gestational diabetes- I gots it!

[Feelix]

So I have been away from Protein Power a while. I was silly thinking that I would eat whatever I could during the first and second trimester to keep the morning sickness at bay. (Protein did not settle well)

Well, this week I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes (at 28 weeks). My OB has sent me to a class which will be Wednesday, however, from what I've researched, the traditional GD diet is plain silly: carbs and aspartame. Does anyone have a guideline (equation) of how many grams or carbs and protein make sense for a pregnant woman?

I'm not looking to lose weight, I'm looking to maintain health for myself and baby. :)

I appreciate any feedback.

[Mitra]

Feelix, the Drs Eades suggest following the maintenance plan. That doesn't help greatly in terms of giving you a number of carbs, because it's so individual. Somewhere around the same number as your protein requirement, or maybe a little higher is a good starting point - divided up between however many meals/snacks you have in a day, and always eaten with fat and protein. And, as you said, make sure you're eating plenty, to nourish both you and your baby - and keep your medical people in the picture.

I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well - good to see you again :).

[gitfiddle]

Congratulations, Feelix! I remember a couple of people who had PP babies, but it might have been before this board was built. You could try a search?

As Mitra said, the Drs. Eades address the topic, and I saw a mention of gestational diabetes on Dr. Bernstein's site, too. He's a low-carb advocate.

[dvdmon]

Hey Feelix,

You might want to check out this thread, where there's a lot of interesting info about low-carb in relation to pregnancy. I actually posted our own experience (on the third page of the thread), which was very positive, although we ran into the same ridiculous thinking about carbs and diabetes. Seems like the Diabetes community is finally coming around, but OB's and the nutritionists connected with them are still back in the stone age.

Levi

[Feelix]

Thanks everyone!!!!

[gitfiddle]

Feelix, I just listened to a U of California seminar on diabetes and I remember the speaker mentioning that doctors treat gestational diabetes with insulin. She was speaking right out of the textbook, though.

[Feelix]

Right Now I am not on Insulin. Yay! However, i have to track all intake (food and beverage), blood sugar levels 4 times a day and Ketone level in the morning.

Here is the diet plan they laid out for me.

Note: they did specify how much veggies for lunch & supper, I can eat more and take out of the carb count.

Breakfast
30g Carb
14g Protein
10g Fat

Morning Snack
15g Carbs
7g Protein

Lunch
60g Carbs
10g Veggies (1/2 cup cooked/1 cup raw x2)
21g Protein
10g Fat

Afternoon Snack
15g Carbs
7g Protein
5g Fat

Supper
60g Carbs
10g Veggies (1/2 cup cooked/1 cup raw x2)
28g Protein
10g Fat

Evening Snack
30g Carbs
7g Protein

I would LOVE to hear feedback!

[gitfiddle]

Well, I could say that there are enough carbs in that menu to just about put me into a coma. :eek: No, seriously, I have to eat VERY low carb to stay in a normal blood glucose range. I think I'm around thirty for the whole day.

I did find this post that seems to cover the subject on a personal level:

I had gestational diabetes wehn I was pregnant with my son in 1998. I had to eat a *very* low carb diet in order to keep my blood sugar levels stable and in range (my range was much more strict than for "regular" diabetics!). I used a glucose meter several times a day before and after meals and learned what spiked levels and what didn't (orange juice was one of the worst offenders!).

Once I got over the depressing idea that I was restricted on my favorite carbs, it was great! I ate *better* than during the first half of my pregnancy (B4 diagnosis)! More protein, more vegetables, more fat (good ones like butter, cream, coconut oil, olive oil, not trans fats) and practically no sugar or starch. If I did eat anything marginally carby (rarely, though), I ate ample fat with it to slow the blood sugar (like full fat ice cream instead of low fat frozen yogurt or bread with lots of PB, butter, or cheese). I packed snacks and prepared ahead so that I wasn't stuck with nothing but carb options to eat when I went out. Nuts and cheese were handy.

The diabetic exchange system was useless for me because it was too high in carbs (especiallly refined carbs). I had to start from scratch and learn by experimentation.

I only gained 28 pounds total (I was diagnosed just as the pounds started to pile on!), had excellent blood glucose control, a great delivery and had a very healthy baby who was 7 lbs., 10 oz. When I left the hospital, I only had 14 excess pounds to lose, which was easily shed in 6 mos with breast feeding.

So I would encourage your daughter to go low carb while pregnant. She may actually eat *much better* for her child if she sticks to whole, real foods and stays away from sugar and starchy foods (often highly processed). Lower carb foods like meat, eggs, whole fat dairy, non-starchy vegetables, and nuts, are often more nutritionally dense, too. When I was pregnant, the mantra was still low fat, so I didn't have to worry about all the processed low carb food traps that are out there now (but I also didn't have all the great low carb cookbooks we have now). Stick to foods as unprocessed and natural as possible.

[Feelix]

Thank you!

I noticed my BS level high yesterday. I woke up with a fasting level 99!!!! WOWZA from what I understand - (normal preggie should be 60-100).

I was telling DH i was eating more than ever! I would eat that many carbs but it would be from ice cream and candy, not crackers and bread.

I am going to stay on top of my bs levels and figure out what works (thanks for the great quote) and cut back on the carbage.

I have gained 21lbs this pregnancy and i don't want to gain to much more!

[Feelix]

Well, I went through my day trying to be protein heavy but still ended up with 80 carbs, 75 protein, 61 fats.....

OH NO!

I also had a BS level of 97 this morning and ketones measured 15. Does anyone know what this info means? I am strugglin' what to do? lesson my carb intake?

[gitfiddle]

Feelix, I don't know about the ketones, but I'm happy with a fasting blood sugar of 97. I've been told that non-diabetic people have fbs in the 70 to 100 range.

I can also say that 80 ecc (carb minus fiber) would be too high for me. Half that would fit into the Eades' parameters. Keep the carbs in the 10-15 per meal range.

Bloodsugar101.com has a very interesting article on "normal" blood sugar, as does Dr. Bernstein.

Good luck!

[Mitra]

My fasting bg was 60 on the days I tested. I wouldn't recommend trying for that. The articles Carol mentioned are good places to look. Did your doctor give you any guidance on what numbers they were looking for?

[Feelix]

Well, I went to the OB today and got out my list of questions. 97 is not as scary as I though. I'm good. :-) As far as the ketones, it was not surprising to the nurse because I switched to lower carbs, my body can't help but start burning what I have in extra storage... i lost 3lbs in 3 days. :-)

I plan on lower my carb intake more and see what happens. :-) Thanks you for your feedback!

[Feelix]

Yesterday was a 44carb day/62protein. I believe i need to up the protein a little but quite frankly yesterday turned busy!

My bs levels are awesome yesterday so I have no complaints and will am for an even better day today! (already 10carbs/27g protein down the hatch). Thank you again for all the feed back. :-)