Eating: a set meal plan. Mine was 3 meals a day + 3 snacks a day, with portion sizes, food groups, and timing spelled out specifically.
Finger sticks: testing your blood sugar with a glucometer. My routine was 1st thing in the morning and 2 hours after each meal.
Insulin - maybe: with Meg I was able to control my blood sugars with diet alone. With Jamie I needed to give myself insulin shots - at first just once a day, but towards the end, twice a day.
yes, I did get to the point where I counted down how many pokes left until Jamie was born. It's tedious, but so worth it in the end
Pre-Natal care: I checked in with my diabetes nurse frequently to give her my glucometer readings. I had frequent non-stress tests (NSTs) in the last trimester - once a week at first, then twice a week. More ultrasounds than normal too.
Delivery: one of the things about babies born to moms with diabetes (any type) is that they tend to be on the large side, with big shoulders. Because of this, most docs won't let a diabetic mom stay pregnant past the due date. By the end of a pregnancy, this is very good news indeed.
So - downside: fingersticks and maybe shots. Upside: wonderful care from nurses and no worries about your baby being late. Plus, gestational diabetes goes away the instant the baby is born. GD moms are at risk of developing type 2 later on, but that risk can be greatly reduced with sensible eating and exercise.
Eating: a set meal plan. Mine was 3 meals a day + 3 snacks a day, with portion sizes, food groups, and timing spelled out specifically.
Finger sticks: testing your blood sugar with a glucometer. My routine was 1st thing in the morning and 2 hours after each meal.
Insulin - maybe: with Meg I was able to control my blood sugars with diet alone. With Jamie I needed to give myself insulin shots - at first just once a day, but towards the end, twice a day.
yes, I did get to the point where I counted down how many pokes left until Jamie was born. It's tedious, but so worth it in the end
Pre-Natal care: I checked in with my diabetes nurse frequently to give her my glucometer readings. I had frequent non-stress tests (NSTs) in the last trimester - once a week at first, then twice a week. More ultrasounds than normal too.
Delivery: one of the things about babies born to moms with diabetes (any type) is that they tend to be on the large side, with big shoulders. Because of this, most docs won't let a diabetic mom stay pregnant past the due date. By the end of a pregnancy, this is very good news indeed.
So - downside: fingersticks and maybe shots. Upside: wonderful care from nurses and no worries about your baby being late. Plus, gestational diabetes goes away the instant the baby is born. GD moms are at risk of developing type 2 later on, but that risk can be greatly reduced with sensible eating and exercise.
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It helps when I understand the unknown.
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