are there gestational diabetes resources?

[prairiebird]

Anyone have a recommendation for where I can find meal planning ideas and other help? I meet with a dietician and ges. diabetes rep at the hospital next week, but I'd like to have some idea on how to eat.

 

I have no experience with this, but it's my 7th baby and I just failed my 3H glucose and am having higher blood pressure than I ever have. It's all new to me. I have always passed the 1H.

 

I'm a little scared, but from what I understand, it's fairly common.

 

I know I don't have the best eating habits, and I usually get a grande starbucks frappe thing once a week with all the whipped cream and everything on it. I'm guessing that's out now!

 

I'm hoping there are some suggested meal plans or something that can give me an idea.

[abacus2]

This simplest way to start is to limit your carbs per meal. Aim for 30-45 carbs per meal and 15-30 carbs per snack. Call your insurance company and see if they will send you a free meter. Test your blood sugar when you first wake up and 1-2 hours after you begin eating a meal. I was told to target levels under 140 1 hour post meal or under 120 2 hours post meal. If your numbers are high, eat fewer carbs and/or add protein to your meals. For me, breakfast was the trickiest meal to get under control. I usually ate two eggs, whole wheat toast with butter and a thin layer of low sugar jelly, and a piece of fruit. For lunches and dinners, try to have a reasonably sized portion of protein, lots of non-starchy vegetables, and moderate amounts of fruit. Limit rice, potatoes, peas, corn, sugar, and breads.

[3browneyedboys4me]

:grouphug:

I don't really have a meal plan. YOu will learn tons after you take the nutritional classes. :) So, don't worry.

 

Obviously, the big thing is SUGAR and CARBS. All the things you probably really want when you are pregnant. I was always very strict. In the class, they will teach you about portion sizes and creating a food log. It's not that difficult. The general rule is about a cup size for your portions. Some less like a half a cup. I really stayed away from sugar, sweets, and breads.

 

If you try to eat healthy... fresh fruits and veggies and lots of protein, you will be fine. I would include meals on the grill since it's getting so hot. I would grill out fish, chicken, steak, and hotdogs. Serve these meats with green beans, salad, Butter beans, Lima beans, fresh sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. You could eat Greek yogurt, or find some sugar free deserts in the freezer section.

 

I hope this is a little helpful. It's really not that bad!:001_smile:

Blessings!

[ChristusG]

With my last baby (who is now 6 months old) I was borderline with gestational diabetes. I failed the 1 hour and refused the 3 hour (I just knew I'd vomit or pass out or quite possibly both). I just began taking my blood sugar several times a day and eating a GD diet.

 

At first I was extremely freaked out. But after a week or so, it wasn't nearly as bad as what I thought it would be.

 

For breads, switch to 100% whole wheat if you do not already eat that. It is lower in sugar/carbs. Meats have no sugar/carbs. Veggies have no sugar/carbs. I started eating a salad with both lunch and dinner. Motzerella cheese sticks became my friend....so did beef jerky.

 

If I ate a hamburger or chicken sandwich, I ate it with the bottom part of the bun only. I upped my veggie intake (and I do not love a lot of veggies....so I ate a lot of broccoli, salad, and green beans).

 

I cut out yogurt and orange juice because those seemed to raise my sugar a lot.

 

I still allowed myself to have a treat once a week. I had a blizzard one week....cookies the next, etc. It spiked my sugar for about an hour (not terribly, but high enough) but I didn't worry much about it. The damage is done when your sugars are high for long term and stay high. If I didn't have a treat to look forward to, it would be really hard to stay on the diet without a treat in sight.

 

I ate a lot of sausage links for snacks. They were the microwaveable kind, so while not the best, they helped keep hunger at bay without raising my sugar.

 

While it seems daunting at first, you'll get the hang of it!

[abacus2]

Be very careful of "sugar free" items; they may not be lower in carbs. Also be careful of low fat versions as these tend to be higher in carbs than the regular versions.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I had gestational diabetes with DS and I'm getting screened for it early this time, at 15 weeks. Which is like 2 weeks from now :(

 

Your dietitian or whoever you meet with, should give you a meal plan when you go see them. The meal plan was hard for me to adjust too at first, but after a while, it was great, I had SO much energy! And, I lost so much weight that I only gained 17 pounds during the pregnancy.

 

The meal plan was broken down into serving sizes.... for instance, I remember that breakfast was 1 serving of Protein, 1 serving of Carbs and 1 serving of Fat. Breakfast is important b/c you have been "fasting" all night and eating fruit, or lots of carbs will cause a blood sugar spike, which will screw up your insulin and affect the baby.

 

I had to eat every 3 hours or so.... Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack. (For my bedtime snack, I would always have 4 triscuits with cheese on top and 8 oz. of milk).

 

I remember I could only have 2 servings of fruit a day. (17 grapes is one serving, so is half a large apple).

 

Ask (if they don't give them to you) for the posters that have serving sizes of everything listed. I hung them up in my kitchen. I also printed out serving sizes of things I ate frequently and kept a list in my purse for when we went out to eat.

 

The fruit had to be eaten with lunch and dinner, not on its own.

 

If you measured all your food correctly and only ate what was on the list, it equaled 2200 calories a day.

 

Obviously, you have to completely cut out sugar, cold turkey. The Starbucks is gone. No ice cream, cookies, cakes, etc. No soda, sweet tea, etc. NO sweetened yogurts (plain only).WATCH for sugar free stuff. DON'T eat aspartame, equal or nutrasweet.... they can be harmful to the baby. No diet sodas. No diet yogurt (most are sweetened with aspartame). Just use Stevia, Truvia or Splenda.

 

I know it stinks at first, but seriously, once you get used to it and your blood sugar is kept in check, you'll feel GREAT! I was planting roses at 7-8 months pregnant and had all KINDS of energy :)

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Prairie,

 

I had gestational diabetes with 6/7 of my pregnancies, and the first week of March this year we were blown away to discover that I am pregnant at the age of 45! So I'm on this journey with you, but I've been down this road many times before.

 

I am only 14 weeks but they are already having me test my blood sugar because of my history. I have scoured the internet for weeks trying to find a well laid out GD diet, and I have not been able to find one online. I threw all my old info away years ago because I was sure I wouldn't need it again.

 

Basically, you need to follow a low carb diet, but do not restrict the carbs too severely. The carb amounts "abacus" posted above work for most people, but I need to be stricter. Your diabetic educator will help you to understand all of this. The blood sugar ranges "abacus" posted are identical to the parameters my Dr. gave me.

 

In the meantime, cut out the sugar, white flour, juice, and starchy vegetables until you get your glucose monitor. The glucose monitor will empower you. Then you will know what foods make your blood sugar spike and what foods work with your body. It's not exactly the same for everyone, and can vary at different times during the day.

 

I eat eggs with cheese for breakfast, but some mornings I eat cottage cheese. Sometimes dh will even make me some bacon. :)

 

For a mid morning snack I have berries and cream, or a bell pepper with dip, or nuts.

 

For lunch I can eat a sandwich on whole wheat bread, but I can't add fruit to that or I'll go too high. I usually add cut vegetables or a salad. You will be able to see what works for you.

 

For dinner we have meat, a salad, and lots of vegetables. I've been able to eat more carbs at dinner without the glucose spikes. I can have one whole wheat roll, but not two.

 

A bedtime snack is important to keep your night time blood sugars stable. Include 15g of carbs and some protein. I like yogurt with berries, or 1/2 of a PBJ sandwich.

 

I know finding out you have Gestational Diabetes can be discouraging, but you will get used to the diet fairly easily. You won't be hungry, you'll just have to limit carbs.

 

If they do not offer you a glucose monitor, go buy one. You can get one for around $16. Get your Dr. to write a prescription and insurance should cover it and the strips.

 

Please pm me if you need support. I've BTDT and I'm with you on this road now. :grouphug:

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I had gestational diabetes with DS and I'm getting screened for it early this time, at 15 weeks. Which is like 2 weeks from now :(

 

 

Gao Meixue

It looks like we're right together. :) (see above post) I refused the early screening b/c I have failed so many times. I just went right to testing my blood sugar at 12 weeks - when I stopped throwing up. :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm here for you, too if you need someone to talk to. I hope your screening goes well.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

Thanks!

 

I'm actually not that worried about it :) I eat a lot healthier than I did when I was 22 and first pregnant ;)

 

Not that it matters much, diabetes runs RAMPANT in my family! But I have been staying away from sugar, so we'll see...

 

I won't say that I *hope* I get it, or anything, lol, but I won't be disappointed either b/c at least it will get me another meal plan and monitor and I can finally loose weight and feel good. It FORCES to me to eat correctly, which in turn, is good for me :)

 

I wish I wasn't genetically predisposed to it, but it is what it is :)

 

I've got the yucky orange stuff sitting in my fridge right now. Every time I see it, I give it the look.... :glare:

[besroma]

 

 

I've got the yucky orange stuff sitting in my fridge right now. Every time I see it, I give it the look.... :glare:

 

Not sure when your test is, but if you can trade the orange for the lime, it is waaaay better. ;)

 

 

I had GD with six pregnancies. Peanut butter was my friend during pregnancy. :)

 

You will find when you test what will shoot your levels high and can avoid those foods. I found that heavier cream ice cream like

Bruster's I did fine with, but cheaper ice creams, cookies, cakes, KFC sent my sugar levels sky high.

 

Here's a :grouphug:.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

Not sure when your test is, but if you can trade the orange for the lime, it is waaaay better. ;)

 

 

I had GD with six pregnancies. Peanut butter was my friend during pregnancy. :)

 

You will find when you test what will shoot your levels high and can avoid those foods. I found that heavier cream ice cream like

Bruster's I did fine with, but cheaper ice creams, cookies, cakes, KFC sent my sugar levels sky high.

 

Here's a :grouphug:.

 

All they had was orange and fruit punch :( I guessed that "red" would taste like cough medicine and went with orange.

 

The last time I did this, I was in the Army, you drank what they had, and they had "cola"; BLECH!!

[prairiebird]

Thank you all so much!

 

I will probably PM some of you that offered or bump this thread after my meeting when I have questions! I'm fairly sure part of the education will be the meter and test strips. I'm not sure what insurance will cover, but my dad might have an older model freestyle? (I think it has a pic of a butterfly on it) meter because he has diabetes and gets new equip all the time since he's a vet. (He doesn't exactly make healthy or diabetic friendly choices though, so going to him for meal help will be sort of useless.)

 

I eat cold cereal in skim or soy every morning too, so that'll be a big change. Adding the snacks in will be a change, though I know in my head that it's better either way.

 

I'm glad to hear that some have had this more than once and went on to have other children. DH wants to limit our family after this one because he's afraid for my life and the baby's life, according to him. I've been lucky and have had easy pregnancies and only 1 c-section. This is scary and will be drastic, but I hope it will knock some sense into me.

 

ETA: I don't drink soda, so drinking the test glucose stuff was nasty! I have maybe a bottled root beer once in a very rare while. At least I won't have to cut that out of my diet!

Edited May 3, 2012 by prairiebird