Moms that had gestational diabetes

My Dr. called me today to tell me that I failed the 3 hr test so I officially have GD. I have a few questions

Did they have to induce you?

Did you end up having a C-Section?

How much did your baby weigh?

Was everything o.k. with your baby?

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born?

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?

I'm sure there are many more questions I'll think of. I just hope everything is o.k. with my baby. Thanks in advance!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

I don't have GD but i do have juvenile diabetes, meaning I am on Insulin. They are in the same family so here are some answers to your questions:

Did they have to induce you?
I was scheduled to go at 39 weeks. And i was having a c section so they did not induce me, but they would have if i chose to go naturally

Did you end up having a C-Section? Yes, but not due to my diabetes, if was personal preference, i could have gone naturally.

How much did your baby weigh?
8lb 8 oz

Was everything o.k. with your baby? yes he was perfect, went straight to the regular nursery, and got a 9 score. They will check your baby's sugar after delivery, and through out the night, as in some cases their sugars might go a little lower, if they have a lower blood sugar, the nurses will give them formula. but it regulates itself quite quickly.

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born?

Yes, my husband held him, while they were cleaning me up, and then DS went to get cleaned to the nursery, were my whole family was waching him take a shower. they brought him right after and it was my choice how long i wanted him with me while in the hospital. I chose to breast feed so he was with us all day in the recovery room, and at night they would bring him every 2-3 hours for a feeding.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?

well i was on both, it was a lot of work, but everything was so worth it.

You will be fine!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

I had GD. My answers are below.

Did they have to induce you?
I was induced 3 days before my due date. They told me it is standard practice to not allow a woman wiht GD to go past her due date. They would have let me go to my due date but I wanted to try and get one of my regular doctors so we did it a little earlier. I was measuring average though and they were not concerned about my plancenta. If you measure big or have other issues, they may not let you wait that long

Did you end up having a C-Section?
No.

How much did your baby weigh?
7lbs 2 oz

Was everything o.k. with your baby?
perfect!!

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born?
I gave birth at 3:22am. DH and I spent an hour with DD in the room while I got cleaned up before our parents came in. After they came in, the baby was taken to the nursery and we got sent to post-partum. I think I finally held DD again around 6:30.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?
100% diet controlled. It took 3 weerks or so to get it figured out. It really is trial and error. Even if the nutritionist says you can eat something, it will depend on what your numbers if you really can. For example, I was told 100x that the milk in my coffee would make no difference. Well, my numbers would be high no matter what I ate but once I cut out the coffee. Everything was good! Be patient. You will find lots of good, satisfying things to eat and after a couple weeks you probably won't crave tons of sweet things anyway. Good luck. FM with any questions.
I'm sure there are many more questions I'll think of. I just hope everything is o.k. with my baby. Thanks in advance!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

I was going to be induced, but went into labor at 39 weeks exactly. I had to have a c-section due to excessive amniotic fluid caused by the GD, (baby's head was not engaged and they were concerned with a prolapsed cord due to the excess fluid gush if my water broke). Baby was measuring over 9 pounds at 39 weeks but was 8 lbs 9 ozs when he came out. I went to a nutritionist to manage it. I also had to eat ever 2 to 3 hours or I would feel lightheaded and sick. And Baby Frankie was absolutely perfect in every way...

Message edited 3/3/2009 8:03:18 AM.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

1) I was NOT induced but I was scheduled for a C-section at exactly 39 weeks because Emerson was measuring big. (almost 10lbs!!)

2) Emerson was born at 8lbs 8oz. Much smaller then they were anticipating.

3) Emerson was PERFECT!! She has NO probs with her sugars and no effects from my GD.

4) I wasn't able to hold her after she was born because I was in surgery and I ended up not seeing her until 6:00 that night (she was born at 5:42am) because I was SO, SO sick from the morphine they gave me.

5) Diet alone was not enough to regulate my sugars. I has to take insulin before bed and before every meal. It was not that bad, it became 2nd nature and my sugars were always in check after that.

Don't worry about the baby. You will be in good hands with your nutritionist and endocrinologist and they will keep your GD in check and the baby will be fine. As soon as she was born the GD went away!!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you?

I was induced at 39w5d. At my growth sono DD's estimated weight was 9.5lbs. When she came out she was only 8.7lbs.

Did you end up having a C-Section? I did end up with a c-section because I didn't dilate past 4cm.

How much did your baby weigh?

DD weighted 8.7lbs

Was everything o.k. with your baby?

She was perfect!

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born?

Because of the c-section I had to go into recovery and didn't see her again until I was brought up to my room. We had no issues with bonding.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?

I was able to control my GD with diet.

It really wasn't a big deal at all. The worst was having to test my blood 4x a day and not be allowed to eat ice cream.

Once I had DD it went away immediatly.

She was perfectly healthy and not a huge baby by any means.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

I had GD with my second baby. My resting numbers were high so my Dr felt that 1 shot of insulin before dinner was best. I did watch what I ate. I wasnt induced because my 1st baby was c-section and after a c, you cannot be induced. I did have a 2nd c-section but not because of the GD. My son weighed 7lbs 10oz (came home at 7 6). He was taken to the NICU and I didnt get to see him for 24 hours (mainly because the nurses on duty that night were major Bi-atches). My baby is almost 5 months old today, happy & healthy, no problems and my GD was gone before I left the hospital

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you? No. My water broke at 36 1/2 weeks.

Did you end up having a C-Section? Yes, I did- but that had nothing to do with the GD- it was b/c DD was in distress- thanks to the pitocin that my doctor had to restart!

How much did your baby weigh? My "huge baby" (that's what the resident told me when in triage) was 5 lbs 13 ounces

Was everything o.k. with your baby? yes- she was fine- but did spend her hospital stay in the NICU for presumed sepsis

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? Wasn't applicable in my case b/c I was put under general and DD was in the NICU so didn't see her until the next day.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin? Yes- I was able to manage my sugars very well with the diet- although my sugar levels JUST failed- of the 3 bloods drawn 1 was high, 1 was just 1 pt over the cut off and one was normal.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

I had GD with my 1st pregnancy (not my 2nd. 2nd I failed the 1 hour but passed the 3 hr)

Did they have to induce you? Nope water broke on it's own 3 weeks early

Did you end up having a C-Section? Nope

How much did your baby weigh? 7lbs 1 oz (3 weeks early)

Was everything o.k. with your baby? He had hypoglycemia due to the GD in NICU for 5 days until he regulated sugar on his own. They were surprised he had it since the GD was so controlled for so long and because he was small (then again is 7lbs small for day 1 of week 37 - who knows). Most babies regulate quicker and go home as scheduled. They were surprised he took so long but all has been fine since.

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? Yes. I was out of it after birth but held him before he was taken away. He spiked a fever not long after birth and they had to take him to NICU while I was in recovery. We spent all day in NICU with him and were there for all day time feedings even after we went home and he was still there.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin? I followed the diet very strictly and my numbers were so low they started thinking I may not have had GD (I only spiked 2-3 all when I didn't follow the diet).

Message edited 3/2/2009 10:14:55 PM.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you?
NO

Did you end up having a C-Section?
NO

How much did your baby weigh?
8 lbs 7oz (he was very long... 22") not overweight at all....

Was everything o.k. with your baby?
yep... there was myconium in my water, but it was likely becuase they had to pump me up with pictocin and my labor was well over 24h, not becuase of GD.....

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born?
sure... there was no reason for them not to.... he was BFing within 30 min of birth.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?
diet took care of it... no insulin

It's really not that bad... it was annoying that along with no caffeine and booze, I also couldn't eat rice, pasta, soda, juice, blah blah blah, but becuase it was for only a few months, it was fine. I should add that after you start your diet, you can 'test' certain foods and see if a small portion elevates your sugar levels too much. I found I could eat wheat bread, sweet potatoes, chocolate milk, and even a bit of ice cream. I even had a scone with clotted creme in london w/o elevating my sugars :-P

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you? no. my water broke at 37 weeks

Did you end up having a C-Section? yes, but unrelated to the GD. I was not dilating and started running a fever, so they were concerned about an infection.

How much did your baby weigh? 7lbs 7oz

Was everything o.k. with your baby? he was in the nicu for 2 days on iv antibiotics because of my suspected infection.

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? I saw him in the OR, then he went to the nicu and I didn't see him til the next day. (but i was so out of it and exhausted, i really didn't realize it)

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin? controlled with diet. having to check my blood 4x daily was really the only bad part.

I'm sure there are many more questions I'll think of. I just hope everything is o.k. with my baby. Thanks in advance!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

My Dr. called me today to tell me that I failed the 3 hr test so I officially have GD. I have a few questions

Did they have to induce you? -

Yes, my Dr. wanted to induce me at 39 weeks due to the GD.

Did you end up having a C-Section? - Nope... you can read my birth story on the birth story forum... but I had a very quick and easy vaginal delivery.

How much did your baby weigh? 6lbs 11oz

Was everything o.k. with your baby? - yes... she did have some issues, but that was unrelated to my GD

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? -

Absolutely!

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin? -

Yes, but the GD nurse at the high risk Dr. was more helpful. I did not have to take insulin, I did have to take half of a Gluybruide pill in the evening because my morning fasting numbers were slightly over the number they are looking for in the morning. Was no big deal though.

I'm sure there are many more questions I'll think of. I just hope everything is o.k. with my baby. Thanks in advance!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you?
Nope I went into pre-term labor at 34 weeks. To sum it up, everything went smoothly with the GD until I hit the 3rd trimester. I went into preterm labor at 34 weeks at which time I was hospitalized and they tried to stop my labor, I was there for 1 week (very scary!). They gave me steroid shots on the first day for my baby's lungs because they couldn't slow my contractions down and we thought I was going to deliver. I went home contracting and on strict bed rest, and was put on an oral medication to take at home called Procardia to control the contractions. My amniotic fluid was excessively high (due to GD) and this is what we think put me into labor in 1st place. My doctor said I was carrying a whole month ahead because of all the fluid (pics in album of my belly). Also due to all the fluid my baby kept flipping, it hurt when he would flip, and he became breech at 35 weeks. So after being home 1 week I made it to 36 weeks and my doctor said to stop taking the Procardia. The very next morning I didn't feel my baby moving. Met my doctor at hospital and heard baby's heart but his heart rate was dipping and I was rushed into a c-section an hour later I saw my baby. He didn't have to go into nicu, he was in excellent health thank god, and he was 1 month early.

Did you end up having a C-Section? Yes, emergency c-section at 36 wks

How much did your baby weigh?
7 lbs. 3 ounces and they told me he was 8.5 lbs the day before I had him, the pockets of fluid around the baby threw the measurements off...

Was everything o.k. with your baby? Yup perfectly healthy despite cord being wrapped around his neck
3 times :(

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? Not until around 3 hours after my surgery. I was in recovery for 2 hours.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?
Yup I followed the diet, took a while to figure out what I could eat, but you learn quickly what drives your sugar up or what you can tolerate after you test your blood following meals. Ask the nutritionist a lot of questions! Mine was pretty strict but it worked, I could only drink water, no juice, lots of whole grains etc. At 34 weeks the doctor put me on Glyburide, I took once a day at night to control my fasting morning numbers, this was the only number that was elevated.


FM if you have any questions. I had a hard time the first few weeks figuring out the diet but then it got a lot easier and made me healthier in the long run, I eat healthier now today because of it.
Best of luck you will get through it!!!!

Message edited 3/2/2009 11:54:00 PM.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Lisa - thank you so much for this thread!!!!!!!!!!

For anyone who doesn't know - we have a GD thread (q&a and support) on Pregnancy! Many of you have contributed and it's more than appreciated!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

I had GD when I was pregnant with my son. I just got tested at 16 weeks to see if I have it again. I will be tested again in at 28 weeks if I don't have it. I aDid they have to induce you?

Did you end up having a C-Section?
Vaginal delivery (5 days overdue)

How much did your baby weigh?
7lbs 15 oz.

Was everything o.k. with your baby?
He was perfect!

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? They had the pediatrician in the room. They let me look at him and they took him over to be looked at. They gave him right back to me to breastfeed and we hung out with him in the delivery room for about an hour.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin? I went to the nutritionist and kept my numbers in range with diet. I was very good about sticking to it. I didn't need insulin.

Message edited 3/3/2009 2:47:34 AM.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you? No

Did you end up having a C-Section? No

How much did your baby weigh? under 7 lbs

Was everything o.k. with your baby? Yes

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? Yes

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin? Diet controlled, no insulin

Good luck!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you? Yes. 10 days before my due date I was at a biophysical and they discovered I had no amniotic fluid. They sent me to L&D

Did you end up having a C-Section? Yes, my induction was a failed one. Baby heartrate kept d-celling. Turns out the cord was around his neck and with no amniotic fluid he couldn't get it unwrapped.

How much did your baby weigh? 6 lbs 4 oz

Was everything o.k. with your baby? baby is fine. In fact because of the GD diet and insulin I took the baby was about 2 lbs under what the 30-week estimate was.

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? Saw the baby for 2 seconds then he went to NICU for a few hours. I saw him about 5 hours after he was born.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?
Tried diet, didn't work, was on insulin 4 shots per day. It really depends on your placenta. You should read up on GD and how your placenta blocks production and/or absorbtion of insulin. You are not responsible for this happening, it is not your fault. And know that no matter how much you follow the diet, you may very well have to go on insulin because your placenta is doing such a good job of 'protecting' the baby. It's crappy but very manageable. Fm if you need anything.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you? No - I went into labor naturally with Robbie - and was scheduled with Noah.

Did you end up having a C-Section? Emergency with Robbie - scheduled with Noah.

How much did your baby weigh? Both were a little over 9

Was everything o.k. with your baby? Robbie's blood sugar was a little low at birth and both had SLIIIIIIIGGGHTLY high bilirubin - but neither needed NICU and both were otherwise perfect.

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born? Yes. As soon as I woke up from my first C, Rob and I spent time in a recovery 'room' with Robbie and our parents got to come in and see him too. I was awake for C with Noah and got to see him (couldn't hold him) immediately. After I was patched up we got just about 20 minutes to hold him in recovery.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin? The perinatologist gave me a lot of good advise and I did not need to take insulin - I did have to moniter 3-4x a day though and give my logs to them weekly.


My sugar issue disappeared almost immediately after the births of my sons - BUT I am now insulin resistant. I am also overweight, female, approaching 40 and I have a family history of diabetes - so I have almost all of the high risk markers before GD!

I think you and your little one will be just fine!

Message edited 3/3/2009 8:39:18 AM.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Thank you ladies so much for all your responses, they made me feel a lot better!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Posted by davenjess

Lisa - thank you so much for this thread!!!!!!!!!!

For anyone who doesn't know - we have a GD thread (q&a and support) on Pregnancy! Many of you have contributed and it's more than appreciated!

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

I had GD with my 1st and just found out that I have GD now with my 2nd.

Did they have to induce you?
Yes, at 39 weeks.

Did you end up having a C-Section?
No, induced natural labor.

How much did your baby weigh?
6lbs. 0 oz.

Was everything o.k. with your baby?
Yes, DD had low blood sugar when she was born but it was quickly regulated with formula.

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born?
Yes, they had to clean her up and put her under the lamps because she was slightly jaundice(but that's common from what I understand and not related to the GD)

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?
i was able to control it last time with diet alone and i'm hoping to do the same this time.

If you need anything or have any questions just FM me and maybe we'll figure it out together.

Re: Moms that had gestational diabetes

Did they have to induce you?
Yes, 2 days before my due date

Did you end up having a C-Section?
Yes, my DD was sunny side up. She never dropped and I never dilated.

How much did your baby weigh? 7 lbs, 14 oz

Was everything o.k. with your baby? SHe was perfect.

Did they still let you have the time to bond with your baby after he/she was born?

Yes, but I had a reaction to the morphine- I actually vomited as soon as I got to recovery and continued through the night.

Did the diet the nutritionist give you help keep your sugar down or did you have to take the insulin?

No insulin- but diet controlled. It took a few weeks to get the hang of it but I managed.