In the first part of this post, we saw how children and adolescents can live healthily even with diabetes. In this post, we will be looking at how to live with diabetes as a pregnant woman. In future posts, we will focus on diabetes in the middle-aged and elderly.
Diabetes in Pregnant Women
There are 2 possible causes of diabetes in a pregnant woman. She may have had diabetes prior to being pregnant. This means she is a diabetic who got pregnant.
Or, and this is interesting, she may have developed diabetes because of her pregnancy. This means she has gestational diabetes.
During pregnancy, a lot of hormones are produced by the placenta and other organs, which cause disruptions in blood sugar regulation. In some cases, the body sugar remains persistently high, causing gestational diabetes. This is a temporary condition and it clears after pregnancy. But it does come with some risks.
Impact of Diabetes in Pregnancy
During the Pregnancy
When there is gestational diabetes, there is increased risk of raised blood pressure during that same pregnancy.
Later in Life
Gestational diabetes increases risk of the mother developing type 2 diabetes later in life. There are also higher chances of diseases of the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and eyes later in life.
The Child Endangered
The developing child is at risk of becoming too big and thus may cause you a difficult birth and perhaps necessitate a caesarean section. The unborn child is also at risk of developing serious heart conditions. The fetus could likewise die suddenly in the womb.
How then should you live? Stick with us.
Measures
Good Antenatal Care
All pregnant women should ensure they are regular on antenatal care with a skilled health worker. This is to ensure they do the routine sugar test (an oral glucose tolerance test) needed to diagnose gestational diabetes. Those diagnosed with gestational diabetes should ensure they do at least 3 ultrasound scans during their pregnancy. They must particularly do one scan around the 20th week of gestation (called an anomaly scan) to catch birth defects early. The later scans will help to monitor your baby’s growth.
Stick to Your Drug Regimen
After a trial of improved nutrition or physical activity, gestational diabetes is usually treated with metformin or insulin. You cannot stop or change the drug regimen you are placed on unless your doctor says so.
Become Physically Active
Pregnancy is no impediment to exercise and physical activity. If you were very physically active, you can continue at the same level of activity you were at beforehand. If you were not physically active before, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intense activity a week.
Eat Discreetly
Remember pregnancy does not mean you should eat for two. The total calories required for a pregnant or lactating woman are barely 10-25% higher than for one who is not pregnant. So how do you eat? Eat 3 meals a day with 2-3 snacks in between. Let your plate be half covered with vegetables or fruits, a quarter with starchy food/grains (whole grains), and another quarter with proteins. Avoid soft drinks. Drink a lot of water or milk instead.
Monitor your Blood Sugar
Monitor your blood sugar with a glucometer when you wake up, and before and after each meal. Record the values you get and show them to your doctor at each clinic visit.
Follow the Last Orders 😉
If you had diabetes before getting pregnant most of the guidance mentioned above applies to you too.
Diabetes in pregnancy endangers the mother and the child. But this knowledge has empowered you to thrive and secure the future of many: that of yours and your unborn child.
Read our post about how children can live with diabetes here.
