Diabetes during pregnancy

J

jeanyeeli

Registered User
Hello,

I am very worried that I may be diabetic during pregnant now. I am 23 weeks but the baby is on his 25th. Doctor did say to eat sensibly from now on as he might turn out to be a tremendous 10 pound baby. I will have my gloucose test in March so can anyone recommend me on if this is normal for the baby to be growing that fast.

I am also craving for chocolates and sweets things but now that the doctor is frightening me, i have cut down quite alot. Do you know if diabetes will afffect the mother and baby?

Please advise..

Worried mum to be
 
Hi,

I have some questions for you. Are you overweight and/or do you have a family history of diabetes? Also what has your weight gain been like during this pregancy?

Gestational diabetes is a glucose intolerance that appears during pregnancy and there is a higher incidence in overwieght women and women with family history of diabetes. It is usually does not occur until after the 24th week of pregnancy (this is when hormone levels change and there can be an resistance to insulin occurs). This is why your MD is waiting until march to do the glucose tolerance test.

OK, so that being said, about the baby's size:
1. your dates may be wrong and you may actually deliver two weeks earlier
2. you may just have a big baby
3. the baby may have gone through a growth spurt of sorts and may slow down and be right on track by delivery date.
4. There could be some error when measurements. At this age, the fetus is still quite small and even a couple millimeters out makes a big difference in the end.

I suggest, relax and try not to worry. Wait to see what the glucose tolerance test says and follow these recommendations:

Eat a well balanced diet. I know, sounds simple, but that is it. Try and get lots of fruits and veggies, plenty of fibre and try to avoid sweets and excess starches. For rice, pasta, potato, try to have about a cup per meal. Just so you know, the typical meal at a restaurant will give you around 3 cups of pasta and 2 cups rice!!

Feel free to have snacks, as they are important too. Just make sure they are good for you snacks like fruit/veggies and have a little bit of protein with them too (like nuts or cheese).

The other bit thing that will help, regardless if you get gestational diabetes is walking/exercise. Just 20-30 minute walk a day will do wonders for glucose control. Oh, and dont' forget to drink lots of water.

I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions!

All the best and try to relax.

Denise Fair, RD MSc
 
Hello again,

thanks for the advise.

No, dont have family history of diabetes but from the start of pregnancy, I've put on 24 pounds and I am only in my 6 months pregnancy. Is this overweight? Yes, I have been eating sweets and chocolates for the 1st/2nd trimester which I know I shouldn't so would this be the effect. I know I should wait until my gloucose test in March but I really do feel fat and heavy!!!
 
Hi, usual weight gain is 25-35lbs for pregnancy, so yes, you have probably gained a little more than average.

My suggestion is just try to eat in moderation, make good choices and don't try to lose anything, just try and prevent further rapid weight gain. Plus, I really do think that walking will really help. It helped me alot during both of my pregnancies.

Again, try not to worry too much. Let me know if you want any advice/help. I can track down some more info for you. Plus let me know how things go after your glucose tolerance test.

Best of luck
Denise
 
i had gestational diabetes for both of my pregnancy. cut down TREMENDOUSLY on sugar, definitely NO chocolates even tho i'm a chocoholic, and also really cutting down on carbs. i was really wary for my 2nd pregnancy as i was diagnosed much earlier in the pregnancy. as a result, i gained very little weight and baby was actually on the small side as well (but healthy).

try watching both your sugar and carbs intake, and then do home glucose blood test 2 hrs after meals. my doc didn't think it was necessary, but i found that it helped me know what food give me the glucose spikes, so i'll try to avoid those, and eat others that are ok. e.g. rice is a big no no for me, but bread seems a bit better.

my doc warned that it's not good for the baby to have such high glucose level, coz they'll over compensate when they come outside of you. that was my biggest worry back then. but eat in moderation, and you should be fine.
 
Just to let you know that I had my gloucose tolerance test last Tuesday and my result is negative (both from Government and Private). But dont worry as I am still eating sensibly as ever and maybe reduce to 1 sweet or a bite of choco a day.
I also went for a 4D scan on Friday and the doctor said it's gonna be a big fat baby with a big head. Guess nothing can be done about it right.
 
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