How did I screen for Gestational Diabetes while planning a home birth? and my diet diary!

Prenatal care when planning a home birth looks MUCH different than when you are planning a hospital birth, but it is not lacking at all! My midwife and I meet at the same pace throughout my pregnancy as I would with a hospital provider. I receive all the same vital checks at each visit. I elected to do blood work early on, received an ultrasound at 11 weeks, and an anatomy scan at 21 weeks.

And we did at-home glucose monitoring instead of the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT).

I am not a fan of blood draws, so I was happy to avoid that with the standard GTT offered in the medical model of care. Instead, I kept a diet diary for 7 days and performed at home glucose monitoring with a glucometer. My midwife wanted 6 readings total - 2 fasting (so first thing in the morning before eating), 2 one hour after eating, and 2 two hours after eating. Although pricking your finger multiple times is annoying, I much prefer that to a blood draw.

Now that I have shared, a bit about the how, let me show you the WHAT - my diet diary. I completed my diet diary and at-home glucose monitoring around week 24/25. It was strange writing down everything that I ate, simply because I do not typically track what I eat, but my midwife requested for me to record everything I ate, including quantities as best as I could. I do eat very intentionally, and generally aim to eat whole & nourishing foods - but I will be the first to admit that I am not perfect and will often indulge in treats too. I will say that, I am grateful for this diet diary as it has made it easy for me to write a snack menu for my postpartum support team. One thing you might notice about my diet is I eat a lot of the same thing everyday. From a personal life operational perspective this just makes my life easier. Although I may switch it up week-to-week, or month-to-month, usually within any given week I am eating similar items from day-to-day. Wednesday 2/12/25

730am Fasting 95

745am  16oz smoothie with 1 fresh banana, fresh spinach, plain Greek yogurt, 11oz chocolate protein drink, frozen fruit mix of banana, mango, strawberry, blueberry, kale,

1130am 3 eggs scrambled with cheese and half an everything bagel, cream cheese and tomato slices

115 pm ate an orange

330pm 1 big carrot and maybe a quarter cup of Gouda and cheddar cheese

445pm 1 apple with peanut butter

6pm steak and 3/4 cup diced/roasted sweet potato and 3/4 roasted brussel sprout with garlic - dipped the veggies in spicy mayo

815pm 2 hour - 113

830pm outshine coconut popsicle

Thursday 2/13/25

730am 16oz smoothie with 1 fresh banana, fresh spinach, plain Greek yogurt, 11oz chocolate protein drink, frozen fruit mix of banana, mango, strawberry, blueberry, kale,

9am 3 scrambled eggs with cheese

11:30am -homemade granola bar - oats, banana, blueberries, peanut butter, applesauce, chocolate chips, maple syrup

1pm while everything bagel with cream cheese and tomato slices

2pm - 4 Hershey kisses

345pm 4oz Tuna Salad with crackers

5pm 1hr 123

545 pm consumed the remaining like 3 oz of my breakfast smoothie

555pm one big carrot stick - lol trying to snack before hypnobirthing class

745pm - homemade granola bar - oats, banana, blueberries, peanut butter, applesauce, chocolate chips, maple syrup

9pm - about 1+ cup of leftover roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes dipped in spicy mayo

930pm - outshine brand coconut popsicle

Friday 2/14/25

7am - 16oz smoothie with 1 fresh banana, fresh spinach, plain Greek yogurt, 11oz chocolate protein drink, frozen fruit mix of banana, mango, strawberry, blueberry, kale,

915am - 3 eggs scrambled with cheese

1030am - homemade granola bar - oats, banana, blueberries, peanut butter, applesauce, chocolate chips, maple syrup

11am - 1 everything bagel with cream cheese and 1 avocado

145pm - 1 Orange

345pm 4oz Tuna Salad with crackers

545 2 hour - 120

730pm - ate dinner at Fiery Skye Asian Bistro - ate like 1/2 cup fried rice, and some amount of shredded pork stuffed in this soft little Asian buns with fresh cucumber and carrot.

830pm - single scoop of chocolate coconut almond chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone

Saturday 2/15/25



9:30am - Banana with Peanut Butter



11am -  2 eggs fried and a side of left over roasted sweet potatoes

1215pm - 6oz  of blackberries, 1/2 cup of cheddar and Gouda bites, 1 big carrot stick

230pm - outshine brand coconut popsicle

4pm - 1/4 left over roasted brussel sprouts, 1/2 leftover fried rice, and 1 of the left over buns with shredded pork and cucumber/carrot

6pm 1 orange

645pm breakfast for dinner

2 chocolate chip pancakes with homemade blueberry sauce, 2 breakfast sausage links, 1 fried egg, 1/2 cup roasted potatoes dipped in spicy mayo

930pm 1 apple with peanut butter and 2 dried apricots and a handful of almonds

Sunday 2/16/25

950am fasting 85

10am banana with peanut butter, 2 breakfast sausage, 1 chocolate chip pancake with blueberry sauce

1:30pm - 1/4 cup of white cheddar and gouda cubes, 1 bit carrot stick, and homemade granola bar - oats, banana, blueberries, peanut butter, applesauce, chocolate chips, maple syrup

330pm - 1 cup left over roasted potatoes with spicy mayo

5pm - 1 apple with peanut butter

730pm - breakfast for dinner - bacon egg tomato & cheese breakfast sandwich with a side of bacon

830pm - outshine brand coconut popsicle

930pm - 3 dried apricots and a handful of almonds

Monday 2/17/25

730am - 16oz smoothie with 1 fresh banana, fresh spinach, plain Greek yogurt, 11oz chocolate protein drink, frozen fruit mix of banana, mango, strawberry, blueberry, kale,

1130am - 3 eggs scrambled with half a bagel, cream cheese and two slices of tomatoes

330pm - remaining approx 6 oz of my breakfast smoothie

430pm - ongoing consumption of white cheddar cheez-its

515pm - 1 orange

7pm - grilled cheese on sourdough with tomato soup and asparagus

Tuesday 2/18/25

730am - 16oz smoothie with 1 fresh banana, fresh spinach, plain Greek yogurt, 11oz chocolate protein drink, frozen fruit mix of banana, mango, strawberry, blueberry, kale,

830am 1 hour 119

930am - 3 eggs scrambled

1130 - whole bagel with cream cheese and two slices of tomatoes

1230pm - 1 orange

230pm - 1 apple

630pm - leftover breakfast smoothies - maybe 5 ounces

7pm - steak and 3/4 cup diced/roasted sweet potato and 3/4 roasted brussel sprout with garlic - dipped the veggies in spicy mayo