Gestational diabetes? Macrosomia? Anyone give me some hope😞

[Minniemouse88]

Hello,

Hope everyone is doing well. Thank you for all the nice responses I had to my last post about anxiety. I come seeking yet more reassurance! 😊

I had my 27+2 scan on Monday and baby measuring 91st percentile (customised growth - estimated birth weight at 40 weeks would be about 8lb 9+), which was a shock. For context, I'm 5ft tall and was 7.5st pre pregnancy and have put on 11lbs since the beginning. Consultant wasn't concerned but obviously it set my mind racing.

I decided to proceed with GD s2 hour glucose tolerance test and low and behold, I have glucose intolerance and found this out yesterday. I'm starting monitoring but just anxious it's too late to stop baby having problems or problems in labour/preterm delivery or baby being overlarge. My diet contains no refined sugars, healthy low GI carbs, protein and I do at least 1 hour exercise a day. I know it's not always lifestyle related but I don't see how I can really change much to improve!

After so much loss and strife in IVF, this feels like another big blow. Does anyone have any positive stories? Can things change between now and 40weeks?

Thank you so much in advance and sending love 💕

[Twiglet2]

hey lovely 🥰 it’s just an estimate of the weight and a large margin of error. I was measuring 95th percentile and at 32 weeks already over 5lbs for baby and at 36 weeks 7lbs 7ozs. They had referred me for the GS testing at 32 weeks but by the time the appointment came through I was already 36 weeks (big backlog) I said to the consultant did I really need to do it as I was being induced early anyways and she agreed not so I dont know if I had GS in the end BUT at 39+3 my baby was a boy 7lbs 7ozs …. So they were completely and utterly wrong and had me worried for absolutely nothing! Is your fluid around the baby measuring okay? If the doctors not concerned then I wouldnt be either, but I know that’s easier to say than do!! the same thing is happening with my close friend, she has GS confirmed and seems quite common 🤗 just follow all their advice and take any extra monitoring they give you lovely xx

[Minniemouse88 in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you lovely, really reassuring to hear your experience. I've definitely read a lot and heard friends who have had inaccurate scans, but I suppose it's easy to ignore the positives when you're panicking! Feeling a bit more in control now I have my glucose monitor. Maybe it's something to do with the familiarity of stabbing myself with a needle periodically as I have done for the past three years in IVF that makes me feel better🤣! Thank you again xxx

[Tinkertinkerbell]

Hi, I don’t have any advice RE: gestational diabetes etc but I just wanted to say I had a big baby! Also IVF and they picked it up on growth scans too. It was a shock to me and I wondered if I had GD (I didn’t). There was no rhyme or reason for her being big - she just was. At the last growth scan a week before she was born they predicted she would be 8lb 12oz ish. So I thought - that’s not too bad? So imagine my surprise when she came out as 9lb 7oz! 4 days before her due date. So they got it wrong for us - she was bigger!

I think she was 97th centile or there about? Anyway, she doesn’t have any health issues because of it. She has steadily put on weight at an average rate but hasn’t kept up on her centile curve. So she was down to 71st centile last weigh in. She’s still bigger than average but it’s gradually evening out. She’s 4 months. GP is happy with her weight so I’m not worried about her dropping in centiles - she’s nice and chubby already - she would have been huge if she stayed in her curve! Anyway, I think my point is that I stressed about it too when I was told she would be big but it hasn’t tuned out to be an issue for us. She 4 months and thriving! x

[Minniemouse88 in reply to Tinkertinkerbell]

Lovely, thank you and really pleased to hear your little one is thriving xx

[Millbanks]

Hello lovely,

I would echo Twiglet2 and say that those measurements can be WILDLY wrong - and they are just estimates. I know so many people who thought they were going to have giant babies but turned out to be normal. I also know people who were really worried about them being too small and they turned out just fine. I completely ignored the whole "percentile" thing because a) I found it very confusing and b) everyone said it was so inaccurate.

With Gestational diabetes it's caused by the placenta so you won't be able to do anything about it - but usually it resolves itself once you've given birth.

xxx