Our Senior Moderator, Sara Owens, writes:
Pregnancy causes a natural increase in insulin resistance. For some women, this goes a bit further than it should, and your body needs some assistance to keep your blood sugars down to a safe range. When this happens after about 20 weeks of pregnancy, it is considered gestational diabetes, caused by the placenta, which is why most women do a glucose tolerance test, where you drink a set amount of a sugary solution and then have your blood checked, in the 24-28 week range. If you were diabetic, or borderline diabetic, before pregnancy, or if you have had GD in a previous pregnancy, your doctor may start you on a diabetic diet right away and/or may do glucose testing early to check for undiagnosed pregestational diabetes.
How is diabetes managed in pregnancy?
Typically, it is managed with a diet that balances carbohydrates with proteins and fats, in order to keep your blood sugar at a consistent, acceptable level. Exercise may be recommended as well. Some women will take Metformin (a pill), and some will take insulin at various points in their day.
Do I need to eliminate ALL carbs?
How often should I test?
How long after a meal should I test?
What about snacks and beverages?
My doctor wants me to take insulin. Does it hurt? Is it difficult to inject yourself?
What do I eat?
What numbers are good numbers? Is there a number that would be considered emergency level?
Will my diabetes affect baby?
Will I need extra testing because of diabetes?
Will I need to delivery early because of diabetes?
Will I need a c-section?
What should I expect for baby after birth since I had diabetes?
Will I end up with diabetes for life if I had GD?
Does GD increase my risk for preeclampsia?
If you've had diabetes of any type in pregnancy, feel free to share about your experience and management in this thread!