The Facts About Pregnancy if You Have Diabetes

When you have diabetes and plan to get pregnant, it’s important to have your blood glucose levels close to your target range before you become pregnant.

In pregnancy, staying in your target range is important, and this may be different than when you are not pregnant. High blood glucose can harm your baby, even before you know you are pregnant. If you have diabetes and are pregnant, be sure to talk to your doctor to get a plan in place to manage your diabetes. With the help of your health care team and following your diabetes management plan, you will be able to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. If you develop diabetes for the first time while you are pregnant, you have gestational diabetes.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that is seen first in a pregnant woman who had not had diabetes before. Women with gestational diabetes may have more than one pregnancy with gestational diabetes. Most doctors will order the tests around the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy to screen for gestational diabetes.

Women with gestational diabetes typically can take care of the problem by adjusting their eating habits and increasing their physical activity, but sometimes must also take insulin.

Are there symptoms?

For the most part, gestational diabetes causes no noticeable signs or symptoms. Drinking more fluids and going to the bathroom more often may be some of the possible symptoms.

When to see a doctor

When you plan to get pregnant, your healthcare provider will provide you with the tools you need to determine your risks for gestational diabetes and healthy overall health. This can happen by checking on both of these as early as when you’re first considering pregnancy. In pregnancy, your healthcare provider will offer prenatal care which also includes checks for gestational diabetes.

For mothers with gestational diabetes, you will likely need to make frequent visits to your doctor, who will monitor your blood sugar level and your baby’s health.

Complications

Careful management of gestational diabetes during pregnancy may lower your risk of complications during and after delivery, such as high blood sugar and preeclampsia. High blood sugar may increase your likelihood of needing a Cesarean delivery.

Complications that may affect your baby

If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may be at increased risk of:

1. Excessive birth weight can result if your blood sugar level is higher than what’s considered a standard range. Babies that are born at a weight of 9 pounds or more are more likely to become stuck during the delivery process, to experience health-related issues or to be delivered via C-section.

2. Early birth. If you experience gestational diabetes, you might be at a higher risk of having preterm birth before your due date. If the baby is larger than average, an early delivery may be recommended.

3. Breathing problems may accompany babies born prematurely, as a respiratory distress syndrome makes it difficult to breathe.

4. Low blood sugar. Some babies suffer from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) shortly after birth. Severe cases of hypoglycemia may cause seizures in the baby. Prompt feedings, as well as sometimes an intravenous glucose solution, can help the baby’s blood sugar levels to return to normal.

5. Obesity and type 2 diabetes. Babies have a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life.

6. Stillbirth. When a pregnant woman has gestational diabetes that is untreated, it can result in the death of the baby, either during or shortly after the birth.

What effect does diabetes have on pregnancy?

Hormonal and other changes in your body during pregnancy affect your blood glucose levels, so you might need to change how you manage your diabetes. You may have to change your meal plan, physical activity routine, and medications, even if you’ve had diabetes for years. The likelihood of you having to change your diabetic medicine before and after the birth of your baby becomes higher. Your management plan might need to change accordingly.

What health issues should I be prepared for because of my diabetes during pregnancy?

Pregnancy may exacerbate existing diabetes problems, such as vision problems and kidney disease, especially if blood glucose levels are high.

In addition, you are more likely to develop preeclampsia, sometimes called toxemia, which is when you develop high blood pressure and protein in your urine during the second half of pregnancy. While rare, this can have dangerous consequences for you and your baby. The only way to be cured of preeclampsia is to have the baby, so if you’re having preeclampsia and you’re at 37 weeks of pregnancy, your doctor may want to deliver the baby. If you are less than 37 weeks pregnant, you and your doctor may consider other ways to provide your baby with a healthy development.

Ways to manage Gestational Diabetes while pregnant

1. Eat nutritious foods

Eating from a healthy diabetes meal plan may help prevent high glucose levels and a dietitian can help you set up such a plan. You might want to find a dietitian, who can help you learn how to control your blood sugar, which fluctuates when you are pregnant.

2. Make Physical Activity a Habit

Aside from avoiding or adjusting food intake, exercise is a good way to keep blood sugar stable. Once you speak with your doctor, you can do moderate-intensity physical activity both during and after pregnancy. Ensure you are getting at least 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week. Things like brisk walking, swimming, or playing with children could be excellent.

3. Stay abreast of blood sugar levels

Pregnancy affects how much energy the body needs, which changes blood sugar levels quickly. As directed by your doctor, monitor your blood sugar.

4. Take insulin if it is required for you

Sometimes a woman with gestational diabetes is prescribed insulin. If your doctor has given you an order for insulin, take it in order to keep your blood sugar in a healthy range.

5. Diabetics Should Get Tested After Pregnancy

For women with gestational diabetes, testing for diabetes will typically happen between 6 and 12 weeks after the baby is born and then every 1 to 3 years after that. For most women, the diabetes goes away once the baby is born. If diabetes does not go away once the baby is born, then it is known as type 2 diabetes. Half of all women who had gestational diabetes will eventually develop type 2 diabetes, even if the disease has left their body by the time they have their baby. It’s important for women who have had gestational diabetes to exercise and eat a healthy diet to help prevent or delay getting type 2 diabetes. She should also remind her doctor to check her blood sugar every 1 to 3 years.