GD Check In 4/28

[ladysif]

Good afternoon ladies! Sorry I didn't get this started earlier. Another week closer to food freedom! 

How are your numbers holding up this week? 

Favorite food/hated food? 

Are you doing a lot of exercise to help with your numbers? 

Random: How prepared are you feeling for LO? Has nesting hit yet? 

[ladysif]

How are your numbers holding up this week? I blew it twice in a row on Sunday, though the last one I am suspicious was due to not changing the lancet/washing hands. I got an 89 shortly thereafter and it is rare that it drops THAT quickly for me so I'm writing that one off. The other one was for a friend's shower, there was not a single food option that was carb-free! I tried. I've been meticulous every since though and they're fine.

Favorite food/hated food? I went to town on buffalo chicken again this week. I think baby is having a grow week, I broke down and ate dinner at 4:30 yesterday because I was ravenous and got up at 4:45 a.m. the other day because I was starving. As a result, hated food this week is actually more of a general hatred toward the portion sizes and finding enough to actually feel full!

Are you doing a lot of exercise to help with your numbers? I am admittedly AWFUL with this this time. I did so much better walking with DS1 but I stopped my circuit training class last month (not that it was uber aerobically effective by the end anyway). I am chasing a toddler all day though so think that counts for something!

Random: How prepared are you feeling for LO? Has nesting hit yet? I'm not feeling nearly as prepared as I would like to be. I'm very type A with this stuff so it totally stresses me out that the nursery isn't done yet. Nesting has hit, but I feel like the nesting I am doing is for everyone else in my life! There are just so many occasions and I feel like I'm constantly moving baby stuff to the back burner to take care of someone else's event. Kind of feeling resentful about it honestly, but my own fault for not saying no more. Also SO SO SO much harder to get anything major done with DS1 around. Hoping to ship him off with daddy for a few of the remaining weekends coming up so I can have the house to myself.

[gilder40]

How are your numbers holding up this week? Eh, I've been dealing with some blood pressure issues, so I haven't been as consistent with taking my readings. Bad move for me. I also had my shower this past weekend, and had weekend company, so I ate horribly. My high numbers were a direct result. When I eat fine, my numbers are fine.

Favorite food/hated food? I have tons of leftover cake that I am dying to just wolf down, but I am trying to eat it in moderation. Lol.

Are you doing a lot of exercise to help with your numbers? Not really. My feet have been swelling really badly, and my blood pressure has been high, so I've had to take it easy physically.

Random: How prepared are you feeling for LO? Has nesting hit yet? I don't feel super prepared. But we have the essentials for bringing baby home if it came down to it. We have the pack 'n play with the bassinet, diapers, wipes, clothes, and a car seat. My pump is on its way, and the crib just needs to be set up when the nursery is done. And no, nesting hasn't really set it. I'm too freaking tired to do anything. :-(

[kimberlyandthor2014]

Good morning ladies! I'm so glad we are closing in! Anywhere from 3-5 weeks for me now, yay!!!!

How are your numbers holding up this week?
Actually doing well, I do notice my fastings and breakfast have crept up a bit, but still under goal for the most part unless I do something naughty. Even then, they always drop well below goal by the 2 hour mark so I feel okay with the few slip ups I've had. No more carbs at all for breakfast though, which is making it very hard to avoid eggs, which I've been trying to do since I am so sick of them. I refuse to eat another hard-boiled one, and am now scrambling them with cheese.


Favorite food/hated food? We covered eggs lol. I'm trying to work ice cream and chocolate in so that I can at least have a few treats here and there. I love this veggie and sausage pizza we get from down the street, I scrape all the goodies off and throw away the crust on all but one small piece. It cuts me close but keeps me under enough

Are you doing a lot of exercise to help with your numbers?
I have been soooooo freakin lazy this pregnancy and am NOT exercising at all like I should. I feel tired and awkward most of the time this late in the game.

Random: How prepared are you feeling for LO? Has nesting hit yet?
This one I get a+ for! I am crazy nesting and we are 100% ready for baby. Even have my car seat installed already lol. DH thinks I'm nuts. But I also see that each day I have less energy or desire to do anything other than requirements for being alive and keeping my daughter alive lol, so I don't want to be pushing myself to get shit done last minute. All that's left is assembling the co-sleeper and that will happen this weekend

[laurenlou83]

How are your numbers holding up this week? They are doing pretty well. I've been in normal range with all of them, so I'm happy! A few were higher than others, but that was to be expected since I indulged a little bit over the weekend while visiting DH's family.

Favorite food/hated food? DH's cousin homemade red velvet cupcakes and they were freaking delicious.

Are you doing a lot of exercise to help with your numbers? HAHAHA nope. I've been such a lazy person this pregnancy. I had every intention of exercising and staying fit, but nope, not so much. 1st tri I was too tired, 2nd tri was 1. winter outside in MI 2. long hours at work 3. I'm lazy. And now 3rd tri my back hurts so bad and I just feel awkward trying to do anything remotely physical. My weight gain has been minimal, but I"m just feeling flabby all over

Random: How prepared are you feeling for LO? Has nesting hit yet? Some days I feel so prepared and I think "we got this!" and other days I think "HOLY HELL so much to do!!!" In reality, we have everything we physically need for the baby and the nursery is about 85% done. We just need to pack my hospital bag and install the car seat.

[laurenlou83]

I have a girlfriend who is 17 weeks pregnant and trying REALLY hard to stay off of insulin. Her after meal numbers have been pretty good, but she can't seem to get her fasting numbers down and stabilized. She was diagnosed with GD her first pregnancy 4 years ago and was insulin dependent and she's trying hard to avoid it this time.

Any of you ladies have any suggestions for her!? She's frustrated with her dr. right now and he doesn't seem to have any suggestions for her other than "insulin is the answer".

[sapphyre0702]

Apr 29, 2015 12:53:20 GMT -5 laurenlou83 said:

I have a girlfriend who is 17 weeks pregnant and trying REALLY hard to stay off of insulin. Her after meal numbers have been pretty good, but she can't seem to get her fasting numbers down and stabilized. She was diagnosed with GD her first pregnancy 4 years ago and was insulin dependent and she's trying hard to avoid it this time.

Any of you ladies have any suggestions for her!? She's frustrated with her dr. right now and he doesn't seem to have any suggestions for her other than "insulin is the answer".

Insulin really isn't that bad and for fasting numbers it truly may be the only option. I had slightly higher than normal (but not pre-diabetic) fasting numbers pre-pregnancy and after I got pregnant they stayed the same. The issue is that during pregnancy the threshold for fasting sugar is lower. My endocrinologist told me attempting to control it by diet was not a beneficial option because fasting numbers are less controlled by diet and more controlled by how your pancreas processes insulin in the middle of the night, and my diet was already on par. At four months they started me on 6 units of insulin (I've been told an average dose is 20 units) and now at almost 35 weeks I am only on 9 units. My baby is measuring in the 56%, and my numbers have been excellent. Insulin does not cross the placenta - so a baby only knows what his mothers glucose levels are. Additionally, insulin is not perceived by the body as a foreign substance since the body makes it naturally. It is only a supplement to make up for a wonky pancreas.

By being on insulin will she have to have additional doctors appointments, yes. Could she potentially be induced, yes. Will her baby have controlled sugar levels and ultimately be healthier for it? Yes. Babies born to mothers with uncontrolled sugar levels can have a hard time regulating their own sugar which can be very dangerous. Additionally, uncontrolled sugars can cause placental breakdown and excess weight in the baby.

It can be upsetting when a doctor first gives you this news because it is scary, but in actuality they recommend it because it works, and because it is the safest option for mother and baby.

Also, personal pet peeve is when people act like this is something that means you are a bad mother, or eat like garbage (not directed at anyone. Just venting!). I eat very healthily and am in good shape - this just happens sometimes and no one is to blame. Also, people aren't superior because they don't have GD or because they aren't on insulin. The GD shaming I feel sometimes really annoys me (not directed at you btw, just a vent!)

[laurenlou83]

Thanks for all the input sapphyre0702.

She's been through it all before, so I know she will do whatever is best for her and the baby, I think she is more just frustrated she is having to do it all over again.

I don't have any experience with the high fasting numbers or anything, so I thought I would see if there were any before bed snack suggestions or the like that may help her try and control it a bit.

I agree with what you're saying about your pet peeve. I've been able to control mine with diet thus far, but I feel like when I tell people I have GD they automatically think I've eaten garbage the past 30 weeks and haven't taken care of myself. I'm not in perfect shape, but I'm healthy overall, have had minimal weight gain this pregnancy and follow a fairly good diet, even pre-pregnancy. It just has a really bad stigma placed on it by a lot of people and that's really unfortunate.

[sapphyre0702]

laurenlou83 Agreed! Like the world needs more shaming! Best of luck to your friend though!

[ladysif]

Apr 29, 2015 12:53:20 GMT -5 laurenlou83 said:

I have a girlfriend who is 17 weeks pregnant and trying REALLY hard to stay off of insulin. Her after meal numbers have been pretty good, but she can't seem to get her fasting numbers down and stabilized. She was diagnosed with GD her first pregnancy 4 years ago and was insulin dependent and she's trying hard to avoid it this time.

Any of you ladies have any suggestions for her!? She's frustrated with her dr. right now and he doesn't seem to have any suggestions for her other than "insulin is the answer".

I completely agree with sapphyre0702. 

Has she been working with a nutritionist in addition to the doctor? What has she tried? I know I've seen the gamut for late night snack in terms of toying with fasting numbers, such as: 
1. 30 carbs of ice cream or some other quick-processing carb treat
2. protein only snack, e.g. eggs/cheese
3. protein-heavy snack, cheese and crackers, apple and lots of peanut butter
4. very complex carbs - nuts, fresh vegetables
5. no snack at all
6. eating snack earlier or super late as compared to when you wake up to test your fasting

That's all I'm recalling off the top of my head but every one of those has been used by someone either this pregnancy or my last with success for helping her fasting numbers. GD seems to vary so wildly by person that what works for one will not work at all for another. She may not be given a lot of time to toy with it, which is why I would contact the nutritionist and ask for help there so they can dismiss the things she has already tried and act efficiently as I'm guessing she won't be given a lot more time to try to change it. 

A little redundant, but I really do echo sapphyre that it may be beyond her control and she shouldn't feel badly at all. She is clearly trying her hardest. Fasting numbers in particular are the worst to control with diet and also not as dependent on diet, but more on how the body processes insulin. Diet just can't change that for some. I also agree with sapphyre that she shouldn't feel badly about needing insulin. I know if I need it, it isn't anything I've done. I hope to remain diet-controlled, insulin will just be another pain in the ass to do, but I definitely know enough about GD to not remotely consider judging another mom with GD who is on insulin because (assuming she's making an actual effort, anyway) neither of us has any control over that! I'll only judge a GD mom who completely ignores the diagnosis.

Is she on anything else? My GD stems from my PCOS, and I have taken 1500mg of metformin every day since trying to get pregnant as I can't get pregnant without metformin and I stay on it during the entire pregnancy. It definitely directly impacts my GD regulation; who knows, if not for the metformin maybe I'd need insulin. I'm not really sure honestly, once I knew what worked for me I stopped researching so much so don't know what the next step would have been.  

The shaming thing drives me nuts, too. It also astounds me how few women know that PCOS and GD often go hand-in-hand. I have no problem putting people in their place. I'll explain that I have never been normal in the fertility aspect since age 12 so it isn't something that I can control simply with diet and exercise alone, but thanks. I tried. I do not get pregnant without metformin and GD is unavoidable for me. So go on with your badass ignorant self and judge me for having GD. 

Good luck to your friend. If she gets nothing else out of your (our) feedback, I hope she can at least feel better about knowing she is doing everything she can and she isn't failing or anything remotely like that. 

[laurenlou83]

ladysif, thanks so much for your response!

She has tried different snacks at night she said along with no snack at all and none seem to make a huge difference. Her fasting #'s are 100-110 usually.

She wasn't on any meds prior to getting pg (at least to my knowledge). We talked pretty openly about TTC since we started trying around the same time and have been friends from 25+ years!

I know she knows it's out of her control, I just think it's disheartening news no matter what unfortunately! She also has been super sick since finding out (morning sickness hasn't let up) and she has a slight placental tear, so it's just been a very stressful pregnancy in general so far for her. I think this was just the icing on the cake for her to stress her out.

I appreciate all the feedback ladies!!!

[ladymouse]

Numbers are low/perfect.

Nuts. And nuts. So easy to eat, but I've had so many, I don't think I'll eat ANY once the baby comes for about a year. Cottage cheese may be a favorite, but I need to find the good brands. I managed to get a crappy one at the store last time.

I have a toddler. Most of my exercise is just chasing/playing with him. If I try to exercise with him around, I get headbutted or climbed on the whole time.

All we have to do for the baby is wash bedding, install car seat bases, and maybe replace the pad on the changing table. Nesting has NOT set in, but I HAVE cleaned out the fridge/pantry for the first time since we moved in (DH wanted to clean out the fridge, and I got on a roll.)

[kimberlyandthor2014]

sapphyre0702 I agree with the GD shaming! It's amazing how ignorant people are about GD. One of my friends looked me over when I told her I had it, and then she said "well you're a bit heavier than average but I didn't think you'd be overweight enough to have GD." I literally had to bite my tongue and gently explain how it actually works, and that is has naught to do with weight even though excess weight can be ONE of the indicators. Ugh. People suck.

My fasting numbers are close to the fence, and I have to eat a meal sized snack before bed to keep them there. It's getting tiring to eat so much at night like that. Part of me feels it would be better just to leave it be and if my fastings go over just take the insulin. I've got anywhere from 3-5 weeks left and I'm just so frigging DONE with eating counter-intuitive to what my body actually feels and wants.