Tuesday, January 4, 2011

TGIGDD

"Thank God It's Gestational Diabetes Day!"

No, not really.

I have my GD Screening this afternoon.  One of the annoying things about the so-called "One Hour Test" is that doctors/midwives do not have a standardized way of giving this test.  Some pregnant women are told to fast for 2-8 hours beforehand.  Some are told to eat normally.  Some are told to eat only a special diet (usually heavy on the protein).  This lack of standardization may be one reason there are numerous false positives resulting from the screening.  Most women who don't pass the 1-hr test go on to pass the follow-up "Three Hour Test," but anywhere from 5-10% of pregnant women actually do have GD.

You can probably guess I'm hoping I'm one of the lucky pregnant women who don't become diabetic during pregnancy!  I don't want to have to spend these last three months on a restrictive diet (and/or having to give myself insulin shots).  So I'm hoping to pass the first screening with flying colors.  We shall see.

My midwife's instructions were to not fast before the test, but to stick to proteins and whole grains.  She told me to abstain from fruit, sugar, and carbs on the day of the test (today).  The best news from her was that I do not have to drink the sugary glucose solution that most pregnant women report being disgusted by.  For my test, I was told to drink 10 oz. of purple Welch's grape juice.  Dan and I only had to check 3 bodegas to find the right sized bottle, which felt like a victory to me.

Step one: breakfast.

Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter.

Step two: lunch

Lunch: Turkey burger with cheese (but no bun). Sorry it's not more photogenic, folks.

1:45 pm 1:48 pm

And there goes the grape juice!

Stay tuned for the results...

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8 comments:

betsy said...

sending you prayer/good thoughts for your test results. I had GD, discovered early (because I was 43 and tubby, and so my midwife was on the lookout for it.) I had great success controlling levels with a low carb diet and daily walks. I did end up going on Glyberide for less than 3 weeks at the end of my pregnancy.

If by some ridiculous chance you would like to read about my pregnancy, you can go to http://lifewithsticky.livejournal.com/312.html

BUT do not be freaked out by the spectre of diabetes. In my experience, at least, it's a mild pain, but managible, and didn't effect my kid, and, though it seemed endless at the time, was over practically before I knew it.

betsy said...

But I still hope you don't have to go through it.

Unknown said...

Whoa - grape juice instead of glucose solution = you have a brilliant midwife.

Jennette said...

Thanks for the comments and good thoughts. I did pass the test, and I'm trying not to see that as an excuse to keep up less-than-healthy eating choices. I've never been fond of the idea of having to go on a restrictive diet (I suspect I might be slightly lactose intolerant, and that makes me angry), but I know GD is not the end of the world. Betsy, I'll definitely read about your pregnancy. Pregnancy fascinates me!

Anna -- yes, I was so excited. I tried not to brag about my grape juice option to women in my prenatal yoga class the other day, but I think I failed.

Mechanic said...

BRAG ABOUT THE GRAPE JUICE. I second on the midwife being awesome.

Jennette said...

Thanks, friend. ;)

princess kanomanom said...

Hmm, thing is, whole grains ARE carbs. Same impact as the stuff she told you to abstain from. Anyway--good luck going forward!

Jennette said...

I thought about that, too, but just figured they're allowed because they're healthier carbs.

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