When your Blood Sugar is Too Low
In a perfect diabetic world, you take your insulin, eat your meals and exercise and your blood glucose levels remain stable. But things happen, you take your insulin late, you eat a light meal and then spend all afternoon running errands. This is a recipe for hypoglycemia – a condition when your blood glucose levels fall dangerously low.
Hypoglycemia isn’t so much a hazard for the baby but it is for a mom with gestational diabetes. The best way to prevent this from occurring is to recognize the signs and how you feel once your blood sugar is getting low and to carry emergency supplies with you at all times.
A few of the symptoms of low blood sugar include feeling:
* Hungry
* Nauseous
* Light-headed
* Faint
In the case of any of these symptoms, you should test your blood sugar immediately and have something to eat. The best choice is a glass of juice or different food item that is considered fast-acting such as a piece of fruit or a piece of candy. Carry something with you at all times and a regular snack too. If you are out and need to eat (say you are stuck in your car during a traffic jam) it is crucial to have food with you.
Other precautions that you should take whilst you’ve gestational diabetes include carrying a card or different item that identifies you have diabetes and what type of insulin you’re taking. The worse case scenario is you fainting and the people who come to assist you need to know that you are diabetic. Make certain people at work and your family members are aware of your condition and know what warning signs to look for if you need help and when to bring your some juice or something else to eat.
What Causes Gestational Diabetes?
The exact cause or causes of what causes gestational diabetes are not known. But there are risk factors that can increase the chances of getting it. As with any disease, risk factors are not a guarantee that you will contract the disease they just make the likelihood of getting it higher. Some of the risk factors you will have control over and some you do not.
A family history of diabetes will increase the chances of developing gestational diabetes in pregnancy. The closer the relative is to you (first generation like a parent) means the risk is increased. If your family suffers from diabetes, your own pancreas may not be able to produce the amount of insulin necessary while pregnant. This deficit combined with the hormones released by the placenta can lead to diabetes in pregnancy.
Women who are overweight and are clinically considered obese run a higher risk of being diagnosed. The excess wait puts a strain on your body, including your pancreas, and makes it hard for enough insulin to be produced and used by your body effectively.
If you have had a previous baby with a higher than average birth weight, you are considered at risk for your next pregnancy of getting gestational diabetes. It could have been possible that you had it in your first pregnancy and it went undiagnosed. Babies born from moms with diabetes in pregnancy tend to be larger unless her blood sugars are strictly managed. Or if you had diabetes in your first pregnancy, chances are very high that you will get it again.
Since there is still no known cause a woman may have all of these factors or none and still get diabetes. It is best to attend all of your prenatal appointments with your doctor so he can be on the look out for any signs that you may have gestational diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes – What Happens after the Baby is Born
The light at the end of the tunnel with gestational diabetes is that the condition is only present when you are pregnant. In almost all cases once your baby is born your pancreas will continue to produce enough insulin for your and your body will process it properly.
In the rare case where it does not, it is likely that you were diabetic prior to becoming pregnant and the diagnosis did not happen until the routine screening for pregnant women. In either case, your doctor will have you continue to monitor your blood glucose levels after the birth of your baby. At a minimum you should test for two days afterwards but your doctor may request that you test for a period of up to two weeks.
During this time you will not be taking insulin. Your doctor is going to want to see how your body is processing your food without the help of additional insulin. It is recommended to continue with the diabetic diet going forward, it is a healthy way to eat and if you are breastfeeding it will ensure that you and your baby are getting the nutrients you need.
Another reason to continue with the diabetic lifestyle even after it is determined that you no longer have gestational diabetes is to prevent getting type 2 diabetes. You are at an increased risk of becoming insulin resistant (also known as type 2 diabetes) once you have had gestational diabetes. Continue to eat the foods you would have while pregnant and watch your portion sizes. After your doctor gives the okay, resume a routine of physical activity even taking your baby for a walk in the stroller.
You will probably feel a sense of relief once your doctor pronounces you diabetes free and you can concentrate on enjoying your new baby.
Pre-Diabetes
The onset of type 1 diabetes is rapid and once it is diagnosed there are no grey areas – you have diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, with close monitoring of people who are at high- risk it is possible to diagnose a condition known as pre-diabetes. What this means is the person’s blood sugars are higher than they should be but are not considered high enough to warrant a diagnosis of diabetes.
When a person is diagnosed with pre-diabetes there is no set period of time that they have until they are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. With careful monitoring, a healthy eating plan and physical exercise the onset of diabetes can be delayed for months, years, or even forever.
Once a doctor determines that a patient is pre-diabetic an annual blood test will be ordered to ensure blood glucose levels are remaining at a healthy level. The doctor will probably request that a monitor is purchased and blood sugars are monitored on a semi-regular basis at home too.
There are many risk factors that are associated with pre-diabetes. They include:
* Being overweight or obese
* No physical activity
* Having had gestational diabetes
* If you are over the age of 45
* If members of your family have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
Having the above risk factors makes it more likely you will be diagnosed but it does not mean it will happen. If you know that you are at risk, take your health into your own hands and work to create a healthier lifestyle so you can prevent pre-diabetes and the onset of type 2 diabetes. If you have question on how to do this, speak with your doctor for suggestions. He or she will probably recommend starting an easy exercise routine to get you active and help you lose weight.
