Gestational Diabetes Question

Morning All, Hope all is well. Yesterday we found out that my wife has Gestational Diabetes. My wife is about 6 ½ months pregnant. At first we were very concerned but after a bit of research we discovered that it is not a big deal as long as she watches her diet. We are in the process of making an appointment with a nutritionist to find out what we should do.  I quite often prefer hearing from people who know from experience. That is the reason I came to this forum (spend most of my time in the men's forum) to find out about WLS in the first place. I wanted to ask a couple of general questions as my wife and I have no experience with diabetes as of yet. We will be meeting with the nutritionist ASAP, but I thought I would ask  for some advice. In general, should she avoid carbs as much as possible (a la Atkins) or be consistent with a small amount of carbs? Is it more about complex sugars than carbs? Things I’ve heard so far (from non-experts and/or people who have never had diabetes) Eat as many eggs as you want, don’t eat more than 1 egg a week, jus****ch your carbs, eat 150g of carbs a day every day. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all of your help and be well, Chris

Hi Chris: I actually was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was pregnant with my first child.  Basically, they started me off watching what I ate, but it didn't help so I had to go on insulin.  They won't use glucose pills because of the baby and insulin is natural so that's why I had to stick myself.  But she should eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks (this is what the nutrionist will tell her probably).  Don't stay away from carbs altogether, but limit them in her diet.  She can have pasta but instead of having a bowl of pasta, have 1/2 bowl of pasta with a salad.  Ya know what I mean? If she watches her diet and tries to exercise (walking is great), she should be fine.  Let me know how it goes and good luck

Thanks Cyndee, We have experienced a bit of frustration with this. We called the nutritionist Yesterday afternoon and she has yet to return our call. We hope this is a sign that it is not all that urgent but we are still very concerned. We do hope it will be like you say, watch carbs but eat normally, we can handle that no problem. Our concern is the dificulty we will have if the nut. puts her on some super restrictive diet that is almost impossible to follow.

Than you again for you help.

Be well,

Chris

Nah, I doubt that would happen.... I think she just has to watch what she eats, no sugars, only sugar free stuff (what's really good is the Crystal Light)... that stuff I live on!  and basically just fruit (which has the natural sugars but that's OK).....  I'm sure she'll be fine Good luck!

Chris, your wife needs to watch ALL Carbs, what carbs our body does not use is turned in to Sugar, a previous poster said fruit was ok, in moderation it is, but it is VERY high in Fructose which is Sugar, natural sugar but sugar all the same. She will need to eat a higher fiber diet, especially when she eats a carb at the same meal because fiber helps carbs burn at a slower rate and allows your body to gradually increase in sugar then gradual taper back down and does not allow your sugar to spike  and drop drastically... like stomping on your gas and going from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds then back to 0 by slamming on your brakes. Hope that made some sense..  She will also have to start measuring all foods from now on to make sure she is getting just 1 serving. She can eat as many veggies as she wants, proteins low in fat and small amounts of fruits and carbs, IF she does eat carbs they do need to be Whole grains, no more white bread and white rice and limit the potatoes and pastas. There is a product out called Fiber Sure Clear that can be added to anything as it is tasteless.. I use this if i know I am going to eat lets say spaghetti- Using it helps the carbs burn a bit slower as i explained before. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to message me.  Phyllis

Chris, what everyone has said so far is correct.  I developed Gestational Diabetes w/my first son.  It can be scary at first but once you get your answers and a game plan it gets easier. One thing I craved w/ my pregnancies that was a downfall to my blood sugars was processed meats (weinies, bologna, etc...)  Before you go see the nutritionist, set down w/your wife and write out all you questions in detail and don't let rush you until you have your answers. My nutritionists seemed to be in a hurry.  Good luck.

I, too, had gestational diabetes.  It was NO FUN @ all. The thing I craved the most and you would think would be ok was cold cereal.  Did you know that milk has sugar in it?? OMG I didnt know that and hold crap did my sugar sky rocket.  I stayed away from cereal after that. The doctor will also probably tell you all the bad things about having diabetes during pregnancy, DONT LET THIS STUFF SCARE YOU!!!!.  Prematurity & high birth weight (my son was born 6 weeks early and weighed 7lbs12oz). Just remember to follow a good healthy diet (you should watch carbs regardless) and think positive. You will be blessed in the end with a healthy mommy and a new perfect life.  much love and wishes... Jennifer

Hi Chris: I've had gestational diabetes during three pregnancies.  Most women can manage it solely with diet, although a small % (I was one) need insulin (although these days they also manage it with glyburide.)  As the pancreas grows, her GD will become worse... so she may have to be more strict on her diet later on or even go on insulin for a few weeks.  Basically, the nutritionist will give your wife a diet plan that counts carbs... carbs being starchy veggies, grains, milk, and fruit,  For me, my meal plan looked like this: Breakfast:  1 C + whatever else (I was very carb sensitive)  A carb serving is 15 g carb. Mid-AM (after post-prandial testing)  1 C Lunch  3 C Mid-PM (after post-prandial testing for lunch)  2 C Dinner  3 C I didn't worry about counting fat or protein.  They're going to want to get your wife a blood glucose meter ASAP... and she'll probably have to test four times per day.... fasting, 2 hours post-breakfast, 2 hours post-lunch, 2 hours post-dinner.  The values they're looking for are (note stricter during pregnancy): Fasting  Under 95 (although some docs allow under 100) 2 hour post-prandials  Under 120  (If you test at 1 hour, they want it under 140) The GD usually goes away after birth... although this does mean that your wife is at increased risk of developing Type 2.  Mine went away after my two previous pregnancies, but did not this time. :( You don't want carbs to be too low during pregnancy, though.  Not healthy for the baby. I definitely recommend looking at any of the books on the Glycemic Index or Glycemic Load.  I know that when I ate low on the GI scale, my blood sugars were great.  (For convenience foods, South Beach Diet stuff worked great for me.) Oh, exercise made a big difference with my fasting blood glucose levels.  A 30-45 min walk at night always made my blood sugars lower in the AM :)