Blood Glucose Levels while pregnant ~ Questions

[Latchkey Princess]

Kind of a long post, so feel free to skip to the end to see my questions. :-)

So I passed my 1 hour glucose test at 28 weeks with an awesome glucose reading of 95. I test my sugars occasionally during pregnancy and am always right around 90-95.
Went to the midwife yesterday (32 week appointment) and found out I had gained 5lbs in the last two weeks (wth?) and was measuring about 35 weeks. The midwife said she thought I was measuring so far ahead because baby is breech and sitting really high (tho I had an u/s on Sat. and he was head down). Normally I wouldn't have thought anything of the measuring large, but when I added it to the gaining 5lbs in two weeks without changing my diet at all I got suspicious. My husband is a type 1 diabetic and so has a glucose meter, I went ahead and tested my sugar levels about 1.5-2 hours after eating lunch and lo and behold they were 127. I continued testing them throughout the rest of the day and never got below 100 (and more than an hour after eating a bowl of ice cream I was over 150). Figured that yesterday must have been a fluke so I woke up this morning and took my fasting sugar levels. 108. I've never run over 100 in my life, in fact I'm normally on the hypoglycemic side if anything, running as low as 65 on a normal day.
I've started keeping a log of my glucose readings and what I eat, but I don't know if I should call my midwife or wait a couple of days to see if anything develops from this or if my sugars stay high.

Here's my set of questions... So to anyone out there with gestational diabetes (or knowledgeable about the condition), is a fasting glucose level of 108 bad or normal? Does gd cause weight gain in mom (I know it can cause excess fat gain in baby)? Is it possible or normal to develop gd even if you've already passed your 1 hour glucose test? Are there other symptoms of gd that I should check for? Am I testing at the correct time intervals for accurate readings? Are these sugar levels serious enough to contact my midwife about (tho I probably will anyway, just want other opinions)? Thanks!

To anyone who is exceptionally interested in my post, here are my sugar readings from yesterday and today...
1:15pm lunch
3pm 127
4pm 113
7:15pm 107
7:30pm dinner
8:30pm 128
9:15pm bowl of ice cream (normal sized, not gigantic or anything)
10:20pm 157
Today
7:50am 108
8:30am breakfast
9:30am 175

[Goddess Jessica]

I'm not going to be able to help with what is normal glucose levels. However, I've had a lot of anxiety about GD and I get tested on Friday. One of my friends had GD with all of her pregnancies and her biggest piece of advice was to go for a walk immediately after each meal. It doesn't have to be long -- just a quick walk to use the carbs in your blood steam. She kept her glucose level normal with just diet and exercise (she was lucky).

[theCandEs]

Hello, there!

I had gestational diabetes with my youngest son.

First question, is a fasting glucose level of 108 bad or normal? No, it's not normal. It should be 95 or below for pregnant women. It could be your ice cream the night before. I would try an evening walk (slow pace, if needed), and no more sugar before bed, if possible.

Second question, Does gd cause weight gain in mom? Hm. Yes, I would say so. I had weeks where I gained 5 pounds in a week. Definitely not ideal. I stopped gaining so much when they put me on a reduced carb diet.

Is it possible or normal to develop gd even if you've already passed your 1 hour glucose test? Um, yes, probably. Because of hormonal activity, you get more carb resistant as your pregnancy goes on. I would say you are on the border, and it can be controlled with diet.

Are there other symptoms of gd that I should check for? Um. Well, are you really, really hungry? Do you get headaches or feel really tired after eating carby foods (like the ice cream)? Do you have to get up to pee in the middle of the night? Are you really thirsty? I didn't have all of these symptoms. I just felt like I was starving all of the time, and I always wanted sugary, carby things.

Are these sugar levels serious enough to contact my midwife? Yes, I think they are high enough to consult your midwife. The rule is, however, that it should be less than 120 two hours after eating. If you check at one hour, you would want it to be less than 140. Your readings of 108 fasting, 157 after eating, and 175 after eating are high. I think you can easily get back into range just by adjusting your diet. For now, I would try 30 - 40g of carbs at meals, 15 - 20g for snacks. Try to get most of those carbs from fruit and vegetables, if you can. Test at 2 hours after meals and see how it is. Your midwife can send you to a nutritionist if necessary.

Hope this helps!

[jendiet]

ok, i have been dx with GD, and the dr. wants the fasting below 105, and the 2hr below 135. During my 3 hr. I failed my fasting with b/s of 100, it was supposed to be below 95 and my 2hr was supposed to be below 155 and it was 157.

so far your sugars sound great though! you had one high fasting..could be the icecream like pp said. oh yeah, the 1hr was supposed to be below 180. I am not sure what it is supposed to be when you are dx though i got to ask my dr.

[theCandEs]

Hm. They must have changed things since I had GD.

[Goddess Jessica]

My OBGYN told me that my glucose (after the one-hour NON fasting) should be under 130.

Luckily mine was 88. Whew!