Gestational diabetes in pregnancy. I'm in shock!

I had it, with readings up to 12 units after exertion... My daughter is already 4 years old and, thank God, we're all doing well!!!

I'm very happy for you! And is everything alright with you now? I was told that I would be at risk after gestational diabetes and after pregnancy.

No, you don't have any diabetes... they're fooling you, just like many others.

Stick to the diet, check your blood regularly (as the doctor advised), and everything will be fine. The main thing is not to eat sweets or sweet fruits at night, as your blood glucose level will be slightly elevated in the morning (the device will show you).

I had gestational diabetes. I followed the diet, regularly pricked my finger to check my glucose levels, and everything was fine. The baby was born healthy, with normal weight and height. By the way, you'll also need to follow the diet for three months after giving birth to get your blood glucose levels back to normal.

Stick to the diet and your doctor's recommendations. Everything will be fine! Don't worry! Gestational diabetes is, unfortunately, not a rare occurrence.

I live in Switzerland. And here, there's no such thing as scamming.

Just don't get nervous.

Everything will be fine.

Author, listen to post #4, it's all correct. I'm already 30 weeks along, and the same thing - gestational diabetes. No one knows why or where it comes from; they suspect it's due to hormonal changes and the placenta's function. Just try to cut out all buns, cakes, and sweets from your diet, have fruit for dessert instead. With gestational diabetes, babies accumulate more fat, so they're born larger, which can lead to complications during childbirth due to a large fetus - tears, in very rare cases a broken collarbone in the baby, and hypoglycemia in the baby after birth. If you stick to the diet and get some physical activity (like walking), everything will be fine. There's nothing scary about this diagnosis; preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) is much worse and more dangerous, whereas this is just minor stuff. Everything will be alright with you.

Thank you. I'm also at 30 weeks. I was measuring my blood all day yesterday, and so far, it's within normal limits today. I'm just really afraid that diabetes might develop in the future. The doctor said there's a 50 percent risk. That's very high. My husband's father had diabetes, and now his aunt is suffering from it. We'll have to restrict the child from sweets altogether.

I had it, detected at 28 weeks. I followed a diet and checked my blood every day until the end of the pregnancy. I gave birth normally, and my daughter is fine. I was very worried too.

Now I'm in the risk group and have to get checked every two years.

I measured two hours after lunch. 7.6, but it should be no more than 7.00. I had brown pasta in tomato sauce, chicken schnitzel, and a vegetable salad. For dinner, only an omelette and salad today, unfortunately. :-(

Pasta should be limited, I can't quite recall now what the portion size should be, were you not taught how to calculate it? It's measured in cups or grams somehow. +Schnitzel with breadcrumbs is also carbohydrates. Try to avoid that. Meat and vegetables can be eaten without restriction, but all carbohydrates should be counted. And if you feel you might have eaten more than allowed, just try to move around more; I used to even walk back and forth around the house, and my sugar levels would drop.

I specifically bought brown pasta. Probably, schnitzel isn't allowed because of the breading, and tomato paste too. I had Barilla pasta. They said both pasta and rice and potatoes are fine, but only one-third of the plate.

Brown ones need to be counted too; they have just as many carbohydrates. You must check the composition in tomato paste. Pasta, rice, potatoes - all are allowed, but only in very limited quantities. By the way, I was advised to use basmati rice; it seems to have fewer carbohydrates. I remember I had a special system for counting; the dietitian explained everything. Were you not told about it?

They told me, but not in such detail as to measure by grams. I had about a third of a plate of side dish with meat. They completely banned raf coffee, sugar, grapes, bananas, and white bread. I haven't eaten any sweets at all for two days, except for apples. Yesterday after dinner, I felt unwell, weak, and nauseous. I measured my blood sugar after two hours – it was 2.7. I immediately ate yogurt with natural sugar.

I'm 29 weeks pregnant and have also been diagnosed with gestational diabetes((( Currently, my fasting blood sugar levels are rising to 5.8 and 6... They want to put me on insulin((( even though my sugar levels are normal during the day.

Were you not prescribed insulin?

I was told that the normal fasting level is 5.3, and two hours after eating, it's 7.00. I don't live in Russia, but what are your indicators?

They said the normal fasting level for pregnant women is 5.1!!! During the day, up to 7.5... Mine sometimes reaches 5.8-6 during the day((( and even 5.3-5...

In the morning, 5.8-6

My doctor also told me that for pregnant women, the norm is up to 5.1, and in the morning mine is 5, yet they still diagnose me with gestational diabetes.

My gynaecologist told me the normal fasting level is 6, but another doctor said 5.5 – who to believe, it's bloody confusing...

But I was told that 5.1 is the normal level on an empty stomach. Everyone says something different. In the end, it's not reliably known which figure is correct.

My fasting blood sugar in the morning is 5.4-6.1, normal during the day, and it rises to 8 by the evening (and I don't eat anything forbidden in the evening).

I am 32 weeks pregnant. I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I monitored my glucose levels seven times a day. While following the diet, my fasting levels were 5.1 twice a week. They prescribed me insulin to take at night.

And from the very beginning of my pregnancy, my fasting blood sugar was 6.2, and I'm just starting to get tests done. I'm really worried about the baby. I'm 31, and this is my first pregnancy. I'm praying to God that everything will be fine with the baby.

I had gestational diabetes in 2006, I don't remember the numbers, but my daughter was born prematurely at 36 weeks weighing 3280g. There were many complications, but she's doing well now. Currently, I'm 26 weeks pregnant with higher sugar levels, so I'm in the hospital under observation and won't take any more risks. The diet is helping for now, but I need to measure my sugar daily, both fasting and after meals.

I am 13 weeks pregnant with GDM. Please advise where others are being monitored—my antenatal clinic didn't give me a referral; they don't know. I called the 1st City Hospital, the KDC where Arbatkaya N.Yu. supposedly works at phone number 536-91-16, and they told me they don't know her and that all pregnant women with GDM are referred to the 25th (!!!) maternity hospital. Specifically the 25th, not the 29th.

I was diagnosed with GDM about three weeks ago (fasting blood sugar 5.3), currently 10 weeks pregnant. I was advised to follow a diet, and they will refer me to a regional consultation regarding GDM only after the 12-week screening. I've only had my blood retested once, and I'll find out the results on Friday. It seems I'm more worried about it than my gynecologist is...

Hello, I am 12 weeks pregnant and have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. My blood sugar is elevated at 11.8 mmol/L. Could you advise me on a diet? I do not want to use insulin. I am struggling to plan a diet for myself!

Can you tell me, did you stay on insulin after giving birth?

I had it in both pregnancies, but during the first one, they didn't monitor me at all with just a diet - the result was a premature, large baby with all the complications and intensive care before and after birth. Everything is fine now. The child is 10 years old. With the second one, I felt my sugar was rising in the evening because I was frequently urinating, but the morning test was normal. Then, it became 7.0 in the morning. They admitted me to the endocrinology department, and that was the right decision. Diet and sugar profiling. In the end, insulin was still needed. I cried, of course. But I lost weight, and most importantly, the baby is healthy, and the insulin was discontinued. Everything is great. And I was discharged home from the maternity hospital, not from the hospital.

Hello. How are you doing now? Have your sugar levels returned to normal? How are the children?

Has gestational diabetes affected brain development in those who have already given birth? Are there any developmental abnormalities?

Hello, I've been diagnosed with GDM. The glucose test results were: fasting 3.7, one hour after 75g glucose 17.3, two hours later 8. Sugar was found in my urine once, but it hasn't happened again. My fasting sugar is always between 3.8 and 4.1... after meals, it goes up to 7, sometimes reaching 8.5. I was hospitalized, and even with a post-meal sugar level of 6.2, they administered short-acting insulin. I don't know what to do... I don't want insulin, but the doctors are insisting.

Good afternoon,
Dear ladies, after my pregnancy, I have some leftover insulin: LEVEMIR (5 pen-injectors) and NOVORAPID (3 pen-injectors), plus needles included as a bonus. If anyone needs them, please call (89250946080, Moscow) – I'll sell them at a big discount.
And remember, gestational diabetes isn't scary if you follow the diet and your doctor's advice. Thankfully, I gave birth successfully, everything went well, the diagnosis was lifted, and my daughter has good blood sugar levels.

[quote="Natalia" message_id="59600376"]natalia
Hello, I am at 12 weeks and have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, my sugar level is elevated at 11.8 mmol. Please advise on a diet! I don't want insulin. I can't put together a diet for myself!

Natalia, what concerns you about adding insulin injections? Insulin from external sources is not passed to the fetus—it cannot harm them. Injections in the abdomen are not painful at all, as fat lacks nerve endings. The injections are discontinued right after childbirth.
Diet: You should consume at least 12 carbohydrate units (XE) per day (fruits, dairy). Less is not advisable—it would deplete vital body reserves, harming both the fetus and you. However, with such a high sugar level (11.8), it's unlikely you'll manage with just 12 XE. Also, note that the period from 12 to 16 weeks often sees an improvement in diabetes symptoms, but from 16 weeks onwards, insulin resistance sharply increases. If at 12 weeks your level is 11.8, injections are unavoidable. In the second trimester, the fetus's pancreas starts processing the mother's blood sugar—an unnecessary burden for the baby. Well done for detecting the condition in the first trimester! Conclusion—diet + insulin equals a healthy and happy mother and baby!

Good afternoon, I am 28 weeks pregnant and have had gestational diabetes since week 16. I am on insulin, 14 units of long-acting at night and 6 units of rapid-acting before main meals. Could you please advise, my blood sugar is good in the morning, but one hour after meals it's between 7.7 and 8.4. Can I increase the rapid-acting insulin to 8 units before meals?

Hello, my blood sugar levels are normal, but there is sugar in my urine. My gynaecologist is at a loss; I've retested four times with no change (they said it might be because I ate something sweet). I'm now 30 weeks along)))

Could you tell me, what other tests did the doctor suggest you take? And did she refer you to another specialist?
I'm at 28 weeks, and sugar was found in my urine today too—43.78 against a norm of up to 2.7. I'm going to retest tomorrow... maybe it's a lab error. I'm wondering if I should get some other tests done at the same time... but I'm not sure exactly which ones. There are so many types available at the lab.

OH, girls! I've been diagnosed with this diabetes too. Since the 30th of January, I've been stuck on this fascist diet. Because the only fruit I'm allowed is green apples. My diet is minimal. In less than two weeks, I've lost 4.5 kg. My blood sugar levels are normal, and today the endocrinologist even demanded I cut out glazed cheese curds(((((((((. Even though my urine tests show signs of starvation.((( Even my gynaecologist is shocked! I thought there would be some leniency, my husband already gives me side-eye for eating like a rabbit. So today, I was on my way home and just sobbed...

I also had gestational diabetes. I was hospitalized twice at maternity hospital number 29. I refused insulin, and I don't regret it. My child is now one year old. He was born weighing 2700 grams. Everything is fine, thank God. They just scare you more than anything.

I will be giving birth at Sechenov University Hospital, but on the condition that I've been under the care of an endocrinologist at the same maternity hospital since the diagnosis was made (my fasting blood sugar was 5.3).

The diagnosis of gestational diabetes is quite unclear, to be honest. I only visited the endocrinologist until 37 weeks just to be able to deliver at this same hospital.

I followed a strict diet. With the target blood sugar levels below 7.0 after meals, eating turned into a complicated puzzle. ALL types of porridge raised my sugar above 7.0. The only carbohydrate-based foods that didn't spike my levels were Finn Crisp bread crisps, Barilla pasta, and steamed potatoes.

Even then, I had to strictly monitor the portions (measuring pasta in spoonfuls—in my case, no more than five).

I noticed that my sugar drops by about 1 point if I go for a walk right after eating, moving around instead of sitting on a bench.

My endocrinologist also told me that fatty foods slow down the absorption of carbohydrates. They slow it down but don't prevent it! I experimented with my glucose meter: after eating a carb-heavy, fatty meal, my sugar was normal after an hour, but after an hour and a half, it was above 7. So don’t be fooled into thinking, "I ate an éclair, a croissant, a bun, and my sugar is fine."

Also, fasting blood sugar will be higher if you eat after 8 p.m. For example, drinking kefir at midnight, which only raises sugar to 5.5, will result in a fasting reading in the morning of almost the same—5.1–5.2, which is above the normal limit of 5.0.

My advice to everyone: if even in the first trimester your venous blood sugar is above 5.1, don’t wait for the glucose tolerance test—go straight to a competent endocrinologist. In my case, I regret listening to the doctor at the antenatal clinic and waiting another two months for that test, which I didn’t even need and only put extra strain on my pancreas. The endocrinologist at the maternity hospital told me I should have started the special diet right away, back in the first trimester.

Literally my story right now

Natalia, tell me, did your GDM go away after childbirth?