Jen’s Story with Gestational Diabetes

“You have Gestational Diabetes” are four words that no mother wants to hear during their pregnancy. 

Apparently the third pregnancy was not the charm for this gal! I swear I had all the things…nausea, leg cramps, heartburn, pubic symphysis pain, extra scans, my list could go on but for me being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes was the complication I struggled with the most.

I had NO risk factors.

I looked after myself, exercises, I ate well… Surely it was a mistake?

It really took me a while to wrap my head around my diagnosis but when I did, I set myself up for success, I changed my mindset, did my research, put an awesome team around me to help me manage it and got on with it.

I learnt SO much during that time and I hope by writing this blog I can raise awareness, bust a few myths, provide some helpful advice and help some mammas feel a little bit more positive about navigating a Gestational Diabetes pregnancy.

What is Gestational Diabetes (GD)?

For those that don’t know GD occurs when a pregnant woman has high levels of glucose in her blood.

High blood glucose is caused because she cannot produce enough insulin (a pregnant person’s insulin needs are two to three times that of normal). Yep, my poor pancreas just wasn't able to cope with all my crazy hormones!

Have you ever heard that GD is caused by sugar?

Yes, it's true that sugar can increase our blood sugar levels but it's not true that sugar alone causes GD. I learnt very quickly that there are so many factors at play when it comes to GD and the truth…. Anyone with a placenta is at risk of developing GD. Please read that again, anyone can develop GD. This really helped me wrap my head around things. I was fit, I ate reasonably well, for me it was just bad luck and a bit of genetics.

Feeling overwhelmed

The moment you get diagnosed with GD here’s what happens; you go from eating what you want when you want to having to be conscious of every food you eat and its carbohydrate reading (I got really good at reading labels)

You have to write every food you eat down as your team of dieticians check in at the end of each week.

I had to track my blood sugars as well which meant pricking my finger before and after meals - up to 6 times a day. Not going to lie it was very full on, super overwhelming to begin with but to take care of my baby I was willing to do it all. It was super hard though!

This experience made me really appreciate what those living with diabetes go through everyday, for me this was only for a short period of time, for some this is there every day and realising this really gave me some perspective.

Add a few people to your pregnancy support team

I cannot recommend this enough!

The first thing I did once I found out was add a few additional people to my pregnancy support team. I had a meeting booked in with the Diabetes clinic at our nearby hospital but I also made an appointment with our She Moves Nutritionist - Wellness by Jessica. She was incredibly helpful during my journey. I remember during our first appointment bursting into tears telling her but I ended that call feeling confident with a plan of action and food plan moving forward.

I was also very fortunate to have a super supportive husband who helped me with my meals and my finger pricks - he was a gem. On those days that were tough he kept me going as did Ren, eating what I did during our work meetings and heping me to name my GD kit - Polly ;)

It's more than just food!

Yes, controlling Carbohydrate intake helps to control blood sugars but as I learnt quickly it's not just about food! Sleep and stress both had negative effects on my readings!

Stress

We all know that stress has negative effects on our health but stress can also play a part in raising blood sugar levels. When we stress it raises our cortisol levels which then raises our blood sugars. So more stress = higher blood sugar levels.

To counteract this throughout my pregnancy, I did my best to focus on the things I could control during this pregnancy, the food I ate and my exercise. I tried to let go of things out of my control as it was not good for my mental health and mindset. Moving my body and She Moves meditations helped immensely on those days I felt a little stressy and really helped to stabilize my readings. 

Sleep!

I found this one the hardest to work through. I was pregnant with my 3rd but also had 2 other babies, one of which was a non-sleeper. I was incredibly lucky that my hubby helped out hugely by taking the brunt of night time wake ups and early morning get ups. My advice here is rest when you can, I know that's really easy to say but it will really help, even if it is just getting horizontal.

Eat often!

Everyone's GD journey will be different but my biggest piece of advice would be to eat often. Move your diet into 4-6 smaller meals throughout your day. Eating littler and more often was really helpful in stabilizing my levels along with….

Exercise!

You knew this one would be in here, but on those days that I moved my body my levels were a lot more stable. Our She Moves pregnancy modified workouts and walks were non-negotiables in my GD journey. They also helped hugely on those days where I was struggling to control things both in my readings and with my mindset.

You can have an amazing birth with GD

Birth can sounds pretty doom and glom when you get diagnosed with GD but it doesn't mean it will be.

Yes, my baby was a lot bigger than my previous babies, yes I had to have my baby at the hospital which meant my birth plan went out the window but… It was still incredible and it can be for you too.

Don't stress about the birth stage, think positively and take things as they come. For me My GD baby was the easiest and fastest of my 3 births. It can be a really positive experience.

I really do hope this helps a few of you! Please know if you have just recently been diagnosed, I know how you’re feeling and I promise it does get easier. 

Motherhood is all about making sacrifices for what’s best for our growing babies. It’s about doing things that we sometimes find hard and at times super inconvenient but we manage it, you are strong and you will get through it!!

Jen x

PS - I’m here if you have questions or even if you just want to chat. It really helped me talking to someone that had been through it. Flick me an email hello@she-moves.co.nz