Gestational Diabetes - Bellevue,NE

Updated on August 30, 2010
J.G. asks from Bellevue, NE
11 answers

I'm 29 wks pregnant and just found out Friday that I have gestational diabetes. This is my 2nd pregnancy and first time dealing with this. I could literally eat all day long and I don't know how to handle this. My dr is sending me to a nutrionist and setting me up so I can check my blood sugars several times a day. What on earth am I supposed to eat and how do I get through the day when all I want to eat is carbs, carbs, carbs? Any advice or special recipes would help a ton!

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K.S.

answers from Green Bay on

Aw, you'll do fine. That is what the nutritionist is for.

High fiber, low glycemic.

Print out the info for these protein shakes and ask you nutritionist if they seem like a good option. They are so easy and GOOD!

http://K..myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?main_cat=Weigh...

HTH! :)
K.

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M.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

Believe it or not, once you have a little detox, you will start to crave different things. When you are diabetic and not controlled, you crave carbs because of the high sugar levels you are having. Once your blood sugar is stable, you will not crave the carbs anymore and you will actually not be hungry... As a diabetic you are required to have 3 meals and 3 snacks a day... I felt I was eatting all day long... It actually got nerve wrecking because of the need to have to eat every couple of hours. I think the only hard thing was was the "what to drink" problem. You are very very limited when you are pregnant. Can not do the diet stuff and can not do much juice or the other stuff; so that is trully the biggest problem. Once you meet with the diabetic educators and they give you the amount of carbs you are allowed for each meal and snack, it is a lot easier. You just have to start reading some lables.

3 moms found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Dallas on

You will be fine. It will take your body a little to adjust, but you will be fine. It was amazing how my body reacted once I got on my diet. My babies were fine too!!! Three good things I had: 1) healthy wonderful babies; 2) I could fit into my skinny jeans less than month later and 3) you will be more in tune with your body and the correct food for taking care of any sugar issues down the road.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.R.

answers from McAllen on

Welcome to our boat!!
First of all, dont worry too much, stress can increase your sugar levels, 2nd, you can eat most of the things you like (with measure) I hate needles!! and I was scared out of my sock to have to do this 4 times a day, but its really not that bad, also, the nutricionist will tell you how much to eat, but you can still eat pretty much everything, I get 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, so I'm not really hungry, also be sure to limit your carb and fat intake, once you have your blood levels under control, you will see that you're only eating healthier, so hang in there, you'll be fine.
There is this book called "choose your foods" and its all about combining foods so you have plenty to choose from.

1 mom found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Dover on

I had the same problems with my second pregnancy and I love my carbs. Pay attention to the dietician because what she tells you is crucial to having your GD controlled through diet alone. You will need to cut back on the carbs because they turn to sugar and will really make your numbers high.

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C.V.

answers from Milwaukee on

I had this with my first pregnancy (not my second) and it wasn't as big a deal as I thought. The fact that you want to eat all day is helpful because that keeps your blood sugars more level. I had a hard time with that because I tended to just eat my 3 meals and maybe something small before bed, which is bad because that would spike my blood sugars. Depending on how you eat, it may not be that big of a change. You do still need to eat carbs, but smarter carbs rather than bleached flour and sugar laden carbs. I had to cut out my morning orange juice (which I still have not reinstated) and most of the fruit I swapped out for veggies. You will probably have to forgo eating out for a while... Once you meet with the nutritionist it will seem really easy. They know what they're doing and you'll be good and healthy! Good luck!

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G.B.

answers from Boise on

Hey, Your adrenal gland plays a huge role in how your process glucose!! Cortisol to be exact, is the hormone that controls that. Low cortisol is no laughing matter and can lead to serious heavy duty disease later on. Even in your baby if you have issues yourself. You can easily check to see if your adrenal gland is functioning properly with a saliva cortisol test. NOT a morning cortisol, which only pulls the blood once. A saliva cortisol test will take at least three readings of your cortisol levels thru the day.
If your doc wont do one, you can get them online and do it yourself.

My daughter has a damaged adrenal gland from a kidney infection that turned into shock before being diagnosed. She now has hypoglycemia because she doesnt have enough cortisol to keep her blood sugar levels in check. Hypoglycemia can turn into diabetes. That is why I am saying , have your cortisol checked.

People can go years and years with low cortisol and not know what is wrong or even if something is wrong. Hers started out with knee pain at 4 yrs old. , then to hip pain, and always responses to blood sugar surged with hysteria/ uncontrolled laughter. otherwise she was pretty normal until about 11.
They may get tired easily, may have sleeping issues, may not handle stress well, and may have joint/muscle pain (usually diagnosed with growing pains if they have this issue as a child/teen). As the years pass with low cortisol,... more symptoms start showing up: not feeling well/getting aggitated, hyper or anxiety if you havent eated in 3 or more hrs, sometimes going into nonstop laughing jags after a sugar substance, Waking up at night several times, not being able to get up in morning, not being able to fall asleep at night, sensitive to light/fumes, eyes blur sometimes, acne, frizzy looking hair , feeling worse after exercise, wanting to faint or getting dizzy when rising from a sitting or laying position , clumsy, wobbly legs, chest /rib pain , sometimes short breath, new food allergies (eggs in my daughters case, when she ate them plenty as a young child.)

If you need a web adress for the test , shoot me a line.

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J.S.

answers from Appleton on

I went thru this 4 times. It got easier each time. The nutritionist will be a big help. And don't worry they allow you plenty to eat. I kept losing weight with one of my children that they had me eating so much food it had trouble doing it. The hardest part will be getting into a routine of eating (6 times per day) and testing (which varies). Just keep a positive attitude because the end reward is a great blessing. Sorry no recipes cuz I ate normally.

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G.N.

answers from Madison on

I am sorry to hear your diagnoses. In my 2nd pregnancy I was 1 point away from getting that. And then in March (2009) was was told I was a diabetic. Getting gestational diabetes is one of the indicators that you will have type 2 diabetes later in life. I have found a book called "The Zone Diet" by Dr. Barry Sears . It made a lot of sense to me and when I follow it my blood sugars are where they are supposed to be. The food is fresh and easy to find and most are tasty. I found the book through my local library. Good luck. There are a ton of books geared to this topic. And I am positive that you will find one that will work for you and your family.

G.

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L.Z.

answers from Bismarck on

I was in this position about 5 years ago so my feedback might be a little dated. I didn't have to change my diet much at all. It's more about making sure you have the right combinations of food. You need protein with your carbs so for example don't just eat pasta....eat pasta with a healthy portion of meat. Remember beans and eggs have lots of protein so they will help regulate your sugars too. Once you start testing yourself, if you find a few meals where your sugar count is close but a little high, sprinkle cinnamon on your food. Cinnamon also helps regulate your sugars. I agree with the others...pay attention to the dietician. She'll ask you what you typically eat for each meal and snack. Then she'll give you suggestions to help you eat those items or something similar and keep your sugar count where it should be. As for what to drink, water is great. Milk is better than juice. I think tea and coffee are also fine as long as you don't add sugar to them (or at least not too much sugar). Exercise is also important. Walking or other light exercise should be fine. I had to test my sugar in the morning before I ate. Then I tested two hours after breakfast, lunch, and supper. I used to eat 3 meals a day plus two snacks but I wasn't required to test after snacks. Testing four times a day wasn't fun but it was doable. The tester doesn't jab too deep and you just keep switching fingers so you aren't always jabbing the same one. They told me to test on the side rather than the middle of the finger so it doesn't bother you if you are typing or doing other tasks. It doesn't happen often, but occasionally when you test, it will bleed for a bit so it's a good idea to keep a few bandaids handy. Like I said, it doesn't happen often but better to prepared just in case. Your dietician will encourage you to read labels and eat healthy (lots of veggies and a few fruits). You will need to check a month or two after the baby is born to make sure your sugars return to normal. As for recipes...pretty much any diabetic cookbook or website should be of help. You can borrow cookbooks from the library or check on the web to get recipes for free.

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C.G.

answers from Davenport on

You will not be put on a diet. It is about healthy eating and snacking. Take advantage of seeing the dietitian because the advice she/he gives, is how everyone should be eating. It is mostly about carb counting and portion control, that doesn't mean that you are going to be starving all day (it means you are going to be healthy and so will your baby). Here are a couple websites that can help you keep track of your carbs and recipes: www.mypyramid.gov, http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/my-food-adv....

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