Pregnancy is an exciting time with lots of hormonal changes that support fetal growth. But a woman may also have an increased chance of developing gestational diabetes. It’s important to understand the health-related issues of gestational diabetes and take steps to protect you and your baby's health.
Gestational diabetes usually develops around the 24th week of pregnancy in women who don’t already have diabetes. According to the CDC, gestational diabetes affects 2-10% of pregnancies each year. The hormones produced during pregnancy cause this type of diabetes. These make insulin less effective and is a condition known as insulin resistance. Symptoms like thirst, frequent urination and exhaustion are not used to diagnose since these are common with pregnancy.
Let’s focus first on the lifestyle that can support preventing this condition.
Exercise has many benefits! It can lower your blood sugar and make your body more sensitive to the insulin it’s making. Regular walking can also help strengthen the pelvic floor muscle to aid in delivery.
Weight gain during pregnancy is normal. The right amount of weight gain will help make sure your baby is also gaining an right amount of weight with you. Too much weight gain in the first trimester of pregnancy (before 13 weeks) can increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes by 50%. Expecting mothers should gain about 2 to 4 pounds in the first 3 months of pregnancy.
Prepare for it with a healthy lifestyle. The test happens toward the end of the second trimester or the start of the third trimester. It’s important to get screened because any woman can develop gestational diabetes. If you’re at higher risk, your doctor may test you earlier.
If you're diagnosed with gestational diabetes, treatment is like the prevention plan:
- Check your blood sugar to make sure your levels stay within a healthy range. Uncontrolled levels can result in a large birth weight baby.
- Eat healthy foods in the right amount at the right time. This ensures the balance of nutrients to prevent sugars from being too high.
- Physical activity lowers blood sugar and makes you more sensitive to insulin.
- Monitor the baby’s growth and development.
- If healthy eating and being active aren’t enough, take medicine as prescribed by your physician.
About 50% of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes, so it’s important to have postnatal care that includes making sure your sugars return to normal. Working with your obstetrician, certified diabetes educator, registered dietitian and other experts during this time can help you create a customized action plan for you and your baby.
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