One of the planet’s leading causes of disability and death, diabetes is when your blood sugar level becomes too high. This occurs if your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or if it can’t use the insulin that’s already there to break down sugars that are in your blood. In either case, the sugar levels remain high and over time cause widespread damage in their wake: pain, exhaustion, blindness and even limb amputation. During pregnancy, hormonal changes occur in the body which can have an impact on cells’ ability to respond to insulin properly. As a result, blood sugar levels rise and can cause gestational diabetes.
A lot of women develop gestational diabetes during the first and second trimesters of their pregnancy. Gestational diabetes may be controlled by seeing a dietician and following a diet to control glucose levels. Gestational diabetes can lead to complications for both the mother and her baby if not properly taken care of. For example, the baby could develop respiratory difficulties from excess glucose in its system or it could be born having too high blood glucose levels because of the mom’s gestational diabetes.
1. The simple sugars contained in foods like cakes, cookies, and candy bars should be avoided.
2. Eating healthy snacks, such as raisins, fruits and carrot sticks can not only give you nutrition but make you less likely to crave items that are bad for you.
3. Limit the intake of carbohydrates in the body and it is better to take whole grains. For instance, substituting flour with whole-grain flours would make an impact in your diet.
4. Walking is the best way to stay active during pregnancy as long as you’re feeling healthy and comfortable doing it. It’s also safe to do other exercises (as long as they are approved by your doctor) depending on how you feel at any given time, but be careful not to overdo anything so that you don’t harm baby or yourself.
When one suffers gestational diabetes during pregnancy, it’s because their pancreas is not producing enough insulin when they require it most. If a woman has had gestational diabetes in the past, this is an indicator that she may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later on in life and thus gestational diabetes becomes a huge risk factor for the offspring of these women. Women who have had gestational diabetes may also be at a higher risk of developing dangerous conditions such as hypertension and preeclampsia.
Rinki Rawat is providing information in the article about gestational diabetes and pregnancy. If you want to learn more information on women’s health, then visit our onlymyhealth care website.
