Living with GD

Last week, I went to the high-risk OB's office to see the nutritionist about my GD. She gave me a very strict low-carb diet that I am to follow and I have to test my blood sugar 4 times a day. I asked whether I needed insulin, she said the doctor will re-asses after she sees the results of my blood sugar tests in a couple of weeks. She kept reassuring me that the testing won't hurt much and it's just a small needle until she looked at my file and saw that I had done IVF at which point she admitted that this should be a walk in the park for me.

I also had a growth scan which showed that the little one is on schedule with her size in the 55 percentile. The doctor said that if I manage to keep my blood sugar in check, my pregnancy should progress as though I don't have GD at all. That was a relief!

It all went well, until I actually tried to follow the diet. The first few days were brutal! I was hungry all the time and had no energy whatsoever. I couldn't even think straight. My job performance suffered, I almost got into car accidents, it was horrible! Not wanting to be a nag I was determined to hold off until my next appointment which was today. Fortunately by Tuesday, I had started to feel better, I think my body was relearning how to make use of protein for energy instead of easily accessible sugars and carbs.

Anyway, at my appointment today, the nutritionist said since my sugar levels seem to be well under control, I can start experimenting with modification to my diet and add carbs back in to see how my body does. That's such a relief! Although I am still slave to the needle (gulcose testing needle) that is, I seem to have regained some control over the situation.

I Failed Again!

It's official. I have Gestational Diabetes. I failed my 3 hours glucose tolerance test. I'm trying not to be overly distraught about it, but I'm not sure I'm doing such a good job of that.

I'm scheduled to meet with a dietitian this Thursday to discuss next steps. However, I've been researching GD diets online and they're really not all that different from what I'm eating right now, so I fail to see how sticking to my diet (with some minor adjustments) is going to help any. Of course, as always, my mind wonders to all worst case scenarios (insulin shots, large baby, C-section, etc.). In a way this is not that different from all the other emotions that go with IF. The "why me?" factor is there as strong as ever. You know, I try to eat right, I take walks and I have only put on 17 lbs for this pregnancy (I'm in week 29). So I really didn't expect to be diagnosed with GD. But here I am. Yet another label I'm in denial about.

On the bright side, I only have 11 weeks to go (if I actually make it to 40).