Week 2: Gestational Diabetes (and Common Misconceptions)

These 2 weeks of dealing with gestational diabetes taught me a lot, and I want to clear up some misconceptions about gestational diabetes that I have run into. 

Gestational diabetes can happen to anyone. 

I was talking with a woman this week about my pregnancy and mentioned that I have gestational diabetes. She was completely shocked and said “I would have never expected that. You look amazing!” (Shout out to this lady and anyone who gives genuine compliments to pregnant women.) But her comment showed me that I was not the only one who thought living a healthy lifestyle would ward off gestational diabetes. 

“Despite living healthy, eating right and exercising regularly, some women still develop gestational diabetes, and type 2 diabetes later in life.”

The Truth About Gestational Diabetes

I was really shocked to learn that regardless of your diet, exercise habits, or pre-pregnancy weight, anyone can get gestational diabetes. 

“Up to 10 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are affected by gestational diabetes every year.”

Gestational diabetes and a healthy baby? Yes.

At first, I wondered and worried that something I had or hadn’t done had caused my diagnosis (as if I need more from the mom guilt department). It was comforting to know that having gestational diabetes is not my fault, and that with the right diet, exercise, and help from my doctor, my baby and I can be just fine. 

Carbs are not my enemy. 

The last thing I wanted to hear going into my third trimester was that I need to go on a low carb diet. I was so hungry all the time during my third trimester with Eleanor, and I didn’t want restrictions on my food, especially during the summer. 

I didn’t want to miss out on burgers, ice cream, popsicles, French fries, or other classic summer foods that are typically carb-heavy. 

And so far, I haven’t! 

I do protein-style burgers, “healthy” ice cream, and snacks and treats with lower added sugars, like zero-sugar Jello. I have experimented with carb-heavy foods like rice and potatoes, and in smaller portion sizes, I can easily stay within my suggested blood sugar ranges. 

Blood sugar is a very fluid issue (pun intended).

I eat the same thing for breakfast pretty much every day: a couple scrambled eggs, and flavored Greek yogurt with chia seeds and chocolate protein granola. 

You would think that eating the same thing every morning would make my post-breakfast blood sugar readings look about the same every day, right? 

WRONG. 

Huge fluctuations. All within healthy ranges, but totally different everyday.

Also. My fasting blood sugar levels when I wake up are sometimes within range, and other times, they are just slightly too high. Even though I have not eaten anything for 8-10 hours every time I measure my fasting blood sugar, the numbers fluctuate. I am interested to see what my doctor says about that at my next appointment. 

Gestational diabetes feels a little bit like what I imagine gambling to feel like. It adds an element of high-risk-high-reward to my life that I don’t really want. Is the this watermelon going to spike my blood sugar today even though it didn’t yesterday? If I use the regular ketchup by accident instead of the zero-sugar ketchup, will I feel jittery for an hour afterward? 

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I have to remind myself that I am doing everything I can control right now to keep my blood sugar in check. I am still working out most days. I am religious about tracking my food and my blood sugar levels. I am constantly researching and getting creative with what I can eat. 

If I am doing everything within my power to treat my gestational diabetes, and still need to get insulin shots or receive other medical help during the rest of my pregnancy, that is okay. 

Until next week!

Love, Molly 
Go Forth. Go North. 

RELATED: Week 1: Gestational Diabetes

Week 1: Gestational Diabetes