Melanie Casey
03.03.2008
Gestational diabetes affects 3-5% of pregnant women. Diagnosis can be daunting, below is Melanie's story on being diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
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Pregnancy has its share of ups and downs for most women. Even if you are lucky enough to miss out on morning sickness chances are there will still be some challenges along the way. For me it was being diagnosed with gestational diabetes at the regular 28 week blood glucose test. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t that surprising. The only thing I share with Kate Moss is two X chromosomes. Any similarity ends there. Aged thirty five with type 2 diabetes running in the family, the chances were pretty high. Nevertheless I felt really cheated when I was given the news.
I hadn’t been a glutton throughout my pregnancy. The long list of foods that are risky for the developing bub had been strictly avoided - a fond farewell to ham, salami, shellfish, sushi and gooey brie. Alcohol was a distant memory. I had been almost virtuous (if you ignore the chocolate and hot chip cravings). For the first time in many years I had given myself an exemption from standing on the scales every week and agonising over my weight. For once in my life I wasn’t going to worry about every kilo. I was just going to enjoy my pregnancy and eat well. So the news that I had gestational diabetes and had to book into the diabetes clinic at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital had me raging against fate for a few days. But I went along, grumbling all the way.
Sitting in the classroom with the other women there was a lot of surreptitious weighing and measuring going on. We were all looking at each other, guessing how big the other person was. I was feeling a bit smug for the first ten minutes looking at the others and thinking to myself ‘I’m not anywhere near as big as them.’ I’m not sure why that made me feel better; after all we were all there for the same reason. Perhaps it made me feel less responsible. Some of the blame could be shifted away from my weight and onto genetics and age.
That feeling passed though and the seriousness of it all set it. The risk factors were outlined to us. If we didn’t pull our heads in and eat properly for the rest of our pregnancies we could have very large babies, putting both us and them at risk during the labour process. It didn’t end there. Once they were born our babies could need special care to stabilise their blood glucose levels. They could also be at a much greater risk of having type 2 diabetes in later life. Suddenly the reason for my diabetes wasn’t important anymore.
So we learned what to eat and how to measure our blood glucose. Four times a day I had to do a finger prick test and check how it was all going. My blood glucose had to stay between 4 and 7 mmol/L. In the weeks to that followed, I turned into a fanatic. I monitored my carb intake and took my blood with military precision. Unfortunately my glucose levels were still too high. Another trip back to the specialist to be told I had to take tablets. More worry about side effects for my baby but it was either that or insulin injections. I opted for the tablets.
The last few weeks of my pregnancy were a food battle of epic proportions. I struggled through the Christmas festivities and managed to keep my blood sugars glucose within the acceptable range. At my final ultrasound I was told my baby would be about 9 pounds. She was actually 9 pounds 15 (4.5 kilos) and arrived via emergency C section after 12 hours of labour in early January. One of the risks they didn’t tell me about was the chance of a bleed. Large babies can have large placentas which increases the risk of maternal bleeding. I lost two litres of blood, had two blood transfusions and spent 24 hours in the high dependency unit. My baby spent the first three days of her life in the Special Care Unit at the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The staff that looked after both of us were truly wonderful and I owe them more that I can ever say.
What still frightens me is how serious the situation was even with careful management of my diabetes. Diabetes is a word we hear often in the media these days, with statistics thrown around in increasing rates. It is easy for people to become desensitised and forget that it is a serious disease, not just a lifestyle issue. My message to other women who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or who are in the risk group - take your health professionals very seriously. Accept their advice and do everything you can to minimise the risks. It isn’t a trivial issue.