More Information About Gestational Diabetes
Testing for Gestational Diabetes – Gestational Diabetes and The Diagnosis – Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy – Meal Plan for Gestational Diabetes

---

Depending on how serious your condition, you will need to track your glucose levels using a glucose meter or strips.  At the same time, you will need to eat a well-planned low carbohydrate diet to keep glucose levels at normal levels.  Your doctor may be able to help with developing meal plan for gestational diabetes based on your weight, height and current activity level.

Your new diet will need a correct balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins but at the same time supplying enough of the proper minerals, calories and vitamins for you and your baby.  To maintain your glucose levels at normal levels, you won’t be able to skip meals, especially the most important one of the day, breakfast.

Once you get into a routine, the diet will no longer feel “restrictive”.  The diet for gestational diabetes is in place to give you the opportunity to get not only yourself but the whole family into healthy eating habits.  Moderate exercise can also help improve the body’s ability to process glucose and will keep blood sugar levels in check.  Many pregnant women with gestational diabetes benefit from just 30 minutes of aerobic activity a day, which can be walking or swimming.  Although, exercise isn’t advisable to all pregnant women, so you will need to ask your doctor what type of physical activity is okay.

If you’re not able to control your blood sugar on diet and exercise, you will be prescribed insulin by your doctor.  Approximately 15 percent of women with gestational diabetes need insulin, which can be administered through shots you give yourself or oral medications (glyburide or metformin are examples) – the safety and effectiveness of these oral drugs are still up for debate.

Keep things in check:

• Know your blood sugar and keep it under control by testing how much sugar is in your blood. Test a drop of blood several times during the day to find out your blood sugar level.
• Monitor your urine for ketones (an acid that indicates your diabetes isn’t under control).
• Eat a healthy diet which your doctor will create for you. Carbohydrates affect blood sugar, so it is very important to watch your diet closely.
• Get regular and moderate physical activity to control your blood sugar levels.
• Maintain a healthy weight and weight gain, that is healthy for you depending on how much you weighed before pregnancy.
• Track your diet, activity and glucose level daily to double-check what is working and what is not.

If you are able to check your blood sugar at home, you will need to check your glucose before eating and 2 hours afterward. A normal plasma blood sugar level in the morning prior to eating should not be higher than 105 mg/dl. 155 mg/dl or less one hour after a meal, and 130 mg/dl or lower 2 hours after eating.

Page maintained by Susan Suarez