Gestational Diabetes

I thought the booklet was very helpful, I'm glad it was also online. The diet changes will be hard at first, but when you put the focus on your baby it really does make it a lot easier. Exercise helps a lot, too, if you are able to get some in. The other pg's I worked full time retail management so I was always on my feet running around. It really helped my numbers. Now it is so darn cold out, I don't even want to walk to the bus stop to get my kids let alone think of going for a walk for exercise.

Thanks for the information Karen. I am so happy to have the support from all of you. The information is very helpful.

Karen,
Thanks for your indepth explanation of your personal experiences with GD. I have not gotten my results back yet, but if I do happen to have it, your stories helped put my mind at ease.

Thank you for sharing.

You're welcome!

I have my drs appt on Monday afternoon. I am nervous about what I will need to do. I know its for Jacob and its only for a few months.

Dee

Karen,
I want you to know how much I appreciate all the advice you gave me about GD. I can't thank you enough. I had my appt this evening. If I hadn't had all the info you gave me I would have left out of the dr's office a complete mess. I am already very overwhelmed but the last week I have been reading labels and watching what I eat. My doctor said that it sounded like I was already doing a good job with eating. I have to start keeping a food journal and testing my blood 3 times a day and my ketones every morning. I still don't understand it all and pray I can remember how to use the meter. I have to fax him my sugar levels in a few days and we go from there. I pray that I will be able to control this with my diet and not have to take insulin. Which insulin will be the next step.

Tonight I spent a while in the kitchen planning out my breakfast, 2 snacks and lunch for tomorrow. I want to keep a log of all my foods so with time it will get easier with what I need to eat. I also want to go back through the websites you sent me to get more ideas on the food I can eat.

My dr has also asked me to go get blood work done to check my Thyroid. He said my right one feels a little enlarged and he wants to make sure the levels are ok.

Thank you again and I am sure in the next few days I will have more questions for you.

Dee

Karen,
I was wondering what do you drink through out the day besides water? Can I have decaf coffee or decaf tea with splenda through out the day?
Besides eggs do you have any other breakfast ideas?

Thanks,
Dee

You're welcome! I'm glad you were able to be prepared going into your appt. At first, it will be overwhelming but it won't take long to get used to it. Food journaling will be helpful. It's a tool to teach you how you'll need to be eating. Plus, it is great to reference back to when you have a number that is over 120 you can know what you ate that put you over the limit and what you can change next time to be within range.

Did your dr give you a meter and some test strips? If you haven't already, make sure you get a prescription for the strips. If you were to buy those yourself, they cost $1 a strip!!! A box of 100 strips will only last you 33 days with poking 3 times a day (and that's if you don't mess any up and get an error code on your meter). That's expensive!

Your lancet device will have settings as to how deep the puncture will be. Start off by setting it in the middle. Too shallow and you'll have to repoke. Too deep and it will hurt more, when you don't need it to. The middle should be fine for about 2 months, then the last month you may have to puncture deeper because your skin will toughen up slightly and you won't be able to get enough blood. The sample you need is very small, but there are times I have to poke more than once to get a good size blood drop. If you don't think your blood drop is big enough, don't put it on the strip and poke again to get more as that will ruin your strip. All the blood has to go on at the same time to work.

For breakfast, it will depend on the results you get. Here's what I can eat.

eggs, bacon (could be sausage, but I don't like it), and 2 pc toast/English muffin with butter. Sometimes I'll add cheese and make a homemade egg McMuffin.

frozen breakfast premade sandwiches

cereal, but often it's not enough and I get hungry. Remember to measure both the cereal and the milk. You won't get as much as you think. Also read the carbs as some cereals are thru the roof high with carbs. Cheerios (regular) are good, but boring.

Don't drink juice. It is a waste of a carb. If you are going to have fruit, remember to add it into your carb count. You only get half a banana, it is one of the worst fruits to eat sugar wise. If you eat your fruit instead of drinking it as a juice, it will help fill you up.

Anything using syrup is bad. The pancakes and waffles are ok alone, but who eats them plain? I haven't tried sugar free syrup this time around, but 4 years ago I didn't really like it. Maybe it is better now that it may contain splenda??? Buy some and try it.

For drinks, I don't like coffee or tea. You will be fine drinking it using splenda. Besides water, I drink diet Pepsi. My first pg, I really limited myself on the caffiene. However, now I drink what I want of it (did for other pgs and everything was fine). I also occassionally drink Crystal Light. I guess what you'll drink will depend on your comfort level of using artificial sweeteners.

For dinner, I always drink milk. Just remember to add it into your carb count (and measure out your glass until you know the serving size).

Feel free to always ask questions. If it gets frustrating, vent away. I'll help you out however I can.

Karen wrote:
Bananas are the worst, you only can have half.

Why are Bananas the worst? I love them and actually eat at least one a day. Are they high in suger or something? Thanks

Thanks again Karen,
My doctor gave me a meter and today I have started testing my blood and my ketones. Ketone was negative, yeah. My FBS was 101 which was high, my next BS was 100 which was within range, so yeah for me! Its a start. I have already ruined one of the test strips...I am learning and thanks for the tips. I have had to poke myself a couple of times now not getting enough blood. I know I messed up the one test strip because I didn't put enough blood on it. I have started my journal and like you said it should get easier for me because I will know what I can eat. Thank goodness we have good insurance. My copay on the test strips was $30 and then the Ketone strips and the lancet was $10 each. I am going to try to apply for Medicaid for Pregnant women since I am losing my job on Jan 16.

Thanks for the food advice and I am glad that I can at least drink tea and coffee through out the day and not count it towards my carbs. I brought up the My Food Advisor website you sent me to look for food ideas.

My doctor has me on 1800 calories.
Breakfast 30 grams
Mid-morning snack 20-30 grams
Lunch 45-50
Mid-afternoon snack 20-30
Dinner 45-50 grams
Evening snack 20-30

Sounds like a lot but when you get to actually counting it its not.

Christmas dinner will be tough......

What sugar free sweets do you eat? or what do you eat for a treat?


Dee

Blessed, even though fruits are healthy, diabetics have to be careful how much and of what kind of fruit they choose. Bananas and watermelon have the highest (natural) sugar content. So when measuring out serving sizes, an entire banana is 2 servings which would be approx 30 g carbs (give or take, depending on size of banana). If eaten alone as a snack, it would spike the blood sugar quite quickly. It would be better to eat it along with a meal that has protein in it (protein slows the absorbtion of sugar into the bloodstream). For a diabetic, an apple (not large) would be a better choice because the sugars aren't as high as well as eating the skin for fiber.

Dee, if you find you constantly aren't getting enough blood, you'll probably have to change your lancet setting. Are your fingers warm? Cold fingers are harder to get enough blood from. Also, if you have to, try pointing your finger down and then squeezing around the blood. Sometimes that will make me bleed more.

Your diet plan sounds good. Mine is slightly different, but they have to be altered to fit each person and their individual needs. Don't beat yourself up over Christmas dinner. If you can behave yourself between now and then, enjoy your dinner. My ob has always told me that a splurge every now and then won't harm the baby. Just don't do it very often, and when you do then you still need to control that splurge. Just eat smaller portions of the foods you'd be eating anyways. Something my diabetic center told me for Thanksgiving dinner was to do that, and then save dessert for 2 hours later. Check your post dinner sugars, then use the dessert as a snack. Cut down the serving size of dessert, you'll still get to enjoy it.

For snacks, I vary depending on my mood and how hungry I am. Since you are having smaller meals, sometimes you have to treat your snack as a mini meal. If you choose cheese or yogurt, then you're getting in more calcium. If you choose canned fruit, make sure not to get the kind in syrup.

cheese & crackers
Yoplait light yogurt
string cheese
sugar free jello with sugar free cool whip
sugar free pudding with sugar free cool whip
almonds
apple with peanut butter
pretzels
half turkey sandwich
Glucerna snack bars (found by pharmacy in diabetic foods section)
Quaker multi grain snack mini snacks, prepackaged in 90 cal servings, found by rice cakes

For sweets, check out the Weight Watchers desserts. On the box it will tell you 1 point, 2 points, etc. Those are the ones you can have. (ex a muffin is either 3 or 4 pts, you can't have those). Of course, the food label will also tell you the carbs. I've tried the chocolate snack cakes, chocolate chip cookies, and cookies & cream ice cream bars. While they aren't as good as "the real thing" they are pretty good and do a great job of satisfying the sweet tooth. I've also found some sugar free cookies, in the cookie aisle but in their own little section. I make sure to buy the individually packaged, preportioned servings. It may cost a little more, but then I won't be tempted to eat too many. You should be able to work these treats into your snacks or even a dinner carb. I don't do it every day, but several times a week.

Okay thanks for the update!!!

Thanks again Karen.
Last night when I was picking up all my prescriptions I grabbed a thing of sugarfree pudding. I am going to write your ideas down. I am going to try to get the prepacked stuff like what you mentioned. That will help with not eating too much.

So for the weight watchers 1 point is 15 grams of carbs right?

Dee

Last night I made the mistake of eating a banana as my snack and I didn't eat any protein with it. My FBS was 101 (too high) but so far today my after breakfast was 101 and after lunch 113. Below 120...yeah! I really hope I can control this with my diet.

Dee

I know when I bought the WW snacks, I checked the label first. It appears that 1 point is approx 15 g.

Fasting numbers are harder to control, so don't eat a banana before bed. If you have banana for another time of day snack, eat it with peanut butter spread on it. A lot of times my bedtime snack is a Thomas whole grain English muffin (both sides) with butter and peanut butter on it. I always get good fasting numbers with that as my bedtime snack, and it fills me up too. Never eat jelly, unless you choose sugar free. I made that mistake my first pg and my numbers were thru the roof. Jelly = pure sugar.

Good post meal numbers so far! So if you are only checking 3 times a day, is he letting you pick which meal to skip testing after?

Karen,
You are a plethora of information!

I like reading everything that you are saying even though I do not think I have GD, but it is still good to know some healthy eating habits to pick up.

You are so nice not only to share, but you are specific about it. Ever thought about teaching a class?

Aquaopal, Thanks!

Since this makes the 5th time I've btdt, I just want to share what I've learned along the way. I was pg with #1 back in 1996 and the internet was so very different then. I pretty much went thru gd alone, with the advice of my ob, but would have loved to have gotten info from other gd moms. I did joke around about teaching a class, but unfortunately that would require schooling for me and I don't have the time or $$ to persue that.

I am testing 4 times a day. Fasting and then after each meal. I think I said 3 times but I meant 4. The banana with peanut butter is a good idea, thanks. When you plan your meals do you sometimes go over the carbs by a few points? I was noticing that with my lunch I have planned for tomorrow I am going over by 3 carbs. I guess I could estimate the portion size and cut back some. What do you do?

After you have tested your BS then you can have your snack. But what if you are hungry after your snack but before the next meal. Is it ok to munch on veggies or a piece of cheese? Or do you need to wait until the next meal to eat. My doctor told me I could eat all the meat, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, veggies I wanted (of course with moderation I just don't have to count them) so I was wondering if I could eat something like that between the snack and meal?

Right now since I am working I don't eat dinner until around 6:30ish so its hard eating a bedtime snack. I guess I need to eat something like peanut butter to help fill me up. Do you eat your sugarfree treats during the day? I guess eating them as part of your bedtime snack could make the fasting numbers harder to achieve?

Thanks again for answering all the questions. I really appreciate you taking the time to type everything out for me!

Dee

When I plan my meals, if it goes over by a few I just let it go. For dinner tonight, I had a South Beach Diet frozen cheese pizza, 37 g and a WW chocolate chip cookie, 18 g. So 55 g instead of 45. I've read, though, that a serving really can be between 15-20 g so since I get 3 servings for dinner, 55 should still be fine. Without that slight range for serving size, it would be way harder to plan. If it is something that I'm dishing up, I'll measure it out to be closer to the 15 g.

Going over 3 g on lunch tomorrow should be fine.

If I'm hungry after snack, but before a meal, I'll grab a few almonds or a piece of string cheese. Something else I forgot to mention on the snack ideas was baby carrots & ranch dressing. I'm usually not hungry after snack. If I am, I try to drink water first to see if I was just needing that. Those free foods are pretty much free. Watch the nuts though, they are high fat and really do add up to being a carb serving if you eat enough of them. Read the labels on cans of nuts and on peanut butter.

Your usual dinner time is also my dinner time. I end up eating snack between 9-10 pm. If I'm hungry, I eat the English muffins with butter & peanut butter. If I'm not hungry, I'll choose something light like a yogurt or very small bowl of cereal & milk. Never skip the bedtime snack as it will mess up your fasting numbers.

As for the sugar free snacks, it just depends on what I'm hungry for and when. Like for tonight's dinner, I had a WW cookie for dessert. If I'm not really hungry at snack time, I may have one then. Just fit them into your carb counts and you should be fine. Try not to replace too many healthy snacks with them, though.

mmmm the cheese pizza sounds yummy. I am writing down all of your ideas! And I would love to have a chocolate chip cookie. so yeah I can eat a little something in between snack and the next meal. I am bringing extra veggies with me tomorrow to work to have to eat as a free food if I need it. I did see at the grocery store on my last trip that weight watchers has yogurt too and it was 1 point, so maybe I will check into getting that too.

I am just wondering after I have the baby how much of this healthy eating I will keep up with. My doctor told me I have a 25% chance of having diabetes later in life. After you have your little one do you count the carbs?

I've never tried the WW yogurt, let me know how it is. I really like the Yoplait light yogurt, and it is only 1 carb serving.

I've been bad after having the babies, I only stuck to a diet plan after dd 2. I lost 78 pounds between what I lost while pg and after. The other pgs I gained back any loss. I ended up treating it as the free for all that I didn't get to have while pg. This time, since I'm on insulin, I'll have to be more careful. My dr thinks I may have been type 2 (or very close to it) before getting pg. She based that on the amounts of insulin I have to take. If I'm not type 2, I'm most likely in the insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) stage.

Which Yopliat flavor of yogurts are you finding for 1 carb serving?

My grandma and my mom have diabetes so genetically I have a greater chance of developing Diabetes later. Plus having Gestational Diabetes my risks go up more. My doctor told me I would be tested about 6 weeks after Jacob is born. I hope your levels return to normal after your little one is born.

The last 2 nights I have ended up so stressed and crying. I don't get home from work until 5:30ish and then I have to make dinner and plan out my snacks and lunch for the next day. Its exhausting. I know once I get the hang of it and have menus to go by it will get easier. Today at work I stayed hungry between my snacks and meals. It was horrible and I just wanna eat whatever I can get my hands on. I feel my sugar dropping and I get shaky and grumpy and its terrible. I need to call my doctor tomorrow to see what I can do. My BS during the day is good, its my fasting and my after dinner sugar thats been high. Sorry to vent its just so overwhelming and I guess I didn't realize how much I would love to have a bowl of ice cream.

Do you know of any prepackaged meals that would be good for lunch? I wonder if the lean cuisine meals or I remember you mentioned a pizza. That was south beach? It would make packing my lunch much easier.

Dee

Dee~ As your ticker says,Only 74 more days to go! You can do it!!!!!! So sorry you have to go through this. I keep reading this thread hoping I don't have to deal with GD. Karen is awesome! You have given so much valuable information.

Thank you Shannon. When I get upset I remind myself why I am doing it. I know I will do whatever I can to make sure my boy is ok. This weekend I plan on making time to plan out my meals for each week, especially while I am working. (My last day of work is Jan. 16th) I think that will cut down a lot on the stress that I feel after work.

Dee

Shannon, thanks! That was nice of you to say!

Dee,
If you get the Yoplait Light ones, blue container front, they are all sugar free and I will get any flavor I want. The ones in my fridge right now all have 19 g. My favorites are cherry (yum, chunks of cherry in it) and strawberry/banana. They have some that are dessert flavored and are good. I like the Yoplait Light much better than the Dannon Light. I think they are more flavorful.

As for frozen meals, even though I sah I still eat them on occassion. I have to be careful with the sodium though, since I also have high BP. Things I will get are Lean Cuisine and then the South Beach pizza. Just remember to read the label for your carb count. I try to keep it to 2 servings of carbs, so I can add something else in for the last serving. I also like the Campbell's Select Light or Campbell's Select Healthy Request soups (not Healthy Choice brand, but it says Healthy Request in the ribbon below Campbell's Select). They have sea salt for lower sodium and taste pretty good. I'll eat an entire can for 2 servings of carbs, plus then can have about 10 saltines in it for the last carb serving. That really fills me up!

Go to the WW section of frozen desserts and also ice cream. Seriously, they have things you can have that are 2 servings. When you really have to have that bowl of ice cream, have a WW dessert instead. It will help, I promise!