Guess what I got as an early present? 12 weeks of a special diet and sticking my finger every day. Yep...I have gestational diabetes.
I am disappointed but not surprised. Based on my first blood test, I knew the levels were pretty high but of course I was hoping that was just a fluke. The doctor called me yesterday to say that two of the tests showed that I was over the limit and the 3rd was right on the line. The next step is for me to see an Endocrinologist to learn how to test my blood every day and to talk about ways to control my sugar levels with diet.
From reading online, I know the GD diet is similar to a typical diabetic diet. The idea is to keep carb intake low. Unfortunately, the difference with GD is that I will not be able to have "sugar free" stuff because it often contains aspartame or other ingredients that are not proven safe in pregnancy. Between the GD diet, what I can eat that doesn't cause me heartburn, and being a vegetarian, I'm going to have to be very creative in thinking about what foods I can actually eat over the next 12 weeks.
At first I was feeling really bad like I had done something wrong. My loving husband did some research for me to find out that the casue of GD is actually a hormone the placenta makes that blocks the effects of insulin in my body. The major problem it can cause to the baby if left untreated is "macrosomia" which basically means that baby will be fat. Big babies can have trouble during the birthing process which lead to shoulder injuries. Because the baby's pancreas tries to help out and make extra insulin, it can also cause the baby to have low glucose levels at birth causing breathing problems.
Obviously, I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to keep the baby safe. But I sure am going to miss my buddy carb!
Monday, December 22, 2008
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8 comments:
Sorry to hear about the GD. Now I have another thing to worry about. Rod's grandpa weighed 13 lbs when he was born probably his mother had GD. I don't know how that works. You are a good mommy so hang in there. Can you eat fruit? That helps to satisfy the cravings for sweets--particularly at this time of the year.
Grandma
Hang in there. I had it with Gabriel and it wasnt too bad ( i loved all carbs when pregnant with him) lol I remember one thing the endocrinologist told me that worked really well to keep my levels good was to do a short walk after each meal. Doing that helped a lot for me.
You'll be fine.. you are a creative person indeed. And a wonderful Momma!!! Hugs for strength.
Soup. I don't know. I just think soup sounds good.
You will do great with it no matter what Brooke! If I could spend more time online I would do some research for ya. Damn eyes.
Agave Nectar is a sweetener that's low on the glycemic index. It isn't bad...I've made a few things with it. blog.fatfreevegan.com has a few recipes on there using it to give you a few ideas...
Thanks everyone! I've done some research and pretty much understand what I can/cannot eat. It really isn't THAT bad. :)
I will do the cooking if you tell me what to make :)
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