Any pregnant women with Gestational Diabetes?

Question

I am 25 weeks pregnant and I am having a really hard time controlling my blood sugar. The doctor told me that 130 - 140 is OK but after that is where there is a problem.

At my last appointment my doctor got very angry with me for not controlling my blood sugar and I was told that if I did not do better that I would have to have my doctors appointments at the hospital. So I have been lying on my chart.

I don't add any sugar to my food, I don't drink soda or fruit juice

and I don't eat sweets - I even stopped eating out so much because my sugar goes sky high when I do.

I started buying sugar free items and I read labels for sugar I eat a lot more fruit and I'm trying to add more protein - but I am still having problems. Many times when I test my blood it seems over where it should be.

So for the last two weeks - I get so scared when I see any numbers over 145 that I freak out and start lying on my chart. I know that I'm being stupid - my doctors’ appointment is next week.

I think that maybe it carbohydrates in bread and potatoes – if they break down in your body to make sugar - should I just stop eating bread and potatoes to - or just half it.

Does anyone have any advice for me?

Answer 1

What matters is carbohydrates, not sugar.  You should keep it to 30 grams of carbs per meal, 15 per snack. Those are upper limits - you can always have less.  My nutritionist allows me up to 45 at dinner but if you are having problems the first thing you want to do is cut carbs.

Go for complex carbs every time.  Avoid "white" carbs: white bread, white rice, white potatoes, flour tortillas, white sugars.

Never have a carb without protein, as protein and fat will slow down how quickly it breaks down.  A piece of bread by itself is much worse than a pieces of bread with turkey.  

Eat something high in protein such as cottage cheese at bedtime. Believe it or not, this will help you lower your first morning blood sugars.

Lastly, and I said this on your other question, you need to see a diabetes educator. Your OB is not enough to treat diabetes.  Please get a referral and get the help you need - you might have to start taking insulin shots.  They're not that bad, the needles are tiny and ultrafine.  The important thing is to get those sugars down.

Of course you know lying on your chart is not the way to go. You're only cheating your baby and yourself!  One thing that can happen with high blood sugars is the placenta can start to deteriorate early, which is deadly for you and your baby.  Mostly you hear about weight being put on the baby, and that's true - but it's also very dangerous and the placenta problems is why it's considered a high risk delivery.  

Good luck!

Answer 2

You should only be eating whole wheat bread and too many fruits can also be bad because of the sugar.  They should send you to someone to help you figure out what you should be eating.  Even food that is called sugar free can have some sugar and you have to limit yourself even with that.

Answer 3

yes i had GD with my first pregnancy... did they ever send you to a nutritionist? it doesn't sound like they did so of course you are having trouble, yes you need to cut down on ALL your carbs, do n't cut them out though you still need the nutrients they supply... i survived my balancing my carbs/sugars with proteins, i grew to love those little string cheeses, they count as a protein, also try adding nuts to your diet. careful with fruits too though cuz they can spike your blood sugar too... i was taught a serving of carbs was 15 grams so if you can balance each carb serving with a protein serving you will be in much better shape... so have an apple with some peanut butter or a grilled cheese sandwich with extra cheese

if you haven't seen a nutritionist you REALLY should... I'm trying to give you a quick run down here but a nutritionist can really help you with your diet

oh and i cheated a little on my results too.., shame on us :)

EDIT: found a sample GD diet here, take a look http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Sample_D...