Gestational Diabetes - Bensenville,IL

Hi O.,
I had GD with 3 out of 4 of my pregnancies. It is a little scary, as the first thing they will tell you are the risks to you and your baby, including worst-case (but very rare) scenarios. It requires a lot of discipline on your part to watch your diet and intake. I met with a nutritionist who helped me figure out meal plans. The hope is that they can regulate your glocose levels with diet alone. If that does not work you may have to take either insulin or a pill. With one pregnancy I took insulin shots. The next one I regulated it with diet alone. The last one I had to take a pill daily. Also, all three times I had to test my own sugar levels at home with a little machine (most insurance covers this I think. And just with this last pregnancy I had to go twice a week for fetal monitoring where they would hook me up to the monitors for about 15 minutes to monitor the heart rate and the fetal kicks. Oh, and once a week I had an ultrasound.

Try not to worry too much. It can be scary, but there are a lot of women out there that have GD during pregnancy and have very healthy children! None of my children were born with complications. And right after birth, my glucose levels were back to normal (although I know that I am at higher risk to develop diabetes later in life). I hope this helps and if you have any other questions that I may be able to answer feel free to contact me! Good luck to you and congratulations on baby #5!

Hi O.,

I had GD when I was pregnant with my son. I saw a nutritionist at Rush a couple times and she set me up with an eating plan that enabled me to go completely "diet controlled" - no meds at all. I didn't gain a pound in my third trimester. You will basically just need to by VERY careful about what you eat and try to fit in some light cardio. I walked a lot - on land and in the pool. I rarely had a blood sugar spike and when I did it was because of something I ate (and shouldn't have). I was induced at 40 weeks because my doctor was concerned the baby would get too big and we'd run the risk of shoulder distocia (I am extra petite though). My little guy was 8lbs 1oz and very healthy with just mildly elevated blood sugar that resolved right away. My GD resolved right after delivery too. Be aware that you will be at a slightly higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. I know this seems a little bit scary, but it is very manageable, and it gives you a wonderful opportunity to put your health at the top of your to do list.

If you want any specific advice regarding a GD diet feel free to email me. I still have notes about what meals worked best. The key is controlled carbs, frequent small meals/snacks and PROTEIN with every meal and snack.

Good luck and best wishes for a happy, healthy pregnancy.

I had diabetes when i was pregnant and the main issue was to eat a well balanced diet, track your sugar levels thought out the day, at first i had to check my sugar 4 times a day them once we got a clear picture of when my problem areas where(fasting which is in the morning when you wake up). I only had to check it in the morning fasting(before breakfast) and one other time though out the day. The problem that this could cause is that any extra sugar in your blood will go to the baby and cause you to have a bigger baby, without getting scary that is about the worst thing. And the fact that your are trying to enjoy your pregnancy and you constantly have to have in the back of your mind what is going on with your sugar levels and how what you eat will affect that as if being pregnant isn't enough of an adjustment. I was on medication toward the end of my pregnancy, but that wasn't to bad and didn't affect the baby. And after 36 weeks the doctor may want to see you every week and preform a non-stress test,(which is half an hour laying there monitoring the baby's heartrate and movements). Also my doctor insisted i be induced two days before my due date, which looking i would not do again. In the end I gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby boy. And don't have any diabetes problems

I had gestational diabetes with my son and was diagnosed during the holidays....what a time to be told to watch my carbs intake!!!!

Even though I am deathly afraid of needles I was willing to do anything necessary to have a healthy baby. I took my blood sugars 4 times a day. I started having really high sugars at night no matter how little the amount of carbs I ate were. I, in my 3rd trimester, was drinking almost a gallon of water a night to flush my system.

Follow what the dietician tells you. It's really not that hard to follow. My eating plan (for weight loss/maintenance) is the Sonoma diet. I recommend the book for just a healthy eating plan because it's about healthy carbs and good food. Check it out of the library and look at the recipes. I plan to follow it when I get pregnant again because I know my risk of being diabetic is higher again.

Good luck and congrats!!!

Deb

I too had gestational diabetes while pregnant with my twins. When they tested me my numbers were extremely high and I was terrified. I ended up with the high risk doctors at ENH and saw an endocronlogist that worked with the team of doctors. The endo dr kept insisting that I was diabetic all along and I just didn't know it. I had to give myself insulin shots and was given a diet to follow. I probably ate better and healthier than I ever had. You don't get a chance to get humgry because you seem to be eating all the time, but making the right choices when you eat. Fortunately I never got any cravings. But I did have to give up alot of foods that I usually ate. If my numbers were good, I did cheat once a week with something sweet. Giving myself the shots of insulin were scary, but its something I had to do. Because of the diet I only gained 12 lbs., the endo dr. was very strict, too strict if you ask me. She also wasn't the nicest of drs, but at the time I didn't know what else to do. I had my babies at 37 wks and they tested them daily while in the hospital and both were just fine. And best of all, about 4 wks after the pregnancy I was retested and my numbers were all in the normal ranges. I was glad to prove this doctor wrong and not have to see her again. Just eat well and if you have to give yourself insulin shots, it will be okay. The best part was all the weight I lost after. Not only did I lose the 12 lbs. within like a week, I continued to lose weight which I needed to do. So good luck to you and everything will be alright.

Hi O.,

I had GD with my daughter. If you follow your doctor's advice, you will be just fine!! I made changes to my diet and made sure to "move" after each meal. By making the changes to my diet and getting moderate exercises several times a day I was able to keep my blood sugar under control during the day. I did end up on a VERY small dosage of medicine to control my blood sugar over night.
My daughter was just a little over 8 pounds and 21 inches long and her blood sugar was/is fine.

Good luck!!!

Dear O.,

I have 3 children and I've had GD with each pregnancy. I was on insulin with the first pregnancy, and managed the nex two without it. The most important thing to learn from this experience is that you are at a significantly increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. That's okay to learn now, because this is a disease which is within your ability to control. I've had different OBs for my different pregnancies, and they each managed the GD differently. That I found to be very frustrating, so I just learned a lot about the condition on my own and really took charge of my health care. For the first pregnancy, I did everything the OB wanted, went to the dietician and was put on a special diet, and wound up gaining a ton of weight very quickly and getting put on insulin. I had to go to a special endocrinologist for frequent blood tests and I had to be admitted to the hospital to learn how to administer the insulin. It is highly unlikely that you will be put on insulin -- that is pretty rare. You will be given a home blood sugar monitor and be expected to test your blood at home, probably 5 times a day (wake up, after each of the 3 meals, and bedtime -- just guessing, every doctor does things differently.) This can be a good chance for you to see how different foods effect your body and how exercise lowers your blood sugar. You will also probably have to see a dietician and be put on a special "diabetic" diet. The big thing there is that you shouldn't eat carbohydrates by themselves -- every meal should contain a combination of protein, fat, and starch. The protein and the fat will help to slow the absorption of the carbs into your bloodstream. Also, you should reduce/eliminate pure sugar containing items since those are basically empty calories anyway and they really cause your blood sugar to spike. Don't worry about your baby -- he/she will be fine. There is an increased risk of needing a C section if your baby grows too large, which can happen with GD. My first baby weighed 9 lbs, and the next two were 8 lbs 1oz (born 4 weeks early after a bad fall) and 8 lbs 6 oz, so all quite large, but none needing a c-section. Please try to understand that this isn't your fault, you haven't done anything wrong, its all just genetic. Also, medicine and science aren't perfect. As you start to pay attention to what you eat and your blood sugar, you may realize that the diet your dietician gives you doesnt' work. I do very poorly on the standard diet for GD -- it has way too many carbs for me. So, hopefully the dietician will be open to tweaking the plan. Good luck!

Hi O.,
I had gestational diabetes with two of my pregnancies. I was able to manage it with diet. I had to cut down on carbohydrates and sugars, and I would monitor my blood sugar regularly. I met with a dietician, and she provided me with meal suggestions (foods to eat, foods to stay away from). I kept track of my levels with a glucose monitor, and my OB asked to see them every visit. My boys are healthy, and they were actually on the small side when I delivered (one of the risks with GD is that the baby will be too large). I am not a diabetic--once I had the babies, I went back to normal glucose levels.
Good luck, and take care!
Best,
R.

I was diagnosed with that my second pregnancy. As long as you follow the dietary requirements you should be fine. I ended up losing weight which wasn't good for me and the baby. She was 5lb when she was born but perfectly healthy. When you test your sugar levels make sure you alternate fingers and hands and use the inside of your fingers. Much less painful. After she was born I went back to my normal self. I am hypoglycemic and somewhat borderline diabetic. I feel this experience helped me be a better eater. Go into your meeting positive and get everything you can from the nutritionist. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming birth.

Hi O.,
I had gestational diabetes with both my pregnancies, will be tested soon during my current pregnancy but chances are that I will have it again.
I was able to control it with diet with my first one, but with the second one I had to take insulin shots because my sugar levels were so high.
Honestly I didn't thing it was such a big deal, I still had some sweets here and there, didn't have any complications and both my kids were healthy.

I had GD, and my son is 3 and doing fine.
After the baby is born they will check is blood sugar every time he/she eats. I don't remember if it was before or after.
My son was fine. I was told that we will need to keep an eye on his blood sugar, but it doesn't mean that you child is going to have diabetes. You need to keep their weight in check.
You may have a higher chance of getting GD with other pregnancies and you also have a higher chance of getting type 2 when you get "older".

I know it is scary, but it is something that you can control while you are pregnant.
Exercise is great for lowering blood sugar. I walked 2 times a day.
You will also have to watch your intake of carbs. I saw a diatician (sp) who helped.

I had 3 meals a day along with 3 snacks. The educator will let you know how many carbs you should eat per meal and snack. Eat lots of veggies, fiber and fruits. You just need to watch for the carbs.

I also had to check my blood 4 times a day, no picnic, but it does get easier as time goes on.
I then had to call in my numbers to my high risk ob once a week. I was considered high risk after I found our I had GD.
My Dr. was afraid that my son was going to be big, something that can happen due to the GD, so they induced me 10 days early. I had a very easy labor and delivery and my son was born at 7.5 lbs. A peanut compared to what I thought he was going to be.

Every situation is different as is every Dr. and patient.
You can also check out diabetes.org. They have a section about GD.

If you look for cook books try to get low carb as opposed to diabetes.

Good Luck to you!
If you have any other questions feel free to send me a message, I also have many recipe and food ideas.

Good Luck to you!

I had it too with my son, and it was a huge pain, but it went away after delivery. I was actually diagnosed with borderline levels, but even so, since I had an overcautious dr, so I had to see a specialist for it. I had to test my blood sugar 4 times a day and stay on a strict sugarless, low carb diet. They told me that, because of the hormones, my levels could be totally different even if I ate the exact same thing every day. When I was in labor, they monitored it closely and gave me some insulin because my levels were so high (from what?!?! I hadn't eaten a thing!). After my son was born, he was tested (heel prick) hourly until they were satisfied that his levels were stable. I was tested for two days.
If gest. diab. isn't regulated, it can lead to all sorts of problems for the baby, so I was super careful. It was tough though because I had to go through all the holidays with no sugar! It made me empathize so much with people who have diabetes. At least mine went away!
I know I have high chances of having it again with the next baby. I'm eating my cookies now! Good luck!

I had gestational diabetes and the most important thing was to control your blood sugar level. I saw a nutritionist who helped me determine the foods I should eat and more importantly the servings of each and time of day I should eat them in order to keep my blood sugar levels consistent.
I also tested my sugar levels every four hours and kept a log. I did a good job of keeping my sugar levels within reasonable limits. I did not have complications with the birth, but I did have a planned c-section based on complications from my first birth (which was not related to gestational diabetes.) This was all 11 years ago so things may have changed.

Dear O., I too at gestational diabetes with both my boys and everything was fine with me and the boys. It went away once I gave birth. Both the boys were over 8lbs and a couple of weeks early. I heard if you have big kids you have a better chance getting the gestational diabetes. Everything was fine. 5 boys!! OMG, Good Luck and God Bless you and your beautiful sons.