Well, I must be doing something right. I got my results for my hemoglobin and gestational diabetes tests back yesterday and all looks normal. The statistics are in most women’s favor: only 3-5% of pregnant women in the U.S. are diagnosed with it. My history (being Latina, over 35, and having family members with diabetes) put me in a higher risk category. Thus, my former concerns.
The testing itself is fairly basic, with a syrupy orange drink that reminded me of the over-sugared Kool-Aid we made as kids, an hour’s wait, and two vials of blood. Easy peasy. The hard part comes later with the waiting and wondering if those moments of inhaling a box of fudgsicles here and there for a few weeks would come and nip me in the butt. Everything I read about gestational diabetes points to fairly hefty newborns (“macrosomia”), and being that I’m not a particularly large person to begin with, I can imagine the impact that would have on my desire to birth vaginally & without pain medications. Not to mention the affects it can have on the baby: low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), other chemical imbalances, future childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes.
So what do I attribute the good results to? Sure, I caved a few times to the cravings, but not on a daily basis. Despite thinking at one point how great it would be to have dessert be part of the daily regime, being pregnant is not an excuse to go carte blanche and eat whatever your heart desires (I know, I know, the cravings can be MADDENING!). So, mind over matter has a LOT to do with it. And substituting the cravings with something more appropriate for your body chemistry. For me, it was Stevia, a liquid herb with taste that resembles sugar. I first discovered this life-saving herb when I struggled with Candida, and happened upon a fantastic book by Donna Gates called The Body Ecology Diet. While there are many ways to use this herb in making “sweet” treats, my favorite way as of late is to make a pitcher of sun tea with 2 bags of raspberry leaf and 2 decaf chai, adding the stevia to each glass as i go. So in one fell swoop, I am curbing my sweet tooth, drinking water, and strengthening my uterus. And it’s dang tasty!
Don’t get me wrong. I still want chocolate cake. And I’ll allow myself to eat it from time to time- just as i would before the pregnancy. which leads me to cacao….. stay tuned for another amazing superfood that’ll not only quell sweet tooth cravings, but increase your oxytocin levels, too. (ooh, i have some research to do…not so sure it’s safe for pregnancy…..hmmmmmmmmmmmm. for me, so far, so good, but i’ve only eaten it in small quantities)……..
September 16, 2008 at 9:23 am
I’m glad to hear that you were able to curb your gestational diabetes with a sugar substitute. However, for those of us with GD, diet and “sugar substitutes” alone won’t do the trick no matter how hard we try. They certainly help but they aren’t a cure.