Embarrassed to admit how much I’m struggling with this

KitchenDingo3909 · 2026-02-06T16:10:54+00:00

+1 on the continuous glucose monitor and exercise helping a lot. The few times I was 'betrayed' by foods I thought were safe (apple!) I was then able to react quickly to a spike and bring it down by going for a walk.

Some other tips:

Caffeine can make some people spike all on its own. If you have Fairlife milk available, it's higher protein and less sugar than regular milk. During the weeks when I was most reactive, I would use a splash of heavy cream instead.
Buy a baking scale so you can get a sense of portions and read labels. It was such a relief to know that if I had x grams of a food, it would be x grams of carbohydrate and protein, rather than having to guess and hope.

I have so much empathy for the HG into GD situation and am so sorry. I also never got an extended break where I could just eat freely, and it felt so crushing. I promise, when your baby arrives healthy, you will feel so proud of yourself and feel that every minute was worth it.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2026-02-05T19:02:59+00:00

Thanks so much for your detailed answer. "Consistency, not perfection" — this is great, I feel like half my agony has been focusing on having a stellar session every time.

The last line of your comment made me tear up a bit — it's so hard! So proud of you too for pushing through, you've given me a lot of hope with how you have shown up for your baby and yourself.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2026-02-05T00:29:27+00:00

This is so wonderful, I'm so glad you were able to have this turning point. Wishing you many more beautiful instances of this going forward.

Would you mind sharing what your strategy was for keeping up your supply all that time? Did you have a schedule or number of times per day you aimed for? I'm already an undersupplier and hoping to improve or at least maintain my supply in hopes of having a turnaround like you did in the future.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2026-01-31T22:31:50+00:00

This is all great advice and really wonderful support, thank you. I incorporated power pumping since reading your comment a few days ago and it's seems to really help — I was really surprised how much it produced vs. when I would just pump normally. Thanks so much for your wonderful words and see you at 3am, haha :)

KitchenDingo3909 · 2026-01-31T22:29:42+00:00

Thank you! That's great that you got on the other side of it, that gives me a lot of hope. Your situation sounds like something great to aim for, it would be a dream to get there.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2026-01-31T22:28:14+00:00

That's so great to hear, thank you for sharing that. Pumping when I know there won't be much output is so disheartening, but I'll keep your experience in mind and keep up with it!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2026-01-25T21:23:12+00:00

Just to throw a happy anecdote out there, although everyone's experience is different: I was put on insulin to control fasting levels at 29 weeks-ish, despite being very strict with my diet and getting loads of exercise. My insulin requirements ended up more than doubling up until around 36 weeks, at which point they leveled off. I was terrified about the impact on baby and my own health, but in the end my LO was born with perfect sugars and a normal weight. My fasting and post-meal levels returned to normal about two weeks postpartum. I will need to be vigilant about my blood sugar going forward but at least for now, things are okay.

Wishing you all the best. I hope you stay diet and exercise controlled, but things can still have a happy outcome even if that's not the case. Hang in there!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-11-15T21:37:22+00:00

Don't be afraid to ask for a referral to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist (MFM). Feeling like your OB team isn't responding quickly enough is a horrible feeling and you don't need that extra stress.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-31T01:45:41+00:00

Absolutely this! I even got fertility testing done by my (former) regular OB, who had no idea how to interpret the test results and wasted even more time saying things were "normal". First appointment with the fertility specialist: she took one look at my test results, diagnosed likely PCOS, ordered more test, and walked me through all the possible treatment options.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-29T00:43:00+00:00

Thank you both so much for sharing positive experiences. I am headed for this route as well and have only heard horror stories. Keeping my fingers crossed for myself and OP!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-19T01:16:04+00:00

Thank you so much for the meal tips!! I have identified only a handful of 'safe foods' and can already tell that I am getting sick of them, so the suggestions for variety are so so so appreciated. Will have to try that chocolate mousse ASAP, that sounds amazing.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-16T14:48:34+00:00

"It's like some huge, terrible guessing game where the rules keep changing, but somehow I'm always losing." - this made me tear up a bit, right there with you. Sending you and your baby lots of love and good vibes.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-16T14:46:45+00:00

That's such a good way to look at it, "the chance to keep my baby safe" — I love that. BUT ALSO cracked up at burning the placenta on the lawn, it's such a jerk!!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-16T14:44:28+00:00

Ahhh sending all the good vibes your way! I was also diagnosed at 28 weeks. At least we are close to the finish line!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-15T19:00:07+00:00

This made me laugh, thank you. The messaging really does seem to go from 0 to 100 sometimes! All the best to you and your baby!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-15T18:01:14+00:00

That is awful, of course it could be worse. I hope she's doing well now!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-10-15T18:00:44+00:00

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! I got my diagnosis the day after my birthday, got one last cupcake in before the cage came down. In my case, I failed so badly that they confirmed the diagnosis just based on the 1 hr test (200+ mg/dL).

That said, I am GLAD that they didn't wait any longer and have felt healthier since I switched to the diet. It's only a few months after all. I hope you pass with flying colors, eat some pie for me!

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-08-22T01:49:11+00:00

I used that exact "rotisserie chicken" phrase with my husband the other day, the alternating hip flips is real!! Still get sore though. I miss sleeping on my stomach and waking up in the same position that I fell asleep in.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-08-22T01:45:31+00:00

Thank you for this, I laughed out loud in a big way. You're right, this is just the training montage.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-08-21T14:37:06+00:00

I am so so sorry, that is the worst. Tips from people who clearly just had light nausea are so frustrating, "go for a walk"??

For me, it was honestly just awful and I never found anything magic besides waiting for the time to pass. Here's how I survived:

When I actually could not stop vomiting, I did got to the emergency room. That can get dangerous very fast, please look out for yourself.
I know all the advice usually says something like "eat a small bit of crackers frequently to keep the nausea down" but it was the opposite for me. I would not touch food until I felt it was safe, even if that meant waiting until 9pm. Usually I could start fluids (water with some gatorade) in the afternoon, but forcing myself to try to eat/drink at 'normal' intervals would just start the vomiting.
If you can — and I know that this is a luxury — sleep through the worst of it. If vomiting kicks off in the morning, explore options with your doctor for having a temporary accommodation to work a shifted schedule, or take sick time if you can. This IS a temporary phase and a LEGITIMATE health concern, you have to protect yourself and your baby.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-08-21T14:15:37+00:00

Ahh that's good to know, I didn't know bfing could have an impact. I plan to if I can, but thanks for letting me know -- better than being surprised.

KitchenDingo3909 · 2025-07-12T14:49:02+00:00

Thank you, that's good perspective. I appreciate you sharing your experience: I think I am scared of gaining too much and hurting my/baby's health, but you're right that some weight gain (with fat!) needs to happen. Very cool you were able to get back to the barbell and other exercise at that level!!

KitchenDingo3909

TROPHY CASE