Hey Casey! Don't worry, your baby will be just fine and you will do GREAT! I was diagnosed with GD around 28 weeks. I failed my 1hr so badly they didn't bother with the 3hr. I was on Glyburide which worked great and helped me to avoid insulin shots.
As for eating, you can really eat alot of things when you have GD as long as you know how to calculate your CARB UNITS per meal. One thing that was tough for me was my fasting blood sugars always seemed high (google The Dawn Phenomenon which explains why this happens to diabetics). I always had to eat a snack just before bed and I never felt deprived food-wise. My MIL has type 2 diabetes controlled by diet and she taught me how to read food labels and calculate my meals. I have a ton of info and thankfully with her help I wasn't starving like at the beginning when I was diagnosed.
It's a common misconception that you can't have sugar when youare diabetic which isn't the case, it's all about portion control and watching your numbers. I had to keep a log of my Blood Sugars which i had to fax to my doctor every monday. This included the 4x a day I was supposed to check my sugars (usually I did moreso because I was paranoid about my blood sugars affecting ashlynn)
Fasting Blood Sugar, 2hrs after Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
RULE #1: 15g of Carbohydrates = 1 CARB UNIT
Normally you don't want to consume more than 3-4 carb units per meal, snacks are usually 2 carb units. Snacking is important to keepyour blood sugars level.
I made sure to really pay attention to breads because that really affected my meals since I craved sandwiches alot (LOVE Grilled Cheese!) I found a bread that 2 slices was 1 CARB UNIT which was great. It was around 15grams of carbohydrates for 2 slices.
Not every diabetic (Gestational is just a form of it by the way) is affected the same way by all foods. My MIL can't eat potatoes but I could have half a baked potato loaded with Sour Cream, Butter, Cheese, Bacon and did just fine with my blood sugars. I love eating at Sweet Tomatoes! Alot of what you will eat will be trial and error but you will figure it out. I could even eat regular Cheesecake as part of my meal if I ate half or went easy on the crust. Just don't go over 4 CARB UNITS per meal and it's alot easier to keep track of.
Also, you can go to Kraft Foods website for great diabetic recipes. I have a great recipe for Shepherd's Pie that my husband & family love and it tastes GREAT and my blood sugars were great. They have a special section for diabetic recipes.
http://brands.kraftfoods.com/diabeti...m=main_content
So if you balance your meals right you can eat most foods. For example....
Betty Crocker Warm Delights Molten Caramel Cake was a favorite snack of mine and was about 1.7 carb units so doable as a snack. Milk affected my blood sugars alot which was the hardest part for me because I love milk. But you can try Almond Milk which is a pretty good alternative.
I also love Salt n Vinegar Potato Chips and 17 chips is about 15 grams of Carbohydrates (1 CARB UNIT), Triscuits are also a good snack, I always melted colby jack cheese on them with salsa and it was yum!
Oh and Clementine Oranges were a staple for me. Especially if I woke up late night with hunger pains. 2 Clementine Oranges = 1 CARB UNIT and I would have that with String Cheese Stick for a snack all the time (Remember, Snacks should never be more than 2 CARB UNITS)
Also important, anytime you eat fruit, make sure you eat a protein with it (cheese slice) so your blood sugars stay level.
My MIL saw a nutritionist for 3months and had a wealth of info for me so I never felt deprived once I learned how to eat and how to calculate CARB UNITS.
I also made some delicious Fried Salmon Patties (in olive oil) over a bed of lettuce drizzled with Olive Oil, Fresh Lemon Juice, Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper and it was awesome! I made a homemade dip for it with Sour Cream, Horseradish, Hellman's Mayo, Lemon Juice and a little Cayenne Pepper. PM me if you would like the recipe. I'm not a big salmon fan but these were fantastic. Great for blood sugar levels.
I know having GD can be daunting but you will do great. They talk about having a large baby but Ashlynn was 5lb 9oz...hardly big by any means. I am also on IM so feel free to contact me if you have any food questions. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks (Pre-Eclampsia & High BP) and I was taken of their Diabetic Menu because A. it wasn't calculated properly and B. I could eat better myself doing my own food calclations.
PS - My favorite quick Fast Food meal was McDonald's Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dressing (not Nuggets), Yogurt Parfait & a large Light Lemonade. I ate that all the time and it didn't hurt my blood sugar.
I could also eat an Egg McMuffin (just lose one of the bread slices) and a Yogurt Parfait (they are really yum btw) and my blood sugars were always really low.
Good luck and don't be sad! You will do just fine and just remember it will be a little trial and error until you get it down pat.
Not sure what cel phone you have but I have an iphone and used an free application called
Diabetes Log which was a godsend for keeping track of my blood sugars since I had to write down my levels after meals and was often on the go.
Hugs!!!
~ April
JustMommies Message Boards
» Trying to Conceive and Family Planning
» Trying to Conceive Your First Child
» Trying To Conceive Your First Graduates
»
Well it's official
I'm so sorry, Casey!!
Linear Mode
