Valentine’s Day Ideas for Gestational Diabetes

February 11, 2013 by ·

Having gestational diabetes (GDM) should not hinder couples from enjoying Valentine’s Day. Of course, chocolates and candies are already out of the picture, but those things do not comprise the whole of Valentine’s Day. The important thing here is to spend the day together, no matter what kind of activities you engage into. As a partner to a woman with gestational diabetes, moral and emotional support can go a long way in relieving stress caused by GDM. Here are some of the ways in which couples can enjoy each other’s company during the most romantic time of the year:

  1. Schedule a visit to the doctor together. Unlike other women with normal pregnancy, a woman with GDM would need extra prenatal visits to the doctor to monitor the baby and take care of you accordingly. Why not schedule a visit to the doctor with your partner on Valentine’s Day? This is a good way to promote bonding between couples, and also to involve the partner in the care of both the baby and soon-to-be mom. The woman will feel as if she is not alone in this phase of her life, and it would help her a great deal emotionally.
  2. Shop for cookbooks on gestational diabetes. For couples who love to cook, planning a meal together can be romantic. Do not make your partner feel alone by restricting her from eating foods with too much carbohydrates or simple sugars. Instead, try to plan your meals accordingly so that both of you enjoy delicious yet low sugar foods. Buying a cookbook exclusively catering to meals that are best for people with gestational diabetes is a good way to show your empathy towards your partner. And of course, don’t forget to cook these foods for her!  You can read more about our cookbook here – Gestational Diabetes Diet Meal Plan and Recipes: Your Guide To Controlling Blood Sugars & Weight Gain
  3. Learn about gestational diabetes. In order for you to be able to help your partner in coping with her condition, you also need to learn about what GDM is all about. You can schedule to attend a seminar about GDM so that you can learn about the different aspects of the condition. Another way is to buy books about GDM and read them together. Women with GDM can also share their feelings to their partners about the condition so that their partners will know how to act accordingly.
  4. Exercise together. Physical activity is also a part of GDM coping, since this can enhance the woman’s response to insulin, thus lowering her blood sugar levels. You can plan an exercise routine that both of you can do together, and then have the doctor approve it before executing it. A study made by the American Diabetes Association showed that women with GDM are more likely to stick to an exercise routine if they are being encouraged and supported by their partners.
  5. Do chores together. Traditionally speaking, women are supposed to do the household chores and responsibilities at home. But then, a woman with GDM easily gets fatigued because glucose is not readily converted into energy. What you can do is to help her in doing the chores at home so that she does not get tired easily. And for Valentine’s Day, why not volunteer to do the work altogether? Aside from helping her relieve her fatigue, you also make her feel like your queen. That, perhaps, is one of the most romantic gestures that you can do, far more romantic than chocolates and candies.  Trust me, she will really appreciate a night off from doing her regular “stuff”.

Still want to know more about gestational diabetes? Sign up for our newsletter and receive updates on GDM.

Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Using the Medela Pump for Breastfeeding After Having the Baby

February 6, 2013 by ·
Assembled pump

Assembled pump (Photo credit: treehouse1977)

In today’s world, women play certain roles in society other than being a mother. She is also a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend, and a career woman. To keep up with the changing times, women who are always on the go now make use of breast pumps to allow them to give their babies breast milk without compromising their hectic schedule at work and at home. Breast pumps are also great ways to let the father feed breast milk to the child, thus promoting father and child bonding.
Hence, it is very important for moms to select a trusted brand of breast pump that they can use whenever they are unavailable to breastfeed their babies physically. One such brand is the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump w/ Backpack breast pump.

Why trust Medela?

Medela is one of the leading companies that manufacture breast pumps for lactating women of all ages. This company has been manufacturing breast pumps for more than 30 years already, and has made a commitment to quality and safety with regard to manufacturing breast pumps and other breastfeeding needs. They also make sure that they continuously research for ways to make breastfeeding an enjoyable experience, and apply these researches to their manufacturing of breast pumps. Medela has also made a commitment to protect the environment so that it makes efforts to recycle materials that they use for their products, thus making them eco-friendly.

There are many different types of breast pumps that a mother can choose from. There is the double electric breast pump, which is an all in one breast pump kit that can be used every day and can easily be transported to and from work. There is also the manual breast pump, perfect for moms who only use the breast pump occasionally. It is also a good backup pump for the electric breast pumps.

Aside from breast pumps, Medela also manufactures other breastfeeding needs such as specialty feeding devices for babies who need to be fed in a different way other than through breastfeeding, and even cleaning solutions for their products. Materials for breast care and other spare parts for breast pumps are also being made and sold by Medela.

There are many benefits to using breast pumps not just for women who are working, but even for full time moms. It increases efficiency as compared to manual expression of milk. You can pump ½ to 2 ounces every pumping session, thus making sure that your baby’s supply of milk will last. Remember that the rule for breastfeeding is that the more milk you express, the more milk your body makes. Therefore, it is important to express milk to make sure that your breasts do not dry up. If you miss nursing even just for a few days, you might be surprised to know that your breasts are no longer producing milk. Breast milk is a lot better than formula milk because this is the best food that you can give to your child in terms of nutrients. Also, this is a great way to promote bonding between father and child by letting him feed the expressed milk to the baby.

I used a Medela pump to make sure I was getting the most milk in the least amount of time.  As a mom, you can’t have enough time, and trying to pump and get your baby taken care of can be rough, but the Medela pump I used worked through both pregnancies and my babies had fresh milk whenever they needed it.

To learn more about breast pumps and their importance in breastfeeding your child, you can sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , ,

Can I Breast Feed My Baby If I Had Gestational Diabetes?

February 4, 2013 by ·
breastfeeding

breastfeeding (Photo credit: sdminor81)

Breastfeeding is one of the most important things that a mom has to do after giving birth to her baby. Milk coming from the mother’s breasts is rich in nutrients that can help the baby grow strong during his or her first months of life. However, mothers suffering from gestational diabetes during pregnancy often wonder whether it is safe for them to breastfeed their babies or not. Even though gestational diabetes stops right after pregnancy, mothers often worry about the possibility of passing their condition to their newborn babies. Hence, one of the dilemmas that they have is whether to breastfeed or not.

I breastfed both my children – first I pumped because they were preemies, but later breastfed at home and pumped to keep the supply up.  It is a very important part of taking care of a newborn or preemie, and I encourage you to breastfeed.

To Breastfeed or Not to Breastfeed?

The answer to the aforementioned question is pretty simple. If you want your baby to grow healthy, then you should breastfeed your baby. If you don’t want to breastfeed your baby, using formula is also acceptable, as whatever formula your doctor recommends will contain healthy nutrients to help your baby grow. Breastfeeding is best, especially if your child has allergies or is delivered early, but you have the choice.

Having GDM is not a hindrance to breastfeeding. It will not have any impact on your ability to breastfeed your child. In fact, breastfeeding is highly encouraged, if not sorely needed, by the newborn. A baby borne of a mother with GDM is at risk of developing hypoglycemia or low blood sugar after birth because of the pancreas’ continuous production of insulin as conditioned inside the womb of the mother. Hence, early breastfeeding within 30 minutes to one hour after birth is needed to maintain the normal blood glucose levels in your baby’s body. Moreover, because of the nutrients that can be found in breast milk, you are actually lowering the risk of you baby’s incurring diabetes later on in life.

How Important is Breastfeeding?

It is often said that breastfeeding is best for babies up to two years of age. That is because breast milk contains many nutrients that can be beneficial to your baby not just for the time being but also later in his or her life. Breast milk contains antibodies that help protect your baby against illnesses during his or her first few months of life. This prevents the baby from getting colds, gastroenteritis, and infections, in which he or she is very prone to because of the immature immune system that the baby has right after birth.

Allergies like eczema and asthma are also prevented by breastfeeding. Contrary to popular belief, breast milk can also help reduce the risk of diabetes, leukemia, and other types of cancer later in life, regardless whether the mom had gestational diabetes or not.

Breastfeeding also has a couple of advantages for the mother. Constant breastfeeding can help you lose the weight that you gained during your pregnancy. In fact, continuing breastfeeding beyond six months is a great way to naturally control your weight. It also has long-term benefits, such as reducing your risk of developing cancer and osteoporosis. Hence, breastfeeding is not only good for the baby, but also for the mother.

If you are worried about breastfeeding and gestational diabetes, learn more about gestational diabetes in general by signing up for our newsletter and getting great information to help you understand how your body works.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Studies Show Gestational Diabetes Risk Increases with Every Pregnancy

January 30, 2013 by ·
Newborn

Newborn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People often say that each pregnancy is different. What you may experience during your first pregnancy may not be the same as your experiences in your subsequent pregnancies. However, a recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology showed that women with gestational diabetes during their first pregnancy have higher risks of developing the same condition in their subsequent pregnancies. In fact, according to this study, the risk increases with each pregnancy.

In the research, 65,132 first-time pregnant women with gestational diabetes were used as the sample population by a group of researchers led by Dr. Darius Getahun. One of the findings was that the risk of these women getting gestational diabetes during their second pregnancy is 13.2% increased. There is also an increase of 6.3% in the third pregnancy of women who initially had gestational diabetes but did not suffer from the condition during their second pregnancies. Those who have experienced gestational diabetes during the first and second pregnancies had a 26% risk for developing the same condition during the third pregnancy. Getahun was quick to point out that having gestational diabetes during the first pregnancy already means that the woman will likely also have the same condition in her second pregnancy.

Aside from the aforementioned risks, women with gestational diabetes are also at risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. That is why it is highly recommended by the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology for women with gestational diabetes to undergo counseling when it comes to lifestyle modifications, like diet, exercise, and weight loss or maintenance.

One of the limitations of the study was that the researchers did not look into other lifestyle factors that may have had contributed to a woman’s increased risk on gestational diabetes. They did not consider that the obesity of a woman can actually contribute in increasing the risk of developing gestational diabetes. Instead, the researchers recommend that early identification of pregnant women who are at risk for developing gestational diabetes and timely postpartum care should be exercised so as to prevent gestational diabetes and other adverse pregnancy situations from happening.

The study also showed that a person’s race or ethnicity may play a role in the return of gestational diabetes. According to the survey in the said study, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific islander women had the highest risk of developing gestational diabetes among other races. This can be due to the fact that the food in these races contains a high glycemic index, which means that they easily affect the levels of glucose in the bloodstream, thus causing sudden spikes.

According to Dr. Manju Monga of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, the findings in the aforementioned study reflect consistency in the results of more recent studies as of late.

As a recommendation, Dr. Monga further advises women with gestational diabetes to have themselves screened for type 2 diabetes after six months of giving birth. This will give them a head start on modifying their lifestyle to avoid developing type 2 diabetes later on in life.

You can learn more about the truths of gestational diabetes by signing up for our newsletter by entering your name and email in the box below!

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

What Are The Blood Sugar Levels For The OGTT?

January 28, 2013 by ·

How Does The Doctor Diagnose Gestational Diabetes?

Monitoring one’s blood sugar levels in gestational diabetes (GDM) is essential. To be able to diagnose gestational diabetes in a pregnant woman, it is not enough to only rely on the physical manifestations, such as blurring of vision, increased thirst, increased appetite, and increased urination. The woman also has to undergo glucose screening tests in order to prove that she is really suffering from gestational diabetes. One of the tests that are being done on women to finalize their diagnosis of gestational diabetes is the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

What is OGTT?

OGTT determines the amount of sugar or glucose present in the blood at a given time. In this test, the woman has to fast for at least eight hours before the test. A blood sample will be taken to measure the woman’s normal fasting blood glucose level. Afterwards, she will be asked to drink a liquid with around 75 grams of glucose in it. 30 minutes after finishing the solution, her blood sample will be taken once again. Three more blood extractions will be done every hour for the succeeding three hours, hence the test will last for approximately 3 hours. The values derived from the OGTT will determine whether a pregnant woman has gestational diabetes or not.

Normal and abnormal values

As a general rule, the normal value of the fasting blood sugar should be between 60-100 mg/dl. Anything higher than that is a candidate for gestational diabetes. The 1-hour sample should yield less than 180 mg/dl in order to be considered normal. As for the 2-hour sample, abnormal values are 155 mg/dl and above. For the sample for the third hour, 140 mg/dl and higher are already considered diabetic.

If only one of the readings is abnormal, this does not automatically mean that the woman is already diabetic. Another OGTT might be needed later on in the pregnancy. The doctor might also advise her to make some modifications in her diet and physical activities.

However, if two or more readings are interpreted as abnormal, they are already conclusive enough to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Factors affecting OGTT

There are several things that might yield false results in the OGTT. Some of these are:

  • Medications, such as phenytoin, and corticosteroids. You should consult your doctor first before having an OGTT while taking the aforementioned drugs.
  • Acute stress
  • Heavy exercise

What should I do if I am diagnosed with GDM?

The important thing in GDM is to control the blood sugar level and keep it within the normal limits so as to prevent any complications from arising. This can be achieved through proper diet and exercise. Diet should include moderate fats and proteins, complex carbohydrates, and less sugar. Exercise is also important to use up excess glucose during pregnancy. It is also essential to visit the health care provider to monitor not only the condition of the mother, but also of the baby.

Take a moment and check out my book on gestational diabetes, and if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes you can get more great information and meal plans for your condition.


To learn more about gestational diabetes, you can sign up for our mailing list and keep yourself updated with all the information you need in managing the condition.  Enter your name and email in the box below and we will send you 3 dinner meals and an ebook about how gestational diabetes can be managed.

 

Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,
What Is An OGTT or a 3 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test?

What Is An OGTT or a 3 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test?

January 21, 2013 by ·
English: Photograph of abdomen of a pregnant woman

English: Photograph of abdomen of a pregnant woman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test Is the Gold Standard

OGTT is an oral glucose tolerance test.  For most women, around week 24-28, they do a 1 hour glucose test in the doctor’s office.  Now, if you had gestational diabetes with an earlier pregnancy or your risk factors are high, you might get tested earlier in your pregnancy, and your doctor might go straight to the 3 hour glucose tolerance test.

The doctor is doing a quick check to see if you need to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  So, if you fail the 1 hour test, they send you for an OGTT.  OGTT is the standard to measure and diagnose you with gestational diabetes.  This test also tells your doctor how “bad” your gestational diabetes is.  So, he/she will know if you are going way high or just a little over.  That information may or may not affect their decision about medication and diet.

So, you arrive at the lab for your 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  You will sit in the lab waiting area for a little over 3 hours so bring something to read or write to keep you busy.  It’s a lonely place and the only thing on the TV’s is the news or Jerry Springer.  Not much fun.  Trust me, you will need something in addition to the 3 year old magazines they have in the lobby.

You come in fasting, not having eaten anything after midnight the night before.  You may or may not be able to drink water.  If you can, drink water so that your blood is easier to draw.  The last thing you want is to be dehydrated and not be able to get blood or take forever.  They take your blood sugar level first as a fasting level for the baseline of the 3 hour glucose tolerance test, then you drink a “glucola” which is a concentrated sugary drink.  (I would say it tastes like coke, but it doesn’t.) It’s pretty sugary, and there may or may not be flavor options.  Then in 1 hour increments they take a sample of your blood to measure.  Otherwise, you sit in the waiting area between blood draws for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test.

Then What Happens?

Once it’s over, you leave and your doctor gets the results fairly quickly.  Then you find out if your body has done a good job of removing the sugar from your blood stream or not.  Some women view it initially as a judgement and feel that they have done something wrong.  You should know that it’s just the hormones and your body is not handling the amount of hormones well, but that does not make you a good or a bad person.

Either way, you will be fine and so will your baby.  Gestational diabetes is very treatable with diet, exercise and sometimes medication.  Read about gestational diabetes meal planning in my recently published book on amazon, and find out how to plan your day to make your pregnancy healthier and happier.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Brand New Book Released For Women In Need Of Gestational Diabetes Meal Plans On Amazon

January 19, 2013 by ·

GDM bookMathea Ford announces the release of her third book on Amazon, entitled “Gestational Diabetes Diet Meal Plan and Recipes: Your Guide To Controlling Blood Sugars & Weight Gain“. The book provides a resource for the newly diagnosed mom.

Oklahoma City, OK (I-Newswire) January 19, 2013 – Gestational Diabetic Diet HQ and CEO Mathea Ford, RD/LD announces the launch of her third book “Gestational Diabetes Diet Meal Plan and Recipes: Your Guide To Controlling Blood Sugars and Weight Gain”. Her book is available now in print form via Amazon. This book describes best practices for diets and meal planning for gestational diabetes and includes full meal patterns and recipes for the duration of the pregnancy. Mathea spent two years gathering the information and formulating the meal plan recipes for the bulk of this book and she is very grateful to all the friends and family that made the book possible including her fine group of employees at Healthy Diet Menus For You, LLC.

Currently the book is priced at a very reasonable rate and is appropriate for those in need of information related to gestational diabetes diet meal plans. When asked about how this book will help newly diagnosed women, Mathea stated, “When women have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and are in need of some assistance in meal planning, the book teaches them how to manage a gestational diabetes diet meal plan with the ultimate goal a healthy pregnancy and a health baby.” In addition, Mathea talked about how the new health care laws will make it more likely for women to be diagnosed and in need of help finding their way, stating, “With the changes to the Affordable Health Care Act this is a timely launch as with the new plan year of 2013 we expect the diagnoses of gestational diabetes to increase with in the parameters of the Act.” Having gone through a pregnancy with gestational diabetes, Mathea feels her experiences can help new moms manage the tough road ahead and come out with a healthy and enjoyable experience when using a meal plan. Her book can be found at amazon by clicking this link: Gestational Diabetes Diet Meal Plan and Recipes: Your Guide To Controlling Blood Sugars & Weight Gain

Brought to you by Healthy Diet Menus for You, LLC, Gestational Diabetic Diet HQ specializes in gestational diabetes diets and meal planning. The Gestational Diabetic Diet HQ website provides valuable information for all types of diabetic pregnant patients through an extensive information library of articles and a fully functional blog written by the CEO and Registered Dietitian, Mathea Ford. Gestational Diabetic Diet HQ is committed to bringing the utmost quality and service to it is client base through it’s website and toll free phone number. Specializing in this very complicated and unique group of patients, Gestational Diabetic Diet HQ is proud to be a superb resource that can be relied upon by it’s clients to meet the demands that our client’s desire.

Gestational Diabetic Diet HQ is operated by Healthy Diet Menus For You, LLC located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and is operated by the principals Mathea Ford RD/LD MBA and Chief Executive Officer and Donovan Ford, Chief Operations Officer. Healthy Diet Menus For You, LLC was launched in January 2011 as the brain child of Mathea Ford who is also currently serving as CEO. Healthy Diet Menus For You, LLC provides meal plans for diabetic, gestational diabetic, renal, renal diabetic and cardiac patients.

 

About Healthy Diet Menus for You, LLC:
Healthy Diet Menus for You provides people with set weekly menus. Each menu is specifically targeted towards particular health requirements. Save time by subscribing to our easy to use menu plans.

Company Contact Information
Healthy Diet Menus for You, LLC
Mathea Ford
PO Box 6554
73153

Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Medical Costs For Gestational Diabetes Higher, But At What Price?

January 16, 2013 by ·

I came across a recently released study today, and I was shocked to find out:

From the sample of 4,372 women, those with a diagnosis of GDM were almost twice as likely to undergo an emergency caesarean section, and their infants were three times more likely to be admitted to a neonatal unit. The resulting maternity care costs, specifically calculated by sampling patients from the public healthcare system, were increased by 34%.Of the other variables included in the analysis, maternal obesity was found to increase costs by 21%.

“Aside from the serious health implications, GDM is also placing a substantial economic burden on maternity care costs. This burden is likely to rise in the future if current practices remain unchanged given projected increases in GDM prevalence rates. However, what our study really highlights are the potential cost savings which may go to offset the costs of interventions that aim to prevent the onset of GDM in pregnancy,” explains Dr Paddy Gillespie, from the School of Business and Economics at NUI Galway.

http://www.healthcanal.com/pregnancy-childbirth/35205-Maternity-Care-Costs-for-Pregnant-Women-with-Gestational-Diabetes-are-Higher.html

Wow!  Obesity and gestational diabetes – two words I don’t want to hear as a mom-to-be.  But, when you look further into this study, you see it says that the costs can be reduced by the additional testing that is being required by our (US) new health care laws.  By the requirement to test all moms for gestational diabetes, we find out sooner that they have or don’t have the disease.

If you know you have gestational diabetes, you are going to do what you need to do to get your baby and you through the pregnancy in a healthy way.  You will probably buy my book on gestational diabetes meal planning: Gestational Diabetes Diet Meal Plan and Recipes: Your Guide To Controlling Blood Sugars & Weight Gain

That book is really helpful, by the way.  But many women find out too late that they have gestational diabetes because they don’t get tested.  Then the baby ends up too big, mom gains a lot of weight, and they have an emergency c-section.  Not fun.  So, embrace the idea that knowing is half the battle, and I congratulate you on finding out more information so you are best equipped to deal with this disease.

Learn more by signing up for the mailing list in the box below:

Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

How Do I Deal With Gestational Diabetes? 3 Steps For The Mom To Be

January 9, 2013 by ·

Dealing With Gestational Diabetes Is A Mental And Physical Ordeal

You may have just learned that you have gestational diabetes and you are still somewhat overwhelmed about it.  I remember being overwhelmed myself, especially with all there is to learn about.  I want you to know that you are not along and you can make it through.

You are working for both you and your baby.  I tried to think about the baby when I was feeling frustrated about what I needed to do and how I was going to get it all done.

Step One Is Learning What It Means To You

Every woman who has gestational diabetes does not have the same experience.  You will not be like your friend who has a horror story to tell you about her pregnancy.  Your body will react in a way that makes sense for you.  You may or may not have to take shots or be on bedrest.  It all depends.

Step Two Is Starting Small

Gestational diabetes is a huge undertaking.  That is why a step by step approach is the best one to have.  You can start with learning what it means.  You can learn a great deal about the overall picture and what it means to you from just reading a couple of articles on wikipedia about gestational diabetes.  Then you will know what it can be and how you can work to manage it.

After all, it is manageable.  You will get through it, and I don’t care if you were diagnosed at week 8 or week 38, it matters to keep you blood sugar levels under control.

Step Three Is Understanding Your Body

You need to learn what carbohydrates are.  Carbohydrates are the parts of food that are made up of glucose molecules, and your label on the food products tell you how much carbohydrate is in one serving of a food.  Knowing how your body reacts to carbohydrate is important in your control.  Some women can eat a good amount of carbohydrate and not have the same high blood sugar that other women have.  Some women find that eating just a small amount of carbohydrate really increases their blood sugar levels and they have to be very careful about what they eat and how much.

So, understand your body is different from everyone else.  Understand that you will have a different experience than others, and not beating yourself up over it will keep you sane.  Don’t expect to be perfect, do your best and eat what you can with a balanced diet.  Check your blood sugars as often as the doctor tells you to, so you can get good feedback on how you are doing.  And take your medication as prescribed.

If you are looking for a great way to manage a gestational diabetes diet, go and pick up our amazon book at:

Gestational Diabetes Meal Planning On Amazon

 

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
Will I Still Have Gestational Diabetes After The Baby Is Born?

Will I Still Have Gestational Diabetes After The Baby Is Born?

January 7, 2013 by ·

Gestational Diabetes is not forever, just while you are pregnant.baby girl on chest

Yes, I did say that you will no longer have gestational diabetes once you give birth.  Because you are no longer pregnant.  And your hormones that were once raging through your body are suddenly gone.

So, not only do you lose the moodiness and any sort of full night’s sleep, you also lose the hormones your placenta is pumping out and giving your body such a hard time with.  You can finally eat cake and not have to worry about gestational diabetes.  Well, that is somewhat true.

Here is what happens – once you give birth, your placenta also comes out.  Your placenta is responsible for feeding the baby and making sure the environment in your womb is appropriate for your baby to survive.  So, it pumps out some hormones, like HCG, which keep your pregnancy going.  These hormones are also responsible for throwing your insulin system out of whack and causing you to have gestational diabetes.

When you give birth, a lot of changes happen.  You will be tested for several meals, possibly several days, to see if you are still having problems with your blood sugars.  To make sure that your body is recovering well from the shock of the birth and any other disruptions.  For most women, the gestational diabetes does go away and a regular diet results.  You are free to have your cake and eat it too!

Women sometimes do continue to have problems with their blood sugar after the birth, so it can happen.  You will have to continue on a diabetic diet and be evaluated further for your condition.  When this happens, it is usually that you had diabetes before you got pregnant and it was undiagnosed.  So you technically had it prior to being diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  And you will continue to have it – and possibly continue to need medication and other interventions to improve your health and well being.  After all, you have a lovely child to care for now!

You should also be aware that women who have gestational diabetes are at a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years after the birth of the child.  So, it’s in your best interest to maintain a diet similar to the gestational diabetes diet you started.  That will keep your blood sugars normal and under control.

If you need help with your gestational diabetes meal plan, check out our gestational diabetes meal planning kit in print at : http://www.gestationaldiabeticdiethq.com/amazon-gdm

 

Filed Under: Gestational Diabetes Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,
«Older Posts