28 week Gestation Diabetes test? Did you have gestational diabetes?
I'm going tomorrow to take my glucose test and I'm pretty scared I have gestational diabetes!! Does anyone on here have it? or had it? What were your symptoms? Were you overweight? How often did you eat sugar during your pregnancy before you found out (I guess, if that matters) and what happened after you found out besides a change in diet..... did you have complications or any other problems? I just want to know what I am in for if I actually am.....thank you for youe help! I'm scared!
I'm overweight, and I've gained more than I should have already. I don't eat perfectly heathly all the time and I crave sugar SOOOOOO much I eat something sugary almost every day sometimes more than once a day :-/ plus I try to have a little sugar to get the baby to move sometimes, bad I know. I wouldn't say I have symptoms just that I've been dizzier than normal the past few weeks and heard that was a sign.....
I had Gestational Diabetes with my 4th baby. It is a fairly common routine test to have a glucose tolerance test around 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. It is just one of many diagnostic tools doctors use to monitor the health of pregnant women. Many women have the 1 hour glucose tolerance test and some have elevated blood glucose numbers as a result. This does not mean the woman has Gestational Diabetes, though. It only means that a 3 hour glucose tolerance test is warranted. Most women with elevated 1 hour tests go on to have a 3 hour test with normal blood glucose levels. Statistically, only around 5-8% of pregnant women develop Gestational Diabetes. There are many symptoms of diabetes. It is not uncommon for a person with diabetes to experience extreme thirst, excessive urination, hunger, irritability, dry skin, vision problems, and headaches. It is also not uncommon for pregnant women to experience these same symptoms. It is not reliable to diagnose Gestational Diabetes based on symptoms alone. That is where the glucose tolerance test comes in. It is not unusual for some people to have diabetes with no symptoms, this includes women with Gestational Diabetes. I did not have any unusual symptoms before I was diagnosed after my 3 hour test. I did weigh more when I was pregnant with my 4th than I had with my previous 3. But, being overweight does not significantly increase your risk of developing Gestational Diabetes. Eating sugar also has nothing to do with developing Gestational Diabetes. You can not make yourself get Gestational Diabetes. It is caused by pregnancy hormones making cells resistant to insulin. In most cases, a pregnant woman's pancreas can produce adequate amounts of additional insulin, but for some women their pancreas can't keep up. This results in too much glucose (or "sugar") staying in the blood instead of moving into the cells. After I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, I will admit I was upset and scared. However, as I talked with my doctor and the diabetic educator plus read the information they gave me, I felt much better. Following a meal plan designed to keep my intake of carbohydrates fairly consistent was a key part of my management plan. In addition, I had to test my blood glucose levels 4 times each day with a glucose monitor. I was also 38 during this pregnancy so my "advanced maternal age" plus the Gestational Diabetes placed me in a high risk category. I had to transfer my prenatal care to a high risk clinic that had one day during the week where they saw diabetic patients. As part of the monitoring of my health as well as my baby's, I began weekly appointments at 32 weeks. I had the usual prenatal care as well as an ultrasound and a non-stress test every week. In my case, the meal plan and the glucose testing helped me manage my Gestational Diabetes fairly well. Some women do need to take insulin, but I didn't. One of the possible risks for babies born to moms with Gestational Diabetes is that they will gain weight to make them larger than average birth weight. This can make a vaginal delivery difficult because the excess weight tends to build up around the upper body. Sometimes babies need to be induced a bit early or require a c-section, but this isn't always the case. My baby was born at 41 weeks and weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces. I think that it is understandable to be concerned about the glucose test, but if this is your 1 hour test, don't get too worked up about it. Even if you end up with elevated numbers with that test, there's no reason for great concern. If you are diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, one of the things that helps the most is get plenty of information as well as ask a lot of questions. It can be hard to eat in a specific way when you have Gestational Diabetes and it is not fun poking your finger for the testing, but generally speaking, additional monitoring during the pregnancy helps detect any problems early. You probably don't have Gestational Diabetes, but if you do develop it, you can relax a bit knowing that you were diagnosed early enough to start management techniques. The problems arise when Gestational Diabetes goes undetected or unmanaged. ADDED: Most women, overweight or not, don't develop Gestational Diabetes. Also, if dizziness is a problem, try increasing your water consumption. Dizziness is much more likely related to dehydration. If it is related to blood sugar, it would be more likely related to low blood sugar, not high. Try eating small meals throughout the day. Eat something with protein at most meals and snacks plus include a healthy carbohydrate such as whole grain bread, brown rice, fat free yogurt, fresh fruit, or skim milk.
