My Gestational Diabetes
This is an off shoot of my 2nd Preg pages, something I hope I will be able to keep simply as an off-shoot because I think someone made a mistake...
March 17th 2010
I am not very happy about this, but what can you do? Personally I don't think I DO have GD... I think I just east to much sweet stuff and too many carbs (hence my frequent returns to Weight Watchers) but my GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test) yesterday came back on the dodgy side of borderline (8.1 when 7.9 was the highest they would accept) so these things have to be done.
I have been given a blood glucose testing kit (a Bayer Contour) which to be fair is simple and easy to use. I am to test my Blood Glucose Levels (BGLs) before my meals and 2 hours after. I am looking to get my reading within these parameters:
Pre Meal: 3.5 - 5.5
Post Meal: < 7
I had a chat with the midwife there about my diet and I am going to be cutting down / cutting out certain things which are obviously not good, like the 2ltr bottles of Cherry Cola, large bags of Jelly Babies, vast quantities of toast (carbs turn into sugar remember). Personally I think that if I cut out the junk then my BGLs will be normal. 
This is my growth chart. The first marker is my bump measurement at 25 weeks done by my MW at my doctors. It shows Squiggle within the normal range, and between the low and mid range of normal. Perfect!
The second marker is where the MW at the GD clinic marked me at 28 1/2 weeks.... Now, I don't believe that Squiggle has grown THAT MUCH in such a short space of time, so someone has got it wrong. Question is... Who?
At my 20 week scan Squiggles measurements where spot on for his/her age, with the head being a week larger (normal in this family). The day before my second GD Clinic I have a growth scan. I will be taking a very close look at the measurements when I get back home... I am hoping that by the time I have my GD clinic I will be able to arm myself with "Squiggles measurements are normal" and "My GLB's are normal" so I can say "Please re-test me! I've not got GD!!!"
Fingers crossed, eh??
April 8th 2010
We have been without the internet for the last 16 days.. Not good! A lot has happened. For one I have had a growth scan, and I have also had 2 more GD Clinic appointments.
The whole reason for the scan was the measurements. And here they are: FL (leg) 54.2mm, HC (head) 286.2mm, AC (tummy) 258.6mm, and an estimated weight of 1459.0g (or slightly over 3lb). Which in laymen terms means NORMAL! Not a monster, not a c-section waiting to happen, NORMAL!
Oh, and the placenta? The one the GD MIdwife said was up at the front? Round the back where it should be
*sigh*
Well the day after my scan I had the GD clinic. My BGLs have been spot on pretty much the whole time, with only the odd exception like Jack's birthday which gave their own reasons.
2 weeks later (yesterday as it happens) I had another GD clinic where, guess what, my BGLs were (their words) PERFECT!
I still have to keep testing my blood sugar, and I have another scan & clinic on the 21st of this month (Mum's coming with me to that one) but things are looking up. the doctors I saw yesterday were great. they were willing to accept that any potential discrepancy in my blood sugars were due to my sweet tooth, not diabetes. They are happy with my sugar levels and diet now (which is exactly the same without the sweets and chocolate), they are happy that Squiggle is growing at a normal rate, and it is now unlikely that I will have to have an early induction or c-section (unless there's some other unpleasant complication between now and the due date).
All I have to do now is put my feet up and relax!
April 21st 2010
It didn't kick off too well when the GD Midwife got my name wrong (yes, the same one who said Squiggle was massive, and that the placenta was round the front. Her) but we laughed it off and got on with the clinic.
I saw a different midwife first (thankfully one who knows who I am), and she was fine. She checked my blood pressure (normal) and pee (normal, aside from showing me to be hungry, which I was). She looked at Squiggle's growth and said it looked normal.
Then I saw one of the diabetes staff who looked over my BGLs and said they were normal and she was happy.
Then the consultant came in (grrrrrrr) and started banging on about how I might seem normal now but it'll all change by the time I come back in 4 weeks (it sodding well will NOT!) and that she STILL wants to induce me early! Only a week early, but since I'm due on a Saturday I would actually be induced less than 7 days early, so what's the point?? *sigh*
Finally I was seen by the guy who looks at diet and such, and he was perfectly happy too. Although he accidentally walked off with the bulk of my notes. I have my Orange notes, and the front & back cover of my Green notes... but nothing in between! I'll stop in tomorrow to pick them up.
I'm booked in again for 4 weeks time, another scan & clinic. By then I'll be 37 weeks and they'll decide if I can continue normally or if my consultant (spit!) will interfere like she wants to. In the meantime I'll be seeing my nice midwives at the GPs in 2 weeks.
May 19th 2010
So I got my 3rd growth scan today (and another free pic! Whoo!). This time Mark came with me, and mum stayed at ours to look after Jack.
Squiggle has had a bit of a growth spurt.... and is now about 8lb 10oz!!!! I was expecting 6 1/2 to 7 lb. We're off the "normal" scale again like we were with Jack.
It's been an interesting afternoon though (for me, Mark looked like he was going to pass out from boredom while we waited to see everyone at the GD clinic). While we were waiting I could hear my consultant talking to someone out in the corridor. No names mentioned or anything, but she was clearly hacked off and was saying how she "didn't care" and the patient "had to come back next week for a cervical examination, yes she had good control now but she WILL run into trouble". I pulled a face at Mark and joked about the interesting conversations you hear in that place. Seconds later a lady I had never seen before came in and said "Oh, can you hear us talking about you out there?" Ahh. I replied that I could hear talking, but not who about. My consultant didn't bother to see me today.... this other lady did instead.
Which is actually a GOOD thing. It backs up my previous statement that my consultant is an unprofessional bitch and I didn't have to get wound up by her. the woman who did see us (and I wish I'd caught her name now coz she was great) had a good look over all my stuff. She said that my BGL control was wonderful, and that I was probably never diabetic in the first place. I liked her instantly. She pointed out that Squiggle is indeed big, but that because the fluid AROUND Squiggle is normal that the baby's size is GENETIC and not because of GD.
She acknowledged that I am unhappy at the idea of early induction, and actually let me explain to her WHY (mainly because I am worried about it leading to a c-section which would affect my future pregnancies and births). She said this was very valid and they WOULD NOT force me down this route. However, they would like me back next week for a cervical check and if (and ONLY IF) my body is showing signs of being ready and I feel comfortable with it would they perform an induction. I had said that if I got to my due date without Squiggle arriving I would be more open to the idea, but that what she was outlining sounded perfectly reasonable.
After that we spent a long time waiting to be seen by people who I didn't really need to see me anymore. I can drop down my BGL tests to every 3rd day. The nutritionist only popped in to see how I was, the dietitian didn't see me at all. The GD MW came in to see if I had any questions about the birth (I didn't) but no other reason... and then we were let out.
So next Wednesday I have a MW apt at the docs at 2.15, and then this appointment with the MWs at the hospital at 3pm where I'll get pocked and prodded for a bit and, maybe just maybe, they'll talk me into agreeing to that darned induction. If my body is ready, and with the knowledge that Squiggle is plenty big enough to cope, I may relent. I may not. It's something I need to talk over with Mark before I agree to anything.
And anyway... Squiggle may turn up unassisted before then!