The most emotional time I had when I was pregnant was when I found out that I had GDM or Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Accepting that I had it, was hard, but, knowing I had to cut down on sweets was even harder (especially when Christmas season was coming!).
Oh well, I have to be honest and let me tell you the whole story. It actually all started when I ate 2 kilos of lansones (a day!) everyday for a almost a week and not to mention all the chocolates that I ate during my 1st trimester. Hmmmm…I can still remember the joy that I felt when eating those. haha!
Ok, what’s my point in writing this? As I’ve mentioned, it was the most difficult time during my pregnancy and I want to help out those pregnant women and give you some kwento on how I was able to survive this dreadful situation (especially if you are the type of preggy who craves for sweets!).
First, it’s ok to be “emotional” when you find out that you have GDM. Of course it’s normal that you want what’s best for your baby, so when you find out you have GDM, the first thing that normally comes to your mind is that… what will happen to my baby!? What have I done to deserve this!? Am I gonna be a bad mother!? My advice is… be emotional for a short while and then move on … Because you still have a lot of things to do!
Research
Do some research. Get yourself familiarize with GDM, what is it, what is the main reason you have it (if there is really a reason, coz in my case, my Doctor didn’t know exactly why I got it…). There are a lot of websites that offer information about GDM that are really helpful. Talk to GDM Moms! They will encourage you to accept it and make you realize that it’s ok to have GDM and it happens. If you happen to read this (and you have GDM) you can talk to me and send me an email at michellemagbag@gmail.com because I know how comforting it is to have someone with the same situation as yours.
Keep a Strict DietWith emphasis on STRICT. My Mom’s a dietitian (altho she’s the culprit in letting me eat a lot! haha!). But she taught me what foods I can and cannot eat. These are the foods that you HAVE to AVOID:
- potatoes
- FRENCH FRIES
- Camote
- Pasta
- Sweets
- Cake
- Ice Cream
- Pansit
- Candies
- some fruits (GRAPES)
- CANNED JUICE
- SOFTDRINKS
But, if you can’t help it and you really WANT to eat, just eat moderately. Like 1/4 slice of chocolate cake (or less) just to satisfy your cravings.
Calamansi juice (without sugar) helps. You can drink it after meals, especially if you ate a lot! Less carbo will definitely make a difference…Half cup of rice, less white bread (try sugar-free pandesal/tasty), wheat bread, brown rice are better options. Try also ampalaya juice. I know, its the worst drink ever, but it works! And lots and lots of veggies.
There are also a lot of sugarfree cakes and pastries all over manila. Kooky and Luscious (in Podium) have sugarfree chocolate cakes (Dementia is the best!), prune cakes, eclair, and etc…BiZU (glorietta and greenhills) has the best sugar-free cakes as well (although they only got 3 choices). They are a bit expensive but, my, it’s worth it! Cheesecake, etc also has sugarfree cheesecakes. BTIC sugarfree ice cream are also available in supermarkets. Try banana walnut flavor (i love it!).
See…having GDM it’s not the worst thing after all! The good thing is, you won’t gain that much weight. So, when you give birth, you won’t have a hard time shedding all those pounds … And with that, you have a happy and contented husband… 
For more info about GDM, try these sites:
http://www.indiadiets.com/diets/Eat%20to%20beat%20illness/diabetes.htm#Foods%20to%20be%20used%20freely
http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp
http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_nutrition.htm#Food%20Numbers%20to%20Guide%20Your%20Choices
http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/eatingoutguide.jsp
