If you’ve been pregnant, you’ve likely had the distinct pleasure of chugging 50 grams of sugar in the form of the infamous glucola drink to test for gestational diabetes. What fun we get to have at the end of the second trimester….
In my first pregnancy, I did that. I chose the lemon lime flavor because it didn’t have any food dyes in it (food dyes have been linked to hyperactivity and developmental disorders in children as well as potentially having carcinogenic properties….I steer clear). While I didn’t love the idea of the drink and spiking my blood sugar so severely, I didn’t look much into it or any alternatives. I didn’t think there was an option beyond flavor (spoiler alert: there is ALWAYS an option….your pregnancy, your birth, your choice).
After chugging what tasted like flat Sprite and feeling miserably the rest of the day, I told myself I would never do it again. It never felt right to me that we ask pregnant women to be so careful with their diet and foods they ingest, and then we ask these same women to intentionally spike their blood sugar using a drink with questionable ingredients. Especially if your diet does not typically include a lot of sugar or carbohydrates, this test can lead to so many false positives for the one hour test, forcing mamas to do the even more miserable three hour test which usually features the more powerful version of glucola with 100 grams of sugar.
So when we got pregnant this time, I looked into options. Here’s what I found!
Some mamas like the ease of the drink – a “once and done” kind of idea. But that drink does not need to be the standard glucola! There are clean glucose drinks on the market made with organic, natural ingredients, and as more mamas turn down the nasty glucola drink, more of these alternative drinks come on the market. A simple search for “organic glucose drink” will bring up tons of results.
Real food is always an alternative! It will still be a lot of sugar, but at least you won’t be miserable drinking 50 grams of sugar on an empty stomach. Plus, you can be in control of the ingredients. Things like pancakes with ¼ cup of maple syrup or 6 ounces of organic grape juice with a banana can provide enough sugar to accurately test for gestational diabetes. My personal favorite food alternative that I very nearly chose to do? Jelly beans!
My personal choice was to do continuous glucose monitoring. My midwife actually prefers this method as well, so when I told her it’s what I wanted to do, she was already on board! The process was simple – I used a Freestyle Libre sensor for two weeks, taking readings in the morning after fasting and then 2 hours after every meal. While some mamas see this as inconvenient, I could scan the sensor with an app on my phone which took no time at all.
I loved getting the data in real time. It gave me control over the process and empowered me to make some different food choices in real time as I could see the impact of certain foods on my body. It was very eye-opening! I also was able to tell rather quickly that my body is processing food and maintaining a healthy blood sugar level during this pregnancy, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief almost immediately rather than wait for lab results from a blood test. I’ll go over the results with my midwife at my appointment this week, but judging by the general guidelines, my measurements were well within the bounds of normal!
Overall, I would absolutely opt to do the gestational diabetes test this way again. It was easy, informative, way more telling about my situation, and it came with zero crash. Plus, I didn’t have to drink questionable ingredients which is a huge win in my book!
Always know that there’s an alternative, and as with any medical procedure, you as an informed and knowledgeable patient have the right to refuse the test. Work with your healthcare provider to find a path you’re both comfortable with! Ultimately, you call the shots for you and your baby.