Pregnancy Life with Gestational Diabetes.

It has been over a week since I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and life has become slightly more complicated. 

Don't get me wrong. 

Gestational Diabetes is not the worst thing that could happen in pregnancy. 

It's the most common pregnancy complication

and relatively harmless to the baby. 

It can cause the babe to have a lot more sugar in his blood, think baby in a constant candy shop, therefore once daddy cuts the cord when he is born his constant candy shop life comes to an end causing him to then have low blood sugar and may need to be supplemented with formula or insulin :(

However, this can be prevented with a healthy diet and checking blood sugars. 

So I now have my fancy blood sugar checker thing, and awesomely fun needs to stab my fingers.

I now have the amount of carbs I am allowed to eat per meal, and some healthy choices to eat. 

So no more this :(

To give you a little example of how difficult it can be:

I wake up run to the bathroom & check for ketones in my urine (sorry tmi)

Ketones are apparently when you aren't eating enough so fat is spilling into your urine. 

Then I check my fasting blood sugar, since I had not eaten in 8 hours. 

This should be between 70 - 99.

Breakfast:

I am allowed 30 grams of carbs. 

 On average 1 cup of cereal has about 40-45 grams of carbs

& 1 cup of milk as 13 grams of carbs. 

So this leaves my 1 major craving out of the picture :(

Bread tends to have 20 grams for 1 slice!

So no bagels, toast or things like that. 

What I have been eating:

2 eggs, egg white omelet

(Protein has 0 carbs)

1/8 cup cheddar cheese

1/8 cup red bell peppers

Then i found some low carb cereal

1/2 cup special k protein cereal 

1/2 cup of milk. 

I could switch it up and do 1/2 slice of toast

& 2 tbs of peanut butter. 

Some people can not do cereal and milk at all in the morning because the body is sometimes slower at processing sugar in the morning than the rest of the day, but I can. 

Two hours later, I check my blood sugar again. 

These numbers need to be less than 120

Then I have a

 Snack. 

This is around 15 carbs, so I can have

1/2 cup of blue berries or 10 grapes

10- 15 almonds

and a cheese stick.

Lunches:

I can have 45 grams of carbs for lunch so I usually do

1 cup of mixed green salad

1/3 cup grilled chicken

1/4 cup broccoli

1/4 cup cucumber

1/4 cup shredded cheese

Red wine vinegar has no carbs

or about 3-4 tbs of balsamic vinegar

1 apple (sliced)

2 tbs peanut butter. 

Usually I just have water. 

Today I really wanted a class of milk, so I did half of an apple. 

Two hours later, I check my blood sugar again, hoping for less than 120.

Then I have another 

Snack. 

Usually this is about 15- 20 grapes and a cheese stick.

Dinners:

I again can have 45 carbs for dinner. 

 So I have been doing

3- 4 oz of protein, so steak, chicken, or pork

1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes or pasta ( I have been doing dreamfields pasta, which has a weird lower carb count)

I use pesto sauce if I do pasta

1 cup of veggies, broccoli or carrots are best. 

1 cup of milk

(Whole milk is best because the fat help block the carbs)

I test my blood sugars again two hours later, again hoping for less than 120. 

Snack. 

This snack is a bit more since its my last thing for the night so I am allowed 30 grams of carbs. 

This means

1 slice of toast

2tbs of peanut butter 

1 tsp reduced sugar jam

OR

1 cup of frozen yogurt

Or 

1 banana 

1.5 tbs of peanut butter. 

Then I repeat and do it all over. 

I keep track of all my meals, and how many carbs they are in a small little notebook along with all my blood sugars. 
It takes longer to shop in the store because I keep having to look at carbs on the back of the package. 

As you can see, its quite time consuming having to look up carb counts, and make sure I am not going over what I allowed to. 

Not to mention pricking my finger is not my favorite thing in the world!

So for those of you lucky pregnancy ladies who were blessed to pass the glucose test,  I am jealous.

Not to mention that since my blood pressure have been high I have to watch my sodium intake as well!! 

But I am quite thankful everything I am doing, I am doing for my sweet little boy!!