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Gestational Diabetes

Newly diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 26 weeks — advice & experiences?

Just found out today that I have gestational diabetes at 26 weeks and honestly, I felt very upset and cried a lot at first.

I know I have some risk factors — my dad has type 2 diabetes, there’s quite a strong history of diabetes in my family, and I have a higher BMI. I know these can increase the risk, so I’m trying not to blame myself, but it’s still been a shock.

My 2-hour glucose result was 8.9 mmol/L, and I was told the cut-off was 7.9, so I’ve now been diagnosed.

My blood pressure was fine and they checked baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler, which was 140 bpm, so thankfully that was reassuring.

I’m mainly worried about baby. I know gestational diabetes can increase the chance of baby being bigger and can cause things like low blood sugar after birth. I’ve also read that children of mums who had gestational diabetes can have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes later in life, which has made me worry even more.

Has anyone had gestational diabetes and had a bigger baby? How was your baby during pregnancy and after birth? Did your baby have low blood sugar after birth or need any extra monitoring?

Has anyone’s baby ever actually gone on to develop diabetes, or do you have children who are completely healthy after having GDM? I’d really love to hear your experiences because I’m feeling quite anxious about baby at the moment.

I’m also a pescatarian and quite a picky eater, and pregnancy has given me a huge craving for sugary foods, so I’m finding the transition quite difficult.

I’d really appreciate any advice on managing cravings, easy meal/snack ideas and how you adjusted to gestational diabetes without feeling completely deprived.

Would especially love to hear from anyone diagnosed around 26 weeks and how things went for you and your baby.