When you digest the foods you eat, most break down into a simple sugar called glucose, which is your body’s main source of energy. This fuels the body with the help of insulin (produced by the pancreas).
However if you do not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not respond effectively to it, glucose will then be kept in your blood stream instead of being utilized by the cells and converted into energy.
Hormones in pregnancy can reduce the effectiveness of insulin, causing your body to need to make more. This may result in your body not keeping up with the production needed, resulting in high sugar levels. That’s when gestational diabetes happens.
Best Practice for Managing GD
Following the right diet and exercising is vital if you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Your doctor should refer you to a diabetes specialist as well as a dietician. These two professionals will help you learn how to maintain your GD.
There are 3 main components to successfully maintain your GD:
- Monitor blood glucose levels daily at recommended times
- Healthy eating plans
- Daily exercise/physical activities
Most cases of gestational diabetes are managed with diet and exercise alone, although some severe cases require medication or insulin injections.
Monitoring
To test your BGL (blood glucose level) you will be given a machine, which looks like a pen that will “prick” your finger and draw a few drops of blood onto a test strip.
This test strip is then inserted in to a BGL monitor to test your levels. Measurements are generally taken as soon as you wake and then 2 hours after each meal.
Diet
When you visit your nutritionist they will help you draw up a plan of foods you should eat and foods to avoid. Some key points to remember when planning your diet are to:
- Include fiber rich foods – e.g. wholegrains, oats, beans etc.
- Choose low GI rice – basmati or brown
- Eat small amounts often or healthy snacks between main meals
- Include a complex carbohydrate in every meal – e.g. sweet potato, legumes, yogurt
- Limit unhealthy fats – no fast foods or processed foods, pick lean meats
- Include 2-3 serves of protein daily – e.g. lean meat, eggs, low fat cheese
- Add calcium and iron rich foods – e.g. milk, cheese, red meat
- Avoid starch – e.g potatoes (in moderation), white rice, corn
- Eliminate sugary foods – e.g. baked goods, soft drinks, white/raw sugar
- Use alternative sugars – e.g. Equal, Stevia, Natvia
Exercise
Physical activity has a key role in managing gestational diabetes as it helps to reduce insulin resistance. Daily walking is a good way to not only moderate pregnancy weight gain but to help manage your BGL.
There are various other types of physical activity that you can pursue, although it is recommended to ask your doctor or midwife if you are thinking of doing anything strenuous like lifting weights or high intensity workouts. Never over-exert yourself and always stay hydrated.
After Care
After pregnancy most women with gestational diabetes find it disappears. Six weeks after giving birth you will be required to take another OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) to ensure that your levels have returned to normal.
Your doctor will suggest that you have tests every 1-2 years as you have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. In future pregnancies you will be tested at around 16-18 weeks as there is a high chance of having gestational diabetes again. If your levels are slightly elevated you will be retested at 24 weeks.
To reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future try to maintain the healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown eating healthy and doing regular exercise can reduce your future risk by up to 58%.
