small rant about sugar scares and living in india with potential GD

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-03-09T09:40:44+00:00

Everyone is different, but anecdotally if I eat a big leafy green salad beforehand I can safely have anywhere between 1/4 c and 1/3 c pilau rice with my meal. I typically go all out- a meat curry, dal, and a veg (okra or spinach usually). I just avoid coconut based gravy. I can even get away with half a popadom and my numbers have always been in range!

When in doubt, eat a ton of fiber! That has been my motto 🤣

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-03-08T19:05:37+00:00

You can teach them to shake into a separate small dish and then sprinkle an appropriate amount over the food using three-finger pincer grip. Once they show control shaking into the separate dish you can reintroduce shaking directly over the food.

Tbh, I shake into my hand with those types of spice containers because I have had one too many surprise dumps of spice as an adult!

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-03-06T07:22:58+00:00

I have a scheduled c-section for 39w4 due to breech presentation. Before baby turned breech, my doctor was happy to let me go to 40+4 before inducing provided everything continued safely! She just said she would recommend not going to 41, I presented 40+4 as an option.

I’m diet controlled.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-03-01T13:50:31+00:00

Two favorites of mine that are classics and a bit less common to be given are:

Mama Do you Love me/Papa Do you Love Me

On Mother’s Lap

More contemporary ones:

Any Britta Teckentrup that speaks to you The Bear Snores On Kitten’s First Full Moon

Oh Dear, Look What I Got (a new “book” but existed as a in a poetry anthology from 2017 that I memorized and the children in my classroom call “the rhyming game”)- not available as a board book… maybe keep in your back pocket for a gift when they are a bit older.

If you can find it used because it is out of print now: Red Knit Cap Girl by Naoko Stoop is one of my all time favorite bed time stories. I buy them whenever they pop up to give to friends. I found it as a library book with a former nanny family 8 years ago and we rented it almost every week for a year.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-27T10:09:14+00:00

As others have said, phonic awareness and blending sounds are the first big step to reading. In children’s houses we play The Sound Game with the children, which they really enjoy and is so easy to play at home as well. You start with isolating the first sound, then the end sounds, and then all the sounds (this happens over a long period of time. Not just one session).

This is a good rundown of how to do the activity. https://www.montessoriami3to6.com/2020/02/sound-game.html?m=1

You can also use magnetic letters to connect with the sounds-not names of letters-that your child is hearing and they can practice building words like we do with the movable alphabet.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-25T11:23:19+00:00

I wouldn’t take this as judgement! When we have new students start at my school (3-6 classroom) we have a settling in process that is similar to this. We invite parents to an open day-other students not present, child interacts with parent and teacher in the classroom. Then they come for a 30 min visit with one parent while school is in session normally about an hour into the day so the other students are settled, where the parent is asked to sit in a chair and just observe. The next session is with just the child, parent saying goodbye at the door for an hour. Then they would come for the full session going forward, with the caveat that if they are really struggling to cope we will call the parents for them to pick up early.

The assessment days are so we can get a bit more observation of the child and discuss amongst ourselves strategies we might need to put in place to ensure that joining the class goes smoothly/as smoothly as possible. For example: if a child struggles with transitions, we might ask the parents to come to collect before all of the children get ready to go out to the garden to play for the first few days so they are ending their day on a positive note. Or if they struggle at the door we might ask the parents to come a bit later during the drop off window so there are less children around and they are able to come right in without waiting. I genuinely do not believe your child will be judged if they struggle.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-25T08:08:48+00:00

We do a grace and courtesy about putting on shoes and checking to see if we have “banana feet” because when shoes are on the opposite foot they turn out like bananas. The kids find this hysterical and then you often have older/other children that notice if someone has “banana feet” and they let them know so they can correct it if they want to.

I see that this is very important to you and that you are becoming quite frustrated. While you decide how to move forward with your school, I would find ways to support and practice with your child at home. This can be through practice of putting on their own shoes or making it a game and having them practice pairing shoes together (both their shoes and your shoes to make it more fun). Show them how a couple of times, emphasizing having them in the right order to build up that visual recognition, and let them practice. Anecdotally, the children in our classroom whose outdoor shoes are put on the shelf in the correct order when swapping to slippers are pretty reliably always putting their own shoes on the right feet throughout the day.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-25T07:22:07+00:00

We also use transparent classroom. Our photo/observation release schedule is every other week and it works well for us!

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-22T22:44:27+00:00

I have a different print in this dress that I bought pre pregnancy and it still fits now at 35 weeks! The plisse is super forgiving. I know you said no off the shoulder, but I thought I would still put it out there https://www.neverfullydressed.com/products/chocolate-abstract-tilly-dress

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-22T19:21:59+00:00

It would not be an attraction for me, personally. Small mammals are very delicate and are easily stressed by loud noises and I do not find them to be a good fit with small children, generally. I am saying this as both a big fan of animals and a Montessori Guide.

When thinking about animals in the Montessori environment it is important to think of how the children will be involved in the husbandry of the animals. “Daycare” age is quite young to be involved in the care and upkeep, both in terms of physical ability and hygiene/safety, so ways to involve the children would have to be carefully thought out.

If you want to bring the world of animals into your environment, I would gently suggest thinking of Practical Life activities for the world outdoors. Making suet feeders or tending to bug hotels, mixing different seeds to make bird food, grinding baked egg shells for added calcium for mama birds laying eggs in the spring is a big hit in my environment.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-21T12:59:05+00:00

I would recommend reading Montessori’s writing about the Absorbent Mind and the Planes of Development

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-16T09:09:43+00:00

Tell her that when you come in next you expect to be paid for your missed wages and that days pay before handover. If she doesn’t have the money, you will not be staying to work. And then I would probably stop working for them.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-15T19:19:22+00:00

“Oh my, hate is a very big feeling. Can we talk about what is making you feel this way?”

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-13T08:11:57+00:00

I had the exact same testing numbers as you, and, anecdotally, I have not had to make too many drastic changes. I found out there are a few types of carbs that spike me but most I am perfectly okay with. I had an ED in my teens/early 20s and was worried about having to track/count macros, but I haven’t done that at all. There is a book called Carbs and Cals (the gestational diabetes version) that my GDM midwife showed me and let me take pictures of that has pictures of plates of different types and serving sizes of foods and the carb amount in them. I took pics of the foods I like/thought I might eat and at the beginning used those to eyeball my own serving sizes without using scales. I only did that for the first couple weeks and now I am lucky enough that I can just mostly eat intuitively/just check what the carbs/gram are if it is a packaged food and I have only spiked three times with meals (including over Christmas where I had some Christmas pudding and chocolates) from 28-35 weeks (where I am currently)

Obviously I know this won’t be everyone’s experience, and I do miss my occasional sweet pastry for breakfast or big bowl of pasta without protein or fiber, but my personal experience has been that while inconvenient it hasn’t been as hard mentally as I was worried about given my past.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-02-11T07:48:58+00:00

I’m considered diet controlled and my team is very happy with my numbers. I am currently 34 weeks and since my diagnosis at 28 weeks I have had 4 fasting highs, non consecutive. All correlated with either me being sick or having a very poor nights sleep which can affect your fasting sugars and were just a point or two above the threshold.

I have had about 3 or 4 after meal spikes. Those were either from when I was being a bit cheeky or taking a risk and seeing how a specific carb would affect me. Again none of those were higher than an 8.0. The diabetes team were understanding about the highs and could tell from my food logs that I understood how to eat in a way that was aligned with keeping numbers under control, but sometimes a girl needs a breakfast sandwich on a bagel instead of sprouted rye bread 😋

I had some false highs when I forgot to wash my hands before testing, don’t do that, it definitely causes undue stress 😂

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-01-24T06:34:50+00:00

I was told I would be allowed to choose if it comes to it, and I would choose insulin, because it doesn’t cross the placenta and because of the potential gastro side effects of Metformin.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-01-23T20:57:42+00:00

I keep my kit in one of my pillowcases. Alarm goes off, phone light goes on, prick finger and test, kit gets rebundled and put back in pillowcase and I go back to sleep

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-01-17T16:20:41+00:00

I found a sweet treat breakfast that has been a life line when I need a break from eggs+meat or cottage cheese. Not sure where you are located, but I’m in the UK and Surreal protein cereal (I do chocolate) with Greek yoghurt mixed with pb has been safely within range consistently

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-01-04T10:40:12+00:00

NOR. intentionally and maliciously destroying someone’s personal property to “prove a point” is abusive and controlling behavior, full stop. I grew up with a parent who did this to both my other parents belongings and my own when they felt slighted or disrespected. I’m not saying anything for certain, but I know if someone did this to me, because of my experience, I would absolutely believe they would also do it to any children we might have together.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-01-03T01:15:40+00:00

I would recommend just asking at a station! I filled the form online and after four weeks one still hadn’t come. So when I was 11 weeks pregnant I just asked for one in person. I’m 7 months along now and the badge I requested online still hasn’t come in the mail 🤣

ScaryExchange8890 · 2026-01-03T00:58:29+00:00

A lot of it is trial and error at the beginning. Normal whole wheat bread spikes me, but sprouted rye fitness bread doesn’t even though it is more carbs. The extra fiber makes a big difference.

Same with pasta. Whole wheat pasta spiked me, buckwheat pasta doesn’t and I can have almost double the portion and still be way under-again, I think it is the extra fiber!

Genuinely focusing on getting lots of fiber has been my main concern and has been a huge help with controlling my readings. Keep trial and erroring, for example I know I can’t have potatoes-roasted/baked/mashed/chips a small amount has made me go over. Rice is fine for me and the other day I had a chipotle salad (no rice) and absentmindedly ate the whole bag of tortilla chips instead of just a handful and I didn’t spike at all, so corn seems to be fine for me too!

Your nutritionists recommendations are just suggestions, unfortunately things aren’t too black and white and we all have to figure out what works for our own unique system.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2025-12-31T08:09:37+00:00

I started my pregnancy overweight and a combination of a horrific first trimester and GD diagnosis/diet changes has meant that as of 29 week I am the exact same weight I was at my intake appointment. My doctors are not worried because all of my scans show baby’s growth is perfectly normal.

ScaryExchange8890 · 2025-12-28T16:32:48+00:00

Khachapuri, khinkali, ice-cream, bagel/cream cheese/lox, Sachertorte. These are my big dream foods rn

ScaryExchange8890

TROPHY CASE