All pregnant women are screened within 28 weeks of pregnancy for Gestational Diabetes. Between 3 and 20 percent of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, depending on their risk factors. And little did I know that this was a reality that I was going to experience.
At the 28th week, I went to do the diabetes test which requires to drink a sugar drink (tasted like Gatorade to me) and I had to wait an hour to do the urine and blood work. A few days after, the OB office called to say my sugar levels were really high and I will need a special team of Healthcare professionals that will be watching me carefully. Now my whole world was going to change again!
So what exactly is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Your body cannot produce enough insulin to handle the effects of a growing baby and changing hormone levels. Insulin helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. If your body cannot produce enough insulin, your blood glucose (sugar) levels will rise. Once your baby arrives, the gestational diabetes goes away. However, there is a 20 to 40 percent chance that you may develop type 2 diabetes later in life so it’s important to develop a healthy lifestyle to prevent it from returning.
Risk factors for getting Gestational Diabetes are:
35 years of age or older
From a high-risk group (Aboriginal, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian and African)
Obese (BMI of 30kg/m2 or higher)
Giving birth to a baby that weighed more than four kilograms (nine pounds)
Using:
Corticosteroid medication
Having:
Prediabetes
Gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
A parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or acanthosis nigricans (darkened patches of skin)
How does it affect your baby?
The good news is that your baby will not be born with diabetes and you can have a happy and healthy baby. However, if left undiagnosed or untreated, gestational diabetes can lead to high blood glucose (sugar) levels which can increase the risk that your baby will weigh more than 9lbs and will have a difficult delivery. It can also increase the risk of your baby becoming overweight and developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
How I Managed
There is tons of information on how to manage it and the best part is that there are great Healthcare professionals that help guide and monitor you throughout your pregnancy. I saw the diabetes specialist and nutritionist every two weeks. I had to keep track of my blood sugar levels 4 times a day (Normal morning Blood Sugar is 5.4 and during the day is 7.8). Once I had great blood sugar levels, I was able to reduce the checking to twice a day, and on every other day. After attending an educational session on diabetes, I was set. I ate little portions but more frequently and watched what I ate. What I noticed that I needed to watch out for the most was the carbohydrates in each food item. Didn’t realize how much of it is in everything! By doing this, I managed my blood sugar levels and controlled the diabetes. Thankfully it went away after my baby was born.
I learned a great deal going through Gestational Diabetes and I can now support someone who finds themselves in the same situation. It was all about choosing a healthy diet and enjoy foods from all four food groups and spread out the foods by eating smaller meals and snacks. This way both baby and I stayed healthy.
– Momma Braga
Really struggling with this. What can I eat and what can’t I.
Hi,
It is tough for sure. Here is a link with some helpful tips and what to avoidhttp://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/diet-restrictions. For every meal I had, I could only have food that had less than 15 grams of carbohydrates. For breads it was wraps and everything whole wheat. Also some cheeses have 0 carbohydrates so you can have that in many of your meals. Vegetables are also very good. It’s finding a balance. The link above also provides some recipes that can help too. Hope this helps you 🙂