Who's had Gestational Diabetes and needed insulin?

[7beasley]

Hi

I am 30 weeks pregnant with my first child (a little girl) -- it was a difficult road to get pregnant requiring IVF.

I had my 1 hr Glucose Tolerance Test last Wednesday (8/22) and on Thursday found out that I failed -- the number was 211.

I thought I failed because I was drinking so much regular sugar soda and juice so I immediately cut that out of my diet.

I saw a diabetes dietatcian and nurse yesterday - they agreed that the soda may have been the main issue because my diet was healthy and right -- I have only gained 14 lbs during this pregnancy. They advised me to completely cut out all regular soda and juice - and to pretty much stick to the diet I was already following but to throw in more snacks -- particularly a snack before bed.

Yesterday was my 1st day of testing. They want your numbers after meals to be 120 or less and your number first thing in the morning to be 95 or less.

Yesterday I tested after breakfast, lunch and dinner and then this morning right when I woke up. My numbers were not good.

After breakfast ---- 118
After lunch -------- 145
After dinner ------- 165
First thing this morning -- 130

I am bracing myself for needing insulin since it appears that diet alone is not going to help my numbers. I need to call the nurse today after 11am when I do the "after breakfast" test.

So - I am terrified and nervous and depressed about where things are going. I have not had an ultrasound since June 22nd so I suspect they will be doing one soon to check on the baby and her size. Everything I have read indicates that I am at a much higher risk for Type II diabetes after delivery based on the fact that I (a) have gestational diabetes and (b) need insulin.

Anyone have any personal experiences to share?

Thanks for listening!
-Nicole

 

[suzannen]

Nicole,
I had very mild gestational diabetes with my last DD (I was over 35), so I never needed insulin, but I was also told to cut out all of the fresh fruit I was eating because of the high natural sugar content in fruit. I normally eat fruit constantly, so that was one of the hardest things for me to do those last two months, but by doing that and following the diabetes nutritionist's diet plan with smaller snacks and complex carbs, it really helped keep the numbers low. It's really scary being called "high-risk" constantly, but as my wonderful OB kept saying to me "it really just means that we are going to take even more extra-special care of you and your baby." That helped me deal with it. Good luck!

 

[Dancin Desert]

Nicole,

My ex-DW had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies. My advice? FOLLOW THE DOCTOR'S ORDERS! That means watch what you eat and exercise within reason.

Ex-DW did not follow either order (exercise and diet), and now she's a Type II diabetic. After the first pregnancy, she was barely able to get off the insulin, but now she has no option.

As for the needles, they weren't so bad. I LOVED giving the shots!

Best of luck and congratulations.

Dave

 

[Minnesota!]

Nicole -

I had GD with both my boys - insulin needed.

It sucks, but in all reality..it is for such a short time frame, it isn't too big a deal.

What did you eat for those meals where the number was high? Have you tried tailoring what you eat to see what happens?

For example, fruit is a BIG no - no in the AM for most. However, for me, my number would be super fabulous after eating it (I had to be below 140 at 1 hour post eating). I would have fruit and an egg for breakfast and my number would be like 101.

My fasting number was always high - usually 110 or so. That is why I got the insulin.

Red sauces set me off (like if I had a slice of pizza or a little spaghetti). My numbers would shoot into the 200's and my fasting number would still be high.

Let me know what you ate/drank yesterday and I will see if I can find the culprit..

 

[corie161]

I was also borderline with my DS. I was told to watch all the carbs I ate. I can't remember if I was given a certain number to eat each day. My biggest problem was my weight gain. I didn't gain a lot with either child and being told to limit carbs made it even harder to add the weight.

 

[7beasley]

Let me know what you ate/drank yesterday and I will see if I can find the culprit..

Hi

I followed the EXACT diet they told me to follow.

I had my appt at 1130am yesterday and ate breakfast late right before that appt. Breakfast was: 1 scrambled egg w/ ketchup, 1 piece of whole wheat toast with margarine and 4 oz of milk --- sugar = 118

Lunch was: 1 small cup of corn chowder, 1 package of oyster crackers and 20 oz of water --- sugar = 145

Snack before dinner was: 1 serving of Sunchips

Dinner was: 4 oz of sirloin steak, 3/4 cup of rice, some yellow squash, and a salad with italian dressing and diet rootbeer --- sugar = 165.

Snack before bed was: 5 small graham crackers with peanut butter and 8 oz of milk (which is what they told me to eat!!) ---- sugar when I woke up this morning= 130.

I did everything they told me to do.

For breakfast this morning they told me to eat cereal (rice chex) with 8 oz milk and 1/2 a banana -- I did just that -- I need to test in about half an hour.

I have a call into both my doctor and the nurse.

I am particularly nervous about all that I have read - namely that the baby will have to be delivered early (36-38 weeks) -- I am against that!! I have not had an ultrasound since June 22nd so whenever the doctor calls back I am going to ask for that so we can see how big the baby is. I really wanted to deliver ******lly -- I DO NOT want a c-section!!! And I want the baby to stay in there as long as possible -- although everything I read indicates that if you are on insulin - they don't let you go to 40 weeks!

Ugh.

What stress.

Especially after how hard it was to get pregnant -- it is killing me to think that the baby could be in any danger or won't be healthy.

-Nicole

 

[Stimpy]

I had GD with my second pregnancy. It seemed to come out of nowhere and I got it right in the beginning of the pregnancy! I was insulin dependant about 3 months into the pregnancy. The dr's thought I might have been diabetic before I got pregnant and just didn't know it. The good news was that right after DD was born, I was fine and knock on wood, nothing yet. (She's now 3)

I can tell you that I actually lost weight while pregnant from following the diet and from depression. (I was overweight but not extremely) I got so depressed they wanted to put me on meds for that too but I refused. But that was more with other issues I had too with the pregnancy.

I was able to go full term as long as DD stayed in the normal weight range but her due date was her due date, no exceptions! If she wasn't born before then on her own, I had to be induced (I had to be induced with DS b/c he was 2 1/2 weeks late and swore I would never do it again. I had a horrible 1st labor/delivery and it took me a long time to agree to get pregnant again. When I did decide to try it took a long time to get pregnant. She was a "surprising challenge" from the day I found out I was pregnant and still is. ) My Dr's wouldn't allow me to get a c-section unless absolutely necessary, even though I tried to beg for one Anyway, I had to be induced on her due date!

She's fine now, but she was actually underweight when she was born. The dr's said it was ok, sometimes GD causes big babies. Dh said right after she came out "oh that looked easy!" b/c she was much smaller than DS was. (Ummm excuse me??? You have the next baby then buddy! ) She's still a peanut (in the 5th percentile height & weight) but otherwise she's perfectly healthy. I do keep a close eye on what she eats since she is at a higher risk for diabetes herself.

The injections really weren't that bad and I hate getting my allergy shots! You do have to be careful about not getting enough sugar too. I had that happen 2-3 times and it can be scary.

I hope some of this helps. Good luck today and just realize it may seem like forever but it's only a few weeks If you have any other questions or need support, feel free to PM me.

 

[MELISAZACK]

No Worries I had it VERY bad my number was over 400 with my son..
I had no Insulin to take and followed a Very strick diet... BUT the items I was allowed to eat were nothing on your list...

NO SODA - no diet either - try crystle light - no sugar there at all..
and MILK was a big NO NO at 8 oz... that would kill your sugar.. very small amount of that under a 1/2 cup...

As for dressing on a salad..you need to read lables and learn to read them for a diabetic - which is something my counslers taught me on day 1 of meeting them.. I had 2 days to get the sugar controled by diet or here comes the shots!! I was always perfect with the finger prick test after that treat..

believe it or not a good snack food is those cheese and cracker lunch snacks for kids- the ones you spread on the crackers with the little plastic knives..

Also during your meals you need to balance things with a starch to get the surgars to work... and condiments are little to none...

Ceral- Frosted flakes is low in sugar - go figure.. and don't drink the milk left in the bowl...

FRUITS - are EXTREMLY high in sugar - stay away from them if you can...
and make sure you are eating your snack 2 hours after your breakfast/lunch and dinner - this is very important in keeping your levels in check!

Hope this helps you a little bit.

 

[MELISAZACK]

Oh and let me add.. I had ultrasounds 1x/wk from 32 wks on....
He was a very large baby and when we found out about the sugar issue the dr. and I made a agreement that anytime the ultrasound showed a baby that is poss. over 10 lbs we would induce.. and about a week early that happen.
I spent 39 hour in labor (comfortably) and then a c-section .. he was having issues...no big deal though - he ended up being 9lbs 2 oz 21 1/2 long..
big boy....but very healthly and no sugar issues for me the next moring..
I lost 40 lbs during my pregnacy as well...
do don't worry to much on when they are born. and a week early isn't to bad.

 

[7beasley]

NO SODA - no diet either - try crystle light - no sugar there at all..
and MILK was a big NO NO at 8 oz... that would kill your sugar.. very small amount of that under a 1/2 cup...

Thank you -- frankly - I am SO confused -- I hope the doctor and/or nurse calls me back soon. The dietatician lady told me to have milk (1%) for breakfast, lunch and with at least one snack (but with 2 snacks would be okay too) -- they are encouraging me to drink LOTS of milk.

They said I should have 60 grams of carbs with breakfast, 60 with lunch and 60 with dinner and then have 15 grams of carbs for my snack between breakfast and lunch -- 30 grams for the snack between lunch and dinner and 30 grams of carbs for my snack before bed.

I thought the same thing -- that the amount of carbs seemed high -- but that is what the diet lady said!!

I have sent her an email to get more info.

Thanks for your info though.

This whole thing is super confusing and scary!!

-Nicole

 

[Stimpy]

60 grams for breakfast? I was only allowed to have 15! That's a big difference. I would definately double check about that one. I was also told only to have 1 cup of milk a day but had to eat other dairy products....cheese, yogurt etc. I usually had the milk right before bed.

All dr's are different and I had it 4 years ago so obviously, your own office knows what's best for you.

Good luck

 

[mickeyboat]

I am particularly nervous about all that I have read - namely that the baby will have to be delivered early (36-38 weeks) -- I am against that!!

Niclole - don't forget, 37 weeks is considered full term. A baby born after that is likely not to have any complications from being born "early."

I am sure it is all freaking you out right now, but the more information you have, the better off you will be. Good luck.

Denae

 

[MELISAZACK]

7beasley---

check out this site it may help you with the carb count and food exchange with everything.. and I agree I think they gave you the wrong information on your limits - mine were very low as well..

http://diabetes.about.com/od/nutrition/p/eatingplans.htm

 

[Stimpy]

Here's a few websites I still had bookmarked:

http://www.kraftfoods.com/diabetic/main.aspx?s=diabetic&m=main_content

http://ndep.nih.gov/

 

[grlpwrd]

Yes, definitely follow dr's. orders. I had GD during my last 2 pregnancies. I had to take insulin and my babies were large. My son was 12 lbs 7 oz and my dd was a little over 10 lbs. I had to have c sections both times.

You might also want to add more exercise in your routine. Walking is great.

My nutrionist also told me that people with GD have a 25% (or thereabout) chance of having diabetes for life. Best to make it a life goal, too, to take care of things long-term, you know what I mean?

Take care and best of luck to you!

 

[Minnesota!]

Nicole -

What I see on yours that I personally couldn't eat b/c it was a trigger are:
ketchup
corn
crackers
rootbeer
rice
salad dressing (try oil/vinegar)

I was also told milk is VERY important. I got YELLED at by my endocrinologist for not drinking enough.


My sample day was:

breakfast - 1 Egg with a piece of toast, milk (NEVER chocolate)

snack was usually some cheese cubes or a banana

lunch - 1/2 turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat with a handful of carrots or a small salad with oil/vinegar. milk

snack - cheese/meat cubes or small apple

dinner - small portion of meat (size of a deck of cards), steamed broccoli with a little butter, small portion of brown rice. milk

snack - graham cracker with peanut butter, milk

Like I said, ANYTHING red set my sugars high for a LONG time.

You will start getting u/s every week or so (BPP's are what they are called) and most likely will have weekly NST's. It is true that insulin ages the placenta, so they monitor you closely to make sure it is hanging on. Both of my sons came just after 37 weeks...but PIH precluded it all, so GD wasn't the primary reason. You don't necessarialy have to have the baby early - they will determine that. But, with what is going on, outside might be healthier than inside at some point. A c/s might not be your ideal, but if it is healthier than keeping your sweet little miss in, you will cross that bridge when you come to it.

And I agree - 60 grams for breakfast sounds REALLY high.

 

[7beasley]

Well - based on all of your thoughts that the carbs the dietician told me to take were too high (B=60, snack =15, L=60, snack =30, Dinner=60 and snack=30) - I emailed the woman again to confirm the numbers...

She emailed me back and said she "re-calculated" things based on my recent high tests and now she wants me to do the following:

Breakfast=45
Snack=15
Lunch=45
Snack=15
Dinner=60
Snack=30

Those still seem higher than the numbers you guys were all talking about - but we will see.

The nurse told me that medication seems likely and that she will get back to me after she talks to my doctor.

I test again at 3pm.

-Nicole

 

[cybrkitn]

I was diagnosed with it when I was about 22 or 25 weeks gestational with DS5, and yes, I had to go on insulin. I couldn't control mine by diet either. What I hated was that I was much stricter than DH who is diabetic. Meaning, I couldn't have anything with sugar alcohols in it - anything that ended in a "tol" .

I had opted for the insulin pen, which worked out great. I was terrified of giving myself the insulin and had DH do it the first time (NEVER asked him again after that ). After that I learned where on my leg to inject it without it hurting.

One thing I did learn was to have a salad with no dressing before attending a party or get-together. Having that ahead of time, kept my sugars under control and gave me a bit of a buffer to account for the food that would be there . I can't take aspartame (gives me an upset stomach), so I pretty much had water and fresh unsweetened decaf iced tea from the tea bags whether I was home or out.

There were times where my numbers were fine then started to get a little high. I would email my nutritionist with the information on a daily basis and she would adjust my units accordingly. I was just about ready to go to 42 units when DS5 made his debut . The first thing I asked DH for after DS was born, was for a large Coke . I couldn't wait to have something with taste to it after 3 months!

I'm not diabetic anymore, thankfully, and the best thing that diet did for me was to lose 30 lbs ! I was 184lbs prior to becoming pregnant (I'm also 5'4"). Afterwards, I was down to 154lbs. It was such a great feeling being able to come home in regular clothes instead of maternity clothes. The down side of it all was that I gained all 30lbs back; it just took me 5 years to do it

 

[Minnesota!]

Cbyrktn - you had to do insulin in the leg?? I got to do it in my tummy. Never even felt the needle. Nice and cushy

Nicole - I have conferred with soem other people that I know that have had GD and they agree that your carb allowances are WAY high. Did you say you are seeing a nutritionist/dietician?

 

[cybrkitn]

Cbyrktn - you had to do insulin in the leg?? I got to do it in my tummy. Never even felt the needle. Nice and cushy

Yep, but I chose to do it in my leg though. My grandfather was diabetic and I always cringed watching him give himself an insulin shot in his stomach . Still does, just thinking about it.

But, I gotta tell you, doing it in my leg wasn't as bad as I thought and helped me understand why I'm terrified of needles. Whenever I had to get shots, it hurt like hell b/c it would always go right into a nerve. When it was time to give myself the insulin, I would very gently put pressure with the needle on my leg. If it hurt, I knew it was a nerve and I'd move over a bit. If I didn't feel anything, I knew that it was the right spot and could inject the insulin without a problem.

One other thing I didn't mention in my above post was that one of my aunts (one of my dad's younger sisters) was also pregnant with her first and was 6 months further along than me. I was 30 when I was pregnant with DS, she was 40. Both of us had gestational diabetes, so we would email back and forth and I would call her as well. She was a great support as was my dad, who has diabetes as well and is insulin dependant.

Bet you can see a pattern here. My father's side of the family has diabetes, but it's mostly the brothers and only one sister that has it. My father is the oldest out of 10.