How to Manage Diabetes During Pregnancy

Do you have diabetes and are you fighting it for your unborn child? Either you already had diabetes,  or your hormones went berserk while you were pregnant and gave you the illness to manage. You have gestational diabetes if you fall into the latter category. Whatever the situation, there are a few important questions that demand a response. The solutions to these questions can assist you in managing your diabetes while pregnant and ensuring a straightforward delivery of a healthy baby. 

You may get the answers to such questions from this article. 

1. What should I consume and what should I avoid while pregnant to manage my diabetes? 

The first and most important piece of food advice any diabetologist would offer you is to stay away from sweets. Additionally, you must stay away from white bread, potatoes, rice, tapioca (sabudana),  pasta, and other similarly colored starchy foods. You need to keep far away from hidden sugars like those found in alcohol, processed meals, fast food, etc. 

When it comes to macronutrients, simple carbs should be avoided. You may concentrate more on getting enough protein and good fats. Nuts, legumes, eggs, tofu, beans, chia seeds, olive oil, peanut oil, and others are among them. 

You can also eat non-starchy fruits, veggies, whole-grain bread, and cereals. Mangoes, custard apples, grapes, and bananas should all be avoided while eating fruits. You can choose between sprouts, curd, and boiled lentils with vegetables as snacks. 

Ensuring all this will help you control diabetes during pregnancy. This is due to the fact that these meals have a low glycemic index, which causes them to release sugar into the circulation gradually, maintain stable blood sugar levels, manage pregnancy-related diabetes by eating extra fiber, and don’t miss meals, according to advice. 

2. What physical exercise should I engage in, and how much?

The majority of diabetologists, in agreement with gynecologists, advise that walking is the best exercise for pregnant women. Hour-long walks can assist you avoid gaining weight by using them to stabilise your blood sugar levels.

Walking will accelerate your heart rate and make labour simpler and shorter for you. It also offers preeclampsia protection. Walking can also help with the constipation problem that most pregnant women have. Additionally, you gradually get stronger and healthier. 

For even greater results, do at least 15 minutes of yoga and pilates. Tadasana (Mountain Pose),  Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose), and Marjariasana are a few examples of yoga asanas (Cat Pose).

3. How can I check my blood sugar levels while controlling my diabetes while pregnant? 

Inquire your doctors what the optimal range of sugar levels is for every circumstance throughout the day. 

Typically, doctors advise aiming for the following blood glucose ranges. 

• Less than 90 mg/dl during fasting 
• 140 mg/dl or less an hour after meals 
• Less than 120 mg/dl two hours after meals 

Using a glucometer, you may check your sugar level once you are aware of the appropriate amount. 

Here’s how you ought to go about it. 

1. Use the lance that comes with the glucometer kit to prick your finger. 
2. Apply a blood drop to the provided testing strip. 
3. Last but not least, put the strip into the glucometer so it can measure your blood sugar. 

Continue monitoring your blood glucose levels on a regular basis. It becomes important to verify,  especially when you ingest something whose impact on your body you cannot foresee. 

You should typically check your blood glucose levels 6-7 times each day and keep an eye out for rises. By doing this, you can manage your pregnancy-related diabetes and lower your risk of problems. 

Recommendation: Visit your gynecologist and diabetologist frequently. 

4. What about prescription drugs?

When diet and exercise alone are unable to control your rising blood sugar, medications are advised.  This occurs particularly if you have diabetes before to the birth of your new loved one. 

You can receive an injection of insulin to combat the insulin resistance that your body is experiencing if medications are ineffective. 

Don’t panic; this will only be necessary up until your baby is delivered and solely to make sure everything goes smoothly. Following delivery, diet, and exercise will balance your out-of-control hormones, making them less bothersome. 

Make that your gynecologist and diabetologist are both aware of your problem and that they have given their approval for the medications. 

5. How would gestational diabetes affect the unborn child? 

Complications are more likely to occur and might cause miscarriages or stillbirths. These situations do happen relatively seldom, though. The most frequent issue is that the baby can grow to be huge,  necessitating a caesarian procedure to deliver it. 

Pregnancy-related diabetes may cause the mother’s blood pressure to rise while also increasing the likelihood that she may eventually acquire type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the likelihood of the infant developing diabetes is greatly increased by this. 

If you take precautions, closely check your sugar levels, and otherwise take all necessary measures to control diabetes in pregnancy, you need not worry about any of these negative effects. For this,  be sure to maintain frequent contact with your gynecologist and diabetologist and follow any advice they may give you carefully.