Gestational Diabetes

mikaelarose331

So I'm a bigger girl and this is my first pregnancy. I was working on losing weight when I found out that I was pregnant, but I didn't lose enough to make a big difference. I hate to say it, but given my BMI, it wasn't a big surprise for me that I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I'm hoping that I can find someone else who is in the same boat I am or has gone through it before and can help me with some tips or meal plans. I'm determined to keep my sugar in check, I don't want my baby to have to pay for my poor food choices and I want to make a healthy lifestyle change that I will be able to keep for the rest of my life and be able to pass onto them as they grow.

carldonovan1980

Try not to let it worry you , my partner is pregnant on our third child and has recently been diagnosed as having gestational diabetes , but there’s lots of help online in a lot of parenting groups .

mikaelarose331

I know I shouldn't worry too much because it won't help anything, but I can't help it. And it doesn't help when my family has all this junk in the house, but I've done good so far, my baby's health is more important to me. I've never been one for support groups or things like that, I'm not sure how I'd do with it to be honest.

aajanaya

I have gestational diabetes as well and I'm 27 weeks pregnant with twins girls. I got diagnosed with it on 3/28. So if you have any questions then let me know.

mikaelarose331

Thanks, I really appreciate it! What I'm having a hard time with is snacking throughout the day. I'm more of a 3 meals a day person and I find myself skipping snacks and having regular size meals. Also, I'm really not sure when to snack? I'm afraid if I snack before I take my sugar 2 hrs after eating an actual meal that it'll mess with my results.

kellityack

I had gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy. My issue was usually my fasting number, my daytime numbers were always good. the biggest takeaway i received from the nutrition counseling i received was to eat a protein with a fruit (fruit was my only real craving during my pregnancy) so it would help keep my numbers in check. I continued to follow that advice post pregnancy too, just made sense to me!
the other thing i would say is to take sizing ultrasounds (if you end having any towards the end) with a grain of salt- they told me i was going to have a 12 pound baby and really scared me with horror stories about her being too big to fit, etc. turns out she was 8lbs, 9oz when she was born. perfectly fine.

mikaelarose331

wow, that is terrifying!! how did they even get so far off with the estimatent i wonder?? so far they told me that the baby is right where she needs to be. i've asked them before if they can estimate about how big she'll be by delivery and they haven't really answered me. i met with the nutritionist for the first time today, she said all of my numbers are looking good, but i'm not getting enough calories. i'm a bigger girl anyway and she wants me getting 2400 calories a day, 1900 at the least. since i've started watching what i'm eating and counting carbs i've been getting about 1500-1600 a day.

bambi4488

Hi! First of all congratulations on being pregnant x now for the GD, I had this twice before and managed to change my diet the second time round so I was able to stabilise my sugars and even lose weight whilst doing so!

First of all there is a GD page on Facebook with some really useful information about the best ways to eat to ensure your levels stay in check. It also offers lots of advice and support from ladies in the same position.

One of the most important rules is never to eat a naked carb! This means when you eat a carb make sure you either have fats or protein or both to help the carb break down quicker in the body. Be aware of refined sugars in carbs as these will definitely make your sugars spike and crash. St first try testing 15 mins after a food and if you spoke you will see this happen within a 15 minute window. If you spike you will crash and that’s not good for you or your baby but at first it will provide you with ideas of what your body can and can’t tolerate so information at first is key!

It’s hard for the first few weeks adjusting to a new diet without sugar but I promise it does make you feel soooo much better and obviously will help your little one in the long run x

You’re not alone, I’ve met over 1000 other mums online with the same thing and have all gone on to have healthy little babies x

Check out the Facebook page mentioned above and good luck on your journey x

Sharon_C

I had gestational diabetes with my 3rd pregnancy. She's a healthy, vibrant, active 18 year old now! I had to see a nutritionist who helped me with food choices, etc. I will say, it was a turning point in my life. I consciously ate better and exercised and lost 70 pounds.

GinaHallstrom

I too had GD with my twins. Seeing a diabetes nutritionist was very helpful and a key to my successful pregnancy. I was able to control my glucose with diet and walking. The hardest part I found at the time was the planning I had to do with my diet. I measured and tracked everything and kept a good log to review with my doctor at checkups. Pregnancy went well for twins but baby B was born hypoglycemic which can happen with GD but he responded well with breast feeding and formula. We all went home 3 days later. Be mindful that having GD puts you at a higher risk for developing diabetes later on down the road. Best of luck to you and Congrats!

mikaelarose331

thanks everyone!! i really do appreciate your insight!!