Three lessons I learned from being diagnosed with gestational diabetes (GD)
Let’s be honest, no one wants to hear they have GD.
Managing it can be stressful, and a lot of additional effort at a time you may already feel stretched to your max.
The good news is it’s a totally manageable and temporary condition. You can still have a healthy pregnancy and baby by working with your health care team, but there’s definitely a learning curve.
At least there was for me! A silver lining is that many of the lessons I learned will help me be a healthier version of myself after pregnancy comes to an end and I’m home recovering, in my Moon Mama undies, with my beautiful, healthy baby. I’ll tell you about 3 of them.
When I was first diagnosed with GD, I didn’t expect it to affect my diet all that much.
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I’m more of a pizza and chips kind of girl. Watch my sugar? Sure, no problem! I’ll just skip that piece of cake after dinner. No big deal. Right? Well, not exactly.
After meeting with the GD nutritionist I learned my first lesson: everything has sugar in it! Okay, not everything, but pretty close.
My usual laissez-faire approach to nutrition of everything in moderation wasn’t going to cut it. I had to learn not only about the nutritional content of everything I eat but also the importance of portion control and food combinations.
It was less just skip that piece of cake and more also cut that serving of pasta, rice, or potatoes way down because they’re all full of sugar. But don’t cut starches out altogether; that can actually be worse.
Make sure you only use healthy substitutes like whole grains and sweet potatoes and always cook your starch al dente. Never eat a starch alone, make sure you combine it with lots of protein and fiber, but watch your sauces and condiments, they can be packed with sugar.
Oh, and don’t forget to eat lots of veggies, fruits, and dairy but be careful because some of them are full of sugar too! Needless to say, I’ve said goodbye to my pizza and chips, at least for now.
Of course, none of this is rocket science and it’s good nutritional advice in general, which is why I’ll use it long after pregnancy.
But after meeting with the GD nurse and nutritionist all I was thinking was that all of you expectant moms managing GD on top of everything else, you are superheroes, especially all of you with that sweet tooth!
My OB-GYN was one such mom. She made me laugh with a story of her husband plopping down on the couch next to her on a sticky summer day. She was hot and over it at 8 months pregnant, and trying to stick to an incredibly strict GD diet. And what was he eating? A giant bowl of ice cream, one of the many things she had given up and her favourite! I think he only ever did that once.
Her story brings me to my second lesson: managing GD, like health more generally, is often about consistent effort and daily habits, not perfection.
My OB-GYN told me she took that delicious bowl of ice cream from her husband, ate the whole thing, and then didn’t beat herself up over it. And she told me to do the same.
You’re at a friend’s birthday party and you really want that slice of cake? Have it! And have it guilt free because you know it’s an exception, not an everyday occurrence, and you’re doing your best.
Just be sure to be honest with your health care provider. A one-time increase in your blood sugar levels because of a slice of cake is probably no big deal. But an unexplained spike may have your doctor recommending adjusting your medication.
And that’s my third lesson: your healthcare providers are there to help you and your baby stay healthy, and they can't do that unless you’re totally upfront with them. I know it’s so obvious it sounds ridiculous but we’ve all been there, pre-pregnancy.
Your doctor is asking about your habits and you paint a slightly rosier picture with a few half-truths. How often am I ordering takeout? Oh almost never, I cook every night, as you cross your fingers behind your back. Or is that just me?
Well now it’s not only me. It’s me and baby and so I make sure I’m transparent with my healthcare team because, like all the other amazing moms out there, I’d do anything to keep my baby healthy. So why wouldn’t I do the same for myself in the future?
And this definitely includes any mental health struggles as I move into the postpartum phase of motherhood.
These lessons don’t exactly make me feel any better when I hear my husband crunching away on that bag of chips he thinks he’s sneaking in the kitchen. But they are things I hope to carry with me to make sure I’m healthy for myself and my family.
shared by guest author Colleen Eidt
