This isn’t
my first go with Gestational Diabetes (GD). I was one of the lucky ones with
absolutely no risk factors to develop it when pregnant with my youngest, Gwyneth.
If only beating the odds came as easily
for me when playing the lottery… after a moment of mourning all
the remaining pregnancy cravings that would have to go unsatisfied, I refocus my thoughts on figuring out a GD food routine that doesn't completely suck.
Diet
controlled GD requires much lower sugar targets than other types of diabetes and because
pregnancy only lasts for a [relatively] short amount of time, to
avoid medication, there is a very steep learning curve to a GD diet. When done
right, and once you get past the unsatisfied pregnancy craving rage, a GD diet can not only control your blood sugar but can also help manage weight gain and leave you feeling super healthy.
Receiving a GD diagnosis for a second time wasn't overly surprising, having it in a previous pregnancy is a risk factor, and as a result I wasn't as overwhelmed as when I received it the first time. However, when diagnosed the first time, my anxiety about recording high sugar numbers left me under-eating for almost an entire month during
my third trimester, which was obviously no good for me or the baby.
So, for all
my fellow mums who are new to the GD trenches or who may find yourselves there
in the future, here are 10 song-inspired notes on surviving what I consider to
be one of the most frustrating pregnancy diagnoses.
1. Say a little prayer for you.
For your fingertips,
that is. A GD diagnosis requires you to check your blood sugar levels 4x/day, first fasting and then again 1 hour after each meal. So do your fingertips a favour and share the love, poke them all equally. Bonus Tip: Given that most of us suffer from one form of pregnancy brain or another, I highly recommend setting an alarm on your phone for an hour
after each meal or you’ll blow right by that hour, trust me.
2. Just a spoonful of sugar.
Despite sugar’s
bad rep, it’s total carbohydrates that you need to concern yourself with. Your
body doesn’t know or care about whether it’s dealing with added sugar or the
breakdown of carbohydrates. Fun fact, 15g
of carbs equals 3 tsp of sugar. For snacks you should aim for 15-20g of carbs
paired with a protein, and for meals you should aim for 45-60g of carbs also
paired with a protein. Vegetables are free and can be eaten at your leisure (music
to a pregnant woman’s ear, right?! Ha). To calculate your carbs, look at the
total carbohydrates on the food label and subtract the fibre. After you got
that, it’s just simple math.
3. Eat it.
Seriously, eat.
Especially snacks. It’s recommended that along with 3 meals you eat 1-3 snacks daily, this helps
keep your blood sugar stable and less likely to spike after a meal. I find
skipping snacks leaves me hungrier and craving more carbohydrates for the next meal.
The inability to fully satisfy carb cravings at meal time breeds one cranky
pregnant lady (don’t do this to yourself and your loved ones).
6. Never gonna give you up.
You don’t have
to give up everything you love. In fact it’s more about moderation than elimination. Make the sandwich
with one slice of bread, opt for a 6” sub over a foot-long, substitute white
pasta for whole wheat (or better yet a veggie substitute- like swapping cabbage for lasagna noodles). Just remember to load up the
veggies and make sure you always have a protein.
7. Better together.
I can’t stress
this enough. When eating your carbs, Make. Sure. You. Include. Protein. This was
one of the big mistakes I made the first time around. I eliminated a whole
bunch of foods from my diet because they “spiked my blood sugar and gave me
high numbers”. This resulted in an extremely
narrow food repertoire and meal burnout. This time around I gave many of them second
chances but with a protein (even just a handful of walnuts) and lo and behold,
my sugars are ok!
8. Everyday I write the book.
Your dietitian will likely give you a sample meal plan or two, but for stuff that’s
a bit more exotic and that moves beyond “baked chicken and steamed green beans” don’t be afraid to check out the world wide web and follow Instagram accounts like
Sugar Babies GDM. Every time you figure out something that works and tastes
good, write it down. It will make meal
and snack planning much easier, and if you find yourself in the GD trenches in
a future pregnancy you will have a food playbook at the ready!
9. Count on me.
When your
tempted to just say, “eff it” and eat alllll the things, remember why
controlling your GD is important. Think about who is counting on you to see
this crappy GD diet through. While first and foremost, uncontrolled GD can
increase you and your baby’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future,
it can also lead to large babies and difficult deliveries. You owe it to your
baby, yourself and more specifically your lady bits to hold off on the cupcakes until
baby is here.
10. Keep holding on.
Remember
that for 98% of us GD goes away as soon as you give birth, so hang in there!
11. Gestational Diabetes Song
For a laugh (or a cry) check out this link for a song about GD written and performed by fellow mum and GD sufferer Haven Burton.
