I pulled into the parking lot at my OB-GYN’s office for my 24-week appointment. I was eager to get going so I could hear my little one’s heartbeat on the monitor again. I was also desperate to get my blood sugar test over with, so I could get something to eat. It was a beautiful sunny day, with not a cloud in the sky — between that and my healthy baby, it felt like everything was going my way.
A few days later, I got a call from my doctor asking me to come back in to go over my blood test results. This seemed highly unusual, and I felt a tiny stir of panic in my stomach. An hour later, I was sitting on the edge of the exam table, feeling hopeless and like my life was changing.
I had gestational diabetes. We did a repeat test, which confirmed the same. My doctor reassured me everything would be all right, but I couldn’t get my head past all the statistics and risks. My family reassured me I was lucky it wasn’t something more serious and that my baby would be OK.
Thank goodness everything did end up fine. My pregnancy was labeled high risk, and I was watched like a hawk. I had to make many changes to my lifestyle, but it was all worth it in the end. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl who’s the light of my life. Now, I like to tell my story to other moms and share my experience.
It May Come as a Complete Shock
As you read in my story, the gestational diabetes diagnosis was a complete shock — I wasn’t experiencing any symptoms that would suggest it. It turns out that some women never have symptoms of the condition. Others experience frequent urination, weight loss but increased appetite, blurred vision and nausea.
You May Need to Overhaul Your Diet
The first step to treating gestational diabetes is through lifestyle changes. I worked with a nutritionist who specializes in all forms of diabetes. She helped me overhaul my current eating patterns to control my blood sugar.
Some starting suggestions for your diet are to drastically reduce the number of processed foods you eat. Instead, prioritize vegetables, lean meats and plant-based protein. You should also get plenty of fruits, whole grains and healthy fats. These guidelines can get you started, but they can’t replace the advice of a registered dietitian — the help from mine was invaluable.
Movement Is More Important Than Ever
Many women use pregnancy as an excuse to quit working out and take it easy. No judgment here — I’m one of them, and you should absolutely slow your pace when pregnant. However, using these nine months to do nothing but lounge on the couch isn’t doing yourself or your baby any favors.
A little movement each day was essential to keeping my gestational diabetes in check. I went for a walk each morning and did pregnancy-safe yoga a couple of times a week. I also tried to be more intentional about my activity throughout the day. These few changes helped my condition and improved my energy levels.
You Must Stay Vigilant
These lifestyle changes can improve your blood sugar, but they aren’t always enough for everyone. After getting diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I needed to check my levels a few times a day, every day. Having reliable access to Dexcom G7 supplies made continuous monitoring more convenient and less stressful, allowing me to track trends in real time and respond quickly to any fluctuations.
I could tell from my readouts the exercise and dietary changes were making a positive difference. However, my doctor said the results weren’t quite good enough. He said some women need medication to help improve their body’s insulin sensitivity.
Insulin injections are the most common treatment but can be very expensive, and not everyone handles needles well. My doctor and I discussed the benefits and risks of Metformin, and I ultimately decided to go that route. However, everyone is different, and just because I had a good experience with it doesn’t mean everyone will.
Risk of Complications Grows
The main reason it’s so important to get your blood sugar to an acceptable level is to reduce the risk of complications. Gestational diabetes increases the chances of many possible outcomes, including preeclampsia, high birth weight, low blood sugar for the baby and an increased risk of needing a cesarean section. Babies of moms with gestational diabetes also have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Despite my worries, the interventions I enacted to take control of my condition helped bring me through to natural labor. My daughter was a larger baby and took extra effort. The doctor also needed to use the vacuum to help get her out, but no other interventions were necessary. I understand I am fortunate, and not everyone’s situation ends this way.
Labor May Be More Medically Intense
While I didn’t need a C-section, the team at the hospital was prepared to perform one at a moment’s notice. Knowing my baby was larger than average, there was every chance she could get stuck and need medical intervention.
Also, the weeks leading up to my delivery were filled with doctor’s appointments. I had to undergo extra monitoring for preeclampsia or other complications. I was constantly supervised and monitored at the hospital to ensure a healthy experience for my baby and me.
No matter how your pregnancy goes, if you have gestational diabetes, this will likely be your experience too. The extra monitoring is just a precaution. It can’t hurt to have your entire team on standby in case they need to change the birth plan to keep you and your precious baby safe.
You Can Have a Healthy Pregnancy
Your diagnosis may seem scary, but you can achieve a healthy pregnancy with the right lifestyle changes and medical interventions. All the measures you need to take and the extra monitoring may seem extreme and annoying at times, but it will all be worth it when you hold your precious baby in your arms for the first time.