All too often, people say that pregnancy should be a beautiful time in a woman’s life. While this is true for some (do not get me wrong, I was ecstatic knowing my baby boy would be making his debut in due time), for many others like me, it was anything but a walk in the park, especially during my second pregnancy. 

I did not experience any complications other than the normal achiness, fatigue, and nausea until my water broke at 35 weeks. Lucky for my daughter and me, there are fewer risks associated with preterm labor when delivering at 35 weeks, but we were still worried. We remained optimistic and it worked out. However, with my second pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 28 weeks.

Gestational diabetes is a complication that occurs when hormones from the placenta block insulin and prevent the body from regulating the increased blood sugars during pregnancy. “About 7-10 women get diagnosed with gestational diabetes”, according to the March of Dimes.

Upon being diagnosed with GDM, I was devastated. It was hard not to blame myself and feel guilty over something I thought I could control. Despite making healthier choices, my blood sugar levels were too high. I was prescribed insulin medications to control my blood sugar. I had to monitor my blood sugar levels in the morning after fasting overnight (within the first few minutes of waking up) and then again a few more times after every meal. I suggest journaling everything from the dose of insulin administered to you’re your levels after each test. At the end of the week, I would meet with my perinatologist (high-risk doctor specializing in maternal-fetal medicine) to review my results and stay on track. 

As some of you may know, before learning how to give myself the insulin injections, I was admitted to the hospital at 30 weeks and put on bed rest for the risk of preterm labor (link to my story here). While at the hospital, I learned how to administer the insulin injections to myself since I was no longer at risk for delivering my baby before 34 weeks. I also met with a board-certified food and nutrition expert to help me figure out a plan once I transitioned from bed rest in the hospital to bed rest at home.

Here is my schedule and what worked for me: 

I was nervous about transitioning from the hospital to my being at home on bed rest. At the hospital I had around the clock monitoring of my blood sugar, insulin injections, blood sugar levels, and I would order my meals from a modified menu. I am not a professional or a doctor, but I experienced GDM. Here’s what worked for me.

Spreading Out Meals & Sticking to a Daily Schedule

Every day at or around the same time I would eat my meals. Eating at the same time every day helped keep my blood sugar numbers in range. The nurses who took care of me advised me to eat around the exact times daily to avoid a spike in my blood sugar levels. Here’s what I ate and my daily schedule.

6:30 am	Monitor blood sugar after fasting overnight
8:00 am	Insulin & Breakfast	Breakfast – -1 slice whole-wheat toast 1 15g starch  -1 scrambled egg with or w/o cheese, 2 turkey sausage or beef links (protein)  -small tea or coffee (optional)  You can opt for a sugar-free juice or skim milk.
10:00 am	Track blood sugar (2hrs. after breakfast)
11:15 Snack	Snack	-1 cup of mixed fruit or Small apple Or tbs of nut butter with 6 saltine crackers
12:45-1:15pm	Insulin /Lunch	12:50 pm – lunch; a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat or turkey burger on whole wheat with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions (pickles on the side). Most of the time I would have a side of salad or mixed fruit
2:45 pm	Track blood sugar (2hrs after lunch).
4:00pm	Snack (optional) I would skip this and have a snack after my nightly insulin of NPH	-1 slice of whole-wheat bread Or 2oz. cheese Or Grapes or mixed fruit
6:00pm- 6:45pm	Insulin/Dinner	Turkey Breast with a side of mashed potatoes and veggies. Salad, or mixed fruit, or a sugar-free juice.
8:30 pm	Track blood sugar (2hrs. after dinner)
9:45 pm	Last dose of insulin for the day (NPH)
10:00-10:15pm	Nighttime Snack (optional/ I swapped for the 4 pm snack)	I would have 1 piece of fruit or cereal like cheerios or rice crispy with 1 cup of skim milk.

What carbs can I eat, is everything off-limits? (Complex Carbs)

So, cutting out all carbs during pregnancy is not recommended, but I did reduce them significantly. You do not have to eat what I ate; there are so many other options; you can swap out the meals with your preference; as long as you stay within the 30g -35g range for each meal and snack, you will get through this! Some of these whole grains are packed with fiber alongside some fruits and veggies. Some friendly GDM carbs that you can combine with proteins or fruits and veggies that you can have on the side are:

• Brown Rice
• Quinoa
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Veggies; Kale, Spinach, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms
• Fruits; apples, plums, grapes, oranges

Lean Meats & Proteins

As you can tell, my options were a bit limited at the hospital, but once I transitioned to bed rest at home, I could change up my proteins. Below is a list of proteins you can incorporate into your GDM diet (pretty much your average protein options):

• -Full fat cheese, yogurt
• -Lean beef, chicken, turkey

Healthy Fats

Another thing I learned when I was diagnosed with GDM was that the consumption of proteins and fats helps slow down the absorption of carbs into your blood. Not only do they help manage gestational diabetes, but they improve heart health. Some healthy fats that I opted for are:

• Avocados
• Nut-butters with no added sugar
• Salmon
• Dark chocolate (there are sugar-free options out there like ChocZero)
• Eggs

Again, these are just a few tips that really came in handy and helped keep my blood sugar at a normal range. If you think or know you’re at risk for developing gestational diabetes, check with your obstetrician. It could be life-saving, getting diagnosed early, and keeping mama and baby safe.