Gestational Diabetes
By Definition: A condition in which a pregnant woman has High blood sugar (Glucose) levels, usually detected in the early part of her third trimester. (27-30 weeks along) However, some women can have it as early as 24 weeks.
What Causes It: The Placenta gives off certain types & amounts of hormones that effect your body during pregnancy. In return, your body reacts by becoming diabetic! Because it impairs your body’s ability to handle sugars correctly!
Chances of it: The likely-hood of having Gestational diabetes is approximately 18% of all pregnancies a year! Four Percent, out of the eighteen total, are women in the Unites States. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you think of all the women who are pregnant each year, 18% equals a large number of women. Even 4% equals a Large Number! Your chance of being part of that 18% increases if you deal with the following:
(1.) If you were 20% or more over the ideal body weight, for your body type, Prior to becoming pregnant. (meaning if you started out your pregnancy overweight)
(2.) If you are one of the ethnic groups that’s at higher risk (Hispanic, Asian, Black, or Native American)! However, these are just the ethnic groups at higher risk, but not limited to! Other ethnic groups can still get gestational diabetes.
(3.) If you have a family history of diabetes, like your parents or siblings!
(4.) If you have had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
(5.) If you have once had a baby over about 9 pounds, or have a history of birthing larger babies.
(6.) If your body had problems, before & during pregnancy, with having high blood sugar levels but the levels were not considered high “Enough” to be deemed as diabetes. In other words, if you already have an impaired glucose tolerance!
(7.) If you have, or even previously had, a condition called polyhydramnios; which is having an excessively large amount of Amniotic Fluid.
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You are usually tested for Gestational Diabetes around 28 weeks into your pregnancy. Sometimes if you are at higher risk and your doctor sees fit, you are tested a week or two before 28 weeks. The first test you’ll take is the one hour version. They tell you to fast for a certain period of time. Some doctors make you fast from midnight the previous night, and others will only make you fast a few hours previous to the test. (So make sure you know what your doctor wants you to do beforehand) Then you go in and drink a bottle of flavored fluid. It contains about 50mg of sugar. After an hour, they draw a tube of blood & test it. Some will call you with the results, or they will inform you during your next prenatal visit! If you happen to Fail the one hour test, your doctor will want to schedule you for the 3-hour version! This time you will for sure be told to fast from any food or drinks from midnight (The previous night) until later in the morning after your test is done. you’ll have your blood taken once before you consume the bottle of flavored sugar fluid. It will contain around 100mg of sugar. Once you drink it, they will take blood once every hour over a 3 hour period of time. So expect to give 4 tubes of blood total for the test. Once again, they will either call you with the results or inform you during your next prenatal visit!
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If you fail the 3-hour test, and have been proven to have gestational diabetes, your doctor will want to take the following steps with you…
(1.) you’ll be asked to start testing your blood sugar levels. They will give you a testing meter & all the supplies required to use with the meter, to test your blood. you will definitely be asked to test it within 30 minutes before eating any meal or snack; But you may also have to test it before bed every night. Ofcourse since you’ll need breakfast in the morning, and its required to test before a meal, that it goes without saying that you’ll test when you wake up in the morning anyways.
(2.) you’ll be required to change your eating habits and follow a certain diet. Not diet as in losing weight, but diet as in a specified meal plan! It goes without saying, that sugars of any kind will no longer be your best friend. However you will be talked to about eliminating “Bad Carbs” from your daily diet as well.
(3.) And if it is necessary, then you’ll also be given a prescription of either pills or insulin shots. Usually the pill form is prescribed though! So no worries. (lol) And you’ll be told to take it either once BEFORE each meal (breakfast, lunch, & dinner), or you’ll be told to take it once AFTER each meal. Regardless of whether it is going to be before or after, it will be for those main meal times. Because it will help ensure that your meals do not cause your blood sugar to sky-rocket to unhealthy high levels!
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Now as a person who has personally had & experienced gestational diabetes, I have some important tips for you. Please take them seriously. Because it can make a difference! When I said “Sugars of any kind” earlier, I truly meant it! You’d think that fruits would be fine to eat since they are considered healthy; However, they are all loaded with natural sugars. And as far as your body is concerned, it ia all the same! So Fruits are a no no! This also includes juices, since they are made from fruit. Even if it says “No Sugar Added”, the juice will still have sugar in it from the fruit’s natural sugars. So no to juice as well! …Be careful with milk! Yes, I said milk! I know first hand how one can crave milk when pregnant. And the calcium in it along with other good things, makes it great for you. However, milk has sugars in it too. Instead of cutting milk completely out though, from your diet, just skip the Full glass, for a Half glass! Portioning is key there!
My advice: It can be very difficult to suddenly have to give up those certain sweet treats we all love. And the change in diet can be cruel on a hungry pregnant woman. I will not lie! You will have those weak moment slip ups. Do not beat yourself up. Just test your sugar and do better next time. Do not make slip ups & weak moments a common occurrence! Making excuses and not doing right can be life threatening to both you, & most importantly, your baby! It can also cause your baby to become larger than the average baby, and this is not good. Because it increases your risk of needing a C-Section (A Serious Major Abdominal Surgery), and also because your baby may be born with complications that land him/her in the NICU fighting for their life! I know this to be a fact! The place I went to for prenatal care kept ruining & making mistakes with my diabetes test. Therefore by the time I finally found out I was diabetic, it was too late and the damage was done. My son was born via C-Section, weighing 10lbs & 15oz., and had to spend 2 weeks in the NICU fighting for his life! If I had known earlier (on time) about having gestational diabetes, I could have taken steps to control my blood sugar & eat right…thus avoiding my son almost dieing & a painful c-section! So be careful! Changing your diet & just baring the changes is a SMALL sacrifice to make when you consider the health & well-being of your baby & you! Once you are no longer pregnant, you can go back to eating normal again. Because it usually goes away after the baby is born! So just hang in there! It’s worth it!
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How to Eat right:
(1.) Go Sugar Free on everything possible! (Use Splenda if needed. It’s safe & helps!)
(2.) Avoid Pastas, flour, potatoes, fruits, & white bread. (100% Whole wheat bread and pasta if fine)
(3.) Lean meats & plenty of Veggies are great for you! Grilled, steamed, or baked… Mmmmm!!! There are also goodies like sugar free ice cream, sugar free oatmeal… My favorite breakfast was using “Oscar Myers Low Sodium Turkey Bacon”, “Egos Whole wheat waffles”, “Mrs. Butters Worth Sugar Free Syrup”, and a half glass of Fat Free Milk! If was filling, and believe it or not, It tasted amazingly great! I loved it!
(4.) Even with those being healthy choices to make a good breakfast… even with healthy foods period, portioning is still key! Always portion everything you eat! It is not enough to just cut out sugar & “Bad Carbs” …you must eat the CORRECT size portions of good foods. And in cases like with milk, for example, cut the “Correct” portion in half… making half the right portion to use!
(5.) Water Water Water…. learn to love it dearly and drink it plenty! It’s pretty much the only 100% okay drink, to drink! And it’s healthy to stay hydrated anyways! (Avoid Sodas! Even Diet Sodas that claim to be sugar free. Trust me!)
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Here are some other links with helpful information on Gestational Diabetes:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/what-is-gestational-diabetes.html
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/
http://www.babycenter.com/404_what-type-of-pregnancy-diet-should-i-follow-if-i-have-gestat_3128.bc
