i met with less resistance at the OBs office than i thought i would. The nurse and LPN both seemed baffled by my reasons for refusing the second glucose test, but they admitted that it was my choice (duh). I let them know i was completely willing to test my own blood at home, as it's only their formal and unnatural test that i have a problem with. They both seemed to think this was unnecessary (what am i missing here?), but encouraged me to follow the diet "if i wanted to." Everyone's telling me that my blood sugar level (146) is extremely high, and will most likely cause an extremely large baby, which i have naturally. i told the LPN that it was NOT a concern of mine, and i did not think induction or cesarian were viable "solutions" when he suggested it, to something that isn't a problem. I also said "a chubby baby's head isn't any bigger than a skinny baby's," and he looked at me like MY head was on fire. So, i suppose i'm on a diet, though the paper the nurse gave me does nothing but list a few foods and their serving sizes. I find this extrememly vague, as there is no mention, besides that it's a "2000 calorie diet," of what else i should be eating, ie, number of sugars (you'd think that would be top on the list!), carbohydrates, fats, etc. All it does is give me one sample menu, and say i can substitute in other foods. Maybe i'm slow, but i don't see how this is helpful. My husband thinks this list was meant for people who have no basic knowledge of nutrition, as opposed to someone with an ounce of common sense, lol i realize i am a chubby gal, but at week 29, i have only gained 4 lbs. I have to admit, i am a little confused that they want me to reduce calories of all things!
Michelle, trust your instincts. Those glucose tests are often wrong, and in my opinion a form of abuse! For diet, all you have to do is avoid simple carbs, including fruit juices, and eat all the protein and fresh veggies you want. Use only whole grains and use them sparingly. There is a bread you can buy called Ezekial, it's usually in the freezer section of grocery stores, made from sprouted grains so it's NOT a carb, but a protein. Very yummy, and satisfying, too. You will grow a lovely baby that's just the right size!
Do you mean that disgusting orange sugar drink they make you drink? Really, why can't they just test your blood? Another good bread is called "Health Nut." It's also in the freezer section. It's made from spelt and it is full of pumpkin, sunflower, flax, sesame seeds..MMMmm
i am sooo confused about this diet thing The more research i do online, the more confused i am. It looks like the same stuff i already eat (no mention anywhere of cutting carbs or fruit juices, etc; in fact, it's the same as any other food-pyramid type diet) just smaller servings (to be honest, i never paid attention to "how much" i eat, though common knowledge would have told me it was too much). So, to put it simply, i'm hungry, and i don't even know if what i'm doing is helping! It's all very frustrating. My next appt is in two weeks, so i'm going to ask to see a dietician or something--i'm hoping that doesn't just confuse me more, haha!
They can, it's called a hemoglobin A1C, which is a random sampling of blood sugars, but nt as accurate. When I do the test, I have the mamas eat breakfast, and come in exactly 2 hours later for the test. it's much more accurate because it actually tests how the body handles sugar in food, not 50 grams of pure sugar.
Every thing you eat gets converted to glucose eventually. Some things convert quickly, like simple carbs, others take much longer, like proteins and veggies. The foods that take longer will maintain your blood sugar levels longer and not overstimulate your pancreas. Simple carbs and sugars flood the blood stream with glucose, and if your not running a marathon, the pancreas responds by making extra insulin, which causes the blood glucose to be absorbed into the cells (and cross the placenta much easier and quicker, which is why diabetics have large, fat babies) the extra insulin causes a sudden drop in blood sugar, and then the pancreas stops making insulin. If this happens all the time, or too often, the pancreas just quits and stops making insulin. Then you have diabetes. The reason why I recommend that my mamas not drink fruit juice is the amount of natural sugar in fruit. How many oranges does it take to make 1 glass of juice? Or how many apples? Thats a whole lot of sugar in a 8 ounce serving. carrots have loads of sugar, too, as do beets. Watermelon is something you want to have in moderation as well (I know a lady who grew an 11 pound baby on watermelon). the main problem is for the baby, not so much the size, but, during labour, especially a hospital birth where food and drink is forbidden to the labouring mama, is the sudden drop of blood sugar. babies can get very sick from hypoglycemia. 146 is high, the cut off for normal range is 140. But it's not sky high. Diet is sufficient to manage this level down to normal. You do not need to starve, but you do need to stay away from simple carbs and sugars. You may find, like most ladies who follow the low simple carb, high protein and veggie diet, that you lose weight and you will definately feel a whole lot healthier. Hope this helps you!
With two of my pregnancies my Glucose Challenge test (the short one) was 145 or above, then when they did they awful 4-5 hour "GTT" it eventually evened out. By my third pregnancy, I said "No thanks." and didn't have the second test. All my babies were less than 8 lbs. Sage was 5 and a half (but almost a month early.) I ate well, rested and took care of myself. Listen to Brighid, Michelle, she is very wise.
I was 2 weeks late and weighed 10 lbs 4 oz. My mother had high gluclose levels (gestational diabetes). So both of my brothers were induced on their due dates, each weighed well over 9lbs. I was a very healthy baby but I have read that my risk of developing diabetes later is higher because of this. Diabetes runs in my mother's family, she currently doesn't have it, but her aunt (diseased) had it, (mom's) father and now her brother all have it.
Brighid, thank you sooo much for explaing that. It's so nice to actually get some real info! After making 5 calls this morning, i finally got an appointment with a dietician; but i later found out i have to pay upfront, since most insurance won't cover such a thing, which i cannot do. So...i'm going to call the health department in the morning, and see if they do anything like that (i'm sure their fees would be much smaller). In the mean time, a nice lady emailed me a diabetic exchange list, which really simplifies things for me. I'm going with that for now, and if i start feeling better about it, i'll just stick with it. i am sooo done growing babies, lol.
Michelle, that sucks that you have to pay for a dietician. My OB has one in his office, who I dealt with during my last two pregnancies, due to the high glucose levels and my allergies to many foods. Talk to the hospital, sometimes they have classes for things like this. Blessing and good health to you and that little bundle inside of you!
There aren't any midwives around here, that i can find at least. The closest one is 2 1/2 hours away, in another state. The one i could have gone to with my other children, had i known about her, retired less than a year ago. *sigh* Short of moving, i seem to be out of luck in that subject.
