I do have gestational diabetes! Which is actually a relief to know that something manageable is causing me to feel strange after I eat, and causing me and the baby to be bigger than we should be. Id rather not have it of course, but there are a lot worse things that can happen in pregnancy. And I would rather have my blood sugar under control than have an 11lb baby because I was not diagnosed!
Since my gestational diabetes test I have been monitoring some of my blood glucose levels on a monitor at home (fasting and 2 hours after meals), because i felt ill every time after I ate I wanted to be able to watch my diet more closely so I would feel better. I noticed when I ate a carb controlled meal my numbers are great, if I eat whatever I want then they are high. I shared my blood glucose readings with my doctor , she said that the higher readings I have when I do not watch my sugar or carb intake are not normal. The fasting glucose test can miss GD, either because you don't quiet have it yet (its progressive and gets worse as you near the end of pregnancy) or because the test results can vary day by day depending on what you ate the day before.
She is going to go ahead and treat me for GD and I get to see a dietitian soon to help me better understand how to control my blood sugar with diet.
The main complication of Gestational Diabetes is that the extra sugar in your blood goes to the fetus, causing an abnormally large baby at delivery. It can also cause an increase in amniotic fluid. My doctor did an ultrasound today and baby brother is around 4 1/2lbs which is around 90th percentile for weight. Anything 90% or greater is considered large for gestational age. I also do have extra amniotic fluid as first thought. These two things put together create my big ol'belly! Other than being big (and long too she said!) the baby looked healthy and fine. He is moving around loads because he has plenty of water to swim around in, which is why he feels like a soccer playing octopus :)
Thankfully, neither baby size nor too much amniotic fluid are cause for alarm, I will have another ultrasound on February 15th to check how big baby brother is, and to see if he is manageable for me to deliver. My doctor said there is no reason to believe I will have him early, unless he gets too big to carry to term. Right now, if I can control his weight gain with my diet, he will probably end up 8 or so lbs. I think he may skip Harrison's newborn clothes altogether!
Ill keep you all posted and let you know how my appointment with the dietitian goes!
No comments:
Post a Comment