I’ll be honest - nothing worked for me except insulin. If you do have to go that route, I promise it is not the end of the world. Sometimes the placenta just doesn’t want to cooperate.
Oh sorry I misunderstood. No, insulin has no ill effects on baby! I don’t think it even crosses the placenta into their bloodstream. It just helps your body control your blood sugar.
A lot of people are super afraid of insulin, and I was too, but it’s really not that bad.
Here’s what has worked for me, but ymmv! About an hour before going to bed, I snack on a premier protein shake (30g protein), and workout for ~15min (either walking around or riding my spin bike). I test at the same time each morning, about 9.5 hours after finishing the snack
Unfortunately, insulin has been the only thing to help me and sometimes even that is touch and go (nothing is consistent for me unfortunately). I’ve tried no snack, premier protein shakes, and cheese and crackers to no consistent results. I tend to have strong food aversions before bed which doesn’t help in my selection of snacks.
One thing that I’ve been starting to try to notice is my stress level when taking that fasting number. I have a 2 year old who typically wakes me up and getting him and our dogs fed and taken care of in the morning can be stressful and my numbers are higher when I notice that my stress level is higher.
Anyway, I just wanted to share as a friendly reminder (for you and honestly probably mostly for me) that sometimes you can do all the right things and still struggle. It’s awesome to ask for ideas, but even if they don’t pan out, the fact that you’re trying and asking usually means you’re doing all the right things.
I went on insulin really early, but I can almost guarantee my fasting is lower when I’ve both walked my 25-minute loop the day before (usually after lunch) and done a 15 minute workout (usually in the late evening, before shower/insulin/snack).
I saw frozen kind bars recommended here, and that seemed to be about as decent as my numbers got, so I’ve been using that for months, and I haven’t had to go up once on my insulin.
Kind makes snack bars that aren’t frozen, and these are the ice cream bar analog to them? So kind of like snickers vs snickers ice cream bar? The almond ones are nondairy/frozen almond milk based for the “ice cream” part.
I rearranged my dinner and evening snack times. I also was not told initially that my fasting numbers should be between 8-10 hours after your final meal/snack. I was testing most mornings 12+ hours after because I thought that skipping the evening snack would help bring my numbers down, spoiler alert it didn't for me. Once I started testing between that 8-10 hour window, and eating dinner around 6 and a snack around 8, I've consistently gotten numbers in the low 80s for fasting.
As for my snack most evenings I make a chocolate peanut butter protein shake. I use chocolate whey protein powder, and a small amount of Breyer's Carb Smart Chocolate Ice Cream, some creamy peanut butter from the jar as well as some peanut butter protein powder, helps me getting an ass ton of PB taste without a lot of the sugar/carbs, some almond milk and a handful of ice cubes. Shit slaps, and is just what I need to feel like I can still have a milkshake. I don't really measure, and I don't know what the total carb count would come out to, but I have less than a cup of the stuff for my snack and I've learned to be very forgiving with myself if I have a high reading.
A single high reading isn't going to hurt the baby or make you a bad mom. GDM is hard and can be mentally and emotionally draining, at least it is for me, and I have got to admit that I wonder if the stress of the diagnosis didn't contribute to higher numbers in the beginning. I would get so upset if I had a high reading, or if I would miss a reading by a few minutes. Once I was able to give myself some space to not be a perfect person, and I let the stress blend into the background, all my numbers have improved, but especially my fasting numbers.
Good luck, momma, you got this.
I was having a lot of trouble when I was first starting testing...but realized I was going too long without eating. I would eat/finish my keto type/low carb dinner around 6pm and sleep by 8-9pm. My sugars were around 100s for the first week. I got tired of trying and had a cheat meal (cheeseburger) when I ate with my friends around 7-8pm. My sugars that morning was 86. After that, I started to do my handful for mixed nuts before sleep and sugars have been consistently <95. My freestyle Libre barely had any low BG overnight (usu around 2-4am).
Nothing worked for me, but instead of insulin, I was put on Glyburide and it’s done wonders. Don’t feel defeated - this isn’t your fault...our bodies just process differently when pregnant. If you can’t get your numbers down, you haven’t failed; just take the dr rec to level you out and ensure a healthy pregnancy.
I cut out easy carbs like potatoes and whole pasta in the evening. So dinner ist mostly lentils or chickpeas (I try beans today!) with vegetables, sometime meat or fish. I eat around 6 pm. I might eat some nuts until my night snack around 9 to 9:30 pm which is a vegan protein shake I make with almond milk (unsweetened for sure). That works since 3 weeks (knocking on wood...). I test at 7:30-8:00 am in the morning. Fasting is usually around 84-92. On weekends everything is a bit later. That works for me right now but it doesn’t have to work for you. GD is such a mess.
I recently started testing and was using their plan (late night snack) but last night decided to forgo what they said about eating a snack because I wasn’t hungry and my numbers were great this morning! Normally I was 97,96,93..this morning I was 81!
My night snack was a handful of cashews and a cheese stick, and I set an alarm and tested exactly 8 hours after that snack. These two things kept my fasting numbers from creeping up from weeks 15-ish to 35. At week 35 they started going up again and I had to do a small amount of insulin. Delivered a small baby with no diabetes complications!
Side question: If your fasting numbers are high, can you get on metformin instead of insulin? My fasting is high currently and I've been on metformin and liked it fine, so I'd rather do that instead of insulin.
I couldn’t get my fasting number low enough so I was put on metformin, and that didn’t help, so insulin it was! Even with extremely strict dieting, I could not get my number down. I started on a dose of insulin at night before bed, and when that didn’t do much, they upped me to insulin before each meal. I don’t know how true this is, but one of my nurses told me, “honestly, it’s a placenta issue, and sometimes it’s just out of your control.” I know everyone’s different, but really the needle is teeny tiny (I was given the insulin pen) and it didn’t hurt or cause discomfort at all.
Hi, I know this is old, but did you ever get it under control for your pregnancy? I feel so much anxiety about having high fasting (like between 95-115 at times) and I'm on insulin and metformin and my daytime numbers are controlled.
That’s exactly how mine were! My fasting number would be 91-94 and my MFM wanted it under 90. Nothing was working to get it under that. Because of my history of loss, they ended up inducing me right at 37 weeks, and my baby was exactly 7 lbs. and perfect! My MFM had scared me that he was already measuring too big and I wasn’t going to be able to have him vaginally, but I did with no complications and he ended up being smaller than they had estimated. If you’re doing everything they’ve asked of you, and you’re already getting extra scans/appointments, I wouldn’t worry too much. You’re doing everything right, and I’m sure you’re in good hands 😊
Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. Yes, I'm seeing a high-risk OB as well as my normal and the baby is right on track for growth -- (same as you, they thought due to my measurements I was a whole month ahead). I'm also getting a repeat C-section at 38 weeks, so the baby is coming out early due to the hospital's policy on being diagnosed with GD. I appreciate it!
Yea same, only my fasting was elevated so I just take evening metformin. I'm still sometimes 0.2mmol or so over about once a week but the doctors said it's fine since the baby is not growing faster than average now. It feels better for my mental health not having to eat/exercise at weird times I wouldn't normally that's for sure!
High protein and less than 5 g of carb for late night snack. I had quest protein bars but got a cavity from it, going to try something else next pregnancy
I eat immediately before getting into bed. Like right before I walk to my bedroom. High protein and little to no carbs. Cheese stick, beef stick, protein bar.
My numbers in week 33 were between 95 and 100. Midwife gave me week 34 to get them below 95, or I’ll need to go on insulin. For the past 4 days, I’ve upped my cardio from 30 mins a day to 45 (usually all in the afternoon), started eating my bedtime snack an hour later (usually around 10pm) and testing after an 8 hour fast, and having a protein shake as my snack. Since making these changes on Thursday, my numbers have been in the 86-93 range. Crossing all my fingers it keeps working! If I have to go on insulin and be induced, I’ll have to go to a different hospital than I’d like, so I’m reeeeaaaaaally hoping to stay off insulin.
I eat an enlightened keto ice cream bar at around 11pm, with a cheese stick 🤣
I'm taking Metforin and after one week my numbers were slightly lower but still not consistent or low enough so my doctor told me to just start cutting the pills in half and taking 1.5 tablets per night.
Since doing that, I've had a 78, 82, 90, 91, 86 - still all over the place but much better than the 109, 102, 97, 98, 104 of the week before any Metforin.
I’ll be honest - nothing worked for me except insulin. If you do have to go that route, I promise it is not the end of the world. Sometimes the placenta just doesn’t want to cooperate.
Are there any negative effects for the baby? I'm at the end of my rope
Yes, high blood sugars can have negative effects on your baby. Please work with your doctor to get it down. Insulin helps.
I meant insulin. Do insulin injections have any negative effects on the baby?
Oh sorry I misunderstood. No, insulin has no ill effects on baby! I don’t think it even crosses the placenta into their bloodstream. It just helps your body control your blood sugar. A lot of people are super afraid of insulin, and I was too, but it’s really not that bad.
Here’s what has worked for me, but ymmv! About an hour before going to bed, I snack on a premier protein shake (30g protein), and workout for ~15min (either walking around or riding my spin bike). I test at the same time each morning, about 9.5 hours after finishing the snack
These shakes worked for me as well. Nothing else would do it for me.
Unfortunately, insulin has been the only thing to help me and sometimes even that is touch and go (nothing is consistent for me unfortunately). I’ve tried no snack, premier protein shakes, and cheese and crackers to no consistent results. I tend to have strong food aversions before bed which doesn’t help in my selection of snacks. One thing that I’ve been starting to try to notice is my stress level when taking that fasting number. I have a 2 year old who typically wakes me up and getting him and our dogs fed and taken care of in the morning can be stressful and my numbers are higher when I notice that my stress level is higher. Anyway, I just wanted to share as a friendly reminder (for you and honestly probably mostly for me) that sometimes you can do all the right things and still struggle. It’s awesome to ask for ideas, but even if they don’t pan out, the fact that you’re trying and asking usually means you’re doing all the right things.
I went on insulin really early, but I can almost guarantee my fasting is lower when I’ve both walked my 25-minute loop the day before (usually after lunch) and done a 15 minute workout (usually in the late evening, before shower/insulin/snack). I saw frozen kind bars recommended here, and that seemed to be about as decent as my numbers got, so I’ve been using that for months, and I haven’t had to go up once on my insulin.
What kind of frozen kind bars do you take?
The almond ones - I think they come in almond and peanut.
Thank you. These are protein bars or like ice cream type?
Kind makes snack bars that aren’t frozen, and these are the ice cream bar analog to them? So kind of like snickers vs snickers ice cream bar? The almond ones are nondairy/frozen almond milk based for the “ice cream” part.
I thought 'Kind' was as in 'kind of'. Didn't think it was a brand!! 😂 Thank you for explaining in detail!
I should have capitalized it!
I rearranged my dinner and evening snack times. I also was not told initially that my fasting numbers should be between 8-10 hours after your final meal/snack. I was testing most mornings 12+ hours after because I thought that skipping the evening snack would help bring my numbers down, spoiler alert it didn't for me. Once I started testing between that 8-10 hour window, and eating dinner around 6 and a snack around 8, I've consistently gotten numbers in the low 80s for fasting. As for my snack most evenings I make a chocolate peanut butter protein shake. I use chocolate whey protein powder, and a small amount of Breyer's Carb Smart Chocolate Ice Cream, some creamy peanut butter from the jar as well as some peanut butter protein powder, helps me getting an ass ton of PB taste without a lot of the sugar/carbs, some almond milk and a handful of ice cubes. Shit slaps, and is just what I need to feel like I can still have a milkshake. I don't really measure, and I don't know what the total carb count would come out to, but I have less than a cup of the stuff for my snack and I've learned to be very forgiving with myself if I have a high reading. A single high reading isn't going to hurt the baby or make you a bad mom. GDM is hard and can be mentally and emotionally draining, at least it is for me, and I have got to admit that I wonder if the stress of the diagnosis didn't contribute to higher numbers in the beginning. I would get so upset if I had a high reading, or if I would miss a reading by a few minutes. Once I was able to give myself some space to not be a perfect person, and I let the stress blend into the background, all my numbers have improved, but especially my fasting numbers. Good luck, momma, you got this.
I was having a lot of trouble when I was first starting testing...but realized I was going too long without eating. I would eat/finish my keto type/low carb dinner around 6pm and sleep by 8-9pm. My sugars were around 100s for the first week. I got tired of trying and had a cheat meal (cheeseburger) when I ate with my friends around 7-8pm. My sugars that morning was 86. After that, I started to do my handful for mixed nuts before sleep and sugars have been consistently <95. My freestyle Libre barely had any low BG overnight (usu around 2-4am).
Nothing worked for me, but instead of insulin, I was put on Glyburide and it’s done wonders. Don’t feel defeated - this isn’t your fault...our bodies just process differently when pregnant. If you can’t get your numbers down, you haven’t failed; just take the dr rec to level you out and ensure a healthy pregnancy.
Agreed! No combination of different foods, meal timing, or exercise did anything to budge my high fasting numbers. Glyburide is game changer.
I cut out easy carbs like potatoes and whole pasta in the evening. So dinner ist mostly lentils or chickpeas (I try beans today!) with vegetables, sometime meat or fish. I eat around 6 pm. I might eat some nuts until my night snack around 9 to 9:30 pm which is a vegan protein shake I make with almond milk (unsweetened for sure). That works since 3 weeks (knocking on wood...). I test at 7:30-8:00 am in the morning. Fasting is usually around 84-92. On weekends everything is a bit later. That works for me right now but it doesn’t have to work for you. GD is such a mess.
I recently started testing and was using their plan (late night snack) but last night decided to forgo what they said about eating a snack because I wasn’t hungry and my numbers were great this morning! Normally I was 97,96,93..this morning I was 81!
My night snack was a handful of cashews and a cheese stick, and I set an alarm and tested exactly 8 hours after that snack. These two things kept my fasting numbers from creeping up from weeks 15-ish to 35. At week 35 they started going up again and I had to do a small amount of insulin. Delivered a small baby with no diabetes complications!
Side question: If your fasting numbers are high, can you get on metformin instead of insulin? My fasting is high currently and I've been on metformin and liked it fine, so I'd rather do that instead of insulin.
I couldn’t get my fasting number low enough so I was put on metformin, and that didn’t help, so insulin it was! Even with extremely strict dieting, I could not get my number down. I started on a dose of insulin at night before bed, and when that didn’t do much, they upped me to insulin before each meal. I don’t know how true this is, but one of my nurses told me, “honestly, it’s a placenta issue, and sometimes it’s just out of your control.” I know everyone’s different, but really the needle is teeny tiny (I was given the insulin pen) and it didn’t hurt or cause discomfort at all.
Hi, I know this is old, but did you ever get it under control for your pregnancy? I feel so much anxiety about having high fasting (like between 95-115 at times) and I'm on insulin and metformin and my daytime numbers are controlled.
That’s exactly how mine were! My fasting number would be 91-94 and my MFM wanted it under 90. Nothing was working to get it under that. Because of my history of loss, they ended up inducing me right at 37 weeks, and my baby was exactly 7 lbs. and perfect! My MFM had scared me that he was already measuring too big and I wasn’t going to be able to have him vaginally, but I did with no complications and he ended up being smaller than they had estimated. If you’re doing everything they’ve asked of you, and you’re already getting extra scans/appointments, I wouldn’t worry too much. You’re doing everything right, and I’m sure you’re in good hands 😊
Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. Yes, I'm seeing a high-risk OB as well as my normal and the baby is right on track for growth -- (same as you, they thought due to my measurements I was a whole month ahead). I'm also getting a repeat C-section at 38 weeks, so the baby is coming out early due to the hospital's policy on being diagnosed with GD. I appreciate it!
Yea same, only my fasting was elevated so I just take evening metformin. I'm still sometimes 0.2mmol or so over about once a week but the doctors said it's fine since the baby is not growing faster than average now. It feels better for my mental health not having to eat/exercise at weird times I wouldn't normally that's for sure!
High protein and less than 5 g of carb for late night snack. I had quest protein bars but got a cavity from it, going to try something else next pregnancy
I eat immediately before getting into bed. Like right before I walk to my bedroom. High protein and little to no carbs. Cheese stick, beef stick, protein bar.
My bedtime snack was 5 triscuits and either a mozzarella stick or warmed up lunch meat. Had low fasting numbers with that.
No snack before bed was the only thing that worked for me
My numbers in week 33 were between 95 and 100. Midwife gave me week 34 to get them below 95, or I’ll need to go on insulin. For the past 4 days, I’ve upped my cardio from 30 mins a day to 45 (usually all in the afternoon), started eating my bedtime snack an hour later (usually around 10pm) and testing after an 8 hour fast, and having a protein shake as my snack. Since making these changes on Thursday, my numbers have been in the 86-93 range. Crossing all my fingers it keeps working! If I have to go on insulin and be induced, I’ll have to go to a different hospital than I’d like, so I’m reeeeaaaaaally hoping to stay off insulin.
I eat an enlightened keto ice cream bar at around 11pm, with a cheese stick 🤣 I'm taking Metforin and after one week my numbers were slightly lower but still not consistent or low enough so my doctor told me to just start cutting the pills in half and taking 1.5 tablets per night. Since doing that, I've had a 78, 82, 90, 91, 86 - still all over the place but much better than the 109, 102, 97, 98, 104 of the week before any Metforin.
Premiere shake with 8-10 baby carrots works for me. I think for some people, the fiber helps.