Pregnant, with gestational diabetes!

ohrebecca · August 2012

Hi all! I'm Rebecca, 30 y/o, and 33 1/2 weeks with my first child! I was recently diagnosed with GD, and since I'd used mfp in the beginning of the year to lose weight (lost 12 lbs with this lovely site/app!), I decided to use it again to track my eating, especially my carbs.

It's nice to be back! And I hope to continue using the site post-baby, to lose all that baby (& remaining pre-baby!) weight!

MFPBrandy · August 2012

I got diagnosed, too -- managed to control it thru diet & exercise, no meds, and made it to 40 weeks with a perfectly healthy little girl. It can get really frustrating, though, since the placenta is constantly changing the game on you. Just when I thought I'd found a good groove, everything would change and my numbers would be all over the place. Add pregnancy hormones to the mix, and boy-oh-boy, did I have some meltdowns over how frustrating it all was.
I'm glad you're on MFP. It sounds stupid, but no one warned me that not eating enough would actually INCREASE my blood sugar (the doc oh-so-helpfully pointed that out AFTER I realized I was eating under 1,000 calories a day and stopped it on my own) -- I got so focused on carbs and blood sugar, it never occurred to me to count calories, and since I don't usually eat much meat or dairy, my calories dropped like crazy.
If you haven't already, experiment with walking -- it was crazy how much a difference just a leisurely stroll around the block made in my numbers.
Hang in there; You can totally do this. Feel free to add me or message me!

cgraylyon · August 2012

I had this with both my babies. My son is 12 and daughter 5. The first went untreated and I almost doubled my body weight and the second I controlled with diet and only gained 19 lbs. My only advice is to stick to the diet and really try to think about the baby! Good luck to you and your babe!

rst12267 · August 2012

I have 4 kids and the last three pregnancies I had gestational diabetes. The first was controlled by diet alone, the second I was put on insulin at 20 weeks and the last I was taking oral meds from 20 weeks. (The DRS changed their opinion about the dangers of oral meds. Anyway, all my children came out fine. I consider myself a bit of an expert by necessity so if you need to talk to someone who has BTDT please feel free to message me. Good luck!

ohrebecca · August 2012

Thanks so much, everyone! I've only been monitoring my glucose less than a week, so I'm still learning - my numbers are *generally* good so far, with a few spikes just a bit above my ideal range. No big "surprises" as far as that, when I have a higher number, I can usually pinpoint what caused it - like tonight, when I barely had any protein with my meal, and my BG showed it! Oops. It's a learning process, and I'm definitely still learning!

I have been trying to walk, and it does help! The problem is at work we only get a half hour lunch and if I haven't already prepared my food (and I'm a slow eater!) I don't always get a chance to take one - plus it's been in the 90s this week and I come back to work sweaty and sticky, even after a ten minute walk! But I am trying. I actually got my fiance to come on a 25 minute walk with me today!

MFPBrandy, I noticed that I am having difficulty getting enough calories, especially on days like today where I haven't had a lot of time to really prepare balanced meals. That might be the reason for my slightly higher-than-normal-but-not-yet-cause-for-concern numbers the past few days.

Thank you again, ladies! I really appreciate the warm welcome

MFPBrandy · August 2012

Once I realized I wasn't getting enough calories, I went heavy on the eggs, nuts & sausage. OMG, I have never eaten more sausage in my life! I bought pre-cooked, frozen spicy brats, which were fairly easy to bring to work as lunch. I'd wrap it in half a deli flat & some spicy mustard.

staceybr01 · August 2012

Hi Ladies,
I am 29 weeks and was also recently diagnosed. I am quite suprised (and frustrated) as I have NO family history of diabetes, typically eat very healthily, and have only gained 15 pounds so far! So, I am not sure what my body is thinking.... :-)

I am trying to come up with ideas for breakfast (I HATE eggs) and snacks (I am always hungry, and WAS eating a lot of fruit, crackers, and granola-type bars, which are now mostly no-no's). Any ideas?

MFPBrandy · August 2012

Lower-carb toast (i.e., one half of a deli flat or bagel thin) slathered with a ton of almond butter. Or skip the standard breakfast fare and have some chicken & veggies, beef jerkey, nuts, brats...I ate a LOT of celery sticks with almond butter. Sorry; I'm no chef...my diet definitely got boring on GD. But hang in there; it's just 11 more weeks. You can do it for 11 weeks!

*ETA: Oh, and I was in your shoes -- fairly early diagnosis, little weight gain, healthy eating...it just happens sometimes.

melmere79 · August 2012

ohrebecca - It can be a bit of a learning curve to get enough calories but still stay within the allotted carb limits. Plus you learn pretty quickly by monitoring BG how your body reacts to foods and certain times which foods heavier in carbs should be avoided (for me that is the AM). Here are some of the snacks that I added into my rotation:

-A piece of fruit combined with string cheese or peanuts
-Greek yogurt
-Lara bars (some flavors can push the limits for carb values but they have lots of protein and fiber, if you have a time of the day when your body handles carbs the best, they are great snacks)
-Kellogg's 90 Calorie Breakfast Cereal bars
-Edy's Slow Churned Ice Cream (strict with my portion control but it is nice to have a treat)
-Wheat Thins (I usually count out 8-10 crackers) with cheddar cheese, peanut butter, or laughing cow soft cheese AND 4 ounces of milk
-Bare Naked granola (lots of flavors to choose from but I like Peak Protein flavor)

Good luck!

Pregnant, with gestational diabetes!

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