Gestational Diabetes (GD)

So as I mentioned in my last post I have GD and therefore I have to make some changes to my lifestyle.
This past Monday I had a growth ultrasound. Baby boy is already 3lbs 1 oz., measuring a week ahead and growing beautifully! He was very shy per usual and we didn't get any good shots of his profile. My ultrasound place has 3D capability but I have a feeling we won't be getting any good shots of those since he loves hiding his face, oh well...I've always been a big fan of surprises anyway. You won't be hiding your face from me soon enough little man! lol

Afterwards we meet with the nutritionist. I love this lady and I kid you not she looks and sounds just like Lisa Lampanelli! And her name is Lisa! Ha! Ok moving on.
Seems like I failed my 3hr intervals by only 1-2 points above their standards (Doh!) So I'm very borderline.
She didn't want to put me on any medications because she feels that a diet change should be enough to control my GD for the remainder of the pregnancy. I am being monitored for 2 weeks to make sure this new diet really is helping me control my sugars.

Ok so here is a little GD 101.
Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes developed only during pregnancy. This is a disease of metabolism which causes your blood sugar to be too high. Your body, when functioning properly breaks down the food you eat and converts it into a simple sugar known as glucose which is your body's main source of energy.
With GD, your placenta can interrupt your own insulin production. This is why any woman; heavy, thin, healthy etc. can form GD. You are at a higher risk if you don't eat well or are a heavier set woman but plenty of thin healthy women can get this too. Just luck of the draw in the end.
Monitoring and controlling GD will help future complications such as a larger than normal baby (which increases your chances of an early birth & C-section), developing Jaundice and developing Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) among others. Even though your GD will leave after you give birth you can be at risk to develop type II diabetes which is why monitoring your blood sugars will continue about 6 weeks post-partum.
(This is all information given to me in my "Managing Gestational Diabetes" booklet. It's an easy read and very informative.)

Currently I check my blood sugars with my glucometer 4 times a day. I check once in the morning when I wake up and 2hrs after breakfast, lunch and dinner. During the morning my numbers should be between 70-95 and after meals they should be between 70-120. I have had no problems with my after meal numbers but I couldn't figure out why my numbers where above 95 in the morning. Finally I realized my after dinner snacks might be to blame. Once I cut those out my numbers were starting to fall within the right range. 3 meals and 3 (now 2) snacks a day seem a lot to me, but I'm handling it well. My appetite hasn't been very strong during this pregnancy so sometimes I have to force myself to eat.
I'm still learning & testing my boundaries on food consumption but there are 3 rules everyone should follow.

1. Protein at every meal. This helps to avoid that crashing feeling one gets after a meal because of eating too many carbs.

2. If a food has more than 6% of fiber, it actually helps you subtract from the number of carbs you’re having in your meal.

3. No simple sugars, no fruit juices and fruit should not be had in the morning or after dinner.

I won't lie, I already live without indulging in wine every now and again so being told I can't enjoy some sour patch gummies now too seems cruel but....I know I would do anything for this kid so it’s not a big sacrifice. He will be here soon and I needed to eat more veggies in my life anyways :)

For addtional information you can visit National Institue of Child Health & Development (NICHD)

Quaking on more healthy,
~JD