "Geeze...I won't be able to eat anything!" Not true! Did you know that you can have 4 taco supremes from Taco Bell and be under 60 grams of carbs?
Subscribing here as I failed my first GTT (the one hour test). Not sure by how much, but I have an OB appt. next Wednesday, I'm sure they can tell me my levels then.
I did NOT take this news well at all, though certainly it's too early to worry--I haven't had the 3 hour test yet (which will be next). My best friend had G.D., and had the most hellish pregnancy/delivery I've ever heard of. I hope it doesn't come to that with me.
I've read that stress can make your blood sugar count go up--if that is the case, we've had a buttload of stress lately. First, I have placenta previa, which has me worried quite a bit. Then, both me and DH got really sick (my cold turned into bronchitis), and once I got better, we had a flood & 3 feet of water in our house...now we're trying to get life back into order after THAT mess. So there's been no shortage of stress in this house!
So, I pretty much had a breakdown today over this news that I failed the test. I left work early as we are having our washer & dryer repaired, but the minute I got in the car I just burst into tears. I've been pretty emotional lately what with stress, and now with today's news from the doctor.
I'm really blaming myself for this though--I feel like I could have/should have eaten better, exercised more, etc.
chefker I know how you feel. When I found out I had GD, I also cried countless times. Even several days later, I would think about it and be in tears again. Just know that it's not your fault. I've read lots of books and they have all said that some women's body/hormones just aren't capable of getting the body ready for pregnancy & processing the sugar at the rate it use to. It's not necessarily b/c of something you've done or didn't do so don't blame yourself at all. Hang in there.
camara, thanks. I talked to my friend today, who had G.D. in her first pregnancy (though not in her recent, second pregnancy). She told me a lot of the same things you just posted.
It did make me feel a little better to talk to her. It's just frustrating knowing I have friends/relatives who were pregnant and ate foods WAY worse that I am eating lately--and they didn't get G.D. My friend was saying it is NOT what you eat, necessarily--it's just that your body can't process properly. So it's not my fault, I'm sure....but still I feel awful about it.
And I don't even KNOW if I have G.D. yet....I still have the 3 hour test to take, and hopefully that will be OK. But it's hard to have faith, when everything else in life is going wrong lately.
Did/Do you have Gestational Diabetes??
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