Positive for Gestational Diabetes - now what?

I had to really strictly manage my diet and I walked after every meal. I managed to avoid insulin for the entire pregnancy. At 36 1/2 weeks I started struggling keeping it managed, so they did an amnio to determine lung development for an early induction. That was on a Friday. They determined his lungs were healthy, and we scheduled for Tuesday 37 weeks. My water broke at 2am on Monday and he was born 6 hours later. He has always done things on his own terms.

He was still good sized though, at 37 weeks he was 7lbs 12oz. Just a few ounces smaller than his sister who was born at 38 weeks.

I had GD with my second, but managed it pretty well. I took a few units of insulin at night to keep my fasting levels down, but never had a problem controlling my daily levels with diet. It kept me on track actually, and I only gained about 7 pounds. (I was overweight to begin with.)

They induced me at 39 weeks, and DS was 8 lbs 15 oz, one ounce bigger than my first DD. Now the induction, that sucked and took 3 days. But otherwise it was a fine pregnancy.

Good luck! The biggest pain about it was the weekly appointments. I used to have to book off work, wait two hours so I could tell them my glucose levels were fine, and then they would send me on my way. Eventually, I just started emailing them my log of glucose levels and no one said I couldn't, so I kept up with that unless I had a problem.

I had GD with my second pregnancy. I kept to the strict diet, went in every week for my checks, and stuck my finger with that little needle like clockwork each day. It did get harder to manage as I neared my due date---my morning numbers were always way too high. They put me on some medication (the name escapes me) and I was induced a week before my official due date. All was well. She was a perfect 7 lbs. 12 ozs.

I will say that the GD diet really suited me. I looked terrific by the time she was born, lol. It's probably the way I should eat all the time.

((Hugs)) to you. I felt really stressed out about the diagnosis, but it is really a very manageable condition as long as you follow the plan.

I've had 2 babies and with each pregnancy developed GD.  I was able to control it through diet & exercise.  DS #1 was born 1 week after his due date.  He weighed 8 lb, 4 oz.  


DS #2 was born 2 1/2 weeks early and weighed 8 lb. 0 oz.  

I didn't have any issues with pre-eclampsia.  Though I did have issues unrelated to the GD which caused then DH to decide not to have more children.  

Fast forward about 12-13 years and I have developed Diabetes.  I have a family history of it and my understanding is that women who develop GD can develop Diabetes.  

Have you met with a dietician?  I had a consultation with one and it was very helpful in managing my GD.  She gave me tips and pointers on foods to include and foods to avoid.  

While waiting to see the specialist, the best thing that you can do is walk. If you aren't currently working out and your BP is high, I wouldn't do anything more strenuous than walking and I'd monitor my BP at home in the meantime. The exercise can help you process the carbs more efficiently.

Try to eat smaller meals with fewer carbs and make sure you are eating protein with the meals. I ate three smaller meals and 3 snacks a day. And yes, you should eat before bed, but it can be as simple as a glass of milk. 15 carbs and 5 grams of protein is a snack. A serving of protein for a meal is about 3 oz, which is generally 21 grams of protein. I stuck to under 30 carbs with a GD meal, you probably don't want to go lower than 20 carbs for a meal. Try to choose foods with a high glycemic index--more whole grains and fewer refined carbs. Carbs don't just come from sugar, so don't think it's just desserts that you have to give up.

And don't think that you have to give up dessert. You just have to put it into your meal plan and choose better options. Your dietician will help you with that.

It's been 17 years since I had my last and I know some of the meds and protocol has changed. Some drs are prescribing oral meds now, rather than insulin. But if you do need insulin, it will be ok. Whatever it takes, right? You can do this.

My problem pregnancy was my first. 15 weeks of bedrest, GD, spotting, kidney issues. But he came out fine. Big-born 9 lbs, 2 oz by c-section on his due date, in spite of strictly following my diet. He was just too big for me. But he was only in the NICU for a few hours (protocol back then). DD was 8 lbs, 3 oz at 37 weeks in spite of a stricter diet. She was a VBAC. She was severely jaundiced, which can be common for babies of GD women. But she was also born above 7,000 feet and was 3 weeks early (all contributors as well.)

I wish you nothing but the best. Growing a human is hard.

I didn't know you were pregnant! Congrats!

I've got nothing on the GD though. Good luck managing it!

Congratulations! It's been a very long time for me, my oldest that I had gd with just turned 18. Insulin is not that big of a deal, I remember being terrified of it but it wasn't. She was certifiable (I knew the conception date 100 percent) 2 weeks late but not too ginormous, and I am a small lady and she was breech- our bodies are pretty freaking amazing in that regard! I did have a lot of stress tests, ultrasounds, etc- I was at the hospital almost every day but they did let me go late because everything was managed ok. you do have to keep on top of everything very seriously, because the risks are real, and that was a bummer for me, but it's not so hard really.

My blood sugar has never had a problem before or since except for being the opposite, hypoglycemic, so don't worry it means a lifetime of diabetes. Type 1 runs in my family- my dad, 2 cousins, a nephew, so I feared this was it making itself known- it wasn't. GD is very different.

Watch your blood pressure, the machines at pharmacies are free and can alert you to a problem. You can go in daily or more and just check- being proactive is your friend.

I strictly followed the diet the ob/gyn nutritionist on staff gave me. It limited carbs but was clear how and when I should eat. It worked out fine because I didn't have much of an appetite. I had to keep track of my blood sugar numbers and call every Monday morning with them. As my pregnancy progressed, it was getting harder to control my waking blood sugar number. I ended up taking medication (pill form) for a short time, but I delivered early because I fell and my water broke.

My son though was 6lbs 13 ounces at 34.5 weeks. While I wasn't happy he was premature and in the nicu, I wonder how big he would have gotten being full term. His blood sugar was fine though when he was born.

At my 6 week appt, I had dropped 31 lbs. Unfortunately I think the quick weightloss (not intentional) and early c-section effected my milk supply. idk...

Mine was so hard to manage that while I was pregnant with #2 I asked if I could have my tubes tied the day I gave birth. I was 25. My Dr said not only would it be a good idea, he was glad I brought it up because he didn't recommend a 3rd pregnancy.

Usually I sail through medical things, but pregnancy and I just weren't meant to be. I hated every moment, I required more and more insulin each week, and by the end I was on massive doses and looked like a manatee. I felt like a prisoner in my own body and a slave to insulin and food.

Unlike most other people, who take a few months to develop GD, mine started probably right as soon as the pregnancy hormones started. It's like my pancreas just shut down insulin production altogether, or suddenly I couldn't use what my body was making. With the first baby they didn't find out until the usual testing, at around 7 months? With baby #2 my dr wanted a GTT done sooner, and at 7 weeks I was already sky-high. He thought I must have Type I diabetes and had for some time in between babies, but that wasn't true because I'd had my sugar periodically checked beforehand. So, I'm just unlucky.

Diabetes runs in my family so I wasn't at all surprised. I was not overweight and was quite active as pregnancy would allow but in no way could I get by with diet control. That sucked. My youngest just turned 18 and I know things are different now and some people can take oral meds. I don't think that would have worked in my case but I don't know that for sure. Don't be worried about the needles if you should need insulin. They're so thin and fine that you barely feel it. I tested my sugar 6x per day and that hurt far worse than the 4 shots of insulin daily. None of it was as bad as being ravenously hungry all the time though. And with DS I became what they call a "brittle" diabetic, with huge swings in blood sugars that would go from 200 to 30 at times. I also saw an endocrinologist because my OBGYN felt I was out of his comfort zone for treating the diabetes. Hated, loathed, despised being pregnant.

DD #1 was born 4 days early, weighed 7 lbs 2 oz, quite healthy.
DS #2 was 10 days early, weighed 9 lbs, thank god he was early because they kept telling me I'd have a 10 lb baby and he would have been. Also healthy other than some fluid that lingered in his lungs and kept him in the NICU for a day.

My BP was thankfully never an issue, they kept predicting I was going to have pre-eclampsia because it can accompany GD but in that respect I was just fine. My BP rarely went over 100/60.

I had gestational diabetes with all three of my pregnancies. With my third pregnancy I told the doctor to not test me for gd as I would just go ahead with the diet and four times a day testing.

I went to a dietitian the first two pregnancies. Do as they tell you! I measured everything I ate for the first two pregnancies. By the third I could eyeball the amount of food and get it right.  Gained 12 pounds with the first, 15 with the second and 0 with the third.

Walk, walk, walk - especially after eating. It made a big difference for me.

Test, test, test - I rarely missed a finger prick. My doc always said I won the "most compliant" patient award!

I had healthy, normal weight babies and other than the gd didn't have any other pregnancy complications.

Follow the diet, measure food, walk and test!

Oh and I forgot one thing. Before I developed gestational diabetes I thought having any type of diabetes meant no more sugar, ever. So I was sad since it was the hottest summer on record (or so it felt like, lol) when I was pregnant with dd and I love ice cream. Well, the doctor told me I could still eat ice cream! I had to measure it and eat it after a protein meal, and she said "be sure it's the high fat kind". woo-hoo! 

Oh my I don't know about taking a census as you will hear so many different kinds of situations and you don't have everybody's unique variables. In my case I was already high risk due to my age. I did have HELLP syndrome which is a variant of pre-eclampsia and I remember it being most often with the first pregnancy with same partner. But age was a factor.

But I will tell you what I did that made it go better. I totally watched all my carbs, combined each meal and snack with protein, and walked after every meal even if it was doing circuits around my house. I was great at keeping my GD in check.

I know it's super difficult not to worry but put it aside actively and do what they recommend to keep it in check. And if you have any concerns go in right away.

Congrats on your pregnancy! Wishing you all the best!

Hunt around for a swim class for pregnant women. Mine was taught by a PT and really, it was the best hour of my day. Working out in the water is kinder to your back and she would know just what to do with the aches and pains. And all the women wanted to do was talk pregnancy--I loved it. 

I had it with my last two pregnancies. I started insulin shortly after being diagnosed due to my fasting blood sugar being high to start but soon after everything was out of whack. It is normal to have to increase your insulin as the pregnancy goes on due to changes in hormones. I did still have to follow the diet although now that I have learned more about carbs and nutrition, I feel that the carb limits that they give are still fairly high. They were lower than what I ate at the time but not as low as I eat now, and I wouldn't consider myself to be very strictly "low carb". The recommended grams per meal when I had it (youngest is 4) was 15 for breakfast and three snacks, 45-60 for lunch and dinner.

I had additional dr appts each week, I think partly due to being on insulin. I had an ultrasound and an NST weekly from the time I started insulin until delivery. I didn't have any complications due to the GD. I had c-sections with all of my kids, and they were all born early (between 37-38 weeks). They all weighed pretty much the same.