ob appt update

I will be 29 weeks tomorrow. I went for an OB check today and baby sounds good, blood pressure was good, and I signed papers for a tubal. I am a little anemic so they want me to take iron supplements everyday. I had to get a glucose meter and am now checking my blood sugars 1 hour after every meal for the next week. After lunch it was high 183. I hope that it calms down and is not going to run high everytime or they'll be diagnosing me with gestational diabetes. Right now they are calling me glucose intolerant cause my 3 hour glucose test was just a couple points high on the fasting draw, the others were all normal. I do not want to take insulin. I've been reading up about it and there's some controversy about whether or not its really beneficial. It keeps the baby from growing too big, but I'm having a C section anyway, so I don't think that is that big of an issue with me. Does anyone know more about this? I feel fine but maybe you don't feel any different with gestational diabetes, I don't know. I'm still coughing, but it's much better, I have been drinking pepermint tea with honey before bedtime and that seems to be working.
I'm going to vent a little now. My girls have been so sick lately, I have been to urgent care every weekend for the past 4 weeks and then to the doctors office a few times during the week! My oldest is having hearing problems and was tested as having some major fluid in her ears which is causing the hearing loss and so now we need to make an appointment with her regular doctor to figure out what we're going to do to fix it. I am assuming ear tubes. But at 6 years old I thought they didn't do that anymore. She also went to the dentist and has major cavities. She'll be getting those filled soon. I fight her to floss but I think now she realizes she needs to. My youngest has had quite the issues lately too. She had an issue with her stool which was serious and was making her quite ill. She was treated for that, then got pink eye. We treated her for that and then a couple days later she breaks into hives. They can't figure out why, they think it's just that she's been so sick. On top of all of this, I have been feeling horrible for the last 3 or 4 weeks and everything that's going on is totally stressing me out. I just had to share and vent.

Wow, Tami!  Sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now.  Can't blame you for venting a little.  ((Hugs!))  I don't know too much about gestational diabetes.  Just try to watch your carb intake.  You can also try eating small "meals" six times a day rather than three larger meals.  You may already do that though.  Another thing that might help is to try to balance your protein and carbs to about the same amount at each meal.  So, if you have 15 grams of protein try also to have only about 15 grams of carbs.  That's what I have had to do recently due to late onset reactive hypoglycemia.  If I eat too many carbs without enough protein I will have low blood sugar about 3 hour later.  I can also get if I have all protein and no carbs..but not as bad as having too many carbs with too little protein.  

I also just realized that you had lap band rather than RNY..so you wouldn't have the late onset hypoglycemia issues.  However, eating several small meals a day will help keep your blood sugars more even.  Definitely keep your carbs in check.  My husband is type 2 diabetic. 

 If you are diagnosed with GD that doesnt mean that you will have to take insulin. I had it with my 5 year old and I was determined to control it with a very strict diet....counting EVERY CARB and exercise and this was all before gastric bypass and I managed to keep my sugars in check and delivered a healthy 8 lb 1 oz baby boy. My point is that its not the end of the world, it does make it harder when you have a craving that you just cant get out of your mind but for me I feared the possibility of pushing out a small toddler and that alone kept me strait. I hope it all works out for you. 

Hi Tami,

I hope you and your girls feel better soon!!  It's so hard when it's one illness after another, between my hubby and my 2 kids, someone has been sick the better part of the last 6 weeks.  I FINALLY put away the cough syrups yesterday!!

As for the gestational diabetes.  It's not just the size of the baby they're concerned about.  When we have high sugars, baby has high circulating sugar as well.  Then after the birth the sugars for the infant plummet and you end up with a baby with significant hypoglycemia for anywhere from a few hours to a few days.  This can be quite dangerous (also means lots of extra poking of the babe for lab draws and such).

Keep testing, watch your simple carbs (especially anything with white flour!!).  Hope all is ok, if not like the other poster said, it doesn't mean you'll require insulin!  Only if it can't be diet controlled.  I went through that with baby number one and never needed insulin either.  The other thing is stay active this will help control and regulate your sugars.

All the best to you!
Linda

I have very well controlled Type II Diabetes but started having trouble with high blood sugars in my third trimester.  My OB told me it is quite normal in later pregnancy.  I started being very disciplined about carb intake and checking my sugars 4 times a day.  Even with that extra discipline, I did have to start taking Glyburide which is an oral medication.  I delivered a perfectly healthy 6lb 15oz little girl.  Insulin isn't always a given.  You can control it with diet and if that's not working, there are other alternatives.