It's been a little over 2 weeks since the medical professionals in my life told me I have Gestational Diabetes, and it's been a little more than a week since they instructed me to stab myself 4 times per day to check and see that my blood sugar levels remain within a "good" range for a preggo with Gestational Diabetes.
Here's what the peeps at the Diabetes Clinic instructed me regarding diet, post-diagnosis.
Recommendation #1:
INCREASE carb intake to the following schedule:
* Note: there was NO mention of other recommended foods to include or what sort of nutritional balance to aim for. I was told that veggies are "free," excluding potatoes, corn, and sweet peas. They also informed me that our bodies process carbs into sugars no matter if they're jelly beans or whole wheat pasta. "Count the grams," they told me. So I have been << I've experimented with cereal, fruit and fruit juice, whole wheat bread, cookies, ice cream(!), and many other typical staples >>.
Recommendation #2:
EXERCISE for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
*Note: If you know me, you know I have a love of exercise. My pre-pregnancy exercise routine consisted of high-impact cardio, lifting heavy weights with the big boys, and long bike rides with the hubs-- typically 5 days a week. During pregnancy, I've shifted to swimming, yoga, walking, low-key weight lifting, and water aerobics, still averaging 5 days a week.
After the appointment at the Diabetes Clinic, I've come to a few conclusions about what they recommend in order to control my Gestational Diabetes.
Conclusion Regarding Recommendation #1:
The food recommendation IS NO DIFFERENT than what I was eating before. << For clarification purposes, I'm raising my voice here- not quite shouting >>. If anything, my carb intake is higher than it was before. I've always eaten 5 - 6 small meals per day, and they're almost always really well-balanced nutritionally.
Conclusion Regarding Recommendation #2:
The recommended exercise IS NO DIFFERENT than what I was exercising before.
FINAL CONCLUSIONS:
With over a week of recording the numbers the little monitor spits out after I stick a needle into my fingertip, NOT ONCE have my blood sugar levels been higher than the number they're looking for. In fact, the number hasn't once come close. I feel great! The baby moves, wiggles, and dances ALL the time. So the way I see it, there are two possibilities. First, maybe, just maybe, the medical professionals were wrong. Or second, it's a miracle! Maybe there was in fact a time where my body struggled to process the sugars from my food, but as miracles go, that imbalance has been re-balanced.
Either way, I'm grateful. I know it could be so much worse -- there are plenty of women with a lot of complications and challenges during pregnancy. I had one week << between diagnosis and treatment plan >> of fairly poor mental health resulting from all this drama. At this point, I'm feeling great. I'm sleeping well (for the most part), and my excitement levels continue to grow over the notion that our family is growing. Let the nesting continue!
Here's what the peeps at the Diabetes Clinic instructed me regarding diet, post-diagnosis.
Recommendation #1:
INCREASE carb intake to the following schedule:
Breakfast - 30 g's
Mid-morning snack - 30 g's
Lunch - 45 g's
Afternoon snack - 30 g's
Dinner - 45 g's
Evening snack - 30 g's
 |
| They all turn into glucose. |
Recommendation #2:
EXERCISE for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
*Note: If you know me, you know I have a love of exercise. My pre-pregnancy exercise routine consisted of high-impact cardio, lifting heavy weights with the big boys, and long bike rides with the hubs-- typically 5 days a week. During pregnancy, I've shifted to swimming, yoga, walking, low-key weight lifting, and water aerobics, still averaging 5 days a week.
After the appointment at the Diabetes Clinic, I've come to a few conclusions about what they recommend in order to control my Gestational Diabetes.
Conclusion Regarding Recommendation #1:
The food recommendation IS NO DIFFERENT than what I was eating before. << For clarification purposes, I'm raising my voice here- not quite shouting >>. If anything, my carb intake is higher than it was before. I've always eaten 5 - 6 small meals per day, and they're almost always really well-balanced nutritionally.
Conclusion Regarding Recommendation #2:
The recommended exercise IS NO DIFFERENT than what I was exercising before.
FINAL CONCLUSIONS:
With over a week of recording the numbers the little monitor spits out after I stick a needle into my fingertip, NOT ONCE have my blood sugar levels been higher than the number they're looking for. In fact, the number hasn't once come close. I feel great! The baby moves, wiggles, and dances ALL the time. So the way I see it, there are two possibilities. First, maybe, just maybe, the medical professionals were wrong. Or second, it's a miracle! Maybe there was in fact a time where my body struggled to process the sugars from my food, but as miracles go, that imbalance has been re-balanced.
Either way, I'm grateful. I know it could be so much worse -- there are plenty of women with a lot of complications and challenges during pregnancy. I had one week << between diagnosis and treatment plan >> of fairly poor mental health resulting from all this drama. At this point, I'm feeling great. I'm sleeping well (for the most part), and my excitement levels continue to grow over the notion that our family is growing. Let the nesting continue!
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