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Gestational diabetes, like other types of diabetes, is a disorder that disrupts the way your body consumes sugar. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that affects some women during pregnancy. This is because pregnancy increases the body's need for insulin. While the body may not always produce enough insulin.
What effect does gestational diabetes have on her mother and her child?
This disorder can lead to an enlarged fetus (more than 4 kg), which is problematic because a large fetus may be injured during childbirth, and a large fetus may also harm its mother during childbirth. Sometimes the size of the fetus is not appropriate and the mother should undergo cesarean section (gestational surgery). Gestational diabetes also increases the likelihood of preeclampsia, a life-threatening disease (preeclampsia or Poisoning in pregnancy causes hypertension)
Will I get gestational diabetes during pregnancy?
It is difficult to predict which women will develop gestational diabetes, but some women are at greater risk of gestational diabetes than others.
Your chances of getting gestational diabetes will increase if you:
۱. Have a previous history of gestational diabetes.
۲. You are overweight
۳. There is a diabetic person in your family.
۴. Birth of a baby over 4 kg.
۵. Pregnancy with a history of stillbirth, recurrent miscarriage, and abnormal births.
۶. You are over 25 years old.
۷. History of hypertension.
Do I Need to Check for Gestational Diabetes?
Yes. All pregnant women should be screened for gestational diabetes. All pregnant women should be screened around 6 or 7 months (according to 24 to 28 weeks of gestation), but women at higher risk for gestational diabetes should be screened sooner. From this time on (at the first visit) a glucose tolerance test will be required by the physician. This will determine how much your blood sugar rises after consuming a sweetener.
How is gestational diabetes treated?
For gestational diabetes therapists, you should measure your blood sugar regularly and this is something you can easily learn. Most women can control their blood sugar levels by changing their diet. Some women will require insulin or other diabetes treatments.
At what times should we see our doctor?
Women with gestational diabetes need more visits than other pregnant women. How often you go depends on your condition at each visit and your insulin use. During these referrals your doctor will do the following:
۱. They check the condition of the fetus.
۲. They ask about your diet.
۳. They make sure your blood sugar is controlled
۴. They adjust your insulin levels (if you take insulin).
How should we change our diet?
A nutritionist can tell you how to change your diet. Every woman is a little different, so a single diet that is right for one person is not necessarily "right for another." Most women would:
۱. Avoid sweet foods and high-fat foods
۲. Try to consume high fiber foods.
Do we need to exercise?
You do not need to exercise to treat gestational diabetes, but having an activity helps you control your blood sugar. If you have already exercised, continue with the exercise you did. If you haven't exercised and plan to exercise now, ask your doctor or nurse what type of exercise is best for you.
Can I have a natural childbirth?
If your blood sugar level is close to normal, you are more likely to have a normal childbirth. Your baby or doctor will continue to check your blood sugar level to ensure that it is not elevated.
What happens after childbirth?
Your diabetes will probably "go away and your blood sugar will probably" return to normal. If you take insulin, you probably won't need it anymore, however your doctor or nurse should check your blood glucose to make sure it's normal. Women who experience gestational diabetes are later at a much higher risk for "common" diabetes. You should be diagnosed with diabetes every few years until the end of life.
Sources: Self-Care Monthly