Ever since the twin pregnancy, gestational diabetes has been the primary villain in my quest to excel in this child-bearing profession.

It takes a lot of discipline to control my desire to eat sweet food especially when the pantry is stocked up with the basic essentials for baking cakes and pastries. Gestational diabetes sucks! 

During the first pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 20 weeks. I was on a strict diet and my blood sugar level target one hour after meal was at 125 mg/dL. I survived with bitter gourd (ampalaya/paliya), corn grits, and eggs – and the assistance of my cousin, Bonbon, who was my constant companion during the second trimester and towards the end of the third trimester of my twin pregnancy.

When the twins were out, my blood sugar level was back to normal. Until… the third trimester of this second pregnancy where I was referred to a dietitian and was advised to cut consumption of food rich in carbohydrates and sugar and eat more high-protein, high-fiber food.

For three weeks of being on a diet, my blood sugar level was controlled. I reached my target level which is below 130 mg/dL one hour after meal time. I was between 94 to 129. However, my fasting blood sugar would go as high as 117 when my target should be between 65 to 95. The OB/GYN then referred me to a perinatologist, who said I will need to take oral medication just to manage my fasting blood sugar level. I take the Glyburide (2.5 mg) before dinner and eat a snack two hours before bedtime. It did wonders! My FBS level fell  between 77 to 88.

By the time you read this, I am on the 39th week of this pregnancy and have reached full term. So if I don’t give birth this week, I will be on my way to the hospital next week.

Managing gestational diabetes is a major struggle but it can be done. Here are eight ways on how I managed gestational diabetes and here’s hoping that you’ll learn a thing or two from them:

 

1) Dispose the sweets

I’m not going to be holy and thou here and say that I didn’t give in to temptation of having a brownie or a cookie every now and then. I even baked chocolate-banana cake and muffins and I had brownie with vanilla ice cream. But…the one thing I learned about managing gestational diabetes is to get rid of those easy-to-grab munchies.

Honey, I’m talking about ice cream, popsicle sticks and Milky Way bars. Now, I didn’t throw the flour, the chocolate mix, and the butter.

Why?

Because they remind me that: if I want to eat sinful treats, I have to go through the hassle of sifting flour, creaming the butter. You know, all the rigors which involve baking. Then my pregnant self tells me baking is too much work so I just settle for a protein bar. I did bake though. I experimented on no-sugar banana cake, very-little-sugar (six tablespoons ) coffee cake, and some low-sugar chocolate-banana muffins. I only had one case when my glucose meter screamed 145 an hour after. So watch what you eat… don’t forget to do carb counting.

 

2) Protein bars rock!

I swear they work as long as you drink a lot of water after you eat a bar. It fills you up and addresses the sweet fix you need. It doesn’t replaced the Milky Way taste though but it will do for now. I eat the variety called “Pure Protein” bar and the last time I checked it comes in three different flavors. 

 

3) Plan your meals

My husband and I take turns in preparing our meals and we do a short discussion on what the other will cook for lunch or dinner. For instance, I’ll say: “For dinner, we will have beef and sauteed bitter gourd with tomatoes and scrambled eggs.”

Or he’ll say: “We’ll have grilled lean chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and couscous for lunch.”

Stock up your fridge with vegetables and eggs because they’re rich in fiber and protein. If you haven’t heard of bitter gourd, go ahead and research about it. It has done wonders on my blood sugar. I buy my supply at Smith’s. If you’re in the Philippines, then you don’t have any problem except to swallow that ampalaya.

 

4) Make eggs your best buddies

They’re high in protein and you can work around different ways on how to cook them: sunny side up, scrambed, poached, omelet, hard-boiled. Name it. It’s my ultimate buddy in this diabetes battle!

 

5) Involve your spouse

I salute you if were and are able to manage GDM without involving your spouse. My husband has Type 2 diabetes but he has neglected it and continued eating high-sugar food. When GDM happened again to me, I told him to come with me to during my consultation with the dietitian because we both are voracious eaters and I need his support on this. I swear I can’t stand the sight of him chowing down two cheeseburgers while I’m peeling my three hardboiled eggs.

 

6) Walk, walk, walk

After-dinner walks became a habit with my husband in this seconfd pregnancy. Sometimes, we walk as an entire family (yep, with the twins in tow). We never did this until GDM hit me. It’s a refreshingly light exercise that allowed me to explore my immediate neighborbood and be pleasantly surprised with little things such as a “Little Free Library” kiosk (writing about this treasure in another post). Walking helps burn those excess sugar but it still allows you, the couple, to remain sweet to each other as you hold hands together while walking as the sun is setting. Now what else can be more romantic than that?

 

7) Befriend your glucose meter

I measure my blood sugar four times a day.

Do I like it?

Well, no and yes.

No, because I don’t want like the fact that I have to poke myself on any of my eight fingers and two thumbs, and then wait as the meter reads that blood on the test strip. Yes, because seeing the target results is like a reward to my sacrifice and hardwork.

Whether you like it or not, the glucose meter will be with you all throughout your GDM journey so better befriend the small guy and its minions named lancets and test strips.

 

8) Indulge in beauty products

Now why is make up part of this list?

Simple. Because they make you feel good. You can feel pretty crappy when you have GDM.

I’m not a make up expert but I do buy them. I also indulge myself in beauty products. I probably have more eyeliners and lipsticks that I can use in the next five years. But I don’t buy the overly expensive stuffs. I buy a combination of organic finds and drugstore items. My top favorites? Human Nature products, cosmetics from the Dollar Store and… I love Burt’s Bees. I also run to Walmart for generic make-up items.

Did you get gestational diabetes too? Or were you diabetic before you got pregnant? Either way, how did you deal with your condition?

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