need help with gestational diabetes...anyone?

[newbiemom]

I haven't met with a dietician yet - I bought a home blood monitor because it was going to be at least a week until I will meet with one, and frankly the stress of not knowing what was going on with my blood levels everytime I ate was putting me off food and keeping me awake at night.

I'm wondering, what are the normal/acceptable levels of blood glucose levels when you do these home tests? Is one monitor more accurate than another? I got an accucheck aviva, because it was on sale. Should I test after one or two hours of eating? (my first day, I went a little test crazy and tested before, one hour and then two hours after each meal).

I've been googling, but am finding very varying answers, from levels must always be below 100, to levels must be below 140 2 hours after eating.

As I had said in the Bitching Post, I'm new here, but I was really overwhelmed with the all the supportive responses of everyone on this board.

Thanks in advance!

[bensmom]

I remember that stress. I had GD when I was pregnant with DS1. I ended up just needing to have an endo check my levels 2 weeks in a row after eating appropriately and was told not to worry about checking my blood sugars other than that (I had a relatively mild case that was completely diet controlled). I just had to watch my diet.

In terms of numbers, I can't remember for sure from pregnancy, but generally, 80-110 is the target for a fasting blood sugar (I don't remember if it's different in pregnancy). The less than 140 2 hours after eating sounds about right (although maybe slightly high still).

I was told to cut out juice and to make sure to eat protein with carbs (plus to watch my serving sizes). The dietician wasn't very helpful for me. She seemed to think that I should eat 3 large meals and one snack each day. There was no way that worked for my 8 month pregnant belly. I ended up eating more often, just smaller amounts that weren't pure carbs.

Good luck, and FWIW, I did not have GD with DS2.

[sidmand]

I think it varies a bit depending on the doctor (not a ton though, within about 10 points), but for pregnant women, my doctor likes to see levels of:

< 95 for fasting number in the a.m. when you wake up
< 130 1 hour after the meal

and during the rest of the day, anywhere from about 70 to 110 is usually acceptable.

I know in the past I've been told < 140 2 hours after the meal and < 120 1 hour after a meal. It seems like that changes every few minutes though! And honestly, as long as it's in that range, it's really not going to matter.

FWIW, my A1c levels have always been under 6.0 and my numbers probably range from about 70 to 200. Most of the day I stay around 110 or less though. And the 200s are not good and something I'm not supposed to have happen since I am insulin-dependent while pregnant.

Meals are going to necessarily bump you up. I found though that I could be a bit high at 1-hour and too low at the 2-hour point. If you're not taking insulin (which I don't think you are), you probably don't have to worry quite as much about the lows. The only time I really have a problem with them is when I am taking insulin...

As long as the control liquid that came with the monitor showed it was working correctly, I don't think any monitor gives all that different readings from another. I have found that no two monitors, even the same brand, will gave the same reading though. (I've had some be quite different numbers though, so if you get an abnormally high or low reading, it can't hurt to test again.)

Usually, I think the dietician should give you a monitor for free though, but I understand wanting to know now. It also can't hurt to have a couple of different monitors. I think I have three now and I keep one in the bathroom to check before I go to bed and first thing in the morning, one is in my diaper bag/purse, and one is just randomly wherever I leave it!

HTH!

[anamika]

Hi,
Relax - it's not that bad. I totally freaked out too after I found out I had GD but it honestly wasn't the worst thing that could have happened.
The dietician will be a big help. But until then - I tested 4 times a day - as soon as I got up and 1 h after every meal. My numbers were between 98 (low carb pasta always lowered my blood sugar) and 120 after a meal and the nurse was quite happy with these figures. It did go up >150 once after I caved and ate rice.
I was told I could eat unlimited amounts of salad and salsa - seriously! I love salad so it worked great for me - I would drown it in full-fat dressing (fat doesn't count towards the carbs - hahahaha). And salsa makes everything taste better.
Good luck,

[pb&j]

My doc wanted me at 140 after 1 hr or (I think) 120 after 2. I think it was either 90 or 95 for fasting.

All the monitors are accurate, so don't worry about what brand you have. My insurance company sent me one for free, so I used that one.

As for testing 1 hr or 2 hrs after, it is up to the preference of your doc. My doc wanted me to test 2 hrs after because it's more significant if your sugars remain high a long time after eating. However, I tested 1 hr after because it was a lot harder for me to remember 2 hrs later than 1 hr later where I might still be on my lunch break, or washing up from dinner or whatnot. My sugars were always well within limits (usually below 120 at 1 hr), so my doc had no problem with this.

The dietician didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. Stick to whole grains, eat protein with every carb, avoid refined sugars. No OJ, no pineapple.

I also had a week of having the monitor before I met with the dietician, and it was one of the longest weeks of my life.

[dhano923]

double post

[dhano923]

I had GD with both my pregnancies. I ended up having to do insulin shots both times since diet alone wasn't bringing the levels down enough. It's not so bad -- takes a few days to get used to all the checking and the shots. Unless the endocrinologist told you to start checking your sugar before you meet with the dietician, I would wait. At my medical practice, the meeting with the dietician also included instruction on how to use the sugar monitors correctly. They also provided the monitor and a couple week's worth of needles/strips for free and gave a prescription for more so I wouldn't have to pay full price (only pay my $5 copay).

Some doctors will want you to check 4 times a day, some 7. It all depends on the severity of your GD (what your test results were) as well as family history. I used to test 7x a day, and do 4 insulin shots with DS but only 3 with DD. They will also tell you if they want you to test 60 after or 120 minutes after your meal. With me, they had me do it after 60 minutes.

It's important to keep the GD under control, either with diet/exericse or with the addition of the insulin shots. Many women often skip the shots because they are scared to do them, or don't think their diabetes is "that bad". Having GD also increases your risk of developing diabetes later in life -- I was just diagnosed about 3 months ago.