My Gestational Diabetes Journey

Happy Tuesday!

Sorry for the silence on the blog over the past week.  We are still alive and well, but this past week and weekend was a bit of a whirlwind and blogging just didn’t get to happen as I would have liked.  I’ve missed it {and you}!

Part of my crazy week last week was due to the topic of today’s post {along with normal doctor appointments, preschool drop off, waning amounts of energy, and Kev being at a 3-day drill} .

Back when I was 28 weeks, as is routine, I was drank the delicious {yeah right!} glucola beverage and was screened for gestational diabetes.  I was told I passed the screening, so all was well and I continued on with one less thing to worry about this pregnancy.

Then, at my 34 week high-risk growth ultrasound, I got some interesting news.  I was told that our little man might not be so little and they asked whether I had gestational diabetes.  I told them that I didn’t have it and that I had passed my screening.Being the investigators they are, my high-risk doctor looked up my results and noticed that they had been barely below the “abnormal” range.  Combine those results from 28 weeks with a baby that is measuring in the 90th percentile, and my doctor was insisting I be screened again for gestational diabetes.

Last Monday, I got to the call that I was dreading.  While my doctor said she can’t confirm 100% without having me come in for the 3 hour test, she was suspicious that I did have gestational diabetes.  Since I’m so close to the end, she felt that there was no need to have me come in for the definitive test, but that we should proceed with treating me.  For me, it meant starting with diet modifications.

The following morning, I met with a diabetic educator who explained everything to me – from what gestational diabetes is, how it can impact the baby if left untreated, and what changes I’d need to start making in my diet to compensate for it.

 

What it means now

As I’ve stated on this blog before, I’m not a medical expert, so I won’t even try to go into details explaining the science behind gestational diabetes.  Simply put, the baby’s placenta is making my cells less responsive to insulin {a hormone that helps glucose to pass from the bloodstream into the cells to be used for energy}.  My poor pancreas is on overdrive to produce enough insulin to ensure I don’t have too much glucose in my bloodstream {and therefore going to the baby}, but it isn’t able to produce enough to keep up.The first course of action for me is diet modification.  Since my body isn’t producing enough insulin to keep up with my blood sugar levels, then the thought is to simply reduce my blood sugar levels through adjustments to my diet.

I have been given recommended carbohydrate levels for my 3 meals as well as 3 snacks.  Who has time for 3 snacks?!  🙂  In many ways, I feel like I’m back on Weight Watchers – reading nutrition labels and measuring serving sizes, although I’m counting carbs and not WW points!

In addition to monitoring my carb intake closely, I’ve become the proud owner of a glucometer.  I have to test my blood sugar levels 4 times day – as soon as I wake and then again 2 hours after each meal.

The goal is that my diet modifications will keep my glucose levels under control and spread out across the day so that I’m getting the nutrients the baby and I need, but that my body can process it as it should and we don’t have excess going to the baby.  {The main concerns there are that the baby gains too much weight or that the baby’s pancreas compensates by producing too much insulin even after delivery.}

I bring my numbers to my appointments so the doctors can keep an eye on them.

What it means later

I’m not really sure what this all means post-pregnancy.  I’ve been told that this should go away as soon as the baby is born, but I’m sure they will want to monitor it after delivery and in the weeks following.

The part that bothers me is that having gestational diabetes does put me at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.  It doesn’t run in my family and the doctors have told me they don’t think I will need to worry about it, but it’s hard not to wonder.  I’m hoping the fact that this happened late in my 5th pregnancy {although 4th full-term} will work in my favor!

The emotional and spiritual side to things

If I’m totally honest, this was a huge blow last week.  Emotionally speaking, I was left nervous and somewhat anxious.  My high-risk doctor joked and said that it was their job to panic, and in some ways I’m thankful they take these things so seriously, but I think the combination of my already stressful pregnancies with this news was just a lot to process.

The first couple of days I feel like I almost went through a process of grief – feeling like I was a failure, that it was my fault, and that this was something I had caused.  I’m thankful my doctors and those close to me have helped me nip those thoughts in the bud.  They were getting me nowhere and simply not the truth.

I’m also somewhat embarrassed to confess that I’ve been a little frustrated with the Lord over all this.  I know that we all face trials {some of you may be facing things far more serious than gestational diabetes}, but I felt like the Lord was just allowing one more obstacle to be placed in our path.  The Lord and I have “made up” over this, but I’d be lying if I said that this news didn’t have any affect on my relationship with Him.  I know He is with both the baby and I and that none of this is a surprise to Him, but I still had to let Him know how I was feeling about it all.  🙂

So far, things are going alright.  It’s been about a week since I’ve officially been on this new eating plan and I’m still learning the ropes.  Things started off great at the beginning and my levels were great, but I’ve had a couple of slightly higher sugar levels {usually after a meal where I don’t have access to food labels}.  I plan to discuss this with my doctor in the morning.

I’m hoping I can continue to tweak things as I learn how my body responds to certain foods {or when I am not good about spacing out my snacks}, so that I can avoid medication.  Time will tell, I guess.  🙂