Finding out you are pregnant is such an exciting time and there are so many emotions that go through your mind-the constant worry that you are doing all you can for a healthy baby never ends (it gets worse once the little one has made her appearance). It's hard enough carrying a baby both physically, mentally and emotionally (I cried at everything especially anything to do with mummies and babies-poor hubby didn't know what to do with me!) but add in extra complications then it can increase the stress tenfold. For the first 13 weeks of my pregnancy I was so sick-I literally couldn't look/smell or taste food-I would wake up every day and just wish it was bed time so I could escape the nausea for a few hours-this makes me sad to think I felt like that as I should have enjoyed every minute but honestly the nausea was relentless -not to mention I was worried I wasn't eating enough nutrients to nourish our baby. Finally the nausea subsided around week 12/13 ( It came back towards the end so be prepared for third trimester nausea too girls!) and for the second trimester everything was fairly straight forward.My 'bump' didn't really pop until after week 23/24 or so and bar a few niggles and backpains everything was great. Then I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at week 32. And so the fun began....There were so many thoughts going through my head after the diagnosis-would I need medication or insulin? Will my baby be ok? Will I have to be induced or have a csection?. It's a lot to take in but it is important to remember that it is not your fault-and although you can control it to some extent with diet and exercise-gestational diabetes ultimately has a mind of its own. You might need to be induced, you may also need a csection but on the other hand you might birth a small baby vaginally and have no issues at all. IT just depends. You really have to let go of all preconceptions and go with your body.
Admittedly before I got pregnant I was overweight-not obese by any means but definitely packing a few more pounds than I should have (we're talking double figures here girls!) so I was automatically referred for the glucose tolerance testing at 24 weeks for gestational diabetes-you do not have to go to this if you don't want to but I honestly don't know why anybody wouldn't?.Although I was overweight that doesn't mean that caused me to have gd-there are plenty of women who are slim and active who have gd. It is not our fault-our placentas simply do not work the way they should . It took me a while to let go of my guilt over this. My issue with my weight was more exercise related as I eat fairly healthy incoroporating lots of fruit into my diet so for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy my weight gain was pretty good. My GTT day came and off I trotted to the hospital-the test involves fasting from the previous night then getting a blood sample taken first thing in morning then drinking a high glucose drink within 5-10 minutes, followed by two more blood samples at 1 hour and 2 hours post drink. The test went in fairly quickly and I was told I would only hear from them if there were any issues. So I didn't hear anything so was delighted that I didn't have gd but over the course of the next few weeks I started to think that I did have diabetes-I was thirsty all the time and peeing allllll the time; of course these are typical symptoms of pregnancy too though so at every midwife appointment if my urine was clear I was told not to worry. However at my 30 week appointment I had a small trace of glucose so I just asked to be referred back for peace of mind-so I sat through another GTT and lo and behold I did have gestational diabetes-so my nurse/mother intuition was right!
Waiting for my follow up appointment at the dietitians was the longest wait-Now I'm a nurse myself but even I struggled to know what to eat-I love my fruit so hadn't a clue if I could eat it still. after the appointment armed with knowledge from the dietitian and my glucometer I was ready to go. I was advised to test my sugars at least five times a day I often did it more as I became so paranoid that it was high. I drastically cut fruit from my diet and carbohydrates-switching to basmati rice for my evening meals or a small (and I mean small) portion of potatoes-instead I filled my plate with vegetables . I cut out all sweet treats-I was probably a bit drastic but I just thought I have all the time in the world to eat chocolate the least I can do for my baby is go without for a few short months.. Instead if I fancied a sweet fix I would have half a sachet of hot chocolate (I told you I was drastic). For those with gestational diabetes it really is trial and error-so what worked for me diet wise might not work for someone else. For example all cereal made my sugar rise unless I took one shredded wheat and a dribble of milk and lets face it it's not appetising nor is it adequate for a pregnant woman. I typically took two slices of Burgen bread in the mornings with peanut butter and my levels were always ok-but yet many others had issues with bread. I swapped to basmati rice and drank more water than I have ever drank in my life-not to mention eggs-boiled,scrambled, poached, omelettes-did I mention boiled??. I remember saying I never wanted to see another egg again but yet I still love them!. Walking can help stabilise your sugars too-unfortunately for me my legs and feet were that swollen (The oedema annoyed me far more than the diabetes) that I could only manage a stroll around our back garden.
Gestational Diabetes does come with its risks and it is so important to monitor your levels throughout-my advice is really trial and error all foods and see what works for you-do not beat yourself up if you have one high reading-how else will you know what causes your sugars to rise. Typically you should aim for foods with low glycemic index to help control your levels. Yes it is tough saying goodbye to all your favourite foods but the reward is so much better.The advantages are you are closely monitored and get extra scans to see baby-which makes it all so worth it!. I kind of miss those appointments. For most women GD goes away after birth, and I seem to have been one of those lucky ones but I still try and incorporate the gd diet even now-I only gained 2stone 4lbs whilst pregnant and lost it all and more within 2 weeks after birth so it really was a blessing in disguise for me. So if you do develop Gestational Diabetes try not to panic-there's lots of support out there especially on instagram. And just remember when it gets tough and you have pricked your figure for the 276th time that you will be getting something so precious at the end. I would endure a million finger pricks for my beautiful girl who was born fit and well and a bouncing 8lbs13ozs.
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