A Guide to Diabetic Women during and after Pregnancy

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 Introduction

Do you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and pregnant or hoping to get pregnant soon. You need to know what to do to have a healthy baby. You also learn how to take care of your diabetes before, during, and after your pregnancy. Times of pregnancy and new motherhood bring great excitement, worry, and change for any woman. Pregnancy for women who have diabetes is automatically considered a high-risk. The women carrying twins-or more-or who are beyond a certain age are also considered to have high-risk pregnancies. The words ‘high risk’ do not mean you will have problems. To the contrary it means you need to pay special attention to your health and you may need to see specialized doctors. Most births form the so called high-risk pregnancies produce very healthy babies without the mother’s health being affected. What matters is special care and attention.

How to take care of yourself and the baby

Before and during pregnancy, and during your pregnancy, keeping your blood glucose as close to normal as possible is the most important thing you can do to stay healthy and have a healthy baby. Your dietician can help you learn how to use meal planning, physical activity, and medications to reach the desired blood glucose goals. Through his/her guidance, you will create a plan for taking care of yourself and your diabetes.

It is common knowledge that pregnancy causes a number of changes in your body, so you might need to make changes in the ways you manage your diabetes. Even if you have had diabetes for years, you may need changes in your meal plan, physical activity routine and medications. Together with this, your needs might change as you get closer to your delivery date.

Did you know that Diabetes Can Affect You and Your Baby

Avoid high blood glucose levels before and during pregnancy because it can:

• result in long-term diabetes complications, such as vision problems, heart disease, and kidney disease
• increase the chance of problems for the baby, such as being born too early, weighing too much or too little, and having low blood glucose or other health problems at birth
• increase the risk of the baby having birth defects
• increase the risk of losing your baby through miscarriage or stillbirth

However, research has shown that when women with diabetes keep blood glucose levels under control before and during pregnancy, the risk of birth defects is about the same as in babies born to women who do not have diabetes.

When your blood glucose level is too high, then the baby also gets too much glucose since glucose in a pregnant woman's blood passes through to the baby. Therefore, if your blood glucose level is too high during pregnancy, so is your baby's glucose level before birth.

Your Diabetes, Before and During Your Pregnancy

In diabetes, blood glucose levels are above normal. Regardless of whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you can manage your blood glucose levels and lower the risk of health problems.

The brain, heart, kidneys, and lungs of the baby form during the first 8 weeks of pregnancy; high blood glucose levels are especially harmful during this early part of pregnancy. Unfortunately, most women do not realize they are pregnant until the 5th or the 6th week after conception. This not withstanding, you will work with your health care provider to get the blood glucose under control before you get pregnant; assuming the pregnancy is not accidental.

If the later happens, and you realize you are pregnant, see your doctor as soon as possible to make plans for taking care of yourself and your baby. Even if you learn you are pregnant later in your pregnancy, you can still do a lot for the baby's health and your own.