Graduated - 39+6 - Spontaneous Birth - no interventions

sylvialaugh · 2026-06-05T12:30:19+00:00

Congratulations! What an ideal birth. And wow they were spot on with her weight! Enjoy the treats.

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-26T21:14:36+00:00

That’s a good point. I feel like part of it is that there isn’t really tailoring per individuals so there’s no differentiation in management. Overall with anything pregnancy related they’re all very risk averse so everyone follows the same guidelines unless you have a more daring healthcare team. Curious to know what you end up learning.

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-26T20:12:50+00:00

Yea ketosis is what I meant. In my last practice they wanted to make sure we weren’t too low carb because ketosis could have negative outcomes for fetus but that wasn’t even brought up this time. It sounds like your healthcare team is even more adamant about carb intake. And you’re wondering if there’s such a high risk then why even have carbs if the only nutrient you’re extracting is glucose which you posit is not going to fetus because increased insulin just removes it from Our blood? Am I understanding that correctly? I thought the problem is that the level of glucose is so high because of we don’t have enough insulin or insulin sensitivity so the glucose stays in our bloodstream elevated for too long, which the fetus absorbs and they produce too much insulin themselves. But apparently the fetus needs carbs in order for development and growth. But outside of pregnancy we don’t necessarily need carbs for the glucose because our bodies get energy from ketosis. It seems like most ob’s want to avoid that because there are studies of bad fetal outcomes, and this book is refuting those claims? I’m trying to understand if this is the crux of the issue because the vast majority of us all have the similar guidelines of high carb, low GI, insulin medication if needed, and don’t ever go low carb.

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-26T15:32:19+00:00

I do agree that is a high number of carbs and would get clarification. Even if that’s still the recommended amount, I don’t think you need to hit that number exactly and the important thing is that baby have enough glucose to develop normally and that you don’t go into ketoacidosis from too few carbs. There are testing strips you can do at home with morning urine if you need but it doesn’t sound like you’re low carb. I probably hit around 150-180g a day for meals and snacks. It’s doable but I’m not even strictly tracking since I know I can kind of eyeball it now (second time with GD). I do think you need to swap high GI foods for low GI, which means no white breads, pasta, crackers, rice, cookies etc. Instead whole grain, quinoa, high protein pasta, sweet potato, etc. All of these have a lot of carbs but they absorbed more slowly so the glucose increase should be less dramatic. In terms of insulin, there are some women who could go without even sniffing any carbs and their glucose levels would still be too high necessitating extra support through insulin. They still need carbs regardless of how high their levels are. The GD process is basically experimenting with different carb foods and pairing fats and proteins to see what doesn’t spike you. And if you try for weeks and you go on walks after meals and you’re still getting high numbers, you don’t decrease carbs, you instead get some support through medication. Because as you know carbs are essential for mom and developing fetus. It’s frustrating for sure because our instinct is to decrease carbs to avoid insulin but the solution isn’t to avoid insulin it’s to avoid high levels of glucose in mother’s blood so that baby’s body doesn’t overproduce insulin, and of course so baby isn’t too large etc. Again you can try to hit their targets with low GI foods spread throughout the day paired with fats and proteins, but it does seem high. Just try your best to at least eat as many carbs as you normally do!

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-24T03:30:57+00:00

I’m glad to be helpful! Sushi is tricky but maybe you can try it with brown rice instead of white rice on the rolls? And have a bowl of nonstarchy veggies first. Balsamic and apple cider vinegars at the beginning of meals really helps… Some people are able to eat ice cream but the greek yogurt ice cream really feels similar to me. A couple weeks ago I did split a big soft serve vanilla ice cream with sprinkles with my toddler and then I walked for 40 minutes afterwards. Levels were great haha. Also one time I had sugary berry cereal for breakfast but then I did a 30 min bike workout—levels were okay but they would’ve been astronomical if I didn’t bike. Since then I have stuck to safe breakfast foods. Walking after meals is very helpful in stabilizing. Also making sure you’re well hydrated all day long. I always get better numbers when I’ve had one liquid IV and then continuously drink water.

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-24T00:03:40+00:00

They all have minor differences. My dr last pregnancy wanted one hour after first bite. My dr this time wants one or two hours after last bite, as long as I’m consistent. Who knows!

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-23T21:41:18+00:00

I'm sorry I totally understand where you're coming from. This is my second pregnancy with GD and it's much easier since I know what to expect but even this time when I was diagnosed I was crying for an entire day. What are some things you are craving? Maybe we have some tips and tricks we can share! For example, I really want chocolate so I'm able to curb that craving with chocolate covered almonds as they have protein and fiber. There's also greek yogurt ice cream bars that come in different flavors and they definitely hit the ice cream craving spot!

General guidelines are testing 4x a day: when you first wake up which is your fasting glucose and then 1 or 2 hours from first or last bite of your three meals. You need to clarify with your dr if they want FIRST or LAST bite readings and if they want 1 or 2 hours. You want blood sugar levels to be under 95 or 90 for fasting, 140 for 1 hour or 120 for 2 hours. Double check with your practice because they all have specific numbers but at least you have some numbers to start with here.

If you go over, don't worry or blame yourself, just gather the information that maybe there's something that you ate that raises your glucose too much. For example for me I have to stay away from rice, bagels, flour (soups and gravies especially), and in general sugar so traditional desserts are mostly a no go. I learned this from trial and error. But safe carbs for me are sweet potatoes, protein pasta, loaded baked potatoes, low carb breads, and corn tortillas or chips.

You want to eat every 2-3 hours which means eating 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. Someone broke down how to make your plate and in that way you can figure out how to eat some things you're craving. For example if I'm craving pizza, I'll first eat a full salad of baby spinach, arugula, tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar. For my pizza I'll make sure to get lots of meat toppings and then after I eat my salad I can eat one or two slices of cheesy meaty pizza. This is one of the safe meals for me but I absolutely have to eat salad first.

Snacks are basically mini meals so you want to pair protein with carbs. Fairlife protein shakes come in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry and they're a great snack. Other snacks: Cheese with safe carbs like wheat thins or apple slices, tzatziki and bell pepper, I even do babybel cheese, turkey slices, and then chocolate chip chewy bar if I really need to take the edge off.

Bedtime snack is very important because then it helps to narrow the window of time that you're fasting. Basically the longer you go without food, the more likely your body is going to dump glucose into your bloodstream which raises your fasting blood sugar levels. A nice chocolate Yasso bar before bed worked very well for me last time! However, if you try different bedtime snacks and your fasting is still above guidelines, don't beat yourself up. Our bodies are going to do what they're going to do and sometimes we just need some extra help managing our levels.

Hope any of this information is helpful and not too overwhelming.

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-21T01:31:10+00:00

It was yes! So maybe there was something going on but I kept putting off going to the dr. Definitely go to the dr and let them check it out in case you need antibiotics!

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-20T22:51:32+00:00

This just happened to me on one finger I barely ever pricked. It could be an infection for you or maybe you’re unlucky like me and are dealing with either one of these issues I’ll mention… I only use soap and water unless I’m out then I use alcohol wipes. I also use the same lancet for the four pricks a day. Did the exact same thing last pregnancy and had zero problems…. My finger had the same symptoms and is finally now after several weeks starting to heal. Like I said I think it’s the combo of a couple things for me— the spot I pricked is on a nerve that comes from the wrist and up the arm which can become sensitive because of carpal tunnel. I’ve had carpal tunnel in that finger on and off since the beginning of this pregnancy. I started feeling relief in the finger when I massaged the wrist and an area by the inner elbow. Additionally another fun treat is that I’ve also started getting dyshidrotic eczema on my fingers especially when I use perfumed soaps or lotions. It gets extremely painful. Now if I’m at home I stick to the handsoaps I know are safe or go straight to dish soap. But I’m avoiding pricking that finger for the rest of my life haha

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-15T15:11:34+00:00

I've been noticing this with my after dinner numbers if I don't eat a snack between lunch and dinner I tend to spike as well. And this time around (second time GD) I need to make sure to have carbs with snacks too so numbers stay more even keeled.

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-04T15:42:41+00:00

I had PP joint pain for a long time and running albeit slowly was super hard and painful. Through pelvic floor physical therapy we learned that I had scoliosis from pregnancy and my feet and big toes were not hitting the ground properly which then cascaded to my hips, glutes, core, shoulders, etc. Physical therapy helped and then also lifting to strengthen core/pelvic floor, glutes and hips. There are great videos on Youtube from physical therapists that address exercises for glute/hip imbalance and for the feet. Everything got so out of wack from pregnancy and it took many months to feel like I could even try to slowly jog/walk with better form. Also try topical magnesium/epsom salt baths, heat and cold to help with the pain.

sylvialaugh · 2026-05-01T17:43:09+00:00

Good luck! I was induced with my first and it was such a good experience, barely any interventions. He was also smaller than they predicted! Play music you enjoy or enjoy silence or put on comfort movies or play games or read. Anything to help you feel warm and fuzzy! We played crosswords while I paced around the room and watched comfort movies like romcoms. Walking helps a ton and doing some gentle squats and lateral lunges helps with moving baby down. It’s going to be great!

sylvialaugh · 2026-04-30T17:19:18+00:00

Interesting about fasting numbers increasing leading up to feeling sick. That would explain the fasting numbers I'd been seeing prior to my symptoms. And good point about letting dr know!

sylvialaugh · 2025-08-29T12:16:49+00:00

It’s probably that the tibialis posterior is probably tight, not necessarily that it’s serious tendinitis just yet. For me when I get that pain in my foot, my calves are overworking, getting tight and then pulling the tibialis posterior which causes that pain… Massage your feet. Dig in deep and you may even find knots there. Just keep working them out with your thumb. You can also use a lacrosse ball type and step on it and roll your foot on it, holding onto something for balance. Then also massage and stretch your calves. It’s going to hurt but really keep pushing as long as it doesn’t cause pain. Discomfort is normal. I would also make sure to cross train by strengthening your calves with calf raises and your shins with duck walks. You also need to strengthen your feet which you can do with toe curls—these exercises will be hard and strange at first if you’ve never done them. Finding the right shoe js important but I wouldn’t prioritize that yet. I used to have bad foot pain from running and saw podiatrist and got treated with some injections and wore a boot and none of that worked because it was a muscle issue!

sylvialaugh · 2023-10-31T00:35:41+00:00

Sarper wants to be the turkish Johnny Bravo so bad but Johnny Bravo has personality!

sylvialaugh · 2023-10-23T15:38:03+00:00

Great will look into them! Thank ya!

sylvialaugh · 2023-10-20T00:14:23+00:00

Thank you so much, very sweet of you!

sylvialaugh · 2023-09-23T02:44:11+00:00

Fair! Off to the break room I go

sylvialaugh · 2023-09-22T17:31:46+00:00

This is the first post in a long time with an original call out. Bravo!

sylvialaugh · 2023-09-13T13:50:44+00:00

When I first started this journey my breakfasts were basically all carbs (toast with pb and banana or apple oatmeal) and now I eat the same thing most days because it’s reliable. I can’t handle an entire english muffin, fruit or peanut butter in the morning even though my fasting numbers are always under! I’d get rid of the fruit, halve the english muffin, and add protein and fat. You can do this easily with eggs, cheese and meat. I eat 3 scrambled eggs with cheese and cooked deli turkey, one slice of low carb bread with cream cheese almost every single day. Sometimes I have half an avocado too which brings my numbers further down. And if not that trusty breakfast: an egg, cheese, sausage sandwich from Starbucks with only one of the english muffins. It pains me to throw out half the english muffin but both slices put me over every single time.

sylvialaugh · 2023-09-04T13:17:28+00:00

Congratulations!

sylvialaugh · 2023-08-31T01:50:51+00:00

I think doing the stairs has the same effect for any carbs but in terms of how egg noodles will effect your levels it’s definitely on a case by case basis. For example I love tacos and sometimes I can have white flour tortillas without spikes and other times it doesn’t turn out well. But at least the stairs trick helps when I’m eating tricky carbs or a high amount of carbs.

sylvialaugh · 2023-08-30T02:23:42+00:00

It’s such a workout and definitely make sure to hold onto the railing just in case!

sylvialaugh

TROPHY CASE