I just found out that I have GD! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/sadface.gif I am sure that I am going to survive the diet...I just hate that Easter is coming up, and I am a huge chocolate freak!!! I didn't have GD with my first daughter, so I'm a little bummed, but it is for a good cause.

I have my first appointment with the endocrinologist tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to using the glucometer, but I will do what I have to do.

I have been reading through some of the diets that others with GD have had to follow. I'm sure that mine will be different in some ways. I can live without sugar (to a point). Hopefully I will be able to eat some variety of different things each day. I can't imagine having eggs for breakfast, a salad for lunch and chicken for dinner every day! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

Also, I saw a link to some sugar free desserts. Are artificial sweetners safe during pregnancy?

Thanks in advance for any advice or input! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
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:wavey: That sounds like my diet you're talking about! :lol: I was on insulin and I could barely eat anything and my numbers would be really high! :tearhair: It sucked!!

Both kids are crying! I'll write more later, but if you have any questions I'd be more than happy to try and help!

And yes, I'm pretty sure artificial sweetners in moderation are ok!

I had GD with my twins, and Splenda was HIGHLY recommended to me as an artificial sweetener :nod: I ate alot of Healthy Choice/Lean Cuisine the last 3 months to help control my sugars, but I had to eat alot more b/c I was having twins....

I just got back from my appointment with the endocrinologist. Once my OB/GYN finally faxed over my numbers from my 3 hour test, he finally sat down with me. He said that my numbers weren't too high, and I should be able to control things with diet. I meet with the dietician next Tuesday, but I am going to try things on my own until then. I have the glucometer, and I am a little nervous about using it the first few times, though I'm sure that I will get used to it. I didn't get a whole lot of questions answered, so I'm still confused about things until my appointment next week.

Okay, I have a few questions...

Do you do your blood sugar 2 hours from when you start eating, or when you finish eating?

Do you test 2 hours after the snacks too?

How many carbs were you allowed each meal/day? I'm not sure if he mentioned that I was allowed 60g of carbs per meal and 30g of carbs per snack. Or if it was 60g of carbs for total meal per day, and 30g of carbs for total snacks per day. I am waiting for the stupid office to take their phone of the service for lunch at the moment. I guess I will see if what I ate was okay when I take my first blood sugar test in a couple of hours.

Thanks! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
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I was allowed so many carb UNITS (a unit equaled 15g of carbs, but that didn't include dietary fiber) and I think it was 4 units per meal and 2 units at snacks, so that would be pretty much what you posted. I was nervous with the blood testing, but it got to be no big deal. I even check it on occasion still just to make sure i'm not having issues.... I always tested 2 hours after I finished eating and first thing in the morning before getting out of bed.

Do you do your blood sugar 2 hours from when you start eating, or when you finish eating?
I did it 2 hours from when I finished eating at first.

Do you test 2 hours after the snacks too? No. Once I started on insulin the dr had me check it at 7, 11, 4, and 9

How many carbs were you allowed each meal/day?
I can't remember. :dunno: Sorry!

Shanna, They had me go for a blood sugar test at my 1 year check up to check for diabetes! That's good you check every once in awhile to make sure. I do that too.

So my morning fasting numbers were 85. It's below 90, but I would think that it should be better. I did have some sugar in my evening snack last night, and it was at 8pm. Maybe I should make the snack around 9:30pm or 10pm? And eat something with less sugar.

For breakfast I had two scrambled eggs, with a splash of milk for fluffiness, and a slice of american cheese. Then two sausage links and a piece of whole wheat toast with a little butter. My numbers two hours later were 74. I was happy about that. I hope that is accurate.

I had a frozen meal for lunch that said it had 22g of carbs in it. It was turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. Then I had an endulgence icecream bar that was 12g. And to add some carbs I had 7 onion crackers. I'm curious to see how my blood sugar is with all of those carbs. :)

I already have an appoitment set up with the endocrinologist for 6 weeks after the baby is due. That is, if this baby doesn't show up early like the last one! ;)

Sounds like you're doing well!! A fasting morning of 85 is GREAT!! :aok: Mine got into the 50's towards the end of my pregnancy, but I think thats just b/c I didn't ahve any room left to eat anything :lol:

85 is really great in the morning! :up: My dr. told me to call him if mine ever got under 80!

Okay, since I don't see the dietician until Tuesday, I am trying to get an idea of how I am doing.

My blood sugar 2 hours after lunch was 97.
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by mcr5298
I had a frozen meal for lunch that said it had 22g of carbs in it. It was turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. Then I had an endulgence icecream bar that was 12g http://atkins.com/shop/products/Atk...Cream_Bars.html (http://atkins.com/shop/products/Atkins_Endulge_Ice_Cream_Bars.html) And to add some carbs I had 7 onion crackers. I'm curious to see how my blood sugar is with all of those carbs. :) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
That also is probably combined with my morning snack, which was a slimfast peanutbutter bar 18g, and an 8oz glass of skim milk 12g.
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That's great!

My post-dinner number was 107! I ate a pear with my sandwich and salad, so I think that is why it was a little hight than the post-lunch one. Not bad for a first day. I have eaten more today than I usually do in two pre-diet days. But the meals have been spread out, and included healthier choices. This is not hard at all. I hope that my numbers continue to stay consistent, provided I don't go overboard too often! :thumbsup:

Those are great numbers, Mary!!! :aok: You're doing awesome :)

Okay, here's a new question. http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/smile.gif


Did you all have to use the Ketone test strips each morning?

How did the prescense of Ketones affect your diet?

What did your Dr/dietician/endo do about higher Ketones?


I did my first test this morning and it came back moderate. Is that normal, or should it be lower?

Thanks! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/supergrin.gif

I really just started this diet a couple of days ago. I was not a healthy eater before that. So hopefully the ketones will go down in a few days. Yesterday I think that I drank more water than I have in a day before. And I wanted it too! And I usually have a full glass of almost 16 ounces of water next to my bed at night.
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I don't know what to tell you, I never had to check mine.

Ugh, I got my first, and I'm sure not my last, higher reading. I got a 131 taken 2 hours after finishing my dinner. I had 2 eggs, a splash of milk, a slice of american cheese and two slices of whole wheat bread with butter. Then I had 1 sheet of graham crakcers with 8 oz of skim milk. I guess I should cut out one of the slices of bread next time! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
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Yesterday was my nieces birthday party. And I did okay with my numbers!!! I had a good fasting number which was 81. Then after a cup of cheerios, a half a cup of skim milk, and a banana, my number two hourse later was 87. So I had my mid-morning snack around 11am. But we didn't get to eat until after 3pm! I did have a couple of crackers/chees/tortilla chips and salsa. It really was not a huge amount. And, I had a small piece of birthday cake (which really wasn't even that good). I finished this all by 4pm. Two hours later my number was 85! So then I had a cannoli and some milk! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/supergrin.gif I went home and had a frozen turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing, and an apple and an ounce of cheese. My number was 104 two hourse later!

So does everyone think that these numbers are too low? I have my appointment with my dietician tomorrow, so we'll see. I am trying to make sure that I eat about all of my carbs each meal. I wonder if I am eating enough calories? I already feel like I am eating all of the time! I can't imagine if they make me eat more?!?! Hopefully I can get some ideas at better food combinations.

So now I'm thinking that Easter won't be too bad. If I can get away with one piece of small cand each day for a few days, then I can make it! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/smile.gif And I can have a piece of my mother's famous cake on Easter Sunday! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/smile.gif<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I don't know about the ketone strips either. I know they use them in Atkins diets, but as far as with GD, I've never heard of it :dunno:

Your numbers sound GREAT!! Good luck with your dietician!

My ketones were down to a trace the second day I took the test. And they have been negative since then! :) I guess that I am getting enough carbs!

I had my first appointment with my dietician today to go over the blood sugar level numbers that I have take down during the last 5 days. I have been kind of making up the diet based on what the endocrinologist suggested. 60 carbs per meal and 30 carbs per snack (3 meals and 3 snacks). The dietician was very happy with my numbers so far. She actually had to look back at the results of my 3 hour test, because she couldn't believe that my numbers looked that good. Of course, there were a couple of meals where my blood sugar was high. But I know why they were high, and what to avoid in the future now. She just gave me a better guideline of what to eat during each meal and snack. I have been doing fine with the carbs, but I just need to add some more proteins here an there. She even said that I could have some chocolate around Easter. Provided that it is within the carb limit, and I have a couple of nuts with the chocolate. http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/yippee.gif We are both hoping that my numbers stay pretty much the same the next few weeks. I have heard of a hormone surge around 32 weeks that could cause my numbers to go up. I'll just deal with that when it happens. She even had me give myself an injection of saline, to get an idea of what it would be like if I had to take insulin. I didn't hurt at all!!! I was so surprised! The needle is so tiny and thin. You don't even feel it puncturing your skin! That made me feel much better in the event that I may have to take insulin! http://www.ultimatebaby.com/images/smilies/smile.gif The shot actually hurt much less than the lancets that I use to prick my finger and draw blood for the blood sugar test!

:yippee: Glad to hear that your appointment went well!! What kind of meter do you use? Is it one that you can test on your arm with? I had a Freestyle, and I love it! (if you can love something that you draw blood from yourself with :lol: )

I have the Accu-Check Compact meter. It really doesn't hurt that much. I was just trying to compare the injection needle to something. :)

I wasn't GD during my pregnancy but I am a type II diabetic.

It looks you are doing awesome. Don't worry about numbers being to low. My old OB never worried about low readings, just high ones.

I just wanted to bump this up to the beginning because I have to go to the nutritionist and endocrinologist tomorrow. THe nurse who I talked to made it sound like I would just be following a diet and not checking blood sugar. Is that true or will it vary from person to person? I don't mind the checking just curious.

I read through this thread and got some ideas on what I should be eating. Any other suggestions would be a great help!

~Kerrie

I had gd w/ both of my pregnancies... It was controlled by diet and I had to check my blood sugar several times a day. It did get harder to control by diet during the 2nd pregnancy... my numbers were higher and if I hadn't been in the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy they probably would have put me on insulin. I also had a freestyle meter and I loved it! For me, it was alot easier to test on my forearm.

Kerrie, if you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to try to answer them for you. Good luck w/ your appointments.. I know its overwhelming at first but you will get the hang of it...

Thanks! Do they give you the monitor or am I going to have to go out and get one?

What do you suggest for snacks and such throughout the day. I was munching on some carrot sticks earlier. What about yogurt? It's pretty high in carbs, but I need the calcium too right?

~Kerrie

Hi Kerri! :wavey: I'm trying to remember now.... :) They did give me the meter (endocrinologist) but the way they did it was I had to then go and get one from my pharmacist to replace the one they gave me. It was so I could get started right away on checking my levels.. does that make sense? Many insurance companies will cover this expense.

Some of the snacks I had... animal crackers (8), 6 saltines crackers w/ peanut butter (I was told for the g.d., it was better to use the regular peanut butter rather than low-fat because low-fat contained more sugar?), the cracker/peanut butter packets (6 in a packet) you can oftentimes find in vending machines? (those were great to take on the go) and small fruits were okay (apple, grapes). I always had carrots to go along w/ my sandwich at lunch. With yogurt, you just have to be careful w/ the amount of sugars because many brands are high and that's why I stayed away from them but you're right you do need calcium too. :) hth a little bit. I pretty much stuck to a particular menu during my first pregnancy but the 2nd time around I was sick of those foods so I ventured out a little bit and that's probably why my levels were a little higher. One benefit to all of this?..... The first time, I actually lost some excess weight and once my daughter was born, the weight came all off and then some! I was really strict w/ myself the first time and also took walks every night. That will also help.. if you feel like after you've eaten, that maybe your sugar will be a little high in 2 hours, you could exercise a little and that will bring it down before you have to test. :)

Luckily I am home now so I do a walk on the treadmill in the AM. At night is gets really muggy so I may go back on the treadmill. It's at least cooler in the cellar.

I've taken to having a waterbottle with me. Much easier to drink from that then a glass. I feel like I know how much I am drinking versus guessing with a glass.

Thanks for the info on the yogurt. I did buy yogurts that were high in sugar so I eat 3/4 of it in the AM. It's too sweet for me anyway regardless. As for fruits-what about cut up ones like strawberries and watermelon. THose are the two fruits I really want!

I'm sure I will get more answers this afternoon.

~Kerrie

kerrie--- good luck w/ your appointments if you haven't already been yet. :) I'm sure watermelon and strawberries would also be fine, just watch how much of them you eat. You'll just have to see how your body takes to the fruit... its different for everyone.. they break down to carbs but they contain natural sugars so its not as bad as eating flat out sugar, ya know what i mean?

let me know how things go for ya. :)

My appt was fine. I got a ton of good ideas and a good meal plan. It's kind of like the RIchard Simmons diet I did a few years ago. I'm going to have to get rid of the yogurts I had bought and get some new ones. Actually I have to go back to the store and buy a bunch of veggies and fruits too. I can fruit as my snack and the yogurt at my lunch.

~Kerrie

I'm glad everything went well for you... :)

Well my baseline was 111!!! Too high. I don't get it. Last week the baseline for my 3 hour was 90. I had my oatmeal and milk for breakfast and I will do my walk in a little bit. Then I'll go to the store to get the things I need. PLus stop back at the pharmacy to get those supplies.

I hope the levels go down so I don't have to go on the insulin.

~Kerrie

What do you mean by your "baseline"? Are you saying you got 111 when you tested when you got up? If so, look at what you ate for dinner last night or did you have a snack before bed (its fine but just consider what you had)...

Yeah-the baseline was when I got up. It's probably from dinner. I had the snack they recommended-crackers and pb with a glass of milk. Tonight I am having cheese and crackers.

My numbers at breakfast and lunch were well below the 130. So I guess I am doing things right. I went grocery shopping and stocked up on cereals I can eat and yogurts along with the fruits and veggies. They now have low carb yogurts with like 6 grams of carbs. They are almost a $1 and container though!

~Kerrie

How's it going? :)

The diet is working well. I lost 2 1/4 pounds this week. However the AM fasting levels were still too high so I have to have 12 units of insulin at night when I go to bed. It's not too bad. At least I am not taking it three to four times a day!

~Kerrie

I'm glad everything is going well for you. :) My morning level was always the tricky one for me too. :thumbsup: on the weight loss too... gotta love that, huh?