Diet Plan For Pregnant Diabetic Patient – Content by: Dr. Nikita Toshi BDS, Assistant Director (Medical Overview), Dr. Ritu Budania MBBS, MD (Pharmacy) Head, Medical Affairs and Dt. Ami Shah PG Clinical Nutrition (Cardio and Diabetes), Registered Dietitian and Diabetologist
Pregnancy is a period of so much joy in a woman’s life. But as the body adapts to help grow and nurture a baby, monitoring the health of the mother as well as the unborn child becomes important to avoid pregnancy complications. And if the mother gets diabetes, chances are that it can affect the baby’s health. There may be a lot of unnecessary advice from friends and family, which will only make the expectant mother nervous. So, instead of listening to the naysayers, let’s learn a little more about gestational diabetes.
Diet Plan For Pregnant Diabetic Patient
Gestational diabetes is a condition associated with pregnancy. While gestational diabetes has the potential to negatively affect the mother and her unborn child, studies have shown that following a healthy gestational diabetes diet can greatly help the mother manage the condition.
Diabetes During Pregnancy: Diet Tips
But before we take a detailed look at the gestational diabetes diet, let’s delve deeper into some questions related to it. Questions like what is gestational diabetes, some symptoms of gestational diabetes, risk factors and causes of gestational diabetes and later how to treat gestational diabetes with a healthy diet.
Gestational diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes, is a condition in which a woman develops diabetes or high blood sugar during pregnancy. One of the three types of diabetes, gestational diabetes can occur regardless of whether the pregnant mother had diabetes before the pregnancy or not.
However, it usually occurs in those who have never had diabetes before. Gestational diabetes during pregnancy also does not mean that you will still have high sugar levels after delivery. For many women, it goes away soon after giving birth. But unfortunately, if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, your chances of developing type 2 diabetes are higher in the future.
Gestational diabetes usually occurs at the end of the second trimester, especially between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. Generally, at the end of the second trimester, it is common for your diabetes doctor to perform a gestational diabetes test as a precaution. If left untreated or undiagnosed, gestational diabetes can increase your baby’s risk of developing diabetes in the future. So it is better if we treat it on time so that we can minimize the risks and complications of gestational diabetes during pregnancy and delivery. In these cases, a diet prescribed by a gestational diabetes diet can greatly help control the mother’s blood sugar and keep the baby safe.
Gestational Diabetes Diet: 7 Day Meal Plan
In this chapter, we will look at some of the complications of gestational diabetes and how it affects the baby. The complications can harm the growing baby, which is why timely diagnosis is important to help manage its effects on the pregnancy. The expectant mother, as well as her baby, can both experience complications with gestational diabetes. Here are some ways that gestational diabetes can affect your baby:
Higher than normal birth weight – High blood sugar levels during pregnancy can cause their babies to be larger than normal. This is one type of complication with gestational diabetes that can lead to birth injuries or an emergency cesarean delivery where the baby will be less likely or unable to pass through the birth canal.
Premature birth – This is closely related to higher birth weight as the woman would be forced to give birth before the due date due to the large size of the baby.
Breathing difficulties – A serious complication of gestational diabetes in which babies soon after birth can experience breathing difficulties – a serious condition that prevents breathing.
Gestational Diabetes Diet: What To Eat For A Healthy Pregnancy
Low blood sugar – Although gestational diabetes is associated with high blood sugar, some babies can experience the opposite right after birth. Very low blood sugar levels can lead to frequent seizures in children. However, monitoring periods and occasional IV glucose solutions can be used to treat low blood sugar levels in labor.
Obesity in the future – Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are more likely to develop obesity and also type 2 diabetes later in life.
Stillbirth – Untreated and uncontrolled gestational diabetes during pregnancy can eventually lead to the death of the baby either before or soon after birth.
While we have seen how gestational diabetes in pregnant women poses a risk to the baby, it can also affect the expectant mother. Let’s look at some complications of gestational diabetes that can harm the mother:
Day Gestational Diabetes Diet Meal Plan (pdf & Menu)
High blood pressure – Mothers with gestational diabetes are at risk for high blood pressure and preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy condition that usually occurs in the 20th week or even after delivery. If left untreated, it can cause high blood pressure, headaches, blurred vision, protein in the urine, fluid retention and organ damage that can be life-threatening for both mother and baby. This could cause growth problems in the child as he grows up. Although the causes of preeclampsia are not conclusive, it is usually tied to problems with the placenta.
Delivery via C-section – Although not actually a complication of gestational diabetes, due to the increased birth weight and size of the baby, mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes are more likely to have a C-section delivery than a normal vaginal delivery.
Diabetes later in life – A history of gestational diabetes can cause the mother to develop it again in another pregnancy. There is also a risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Unfortunately, the exact cause of gestational diabetes is not yet known. However, a woman’s endocrine system is believed to play a role in the cause. But from what we know, the cause of gestational diabetes is not due to a lack of insulin, but rather due to the production of several other hormones during pregnancy which reduces the effectiveness of insulin in the body. During pregnancy, immediately after conception, the body begins to produce large amounts of special pregnancy hormones that help the development of the baby.
Life Cycle Approach For Prevention Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
So what is the role of insulin in our body? Its function is to direct blood sugar to the cells where it is then converted into energy. During pregnancy, it is normal to have a slight insulin resistance, as glucose in the blood also reaches the baby. Increased insulin resistance, on the other hand, can cause blood sugar levels to rise abnormally, causing gestational diabetes.
Many pregnant women do not experience any unusual symptoms or signs of gestational diabetes. This is why we often go undetected with gestational diabetes. Gynecologists usually perform a gestational diabetes test at the end of the second trimester, which gives them information about the presence or absence of the disease.
On the other hand, some pregnant women may complain of mild symptoms that closely resemble other forms of diabetes. Some common signs of gestational diabetes include:
Although all pregnant women are generally tested for gestational diabetes, regardless of whether symptoms are present, it is important that you contact a diabetes doctor for an accurate diagnosis as soon as you notice any of the above symptoms on or before weeks 12-16. Yes, every pregnant woman feels tired. After all, carrying a baby is one person’s job! But just to be on the safe side, it’s better to see a doctor.
Healthy Starts: For Individuals With Gestational Diabetes
If gestational diabetes is confirmed, your gynecologist, in addition to frequent examinations, will recommend medication, diabetes supplements, light exercise and/or a strict diet, depending on your case, to lower blood sugar.
Everyone has their own version of what you should eat when you’re pregnant. So it is better to ignore them and do what is best for you. Visit a nutritionist and learn about your diet. And if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, a nutritionist can help you keep your sugar under control.
The best diet for gestational diabetes is one that is balanced and contains the appropriate carbohydrates, proteins, and fats recommended to maintain optimal blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels often tend to rise when too much processed sugar is consumed or if carbohydrate-rich foods are not properly spread throughout the day. A nutritionist or nutritionist will help you understand the gestational diabetes diet you need based on your blood sugar readings. They will be able to tell you the exact amount of carbohydrates you need to eat each day.
Whole grains – In your gestational diabetes diet plan, include foods rich in whole grains such as oats, millet, barley, quinoa and sorghum. They are high in fiber and have a low glycemic index. They support healthy bowel movements and help reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the long term.
Gestational Diabetes Snacks • Gestational Diabetes Uk
Leafy greens and legumes – Including greens like beans, peas, lentils, corn, spinach, lettuce, etc. in your gestational diabetes diet has been shown to control blood sugar levels while providing essential nutrition for you and your baby
