Gestational Diabetes - Lake Worth,FL

Read ALL labels. They will trick you into thinking they are something they are not. Do not put high fructose corn syrup in your mouth nor ANY artificial sweetener except for Steevia which is a safe natural plant which has been used in other countries for centuries. You need to watch for artificial colors, flavors. Try to eat mostly organic because your toxicity will be your child's problem later on with a diagnosis of ADHD or autism. Toxic moms have toxic children. Vitamin C and probiotics are the cheapest easiest way to ensure you detox everyday. Go to Dr. Bates site and read the protocol for vitamin C and pregnant women. You need to think outside the box and very rarely that involves your dr.

I had it with three out of four babies, one of my daughters had it with both of hers and another had it with one of hers. It really is no big deal, just follow the advice your doctor gave you (a healthy diet), get a little exercise each day (go for a walk or two) and relax.

After reading the other posts, let me assure you that NO ONE I know who had gestational diabetes developed diabetes, nor did my or their children. The body is overwhelmed during pregnancy, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.

Hi J.,
I had gestational Diabetes with my first born. I have 3 boys and only developed it with the first one. My doctor sent me to take a class on how to control it. I followed the diet to the tee! I did not want to take the risk of having to take insulin. I eat every 4 hours, small meals and watched all my carbs. In addition to that, I took 2 walks a day about 30 mins each. Your Dr will probably want you to take your blood readings daily. It is not as bad as you think. In fact, it might sound silly but it was a blessing in disguise! I thought that since I was pregnant it was a green light to eat anything I wanted. The most important thing to keep in mind is yours and your baby's health. BTW, I still follow the simple rules I did when I had GD and now watch what I eat more closely. You will feel more energy and won't be as tired once you start you diet. Hopefully you will not have to take insulin ( I hated the idea of needles:). If you do, don't let it stress you. I had a friend that did and her baby es very healthy. Please feel free to e-mail me with questions. VEry important: Always keep as snack in your purse. I always had a Peanut Butter package or a Granola bar. Congratulations on your baby!
M. Montiegel (____@____.com)

J.,

I had gestational diabetes too. My Dr. sent me to a class on it - they showed you how to alter your diet, and how to use a glucose monitor. They really aren't hard. I was lucky - I followed the diet that they gave me at class and was able to keep my sugar under control. But... I did cheat now and then.

When my son was born, they did test him for diabetes in the hosptal. We ended up staying an extra day so they could make sure. He was fine with no diabetes issues.

Also, my Dr. wanted me to be re-tested for diabetes about a month after my son was born. I went and no lingering concerns - my blood sugars went back to normal.

Hope this helps!!

E.

Hi J.,
I had gestational diabetes, and gave birth to a healthy boy. He's now almost 7. I was able to control it by watching my diet and exercising and checking my blood sugar regularly but no drugs.

T. F.

I had gestational diabetes with my baby son who is 14 years old now. you just have to eat right and take care of yourself. After I had my son the diabetes went away. I am now 52 and I am not a diabetes.

I, too, was completely shocked when diagnosed with GD during my first pregnancy. Like some of the other moms have said, I attended a class. They showed us how to use the monitor and how to eat while watching the sugars/carbs. I was VERY surprised at how much sugar was in things you wouldn't expect - strawberries, carrots, bananas - just to name a few. I did learn that GD has different numbers for your blood sugar compared to Type I or II - this can be misleading when looking up info. Be sure to specify GD. One of my OB's has Type I and he was VERY helpful. He also said that it is completely manageable with diet and exercise. He also agreed that there are times when we will crave certain things that are not considered the best choices for diabetes - but these are possible, within reason. I ended up losing 4 pounds after I was diagnosed and I ate PLENTY! I was just healthier :>) This was a plus because I ended up having less to lose after the delivery. I think it was the 2 miles I walked each night - this was to avoid insulin. As my pregnancy advanced, my sugar level was a little harder to keep in check after dinner, so I made adjustments and walked. It actually helped with my delivery. My son was born 5 1/2 weeks early, but after many tests it was determined that he was just ready to be born and not a result of anything I did/didn't do. He was very healthy and continues to be 4 years later. I do know it may seem really hard at first - I was scared. However, once you get started checking your blood and watching your food, it gets easier. Tell others around you so they can offer support. I was teaching 2nd grade at the time and had to tell my class because I had to eat snacks and check my blood during the day. We decided to eat snacks together and it became a lesson on healthy food choices. They were also fascinated in how to check blood and so became a science lesson on blood and what it does in our body. This really helped me to stay motivated and do the right thing. They were always checking on me. I wanted what was best for my son so that also became a motivator - afterall, it is a temporary issue. I was surprised that 90 mins. after I delivered, I was given a regular meal with a TON of carbs and given the green light to eat it - the diabetes was gone that fast! AMAZING! I will say that I was also motivated by it being a temporary situation and not something I wanted to spend the rest of my life living with.
Also, just because you have it with one pregnancy doesn't mean you will have it again. You might and might not - I didn't with my daughter.
Hopefully you are being monitored closer - I had to visit the OB weekly for a blood check and to make sure he wasn't growing too big. THat is one cause for concern - since what we eat goes to our babies, if you do eat a lot of carbs. then there is a chance that your baby will grow especially large and make a vaginal delivery difficult.
I say, ask lots of questions, take in the advice and see if you can attend a class. I know it's hard not to worry, but with all the things that could happen during pregnancy - this one is very manageable and easy to take care of with positive results! Best of Luck!

I had that with my last pregnancy and it wasn't as bad as I thought.
I met with a diabetic counselor regarding diet at the hospital where I delivered and a diabetic nurse regarding the instruction of taking my blood sugar 4 times a day.
I also was referred to an OB specialist that did a work up and regular testing to make sure baby's development was on track. (So I got to see lots of ultrasounds!!)
The diet itself was good. I started losing weight at every appt there after and had a total weight gain of 10lbs. The baby weighed almost 8 so it all worked out.
If ya have any questions or need food ideas, let me know. I focused on carbs mostly....took blood sugar when I woke up, each meal could have 45 carbs and then 2 hours after each meal, did blood sugar again. Could have 3 snacks with 30 carbs each. If I had a special craving, I would eat it at night for my snack. Good luck!

Hi J.,

Any type of diabetes other than Type I can be managed with the Low Glycemic diet. My mother and I controlled my Dad's diabetes without pills or insulin. I have controlled my husband's with diet and my sister, who had gestational diabetes, controlled it with diet as well. Don't panic, it can be managed simply.

Go to CVS or Walmart and buy an inexpensive monitor to check it every morning. Google low glycemic diet and follow it. There are even websites that tell you if a food is high medium or low on the Glycemic Index (GI). My family eats this way every day not just for the diabetes but because it is healthy, tastes good, does not deprive us of treats and it maintains a healthy weight as well.

If you can't find enough on the internet feel free to get back to me. Congratulations on your little one!

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

P.S. to Shari's note about sweeteners. Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that doesn't have an aftertaste and it is the only natural sweetener that is truly low glycemic. The Agave plant is grown in Mexico. You can pick it up in the sweetener section of Publix or any health store. It's cheaper than honey.

During pregnacy the body has more to do to handle sugar.
Everything breaks down into sugar in the body- it is just a matter of how long it takes to break down- eating cookies and candy of course are already there- harder to handle.
So refined sugar- totally stay away. Whereas fruit- go for it.
This is a good thing for all of us to do- you just get to start now. And not to worry- your body is just trying to tell you something- and well done for listening.
best, k