(At one of my high risk dr appointments)

Ugh, I really hate that word: diabetes. At 28 weeks, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I am now 32 weeks and dealing with it the best I can honestly. 8 more weeks to go, unless Luca decides to come early!

But let’s back up a little bit. Everyone knows the dreaded glucose test that all pregnant women have to take at the end of their 2nd trimester. I was understandably nervous about it because of all the horror stories I heard. Everyone starts with the 1 hour test. You drink a bottle of liquid sugar, basically, and then an hour later they draw your blood to see what your blood sugar levels are. Honestly, the drink didn’t taste that bad to me, like everyone warned. However, I was not warned to not eat carbs before this test. I had plain oatmeal, thinking that was healthy. Carbs turn into sugar people… duh Emily.

I was really hoping for the best, but ended up “scoring” a 168 that first time. If you are higher than 140, you have to take the 3 hour test. This test, is much more miserable. (Schedule this one for as early as you can if you have to do it). They draw your blood when you get there, and then every hour for 3 hours after you finish the drink. You are not allowed to eat or drink anything during the entirety of this test.

After knowing so many friends who failed the 1 hour but passed the 3 hour, I felt ok about it. Naturally I was nervous but truly thought I would be ok. Because my numbers were abnormal for 2 of the 4 draws, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. My doctor called the next day and said I was to see a nutritionist and a high risk specialist. We immediately saw the nutritionist within a couple days, while they wanted me to wait a few weeks for the specialist.

I found out on a Thursday and literally cried until Sunday. It was a long weekend…

WHAT IS GESTATIONAL DIABETES?

Gestational diabetes is when pregnant women have high blood glucose levels. It is basically an insulin resistance. Because of all the extra hormones in a pregnant woman’s body, sometimes the placenta can’t regulate the amount of insulin in the mother’s body. The hormones from the placenta are what is helping the baby develop, so when it’s not working correctly, that’s an issue.

WHAT THE NUTRITIONIST SAID:

I was pretty terrified to see what the nutritionist had to say. The thought of having no carbs or sugar for the last 12 weeks of my pregnancy sounded miserable. I assumed wrong… She gave me a meal plan based on exactly how many carbs I am allowed to have during each meal.

Breakfast: 30 grams of total carbs, plus plenty of protein

Snack: 15 grams of total carbs, plus protein

Lunch: 45 grams of total carbs, plus protein

Snack: 15 grams of total carbs, plus protein

Dinner: 45 grams of total carbs, plus protein

Before bed snack: 30 grams of total carbs, plus protein

Meeting with her was an eye opening experience. She taught us how to read the nutritional label on our food, and that was amazing. I always thought I knew what I was looking at but I was wrong. She then went over the blood testing portion…ugh. She brought out the kit with the meter and I immediately started crying. I hate needles and having to test my blood 4 times a day seemed so draining and scary. RC encouraged me to do my first test in the room with the nutritionist so she could help me learn the correct way to test. It didn’t hurt like I assumed, thankfully.

Overall, the appointment was helpful but I am still not happy about the whole thing.

(One of the many NST’s, checking on Luca)

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GESTATIONAL DIABETES:

It just “goes away” after you deliver. I HATED when people kept telling me this. Yes, your levels should even out and doctors do say it “goes away”. However, I am now more likely to develop Type 2 later in my life because of having GD during my pregnancy. I wouldn’t exactly say that’s just “going away”. I am also more likely to have it during any future pregnancies. Also, you are encouraged to continue to GD diet afterwards and live a healthier lifestyle. Not that that’s a bad thing but it’s a major lifestyle change for most people.
It’s just a diet. As I said earlier, it’s not just a diet. There is a GD diet to follow, and you also need to be more active. You also have to test your blood several times during the day. Some women have to take daily pills or even shots of insulin. Thankfully, my numbers have been able to be controlled with diet and exercise so medication is not on the table and hopefully wont have to be.
It’s not a big deal for the baby. Ugh. Everyone always says, oh he will be fine. Yes, trust me I hope and pray that he will be. However, it can be a big deal for the baby and the mom. It can effect the size of the baby. If he grows too big, too quickly, your whole birth plan has to change. There is a possibility of having to be induced early and/or having a C-section because he would be too big to push out. His glucose numbers can also be thrown out of wack, so he will be tested as soon as he comes out. They can also suffer from respiratory distress syndrome which obviously makes it hard for them to breathe. Lastly, babies born to women with GD have a higher rate of developing Type 2 later in life.

I could honestly go on and on about this subject. It has turned my whole pregnancy upside down and really effected me mentally and emotionally in a negative way. As much as people can tell you it’s not a big deal, you can’t help how you feel. Blaming yourself and constantly worrying about the well being of this little nugget, and he’s not even here yet.

Thankfully, one of my friends just went through GD during her pregnancy and helped me so much. Erin, you’re the best! She talked me off the ledge several times and helped me understand how to approach the GD diet in the best way for me. She also added me to a GD group on Facebook that has been so informative and helpful as well.

If you are dealing with GD during your pregnancy, just breathe. Listen to your doctors and do everything you can to keep your numbers in check.

Below is the video of the first couple weeks of dealing and coping with gestational diabetes. Be prepared for a lot of tears and complaining! 😉