At my twenty week appointment, my midwife brought up the topic of gestational diabetes and let me know that my test would be given at my next appointment at 24 weeks. I have been open with my her about my diet since the beginning of my pregnancy and let her in on my concerns. She did say it was possible that my diet could produce inaccurate results, which backed up the research I had done online of other pregnant women following a Paleo or real food diet and failed the OGTT. I asked if there were any alternatives and, luckily, there were.
She told me that they could call in a prescription for diabetes testing supplies and I could keep a food diary and test my blood sugar after each meal for a two-week period. This didn’t exactly sound like my idea of a good time, but it did sound manageable. The results would be much more accurate and I could learn more about how my body processes certain foods.
I thought it over for a few days, but what finally clenched it was when I learned that my health insurance covers diabetic testing supplies and I would pay almost nothing ($10 to be exact) for the glucose monitor, lancets and test strips. I was in! My midwife called in the prescription and I proceeded to test my blood sugar four times a day for two weeks. I bought a little notebook to record my meals and glucose levels and named it “The Blood Sugar Diaries”. My first finger prick of the day came right after waking up, while my body was still in a state of fasting. I then tested my blood sugar level two hours after the start of each meal. I actually had to get Kevin to prick my finger the first time because I was too scared. Once I realized that it barely hurt at all, I took over for the rest of the two weeks.
At first, it was kind of fun. I liked seeing that my levels were normal and my body seemed to be processing everything as it should. After the first week, when I was fairly well convinced that I did not have gestational diabetes, it got to be a little less fun and became more of a chore. But I kept at it because I knew it was the only way I could avoid that nasty drink.
My next appointment was only a few days after I completed my testing so I prettied up my food diary and blood sugar results into a word document (my midwife was very impressed). She looked it over for a few minutes and said that my numbers looked great and no further testing was required. My fasting blood sugar was usually in the 80’s or 90’s and my average after meals was about 110 mg/dl. If you are super nerdy and into that sort of thing, you can see my full two-week diary at the end of this post. Note: I only recorded my meals, not the many snacks that I eat in between meals.
In the end, I was relieved to learn that both myself and my baby were healthy and I was glad that I didn’t just accept the standard test without further questioning. But, really, if I had failed the OGTT, the diet that would have been prescribed would be eerily similar to the diet that I already follow. That is the funny thing about it. The very diet that could cause my results to be inaccurate is the one that I would be told to follow if I had failed the test. Things that make you go hmmmm….
2/16/13
7:40am Fasting 83 mg/dl
10:50am Breakfast Eggs, sausage, pepper, onion
Smoothie with banana, coffee, cocoa, coconut milk
12:50pm 99 mg/dl
3:15pm Lunch Romaine, apples, dried cherries, carrots, oil and vinegar, pepitas
5:15pm 107 mg/dl
7:05pm Dinner Burger patty, mustard, pickle
9:05pm 89 mg/dl
2/17/13
7:45am Fasting 112 mg/dl
8:30am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado
10:30am 94 mg/dl
1:30pm Lunch Grapes, nuts, raisins, turkey
3:30pm 83 mg/dl
7:00pm Dinner Chicken, spaghetti squash, olives, basil, onion, coconut milk
9:00pm 90 mg/dl
2/18/13
6:45am Fasting 82 mg/dl
7:15am Breakfast Sausage, brussels sprouts, onion, dried cherry, avocado, egg
Smoothie with banana, cocoa, coconut milk
9:15am 113 mg/dl
11:30am Lunch Chicken, spaghetti squash, olives, basil, onion, coconut milk
Dried apricots
1:30pm 115 mg/dl
7:30pm Dinner Tilapia, broccoli, cherries, walnuts, dark chocolate soufflé w/ raspberries
9:30pm 106 mg/dl
2/19/13
8:00am Fasting 93 mg/dl
7:30am Breakfast Sausage, pepper, onion, cabbage, egg
9:30am 86 mg/dl
12:30pm Lunch Sausage, pepper, onion, cabbage, egg, grapes
2:30pm 134 mg/dl
8:00pm Dinner Ground beef, onion, lettuce, apple, coconut
10:00pm 107 mg/dl
2/20/13
7:50am Fasting 92 mg/dl
8:15am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado
10:15am 96 mg/dl
12:15pm Lunch Salad w/ blueberries, avocado, romaine, turkey, oil and vinegar, pepitas
2:15pm 88 mg/dl
6:15pm Dinner Roast beef, salad
8:15pm 82 mg/dl
2/21/13
7:30am Fasting 90 mg/dl
7:30am Breakfast Egg, pepper, bacon, avocado, onion, sweet potato
Smoothie with banana, coconut milk, cocoa, almond butter
9:30am 102 mg/dl
12:15pm Lunch Egg, pepper, bacon, avocado, onion, sweet potato
Apple, dried apricots
2:15pm 110 mg/dl
6:00pm Dinner Roast beef, salad
8:00pm 98 mg/dl
2/22/13
5:30am Fasting 86 mg/dl
7:45 am Breakfast Pepper, onion, egg, avocado, spinach, bacon
10:00am 93 mg/dl
1:00pm Lunch Qdoba salad and soup, dried apricots, dark chocolate
3:00pm 114 mg/dl
8:00pm Dinner Turkey, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, mustard, fruit
10:00pm 103 mg/dl
2/23/13
7:35am Fasting 88 mg/dl
10:30am Breakfast Sweet potato, onion, pork, eggs, salsa, avocado
Smoothie with banana, coconut milk, cocoa, strawberries
12:30am 85 mg/dl
8:30pm Dinner Turkey, bok choy, carrots, grain free muffin, banana
10:30pm 119 mg/dl
2/24/13
7:30am Fasting 82 mg/dl
8:00am Breakfast Sweet potato, onion, pork, eggs, salsa, avocado
Smoothie
10:00am 99 mg/dl
12:45pm Lunch Grain free muffin, turkey burger
2:45pm 119 mg/dl
6:15pm Dinner Salad, pumpkin chili
8:15pm 90 mg/dl
2/25/13
7:15am Fasting 83 mg/dl
7:30am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado
Smoothie with banana, pumpkin, coconut milk
9:30am 103 mg/dl
1:45pm Lunch Pumpkin chili, apple, dried apricots
3:45pm 109 mg/dl
8:00pm Dinner Tilapia, asparagus, grain free brownie, almond butter, blueberries
10:00pm 102 mg/dl
2/26/13
6:00am Fasting 90 mg/dl
7:30am Breakfast Brussels sprouts, onion, eggs, avocado, sausage
Smoothie
9:30am 106 mg/dl
12:45pm Lunch Grain free muffin, turkey burger
2:45pm 119 mg/dl
6:15pm Dinner Salad, pumpkin chili
8:15pm 90 mg/dl
2/27/13
7:15am Fasting 83 mg/dl
7:30am Breakfast Eggs, salsa, onion, cabbage, bacon, avocado
Smoothie with banana, pumpkin, coconut milk
9:30am 103 mg/dl
1:45pm Lunch Pumpkin chili, apple, dried apricots
3:45pm 109 mg/dl
8:00pm Dinner Tilapia, asparagus, grain free brownie, almond butter, blueberries
10:00pm 102 mg/dl
