What To Do If You Have Gestational Diabetes
- Posted on: Feb 16 2023
If you have never been pregnant before, you may not be familiar with what gestational diabetes is. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that pregnant women can get when their body is not making enough insulin or they develop insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that helps your body convert food into energy.
The issue with gestational diabetes is that it can harm the health of the mother and the baby in the present or future. Risks of gestational diabetes include high blood pressure, preterm birth, developmental concerns, a large baby requiring a C-section birth, blood sugar levels that are damaging to the body, and the child and mother possibly developing type 2 diabetes later on.
Your OB/GYN healthcare provider will screen you for gestational diabetes when you are 24 to 28 weeks along in your pregnancy, using an oral glucose tolerance test. If you have not reached this milestone yet, there are methods you can try to prevent gestational diabetes. If you are pregnant, you should not try to lose weight but you can aid in preventing gestational diabetes by eating a healthy diet and possibly staying with your normal exercise habits if approved by your healthcare provider.
What To Do If You Have Gestational Diabetes
If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes there are some guidelines you can follow to help you and your baby now and in the future.
1. Eat Healthy
Eating a healthy diet geared toward diabetes is essential for controlling blood sugar levels while pregnant. Your healthcare provider can recommend resources or a dietician to help you learn more about healthy eating for gestational diabetes.
2. Exercise Regularly
Exercise helps regulate blood sugar levels. Check with your healthcare provider about what type and how much exercise they recommend for you.
3. Monitor Blood Sugar
Since gestational diabetes affects your blood sugar levels, your healthcare provider will likely recommend monitoring your blood sugar levels at home. They will direct you on how often they would like you to check your blood sugar level and what to look for.
4. Take Insulin if Needed
Your healthcare provider will recommend you take insulin to help control blood sugar levels if needed. They will give you a prescription to guide you on how much, when, and how to take insulin.
5. Get Tested for Diabetes After Pregnancy
It is important to get tested for diabetes six to twelve weeks after giving birth, then every one to three years after that. Most women’s gestational diabetes goes away after delivery but some develop type 2 diabetes in the future. Even if you do not develop type 2 diabetes after delivery it is important to continue to monitor your diet and continue to exercise because type 2 diabetes can develop later on.
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Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, August 10). Gestational diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 08, 2023
- Team, W. H. (2022, September 30). How to prevent or manage gestational diabetes. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved February 08, 2023
Posted in: Obstetrics, Women's Health