How I Survived my Pregnancy with a Gestational Diabetes Diagnosis

My glucose test in October was high (my count was 153 and it needed to be below 135), but then my three-hour glucose test was a pass with only one count — my 2-hour test — falling above passable level. After passing the three-hour test, my OB explained we would need to take another test as the third trimester began. So I came into Week 28 with knowledge of taking another glucose test.

When the bloodwork returned, my count needed to be below 135 again to pass and my glucose levels were a high 197. Back in October, the doctor explained the likelihood of me failing the glucose test again. My chances were high for a number of reasons: I was overweight prior to pregnancy, I am over the age of 30, my pregnancy was high risk, and I have been combating hormone issues for years. Discovering I have Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) after the one-hour glucose test was not shocking.

Instead, I acknowledged the risk involved to both my growing baby and myself, and decided to face the diagnosis head-on.

My journey with GDM was quite the learning curve. Diabetes does not run in my family and I had no close friends or family who were living with the diagnosis. I entered into the diagnosis not knowing much about anything. I remember asking questions and making statements that I now make me laugh: What’s a lancet? Drinking milk can spike my blood sugars? I thought fruit was healthy! Yet, as I was learning, I decided to begin this blog post and jot down my thoughts, successes, and failures along the way.

Four weeks ago, I gave birth to a healthy, happy baby boy via a planned Cesarean birth. He may have been born a week early and my last trimester was a difficult journey, but I can say with absolute honesty that every trial I faced was 100% worth it.

All of this is not to say that receiving the GDM diagnosis was easy — getting any type of diagnosis during pregnancy is hard. Hell, pregnancy is hard even without any high risk factors! But, this diagnosis was not the end of the world.

Learning all I could about my GDM condition, ensuring I had the appropriate medical care, and taking care of myself made all the difference. I hope this post will help any mamas-to-be currently facing the stressful and overwhelming diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes by being a source of hands-on experience, helpful resources, and the reminder that YOU GOT THIS, MAMA!

Medical Advice Disclaimer: The information (text, graphics, and other materials) contained on this website are for educational and informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I am not a doctor, nurse, or any other medical professional. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding medical conditions or treatments.

Please also keep in mind that this is MY story with Gestational Diabetes. Every single person will have different severity levels, different triggers, different methods of dealing with stressors, etc. There is a lot of conflicting advice across the Internet; the path I took throughout this journey may not be compatible with your lifestyle and/or diagnosis.

This post covers the following topics:

• Overview of Gestational Diabetes
• Do’s and Don’ts of Gestational Diabetes
• “Where Do I Even Begin?!”
• GD Monitoring 101
• Getting Started with GD Meal Planning
• Post-Pregnancy and Transitioning from GD
• Resources I Found Helpful

Overview of Gestational Diabetes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy in women who don’t already have diabetes. Every year, 2-10% of pregnancies in the United States are affected by gestational diabetes.”

Normally, the body digests parts of your food into a sugar called glucose. Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. After digestion, the glucose moves into your blood to give your body energy.

To get the glucose out of your blood and into the cells of your body, your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin. In gestational diabetes, hormonal changes from pregnancy cause the body to either not make enough insulin, or not use it normally. Instead, the glucose builds up in your blood, causing diabetes, otherwise known as high blood sugar.

Gestational diabetes typically doesn’t have any symptoms. Your family medical history and risk factors such as being overweight, being over the age of 25 years old, having PCOS, or being of certain ethnic backgrounds may suggest to your doctor that you could have GD. The only way to know for sure is to be tested though.

Gestational diabetes usually develops around the 24^th week of pregnancy, so you’ll probably be tested between 24 and 28 weeks. If you’re at higher risk for gestational diabetes, your doctor may test you earlier.  Being high risk, I was tested at Week 10 and then again at Week 28. I was given a one-hour glucose test both times and failed both. However, after my first test fail in Week 10, I was given a three-hour glucose test that I passed. It was a high chance I would not pass again once third trimester arrived though.

Managing gestational diabetes is the best way to reduce or prevent problems associated with high blood sugar during pregnancy. If not controlled, GD can lead to high blood pressure during pregnancy as well as pose risks to your baby. With GD, your baby is at higher risk of being very large, being born early, having low blood sugar, or developing type 2 diabetes later in life. A large baby (over 9 pounds) increases your risk of needing to deliver by cesarean section also.

There is a lot you can do to treat GD. You will work with a trained diabetes dietitian to create a treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan may include checking your blood sugar multiple times daily, eating a health diet and focusing on healthy meal planning, participating in regular physical activity, and monitoring the growth and development of your baby. Sometimes doctors will also need to prescribe insulin or other medications if diet and exercise do not keep your glucose levels within a healthy range.

Typically your blood sugar levels will return to normal once your baby is born. However, about 50% of women with GD go on to develop type 2 diabetes. You will again have your blood sugar tested six weeks after you deliver and then every 1 to 3 years to make sure your glucose levels are on target.

Do’s and Don’t’s of Gestational Diabetes

As you read through this post, you’ll see I recommend some do’s and don’t’s of GD. In summary, these are:

Do’s of GD:

• Do your own research.
• Be your own advocate.
• Be faithful with your monitoring.
• Meet with a dietitian.

Don’t’s of GD:

• Blame yourself.
• Focus on the past and what you cannot control.
• Be fearful of taking a blood test (it’s honestly not that bad!)

“Where Do I Even Begin?!”

First and foremost, it is completely normal for you to feel overwhelmed when given the diagnosis of gestational diabetes. It can be intimidating, scary, and make you think all the worst things about yourself. The important thing is to remember that there are many factors outside your control during pregnancy and that this diagnosis is not your fault, mama.

You cannot change the past, but you can direct the future to be as positive and healthy for you and your growing baby. Hold onto that hope each day as you move through the remainder of your pregnancy.

Even though I anticipated failing my Week 28 glucose test, it was still an overwhelming feeling to be diagnosed with GD. Though I had been eating healthy throughout my pregnancy, the majority of my cravings centered around pasta, be it fettucine alfredo, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, etc. I also ate a piece of fruit with almost every meal and drank milk often. So, I knew right away that my diet would be shifting dramatically.

The greatest piece of advice I can give you is this: do you own research and be your own advocate.

With no family diabetic members or friends who had experienced GD, I was left to my own research. I spent the weekend reading as many blog posts and medical articles on GD as possible, and drew up a little health plan of my own on how to begin detoxing my body of carbs and sugars.

I wasn’t overly impressed with my doctor’s reaction time upon my diagnosis either. I received my bloodwork results on Friday, but did not hear from my doctor until I called the office the following Tuesday. Then, once I spoke to the nurse, she told me I could wait the two weeks until my next OB check up (at Week 30) to be prescribed a glucose monitor and receive instructions on GD care. To me, I wanted to get as much information as soon as possible so I could start making positive changes and not impact my baby’s health. There was a lack of urgency that concerned me from my doctor.

By conducting my own GD research, I went into the phone call knowing my options. While on the phone with the nurse, I requested to have my glucose monitor prescription sent to my pharmacy. I also asked to pick up any informational paperwork at my OB’s office and for a recommendation to a local diabetes dietitian. The nurse honored my requests and within a day I was able to pick up my monitor, lancets, and test strips from the pharmacy.

There are numerous glucose blood monitors — or glucometer — and accessories out there. I did not have a choice of monitor due to what my insurance would cover, so I have the OneTouch Verio Reflect. Not being familiar with any other monitors, I feel the OneTouch is very easy to use. There’s a cellphone app I downloaded that allows me to connect to the monitor through Bluetooth and email PDF reports of my counts to be printed. Set up was straightforward thanks to the easy-to-use directions.

Mama Budgeting Note: I did not know what to expect when it came to cost of all these new prescriptions. So, I want to share my experience for those interested… There were three prescriptions to pick up from the pharmacy: the glucose blood monitor, blood test strips, and lancets (needles). I have health insurance through my work, and insurance covered most of my three prescriptions. The monitor was completed covered, the lancets were $6 for a quantity of 100, and the test strips were $60 for a quantity of 100. Obviously, the test strips are going to be the most expensive as they are the only prescription I’ll need a refill on since I am opting to reuse lancets per every two uses. **The cost will vary depending on your prescription brand and insurance coverage.

The paperwork from my doctor was extremely basic. It shared what limits I should see in both my fasting and meal counts and what to do if my counts go over a certain number. (Call triage as soon as possible — not that that sounds terrifying or anything. Yikes!)

Getting my mind over the constant finger pricks was the biggest hurdle I dealt with when I started. My first two blood tests failed. The first time due to smearing the blood rather than having a droplet, and the second for not having a large enough droplet to cover the entire test strip. There were a few times I failed over the weeks, but it was usually due to sweaty hands or not pricking my finger deep enough to draw enough blood. Overall, I knew I was performing the tests to ensure my baby’s health and safety, so monitoring became second nature.

Not knowing better, I also purchased bandages thinking my poor fingers would be bleeding all day every day after pricking them four times a day. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the prick wasn’t terrible at all. I may feel like a human pincushion, but the lancet is so small! If done properly, it causes one droplet of blood for the test strip and nothing more. My fingertips were not even tender to the touch. Guess I’ll be saving those bandages for when Dean is older and scraping up his knees and elbows daily!

GD Monitoring 101

I won’t lie, I was intimidated by testing my blood glucose levels. Per my doctor’s instructions, I had to test my fasting glucose upon waking up, and then an hour after each meal. This meant I would be lancing my fingers four times a day.

As I said above, monitoring became second nature after only a couple of days. It may have helped that I generally have the mindset of, “It is what it is.” and just deal with each situation as necessary. I knew I had to prick my finger four times daily and so I did it. Every now and then I would psych myself out and have to re-lance because I either smeared the blood sample or did not prick my finger deep enough to draw a large droplet.

New to the diabetes game, I had never seen a lance, blood test strip, or glucose monitor. Feeling the same inadequacy, mama? Well, never fear! I am here to help walk you through what monitoring entails and hopefully make you feel empowered on your own journey.

Self-monitoring with a glucometer is the most convenient way to monitor your blood sugar and saves you time and money by monitoring at-home or on the go. Most glucometers have advanced technology that is accurate and allows you to be more self-aware of how to best manage your gestational diabetes. Seeing those numbers after waking or after meals encouraged me to continue making the healthiest choices for my baby and for me. Plus, I gained a better understanding of what foods did or did not work with my pregnant body.

Getting Started with GD Meal Planning

It probably doesn’t need to be said, but what you eat after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes is of the utmost importance. You can effectively manage your blood glucose levels by maintaining a healthy diet as well as participating in a regular, moderate-intensity exercise program. (All with consultation from your doctor, of course.)

If you have GD, it is advised to consult with a dietitian or nutritionist that specializes in GD. Your doctor should refer you to such a specialist. The dietitian will advise you on what to eat throughout the day.

Post-Pregnancy and Transitioning from GD

I went through three glucose blood draws within 24 hours of having my son. Each test resulted in positive outcomes — I was no longer experiencing gestational diabetes after I gave birth. Now, this may not be the outcome for everyone, but my personal experience and transition from GD was as simple as having those three blood tests. I have another glucose blood draw at my 6-week postpartum doctor appointment, but I expect the results will remain the same.

EDIT: I was correct in that assumption! My 6-week glucose test showed I no longer have GD.

Resources I Found Helpful

I did a lot of research on a number of different websites. And I dived deep into Pinterest for GD-friendly recipes and meal ideas. I encourage you (again!) to do your own research so you can make the best decisions for you and your unique GD diagnosis.

One resource I did not care for at all was the GD log provided to me from my doctor. The spaces were so small to write in and the paper itself was too dark to read everything because it had obviously been copied thousands of times. So, being the spreadsheet-lover that I am, I created my own log and LOVED the results. I used my log throughout my entire third trimester.

Not to toot my own horn, but I am more than happy to share my log with you:

You can download the Almost Ashley GD log through the embedded file above. However, if you’re looking for even more assistance along your GD journey, I created a complete Gestational Diabetes Planner!

You can find a number of fun themes (boho rainbow, woodland, nautical, and more) at the newly established Almost Ashley Etsy shop. The GD Planner includes various tracking pages and guidance to make your GD journey as easy as possible.

Aside from Googling a lot of GD information, I really enjoyed finding GD-focused Instagram accounts. One in particular was Lily Nichols (@lilynicholsrdn). Lily is the author of “Real Food for Gestational Diabetes: An Effective Alternative to the Conventional Nutrition Approach” and embraces nutrient-dense and delicious foods to nourish both mama and baby without spiking blood sugar. I appreciated her approach to customizing a meal plan that worked for ME, because we all know there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to a healthy diet.

Sources of information for this post:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development