Gestational Diabetes

rue

Active Member
Tested +ve for gestational diabetes last fri at wk 28 pregnancy. Reading was 9.2 after 2 hr glucose test. Was asked to follow strict diet & do finger pricking test 7 X for 2 consecutive days b4 next visit in a month time. I used to have sweet tooth now got to cut down & tolerate w simple food for next 12 wks. i can do it for the sake of both our health. Any mummies out there like me or those who used to have GD? Pls share ur experience. I wish to learn more.
 


I'm tested positive too and for the days when I have to prick my fingers, I tend to be strict on my diet. As a result, my blood sugar level were in the acceptable range. I requested my gynae to reduce the number of test to once a week than twice a week, and he agreed!

Diet wise, I only choose whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat crackers.. Strictly no sweet stuffs. If you are a chocolate lover, can try replace the normal chocolate to zero sugar chocolate which I found in Cold Storage. Once a blue moon indulge in fried food but use airfryer to do the job.
 
Daphne,

on those testing days, do u take mid morning snack & tea snack?

i feel so sad when tested +ve, cos cannot induldge in my favourite cakes & dessert, also there is 50% chance women w GD will have real diabetes 5-10 yrs dw the road. if i am alright after i pop, i still have to cautious of what i eat right?

Also wonder if baby will be alright. Can take formula milk or not? cos some formula milk quite sweet..
 
Hi Topsy,

I had GD during my pregnancy 4 yrs back too! I had lost my appetite and felt nausea most of the time during first 3 mths of preggy. Tested positive at my 6th mth, I felt very depressed as my appetite finally came back after the horrible 1st tremester. Gynae advised that beside doing the prick test 3 days a week, I had to cut down high calories, carbohydrates, high sugar food.

It was not easy for me as I loves to eat, snacks, titbits, soft drinks, cakes etc (i'm on the plump side) I started to eat wholemeal bread instead of white bread with no spread. no more soft or sweetened drinks except for a glass of Anmum every morning and evening. a piece of plain bread for afternoon break and simple dishes for lunch and dinner, steam and stir-fried with little oil only with half bowl of rice. sometimes, very tempted when i sees my son and hubby drinking fruit juice, i just took a small sip to stop the craving. after few mths, really can't take the wholemeal bread without anything cos it's like swallowing sand paper, so dry, applied little bit of nutella just for taste, so far sugar level still under control.

Instead of gaining weight every mth, i lost weight, I even weighed 1kg lesser than b4 preggy. I was very worried too, kept asking my gynae whether my baby grows during the monthly checkup.

Finally, the day came, I had a healthy but smaller baby! He weighs only 2.45kg but is on the chubby side with rosy checks and plenty of hair. My hubby said it was due to my healthy eating. FYI, my 1st baby was born 'bald' and skinny (I don't have GD that time and ate everything) So the effort pays off!

Had another sugar level test after 6 mths, the GD was gone.

Yes, those who has GD will have a higher risk of diabetics next time. So we have to be very careful with our diet and exercise regularly. But don't have to be so strict like during pregnancy.

Topsy, don't feel sad as this will be over soon. A lot of steam food also taste as nice, it's just a matter of getting used to them.

Take care !
 
Hi I am tested positive for GD today at 16 weeks. Was very sad. I dun really have sweet tooth. Maybe because of soft drinks and no exercise. I am waiting to see a dr on sat on the result and therefore to see how to proceed from there.
Is it possible not to prick fingers?
 
dada,
Thanks for ur encouragement. btw, my list of forbidden food includes maternity milk powder (ie annum)..

bbkk,
i think there is no way to escape prick test for the beginning, not sure if gynae will eliminate prick test if all well with diet control. We are here to give support. All we want is to hold a healthy baby in our arms at the end of the day & to get our healthy body back. Must tahan. Yes, steam food can be nice too, i agreed. I ask my mum to cook brown rice for my dinner. if wholemeal bread too hard for u, can try sunshine softmeal bread.
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I have been taking weet brix (wheat biscuit) in low fat milk for mid morning & mid afternoon snack. Test good & feel very healthy. U can try too. i bought from NTUC. & it can last quite long till lunch/ dinner time.

Will be having company buffet lunch this friday, wonder to eat or not to eat.. or shall i go foodcourt settle own bee hoon soup lunch?
 
had porridge at hawker for lunch. & i rejected the free you tiao! Took 2 digestive bisuits for tea but later google better dun take. going to pass remaining pack to my colleague
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out of sight, out of mind
 
Hi Topsy,

Gynae advised u not to take Anmum? probably yr condition is worst than mine. Few times, i even indugled in 'forbidden food' like claypot rice, wow, my sugar level shot up and i got scoldings from my gynae, I understand, sometimes really cannot tahan the yummy food.

Digestive biscuit is a no-no cos it's sugar content quite high. can try to eat Meiji plain crackers, it taste quite nice too.
 
Hi!

I was tested positive with GD in my first pregnancy and went through a session with the dietician. Basically, I was advised to reduce intake of simple carbo (e.g. rice, noodles) and eat complex carbo (e.g. brown rice, wholemeal bread). With the prick test, I realised my main problem was lunch, which I started eating yong tau foo without noodles and it really helped. It is also important to take many small meals rather than 3 big main meals. I remembered my gynae telling me for GD, sometimes the 'western' meals are better than our usual chinese meals because chinese meals are usually heavy on carbo.
The dietician also advised that I should eat fruits instead of having fruit juices - this is because you may end up taking in sugars from 3 apples from the fruit juice instead of just 1 from the apple that you eat.

As what dada says, the good thing about diet control is you don't gain much weight - I gained only 5kg throughout the whole pregnancy and my boy was born 2.4kg! I lost all my pregnancy weight by the time he was one month old (the only problem is I gained back extra after I stopped breastfeeding!)

Anyway, I think we are already lucky enough to be able to control GD through diet - I've heard of mummies who need to take daily insulin injections. So, look at it positively!
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dada,
it is in the photocopied list of "diet guide for gestational diabetes". anyway to be on safe side, will not take maternal milk powder. they are rather sweet thou..

tzen,
tks for ur encouragement. ya, the western can survive just on sandwiches for lunch (like my typical breakfast). I will jiayou.

Had brown rice w cabbage, mock meat & bitter gourd for lunch. Still feel empty, will grab a small apple. Heard bitter gourd can lower blood sugar. anyone heard of it?
 
hi topsy, i was told not to take those maternal milk powder as they are too sweet and are basically commercial tactics. I replace my milk intake with low fat milk such as HL milk. If you want soya bean drink, you will have to ask for no sugar/syrup from the stall vendor.

Yes, I have morning and afternoon snack, not forgetting bedtime snack. Everyday I bring my lunchbox (brown rice, vegetables, fish/meat and soup), wholewheat cracker (low salt, hi fibre) for morning snack, fruit as such green apple for afternoon snack.

yes, we will be in higher chance of getting diabetes when we grow older. So time to change your diet and soon, you realise you are eating way healthier than before. For now, just cut off your cakes and sweet stuffs. After give birth, you can have those occassionally.
 
Bitter gourd is 'cold' for pregnant women in TCM context, isnt it?

I was told to have dragon fruits and green apple. Once, I tried Korean red apple, my blood sugar level went up and I was kinda freaked out.

Take more protein like meat and fish, vegetables will not help to fill your stomach..
 
Daphne,
thanks for the info. will start taking green apples after i finish my 2 more small red apples.
btw, did u do the prick test urself? was thinking if shd do weekday or weekend? weekend at least my hubby can do for me. wkday if do in toilet, scared i cry..
 
Topsy, so u seldom do, then how u know ur level or how u know if u can eat the food anot?

Today was my second day I prick myself. Had face the fact already. First few prick was not correct and got to prick 2 times to get it right. Now I mastered it already but still fear of doing it actually.

Last night I ate fries and I tested, my result was 7 and I got a shock cos I tot I nv add salt or sugar.
If slightly high like 7 , is it ok?

Oh actually we can't take beehoon cos it is actually made of white rice.
My dietitian asked me to take yellow noodles. Cos it is make of brown wheat. U can get it from ntuc. Today I ate yellow noodles soup with veg and fish. And my reading is 5.1
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bbkk,
my gynae only ask me to take 2 consecutive days of 7 readings daily b4 next checkup.

the list of forbidden list includes yellow noodles wor (those used for prawn noodles kinda, also mee kia, mee pok cannot eat). r u refering to egg noodles? How come our list of food to eat different.. confused
 
topsy,
I got my hubby to do it for me over weekend as I am too afraid of needles!

Bbkk is referring to brown wheat noodles I guessed, not those you have in hawker centre. I bought a packet of spaghetti made of brown wheat too, in replace of the normal spaghetti.
 
daphne,
how did u cook ur brown wheat spagetti. we cannot even take the tomato based sauce right?
 
Topsy, I asked the dr before. He says see baby situation, if can control well and bb not very big then no need.
But I am thinking to induce. Faster settle misery. Haha
 
Hi all, I also tested +ve for the gestational diabetes. reading was 8.1~ but after the self test before and after food. results are good -> according to gynae.
Now i am kinda scare as 50% of gd women tends to have the real thing 10 yrs down the road. exercising and healty eating really can prevent the real diebete?
and due to the self taken test result was good ranging from 5.9 to 7 i started to eat abit more. and now i am worry for my son who will be born next mth. sigh~
 
My reading was ard 4.1- 5.5 but just now I ate bee hoon soup home cooked, and my reading was 8. Cos I wanna try see if beehoon belong to high categories and yes indeed according to my doctor.

Maybe we can share wat food we ate for good reading
 
bee hoon cannot eat? but in the food list bee hoon is in the can eat list wherelse yellow noodles are in the cannot eat list..
faint. so wat is the right food?
so i guess only cornflakes are safe?
 
Tze, my endocrinology says those make of white colour noodles like bee hoon and kuey tiao or made of rice. Where as yellow noodles are fine as they make of brown wheat. I am surprise to hear that too. And I took yellow noodles my reading was less than 5. But today I just try on beehoon see if I can eat anot, then reading 8.
Maybe u try both of reading.
 
Dear all mummies
Happen to chance upon this thread and would like to share a little and hopes it helps.

Heres a link about Glycemic Index (GI):
http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

Which can guide you on the food type that you should avoid: High GI and the ones you can consume: Low GI

The link is just a guide, as most food we eat consists of different food types.

Its not only the food type you should be concerned about, its also the right portion. The correct portion of carbo you take is half a handful = 3 to 4 tablespoonfuls. I know, i know, it seems very little and most probably you would still be be starving after the meal.

One trick i learnt was about eating sequence: Veg, meat, then carbo.
I know its very strange to eat all the veg then the meat then the noodles/rice. But if you eat this way, the veg and protein will help to fill you up and not the carbo.

Bee hoon, kway teow, etc is made from refined white rice, hence it is healthier but becos its refined and hence its simple carbo.

Basically anything that is "white" is refined, hence simple carbo which is to be avoided.

Even those so called wholemeal or soft meal bread are more white flour than whole grains, so do read the labels.

Another thing you can do is to have small meals and have 5 meals instead of 3. That will keep your blood sugar level constant and also help to keep hunger pangs away.

If you dont hv nuts allergy, almonds and walnuts (those unsalted and non-sugared type) are good snacks in between meals. Portion size is half palm, meaning that if you lay them flat on your palm and cover half of your palm.

For types of fruits, actually quite limited: green apples, guava (without the plum powder hor), australian green pear, dragon fruit, plums, not so ripe papaya.

My all-time fav snack: carrots, cucumber and celery stick with hummus (chickpeas) dip. If you keen, can PM me for hummus recipe.

Take care and hang in there...
 
Tze,
Pls share what u take to make sure readings fall within acceptable level.
Every morning I will take 2 wholemeal bread w ham n little margarine. Midmorning weetbix w half slim milk. Lunch brown rice w Mock meat + 2 veg. Mid afternoon same as midmorning. Dinner, whatever mum cooks but try to take more veg n after a small red apple. Wonder if these OK.

If cannot take kway Teow or bee noon then how about mee kia?
 
Hi I shared my GD experience here http://lifeafterbfp.blogspot.sg including some recipes and have delivered at 38.5weeks as baby was a little big at 3.5kg. Hang in there, it will be worth it
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I shared some food that worked, I also lost weight before delivery but the bright side is now I am back to pre-preggy weight after 2 weeks from delivery as weight gain was controlled
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so long as baby still growing its ok if we lose weight
 
do home blood glucose prick test over past few days. JTS.

All readings b4 meals normal.
1st day morning: 2 slices wholemeal bread with tuna (little mayonnaise) & lotsa cucumbers. 2 hr post breakfast reading was lower than normal.
1st day lunch: unpolished rice rice + spinach veg + beancurd skin + mock meat + 1/2 guava. 2 hr post reading 7.2 slightly higher than max norm 7.0 Might be due to guava which has high GI index. Beware.
1st day dinner: 1/2 cream spagetti + 1/2 soup spagetti. post 2 h reading 7.8. Exceed. Might be due to too much carbo from spagetti also the cream sauce.
1st day in between meals, only slim milk & 3 wheat crackers taken.

All pre meals reading within normal range.
2nd day breakfast: 4 pieces chwee kuay, post 2 hr reading. lower than normal.
2nd day lunch: yong tau fu w bee hoon + 3 med strawberries. post 2 hr reading. lower than normal.
2nd day dinner: unpolished red rice w ginger pork, claypot beancurd & kangkong + 3 med strawberries. Post 2 hr reading. lower than normal.
 
Hi Topsy think you are doing fine
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everyone is different, for me I cannot even take 1/2 bowl of rice or noodle so totally have to cut that and ate rolled oats instead. Can also buy low GI rice/spag i have tried its taste is similar and readings all below 7.
 
hi,

I had GD previous pregnancies. This time round, gynae wants me to do OGTT even before week 10. Do you think this is too early? I thot testing too early may not be of much use if GD hasn't develop yet.

am hesitant to do OGTT now...what do u think?
 
Hi Marble,

I think you should go. I had GD during first pregnancy and this pregnancy, doctor see sugar in my urine during checkup. Immediately asked me to go for OGTT in my week 10 too. And the result is 10.1 after 2 hours. Me too, asked the same question as you. But, i decided to follow doctor advise. IF really GD, it cause more harm to baby during 1st trimester as this is the most important stage. After i knew about my score, i could't sleep and felt so sad as i am not sure the impact on baby during the first 10 weeks.
 
hi all,

By the way, i am seeing doctor in NUH. The reading in NUH is max 5.5 - 6.6 after meal. I would like to know what is the range for KKH? My first pregnancy was with KKH and there the reading is 7. Currently, I was put on insulin injection pre-dinner even my reading is 6.6 - 7.2 range starting from 20 weeks onwards. To doctor in NUH, as long as they see the trend >3 times a week exceed the limit, they start me on insulin. In NUH, they also check monthly the 3 months average of the GD level. Last time in KKH, no such test too.
One more thing to share. Last pregnancy, starting from wk 28, i would say 65% of the time i exceed my post meal limit (reading 7-8.3). I was not on insulin. Weight gain = 0 througout whole pregnancy and baby weight 3.1 when born at wk38. However, my baby boy suffered very bad jaundice for almost 1.5 months. And now i suspect it is due to uncontrolled sugar as i read now that GD will cause jaundice in baby too. Anyone has similar experience?
 
Thanks Bibi. Think I will go ahead and get it done soon, when i am better from the nausea..otherwise not sure how to swallow the solution when i am so pukey..

fyi, my pte gynae's limit 2hrs post prandial is 7.
 
at TMC, 2 hr post meal reading shd be 5.5-7 to consider normal.

I faxed my home test results to gynae & he said my results are good. to continue w my current diet. No insulin jabs required. Phew!
 
Seems like only NUH post meal reading set at max 6.6. Thanks.

By the way, fruit wise, can try apricot too. My breakfast : 2 slice top one multi grain bread with ham/egg,extra virgin olive margarine,vege/ tomato + 1 cup of low fat milk + 1 apricot/2 strawberries. Reading usually 5.5 -6.
Snack : 1 non fat yougurt + 2 strawberries / 3 wheat crackers/ 1 slice bread with small portion of nuts ( walnut, macadamia , pine nuts)
 
bibi,
i tried non fat yoghurt yday. it was th most horrible stuff ever had. LOL. i swallowed it with cornflakes. haha..
do u mean fresh apricot, like evry hard to find. ya, i tested strawberries. ok.

u may wish to dl free app called "glycemic index" but only andriod has. iphone dun. i use that to judge GI index of food what i can or cannot eat but this is westernised. chinese food dun really have.
 
Topsy,
I tried the Yoplait mix berries/strawberry yogurt. Taste good and sweet leh...Don't tell me you take the origin taste one.....hahaha...

Fresh apricot, you can get from NTUC. It is now in season.
Dried apricot,i get from NTUC finest. Brand : origin health food. I take as snack...

Yes, chinese food, no GI index. Basically i tried :
1) chinese yam soup with red dates and wolfberry--> ok
2) some herbal soup with longan / yu zhu , both these always fail me....
3) dang shen , dang gui , moderate ok.
 
i had GD for both my pregnancies with boys. 1st one was more severe had to inject myself with insulin on top of pricking fingers for 8 weeks. ended up elective c-section on EDD as gynae said prolonged insulin injection made the uterine muscles weak therefore labour didn't kick-start. 2nd time was better. more well prepared this time. from 6mths preg onwards started controlling diet. no insulin needed and bb came out thru vbac w epi.

diet: low GI wholemeal bread w low salt cheese spread for bfast, yong tau foo with thick springy white noodles for lunch, home cooked pork rib lotus root (or corn or ABC, hardly old cucumber) soup w 1/2 serving white rice for dinner. fluids: water & milo kosong. fruits if i have craving for sweet stuffs.

for my #1 preg, i had fish soup with thick noodles for lunch. probably the high msg ended up c-section so my endocrinologist suggested yong tau foo, chicken chop without sauce + garden veg + minimal fries. i tried it with pork chop n grilled fish and got good readings. my #2 is >1yo now and i still eat the same old foods. used to it liao. nobody believed i'm a mummy of 2 v active boys cos i lost so much wt.

the only thing i regret is i controlled my diet too well n my #2 was only 2.5kg at birth. should have pampered myself more :p
 
Hi, how everyone coping on diet?
Actually was a bit guilty over Xmas period. Ate few no no food and reading was high.
This morning had coco crunch with HL milk reading was 7.1
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Bbkk,
ya me too quite guilty over xmas but i did not take any logcake & sweet stuff. I did not test as well. my gynae told me i need not continue..
I am in my wk 32 now. so far gained 7.7kg (this was maintained over 2 months, no wt gain ever since i started this diet!)
How abt u?
 
Topsy,
Do you take any test in order not to continue?means u still can eat normally or still got to diet?
I am in week 20 today and gained 4kg so far. Why u all can maintain and some even no weight gain, or lost weight. I keep seeing my weight increase. But my dr would like to see me gain weight rather than lose weight.
 
Bbkk,

i took blood glucose home test 2 consecutive days 7 X daily. then doc pleased with results & told me can continue with the strict diet till i pop in order to control GD, no need insulin.
 
Hi all

I didn't know there's a thread on GD. I was diagnosed with GD when in week 10 and have been on insulin jabs ever since. I take readings on alternate days with 4 pricks and 7 pricks alternating too. I'm currently approaching week 25. I just went to see the Endocrinologist for my f/u. I was told that the insulin level has to be adjusted (increase) as we progress along in our pregnancy. For me, I've lost 1.1 kg from my pre-preg weight and gained 0.3kg from my last weigh in last mth. My OB is fine with it as long as baby's growing. I'm with NUH
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Hi Ocean_blue,
do u need to be on strict diet too? Do u have diabetes b4 this preg or family history?
 
Hi Ocean_blue,

I was diagnosed with GD when in week 10 too. What was your reading after OGTT? Mine is 10.1 *_*, i cried instantly. My average past 3 months reading that time is 6.1. After i started the diet control and later insulin injection 4 unit (pre dinner ) starting weeks 20, the ave. 3 months reading is 5.6 to 5.3 lately. I am now in week 28. Are you visiting diabetic clinic in NUH? As i am subsidised patient, i find that the doctors will immeidately start you on insulin once the reading is 6.6-7....

BBkk,
Weight gain is always good. Now, whenever i check my weight, i most fear to see weight loss.*_*. And true, my baby's weight is on 25 percentile. So, i am trying hard to find ways to eat and still maintain good reading.

Topsy,
I think after delivery, the GD "should" go away. You can check after delivery and decide again. Actually, can put less longan and put red dates, black dates and wolfberries and dangsheng, this make the confiinement drink taste good already.

Luv,
"prolonged insulin injection made the uterine muscles weak", really? i will check with my gynae....i have been on insulin since week 20...My last pregnancy, i was not on insulin. But the gynae break my waterbag( i also not sure) or force me to dillute 2cm at wk 37. Ask me to walk a lot and said if no labour sign by end of 37 week, go to hospital to induce. Well, i experience labour pain after 5 days and went delivery. I hope the same for this round.
 
Hi Topsy,

I don't have diabetes before preg but I do have family history of diabetes and am suffering from hormonal issues as well. Diet is basically like what most described here - no sugar, no excessive simple carbs (take less than 1/2 bowl of rice for e.g.).

Hi Bibi,
I can't recall what was my reading aft OGTT. I do have the results at home though. Even though I knew my chance of getting GD is high, I didn't expect to contract it so early into my pregnancy. Yes, I'm seeing the Snr Consultant at Diabetes Clinic at NUH. I was a private patient till yesterday when I managed to get approval from the social worker to downgrade my status to subsidised. I was referred there by my OB who is at NUH. As I am a private patient under my OB, I was automatically placed under private patient status when the O&G dept referred me to the Diabetes Clinic. I wasn't very happy abt it as it was very expensive and the consultation is always less than 5mins and S$100 gone!

I am unsure how heavy my baby is now but my last FA scan at wk 22 showed that baby's weight was normal. Both docs at O&G and Diabetes clinic aren't concerned that I've lost 1.1kg from pre-pregnancy weight as long as baby's growing.

Are u seeing the O&G doc at NUH too?
 
I found another confinement drink which is supposed to replace plain water and it's bland. Maybe can drink more of this than the longan red date drink.

RICE AND GINGER TEA (about 30-day supply)
What you will need:
• 1 lb (500 g) of uncooked jasmine rice
• 2 lbs (1 kg) of fresh ginger (skin on)
Instructions:
1. Clean and brush the skin of ginger and then sliced thinly
2. Clean the rice and drain the water completely
3. It is best to use a wok if you have one, otherwise, a large skillet or pot will work too. Get the wok really hot and then put in the rice and ginger. Lower the heat and then saute for the next 2 hours or so. It will get lighter and lighter as you saute them
4. Once it has reduced in volume, turn off the heat and then let it completely cool before store them in an air-tight container
5. When ready to be used, use about 3 tsp of the rice and ginger mixture and pour about 4 Cups of hot water. It is best if you have a thermos for this purpose, to keep it warmed. Let it sit for about an hour or so before drinking. Strain it before drinking so you wont bite into the rice granules.
 


Ocean blue, by what reading has to be jab insulin?
So far my endocrinology only look at my chart and say no insulin needed. Just take note what to eat.


Topsy, do u happen to have some days ur reading was high?
Mine was like out of 7 days maybe one or two times my reading was high as I was trying to see if tat food suit me anot..
 

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