Pregnancy Induced Diabetes......?!
Question: Hey, about 2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I don't have insulin at this time because I was not prescribed any. I was wondering if there are any problems that can result from this that can possibly hurt my unborn child... I was given a list of foods that I can eat, but as you all know a pregnant woman that has no prior health problems can tend to stray a little.... I don't see my doctor again until the 21st, Please advise
Answers: Hey, about 2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I don't have insulin at this time because I was not prescribed any. I was wondering if there are any problems that can result from this that can possibly hurt my unborn child... I was given a list of foods that I can eat, but as you all know a pregnant woman that has no prior health problems can tend to stray a little.... I don't see my doctor again until the 21st, Please advise
Gestational diabetes is a common condition affecting pregnant women. Basically, the presence on the baby increases the deman of insulin from mum and sometimes it can be that the pancreas just cant make enough insulin and so you have high sugar levels which are leaked out in the urine which was how you would have been initially diagnosed.
Depending on how far along in the pregnancy you are the risk to the baby can be high or low. The earlier you get it, the more chance of the baby having congenital problems. There's also a slightly increased chance you might miscarry, get high blood pressure. Also the sugar in your urine makes the chances of getting a urinary infection increased which can damage the baby.
It's also potentially risky to you as it will cause the same problems as normal diabetics such as kidney damage and damage to the retina, this is only if it is very severe and begun early in pregnancy.
Your doctor should be the person to be discussing all this with you, since i dont know your circumstances i am only talking generally and not telling you what will definitely happen to you and your baby ok!
You and baby should be closely monitored for your well-being and it may be that you will have to deliver the baby earlier than normal if the diabetes gets quite complicated.
Hope this helps in some way.
Sometimes when a mother has gestational diabetes she will have large babies that may be delivered earlier due to the size and have underdeveloped lungs. But as long as you are eating healthy and keeping your sugars level you should have a healthy baby!
Good Luck :)
Some people can control gestational diabetes with food control alone. If your doctor thought you needed insulin he/she would have prescribed it. There are a number of things that can occur if you don't follow the doctors orders. Overweight, unable to process sugar, ect. The doctor & his staff should have educated you better. Don't forget to ask the doc next time you go.
A woman with gestational diabetes does not need insulin or medications if she can control her diet. Yes, there are things that can result from it that can hurt your unborn child. That's the whole point of the diet you're on ... you won't be pregnant long enough for the diabetes to hurt you, it's your child they're worried about.
GD is usually diagnosed around 33 weeks ... if you have diabetes earlier than that, your baby can suffer from birth defects as a result of uncontrolled blood sugars. But before that time it usually means you have regular diabetes, not gestational. After 33 weeks there is still a chance of birth defects, but the most common result is that your baby gets too much sugar from you, and they end up being too large. This can cause them to dislocate their shoulder during birth, not to mention the increased pain to you. And it can cause them to be otherwise unhealthy at birth and at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes themselves. Some GD babies get diabetes from birth, just from the extra sugar from the mother.
You should not have been given just a list of foods to eat. You also need a diet plan with lower carbs and the carbs should be spaced out throughout the day.
What happens is at 30 + weeks your baby needs more sugar to develop correctly. So the placenta gives off a hormone that reduces the effectiveness of your insulin. So your pancreas (what makes the insulin) puts out more insulin ... pregnancy can make it work up to 3 times as hard as it would when you're not pregnant. Sometimes your pancreas can't keep up, and that's when you have gestational diabetes.
They don't just start throwing insulin at it, because your baby really does need some extra sugar. So when you space your carb intake throughout the day, your pancreas doesn't have to work so hard. Your baby gets the right amount of sugar. Giving insulin artificially is not an exact science. You will either short your baby sugar, or she'll still get too much. Both are bad.
So ... if you feel like you're going to "tend to stray a little" ... DON'T. I know it's hard, I went through it. You're pregnant, and you should be able to indulge. But you're one of those unlucky people who can't. Find a dietician who will work with you on a diet ... they should work things into your diet that you like to eat. You might feel hungry for the first week or so, but then you adjust and it's okay. And also if you can exercise, you can give yourself extra treats. I would go walking for 2 miles and then eat a Snickers bar ... you don't want to eat just any candy bar, the protein in the nuts help keep your blood sugar level from spiking.
Learn as much as you can about it ... and keep track of your blood sugar carefully. That way you can make sure your baby is healthy without depriving yourself of everything.