It is always advisable to be prepared when it comes to pregnancy.
This is because becoming pregnant usually brings about changes in the body, some of which can affect your health and that of your baby.
For people with diabetes and who are trying to get pregnant or who are already pregnant, it is important to know how having a baby is likely to affect your condition.
Pregnancy Causes Changes In Blood
Glucose And Insulin Levels
One of the effects
of being pregnant is that your blood glucose and insulin levels will fluctuate.
These changes will occur depending on how far fetal development and growth is. These
changes may thus affect the severity of your diabetes depending on which type
you have.
Blood insulin
and glucose requirements may increase during the early weeks of pregnancy. This
is then usually followed by a decreased demand when the baby is 9 weeks old.
This may thereafter be followed by a consistent increase in blood sugar and
insulin levels. This is because the growth of the placenta results in the release
of hormones that raise blood sugar levels. The rise in sugar levels occurs
around the time when the pregnancy is 16 to 20 weeks.
Need For Close Monitoring Of Pregnant
Diabetic Patients
These
fluctuations in blood sugar levels may have devastating side effects on both
the mother and the baby. Other than posing dangers related to diabetes to the mother-to-be,
an uncontrolled spiraling of blood sugar levels may cause birth defects and
complications during delivery. As a result, it is always advisable for a
pregnant woman to have her blood sugar levels monitored.
Adjustments
can be made to the patient’s insulin doses to ensure that blood sugars are not
too high or too low. Being pregnant with diabetes may call for the doubling or
tripling of doses of insulin that one takes by the time the pregnancy period
comes to an end. This calls for close monitoring and that is why regular
medical examinations are always advised. When trying to get pregnant, this is
something that you should definitely factor in planning your pregnancy and
on how to raise your baby.
Eating Healthy Foods During Pregnancy
When
pregnant, it is important to stick to a healthy diet. This is so especially for
patients who have diabetes. Having a healthy diet during pregnancy will help
control your weight and thus prevent you from getting overweight. This will be
helpful in helping you reduce the adverse pregnancy risks that come with excessive
weight gain.
The “plate
method” is a common method that most pregnant women are usually advised to use.
All you need to do is to divide your dinner plate into one half and two quarters.
On one of the quarters, you should put a whole grain food while on the other
lean meat. The half part of the plate should be filled with fresh vegetables
and fruits. This is just a rough idea of what you should eat when pregnant. You
should however talk to your health care provider on what you should really eat
for better health.
Meals that
are rich in low fiber processed carbohydrates should be avoided since they are
known to easily spike blood sugar levels. Frequent eye exams will also be
needed to ensure that changes brought about by pregnancy do not affect the back
of your eye. Having knowledge of the effects of pregnancy on diabetes is
important when trying to get pregnant as it helps you make informed choices.
