Just Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes

vglikman
vglikman Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone. I'm 23 weeks pregnant and was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes on Monday. I go on Tuesday for my nutrition class and machine to test my blood. Until then, I have been following the diet that my friend was given when she was diagnosed with GD. I have lost 19 lbs. in the first part of my pregnancy and as of my last appointment I only gained 5 lbs. back. I was trying to be as health concious as possible when I was eating, although I did have my cheat days. Those have obviously come to a stop now that I've gotten my diagnosis.

My biggest question is this. The past two nights I have eaten 6 oz. of London Broil, some sort of veggie and a 1/2 cup of Wheat berries for dinner. Before I got to bed I have a cup of 2% milk. The only thing out of this that is not in the ordinary is the wheat berries. Everything else I eat on a regular basis.

Well the past two days I have been waking up in the middle of the night and I'm swollen and bloated and gassy (sorry for the TMI). And in the morning the swelling is still there and and I just feel uncomfortable. Could the wheatberries do this to me?
I know the swelling is normal with pregnancy and the heat outside doesn't help. But I'm never really this swollen and my swelling doesn't usually set in until much later in teh day. When I wake up I don't really have any swelling.

I am also drinking tons of water. And I check my blood pressure regularly to make sure that is' don't that causing swelling and my BP is always around 130/70.

Thanks in advance for any info!

Replies

  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    Gas can be from the milk, if you are lactose intolerant, or from too rapidly increasing fiber in your diet. Perhaps you should slowly increase the amount of wheat berries you eat.
    Also 130/70 sounds high for your blood pressure, most women have slightly lower blood pressure during pregnancy unless it increases due to complications. Make sure your doctors are following that in addition to the diabetes. With the "swelling" it could be problematic. Give them a call if they are unaware of the blood pressure and swelling that you have. It sounds like that is new, so they really should know, you could have pre-eclampsia.
    Hi everyone. I'm 23 weeks pregnant and was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes on Monday. I go on Tuesday for my nutrition class and machine to test my blood. Until then, I have been following the diet that my friend was given when she was diagnosed with GD. I have lost 19 lbs. in the first part of my pregnancy and as of my last appointment I only gained 5 lbs. back. I was trying to be as health concious as possible when I was eating, although I did have my cheat days. Those have obviously come to a stop now that I've gotten my diagnosis.

    My biggest question is this. The past two nights I have eaten 6 oz. of London Broil, some sort of veggie and a 1/2 cup of Wheat berries for dinner. Before I got to bed I have a cup of 2% milk. The only thing out of this that is not in the ordinary is the wheat berries. Everything else I eat on a regular basis.

    Well the past two days I have been waking up in the middle of the night and I'm swollen and bloated and gassy (sorry for the TMI). And in the morning the swelling is still there and and I just feel uncomfortable. Could the wheatberries do this to me?
    I know the swelling is normal with pregnancy and the heat outside doesn't help. But I'm never really this swollen and my swelling doesn't usually set in until much later in teh day. When I wake up I don't really have any swelling.

    I am also drinking tons of water. And I check my blood pressure regularly to make sure that is' don't that causing swelling and my BP is always around 130/70.

    Thanks in advance for any info!
  • vglikman
    vglikman Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for the reply Fleetz!

    That is actually normal for my BP. They have been monitoring my BP the whole time, they said they only get concerned if it's over 140/80.

    Now I do have milk a lot and I've never had this problem before. Maybe the wheatberries and the Milk together?

    I generally eat a lot of fiber but this is really the first time I had wheatberries thats what made me think that was what was causing it?
  • mrscarolbernard
    mrscarolbernard Posts: 32 Member
    I had GD too. Milk is a carb and you shouldn't drink it before bed. In your class they will probably recommend you eat a protein snack before bed to stabilize your blood sugar through the night. I usually had a half cup cottage cheese. You could have regular cheese, nuts, or egg too.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Thanks for the reply Fleetz!

    That is actually normal for my BP. They have been monitoring my BP the whole time, they said they only get concerned if it's over 140/80.

    Now I do have milk a lot and I've never had this problem before. Maybe the wheatberries and the Milk together?

    I generally eat a lot of fiber but this is really the first time I had wheatberries thats what made me think that was what was causing it?


    Not sure if this will help, but ask your doctor if you can drink 100% cranberry juice. If you can mix 1 oz CJ with 7 oz plain water, that should help to get rid of the water retention. I normally drink that several times a day when I go over my sodium. Trader Joe's sells 100 CJ for $3.99. Also be close to a bathroom for the first couple of days, you will be peeing constantly. Not sure about the wheat berries, but try and reduce your sodium below 2000mg - others may say different - but there is nothing worse that being bloated.
  • debaloo
    debaloo Posts: 129 Member
    Is this your first pregnancy? Having gas a certain time doesn't mean anything is wrong... it just happens. Follow your doctor or midwifes suggestions about your diet and monitoring your blood sugar. Controlling this now will give you a better chance of a normal delivery.
  • jhandur
    jhandur Posts: 19 Member
    I had GD as well. Walking for an hour a day really helped with my blood sugar and I stayed away from milk in general because it was the worst offender for my blood sugar. If I drank it I did it in the afternoon before or after I went on my walk. I kept to things like peanut butter, eggs, fruits, veggies, meat, and whole wheat bread. I wish I could offer some advice for the swelling but I didn't really have that till my last 3 weeks, I think that the walking helped keep me from swelling but I'm not sure. Extra fiber in your diet can cause gas so you are probably on the mark with your wheat-berries theory.
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
    I had such severe gestational diabetes I couldn't keep the damned test down. Any amount of sugar made me upchuck. I ended up putting myself on a carb restricted diet like a diabetic. I unfortunately lost 15 pounds when I was pregnant, partially because I had severe morning sickeness until 5 months in.

    I ate a lot fruit, milk products and lean chicken. Keep up the lots of water, that will help too.

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