Hi all,
I'm 33 weeks pregnant and was diagnosed 4 weeks ago with Gestational Diabetes. I've made quite a lot of adjustments to what I eat, and it's still not easy, but I'm getting there. My blood sugar went down a little through dietary changes, but my Consultant also decided to prescribe me Metformin, and I'm taking 500mg twice per day - I'll be going back to the hospital to see what they have to say after taking this for 2 weeks, but again, my blood sugars have gone down a little and are closer to what they're looking for.
Anyway, I'm finishing up at work soon, and have just got wind of my colleagues organising me a 'baby shower' - beats me what it is, but it seems to be some kind of party where I get baby gifts and there's food on offer as a means of wishing me well. I'm not really good at being the centre of attention anyway, but I now have the implications of the GD to contend with too. They were planning to order a buffet from a local cafe in order to cater for everyone attending, including me. However, all I can think of is that this (from past experience) is most likely to consist of cakes, biscuits, wraps, sandwiches, rolls - i.e. all of the things I either shouldn't be having, or should only be having in moderation. I'm also vegetarian, so even if they included things like ham, fish and chicken, I wouldn't eat that either.
I'm now worried about looking ungrateful by turning up to this do they're organising and not being able to eat anything. Or turning up, eating stuff just to be polite and having my blood sugars go through the roof, which , again, I'd rather avoid. One of the organisers looked exasperated when I tried to explain that it wasn't just sugar I had to avoid, but too much carbs, and in particular ones from the wrong sources. She asked "so what CAN you eat"? And I didn't know what to say, or suggest, because buffet food is much different from a lunch or dinner that you make for yourself. All I could think to say was simple salad items (i.e. lettuce, cucumber, tomato, with limited pasta salad and cous cous, etc etc), multigrain crackers and cheese, but again, that's not very appetising or accommodating for everyone else! I'm really stuck here, and feel like I'm being really awkward, but I know I have to put myself and my baby first. I don't know enough yet to be able to rhyme off a list of finger food that I'd be able to eat, and if truth be told, I'm actually hoping now that I have to go off work early so that I don't need to attend and find myself in this position, as I have enough stress already!
If anyone has any suggestions about things I can safely eat so that I don't have to bring my own lunch to a buffet that's supposed to be for me, I'd be really grateful for your help.
I'm 33 weeks pregnant and was diagnosed 4 weeks ago with Gestational Diabetes. I've made quite a lot of adjustments to what I eat, and it's still not easy, but I'm getting there. My blood sugar went down a little through dietary changes, but my Consultant also decided to prescribe me Metformin, and I'm taking 500mg twice per day - I'll be going back to the hospital to see what they have to say after taking this for 2 weeks, but again, my blood sugars have gone down a little and are closer to what they're looking for.
Anyway, I'm finishing up at work soon, and have just got wind of my colleagues organising me a 'baby shower' - beats me what it is, but it seems to be some kind of party where I get baby gifts and there's food on offer as a means of wishing me well. I'm not really good at being the centre of attention anyway, but I now have the implications of the GD to contend with too. They were planning to order a buffet from a local cafe in order to cater for everyone attending, including me. However, all I can think of is that this (from past experience) is most likely to consist of cakes, biscuits, wraps, sandwiches, rolls - i.e. all of the things I either shouldn't be having, or should only be having in moderation. I'm also vegetarian, so even if they included things like ham, fish and chicken, I wouldn't eat that either.
I'm now worried about looking ungrateful by turning up to this do they're organising and not being able to eat anything. Or turning up, eating stuff just to be polite and having my blood sugars go through the roof, which , again, I'd rather avoid. One of the organisers looked exasperated when I tried to explain that it wasn't just sugar I had to avoid, but too much carbs, and in particular ones from the wrong sources. She asked "so what CAN you eat"? And I didn't know what to say, or suggest, because buffet food is much different from a lunch or dinner that you make for yourself. All I could think to say was simple salad items (i.e. lettuce, cucumber, tomato, with limited pasta salad and cous cous, etc etc), multigrain crackers and cheese, but again, that's not very appetising or accommodating for everyone else! I'm really stuck here, and feel like I'm being really awkward, but I know I have to put myself and my baby first. I don't know enough yet to be able to rhyme off a list of finger food that I'd be able to eat, and if truth be told, I'm actually hoping now that I have to go off work early so that I don't need to attend and find myself in this position, as I have enough stress already!
If anyone has any suggestions about things I can safely eat so that I don't have to bring my own lunch to a buffet that's supposed to be for me, I'd be really grateful for your help.
Since I posted this thread, I'm now 35 weeks pregnant, and the Consultant increased my metformin to 1000mg in the morning and the evening. At first I felt like a failure, or that I wasn't doing well enough in cutting back. As this thread shows, I'm also still trying to puzzle out what I can and can't safely have. I don't feel that I have the luxury of trying out certain carby foods to see if they cause my blood sugar to spike or not, because it could harm my baby, and if I can't show an element of blood sugar control by my next appointment (on Monday 16th Feb), the next step is going on insulin, which I'd prefer to avoid if I can - although I know I might not have a choice, if my body just can't deal with this.
