33 Weeks - Diabetes Counseling

Today I am 33 Weeks pregnant!! I have 7 more weeks until my due date, how close does that sound?

Unfortunately, I went to the doctor for my Diabetes counseling. First thing he told me was that I do have gestational diabetes, but it will go away when I give birth. He described the condition to us and it really cleared up some questions we had. Apparently my pancreas is not making enough insulin to cycle out all the sugars that I eat. The baby's insulin levels are fine, they are not linked to mine. What happens in pregnancy is that your placenta is using your insulin and there is not enough for your body to use. He did say that I barely failed the test. Just by 5 points, so he felt really good that I can control this easily by just setting limits on my diet.

The first thing he said was NO CANDY & NO JUICE. I now have to eat 6 small meals a day and count my carbs and sugars. I basically have to watch everything that goes into my mouth. Fruits have alot of natural sugars, so I have to limit the fruits. Vegetables and meat I can eat to my hearts content. Starches and Carbohydrates are something I still need in every small meal, but in specific amounts (even if they are whole wheat/grain.) The diet does not sound so bad, it really will not be such a big change. I already ate small meals throughout the day. I already drink only water all day. I just have to change to Sprite Zero for my dinner, instead of sprite. No biggie. I bought some flavored water already, in place of juice. I have never sat around eating bon-bons and Little Debbie's. I did like to have little pieces of chocolate candy after dinner, like Ferro Roche. That I will just cut out. :) I also already eat whole grain pastas and bread. I just did not eat alot of protein, so I will focus on that.

The next step is to meet with a nutritionist. I have to start using a glucometer to test my blood four times a day. This part was upsetting, although I know this is a really important part. The doctor said as long as my levels get better and start looking good, I will not have to go on insulin. I DON'T want that.

The only side effects of this little nuisance disease for the baby is that it can cause your baby to get really big. All that sugar your pancreas cannot cycle out goes straight to the baby, so you really have to be careful. He also said that you can expect your baby's development to be about one week behind, so going into labor early would not be good. He said though that if I go full term, I have nothing to worry about.