When you hear your care provider say that you have gestational diabetes, it can feel overwhelming and scary. You don’t know where to start and are worried of how it will affect your baby. Today we will give you a great beginners guide so that it will bring less stress as you navigate this new addition to your pregnancy. The good news is that you can still have a healthy baby with gestational diabetes, now it’s up to your diet and precautions you take with the diagnosis.
Through this blog, we will talk about what gestational diabetes is and things you can do now to help to manage it during and after your pregnancy. Always consult with your trusted care provider before starting a diet or treatment plan.
What is Gestational Diabetes (GD)?
Gestational Diabetes is a “condition in which too much glucose (sugar) stays in the blood instead of being used for energy.” (ACOG). This can cause your blood sugar to become too high which can create some health problems for you and baby. The American Diabetes Association shares that it is unclear what causes gestational diabetes, but “we do know that the placenta’s hormones, which support the baby’s growth, can sometimes block the mother’s insulin, leading to insulin resistance. This makes it harder for the body to use insulin effectively, requiring the mother to produce more. If the body can’t produce enough insulin during pregnancy, glucose remains in the blood, leading to high blood glucose (blood sugar)”. With gestational diabetes, it is important manage your blood sugar through diet and exercise and to observe what foods or drinks spike your blood sugar with a blood glucose monitor.
Why is it Important to Manage my Gestational Diabetes?
According to Lily Nichols, in her book Real Food for Gestational Diabetes (which is highly recommended for those who have GD), having elevated blood glucose can lead to these following problems (found in page 5 of her book):
- “Birth defects
- Large babies (also called macrosomia)
- Birth injury – Shoulders of large babies can dislocate or become stuck during vaginal delivery (also called should dystocia). This may lead to neurological damage to the infant or a medical emergency for the mom.
- Hypoglycemia – baby’s blood sugar is too low at birth
- Jaundice
- Higher rates of C-sections
- Higher risks of preeclampsia (pregnancy induced high blood pressure that poses a risk to mother and baby)
- Permanent changes to a child’s metabolism – Elevated blood sugar can “turn on: the genes that predispose your baby to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in their lifetime.”
- Can cause blood sugar problems in your baby’s life.
Even though this list may seem overwhelming and scary, the good news is that as you manage it with the help of your care provider, these risks will lessen, and baby will be unaffected.
What are Some Things I Can Do Now to Manage GD?
Please consult with your care provider first about what options here will fit your care plan.
- Talk with your provider on the best things you can do to manage GD in your personal care.
- Get the book, **Real Food for Gestational Diabetes ** by Lily Nicols. This book is amazing in educating you on what it is, what you can do, and provides recipes and meal plans to help you navigate what you eat and drink for you and baby.
- Get a blood glucose monitoring kit to help you monitor what foods spike your blood sugar, and check that your glucose levels aren’t too low either.
- Limit/avoid certain carbohydrates, for they are known to raise your blood glucose levels. This is where it is important to consult your provider about your diet. Lily Nichols has great suggestions in her book (Chapter 3, pg.23-39) of what carbohydrates to eat, limit, or avoid altogether. Nichols does recommend limiting or completely avoiding fast food as they are high in carbohydrates, but recommends non-starchy foods (bell peppers, celery, lettuce, mushrooms. onions, zucchini, and much more [ [pg.28-29]) as a source of healthy carbohydrates.
- Keep a food diary/Food & Blood Sugar Log. It can help you keeping track of what you eat, exercise, as you record your blood sugar levels an hour or two after your meal. This can help you notice patterns and manage your blood glucose levels effectively. (Example seen below).
- Supplement yourself continually with a prenatal vitamin, Vitamin D, Omega-3 (Fats and Fish Oils), probiotics, chia seeds, calcium, and magnesium to help normalize your blood sugar (pgs. 69-79).
- Get into an exercise routine. Exercise can play a major role in managing your blood sugar control. It can help reduce fasting blood sugar, post-meal blood sugar, increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce the need for medication and insulin. (pg. 87)
These are few of the many things you can get yourself started on as you continue on managing your GD. It is important to continually communicate with your care provider any concerns or questions you have. Remember to educate yourself as well, this will become a powerful tool in taking care of you and baby. We will link Nichols’ book and other great resources to help educate yourself, so that you can provide yourself with the best care possible and decrease the stress that comes with the diagnosis. The Utah Birth Place is always here to help and provide you and your baby support to stay happy and healthy as you navigate GD.
Resources:
- Real Food for Gestational Diabetes: An Effective Alternative to the Conventional Nutrition Approach
- Gestational Diabetes Nutrition: All the Best Advice for Diet, Prevention, and Management with Leslee Flannery, Registered Dietician
- Gestational Diabetes: What to Know
- Gestational Diabetes-Causes & Treatment | ADA
- Gestational Diabetes
- Correcting Social Media Misinformation on Gestational Diabetes!
