Questions for girls with GD

Hi girls,

It's been a week since I started my diet outlined by the dietician and started testing my blood sugar 4 times a day.

I meet with the doctor end of this week to review the numbers and follow up next week with the dietician.

Based on your sugar readings you take daily, do you keep track of what you are eating in order to make sure you stayed on track. For example 2 hours after today's lunch I had 111, where yesterday 2 hours after lunch I had 93. I ate completely different things, following the diet as best I can, hence the different #'s.

I'm trying to get some variety in the foods I'm choosing, just having a tough time of it. I really don't know when I should be "worried" about certain readings? Thanks

Re: Questions for girls with GD

my dietician had me write down exactly what I ate. She told me to experiment she told me what to look for and what to kinda avoid and then by what #s i got i could tell if it was something i should or shouldnt have again. I would take my blood one hour from the first bite. I know ill have GD again this pregnancy but I havent been checking.

Re: Questions for girls with GD

with DD#1 i followed the diet completely, measuring every last pea and all...

second time around i am more relaxed about it. i don't measure my portions (i estimate based on my previous experience). as long as i am under 120 i don't freak out. ideally i shoot to maintain a number in the 90-110 range after meals. my problem number is the morning number for which i take insulin the night before.

over time you'll figure out what makes the numbers spike, and sometimes it'll come out of left field. when the hormones are wacky, all bets are off...

if i ever feel i have overdone it food-wise, i try to waddle around the block. exercise helps to keep them numbers down.

Re: Questions for girls with GD

Remember fiber is your friend.. it blocks the absorption of carbs!! Try and have a salad with any meal that is kinda high in carbs and also if you can go for a 30 min walk right after eating.. it will help with your #s too.

Re: Questions for girls with GD

I did at the beginning. after a while, you get a feel of what your body can tolerate. It worked well. The biggest bit of advice I can give you.... say good bye to beverages with any sugar / juice... even a little bit! I've been drinking herbal teas, decaf coffee, and lots and lots of water with lime. eliminating liquid sugars are key to managing your sugar levels.
Also, granola is your friend.... not when it's sugared up in cereal, but in crunchy bars. It is the perfect complex carb... as is super whole grain bread.

then there's my favorite snack. plain greek yogurt mixed with fruit. thaw frozen fruit in the microwave for a minute, mush up, add yogurt (and if you can handle it, maybe a tiny bit of sugar.) yummy, healthy, and keeps your sugar levels steady.

I will warn you of something the Dr's seldom discuss...... your body's glucose tolerance changes throughout the pregnancy.... GD is worst at around 30-35 weeks.... so what works now may not be good later on....

What Hofstra26 and I have been FM'ing about to each other is our sudden improvement in glucose tolerance in the final few weeks. Our former diets which worked so well now make us teeter on the brink of hypoglycemia every now and then

So, at 38 weeks, I find myself being more concerned with sugar levels between meals than sugar levels after meals. just be cautious at the end, and do test yourself sometimes in the afternoon before you eat.... try to avoid sugar levels below 70! it's a bit dangerous. also keep a few candies in your purse in case you get sweats, light-headedness, vision issues.... you need a super-fast influx of a bit of sugar, and then a meal if that happens... (happened to me on sat!)

HTH!

Re: Questions for girls with GD

I always wrote everything down especially in the beginning. it really helped to figure out what worked for me and what didn't. for example, i realized that having any milk in the morning made my numbers go high even though everyone said the little bit in my coffee would make no difference. It totally did for me. I don't know that I would have figured that out without seeing it in writing. Also my doctor and nutritionist could then look at it and help me if I was having any high numbers. Once I did it for a while and had it totally under control, I stopped writing it down. at that point i rarely had a high number and when I did, I knew exactly why. GL!!

Re: Questions for girls with GD

thanks so much to everyone who responded! It appears my morning number when I wake up is my problem number too It's been staying above 90 most days but below 100 and I know it should be between 60-90.

I'm definitely going to start walking after dinner. I wasn't paying attention to "fiber" so I'm going to pay more attention. I've been measuring/counting everything etc to stay on target. I'm going to also start writing down certain meals so I know what works for me.

P.S. What time does everyone take their "bed time snack" - How long before you actually go to bed. I was taking it 2 hours after dinner...

thanks again

Re: Questions for girls with GD

your Dr is concerned with those fasting #'s? mine said it's not really a concern until it creeps above 100..... but said below 95 is ideal. (mine were 75-85 except from weeks 30-34, when it occassionally went up to 90-95).

I don't think there's anything you can modify with your diet to adjust your AM fasting #'s. that would be more of an insulin / medication thing.

I will say, though, that eating a healthy diet filled with veggies, and some fruits, is key. I eat a lot of veg, at least 2 servings of fruit a day, and then snack on nuts. also for carb absorption managment.... don't forget you're counting carbs, but as a preggo, you can eat as much fat as you want. the fat does really well to mediate carb absorption.

heck, I can even nibble on some french fries. the oil slows the potato absorption