Among pregnant women with diabetes, the most common problems when it comes to their baby's health is a condition called macrosomia or having a baby with a large body. This is because the blood of mothers with diabetes are exchanged with the babies in the womb. As a result, the infant will produce insulin to glucose and this will cause the baby's body larger than usual.
For a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, it is ideal to maintain an appropriate weight, eat more fruit and vegetables and limit consumption of high fat foods.
Here are some guidelines that can help diabetic pregnant women to achieve a healthy pregnancy:
- Follow the appropriate diet plan. More than ever, pregnant women should pay attention to what they eat and their eating habits in general. It is very important because the stage-pregnancy itself-requires strict control of blood glucose levels to ensure that both mother and baby get the right amount of key nutrients needed.
In comes with a proper diet plan, it is best to seek assistance from diabetes educator or dietitian licensed to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate the needs not only of the fetus in the womb but also mothers. In your meal plan, pay attention to calories, carbohydrates and protein needs every day because this will help you maintain normal blood glucose levels.
- Regular Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose or SMBG. Experts say that the only way to know whether women succeed in controlling his blood glucose is to monitor their own level on a regular basis. Since pregnancy is a sensitive condition, soon became a mother should monitor their blood glucose levels more frequently. Ideally, SMBG should be monitored four to 10 times a day.
- Knowledge in managing and adjusting the dosage of insulin injections based on the results of SMBG. adequate supply of insulin is very important for pregnant women so they must know how to manage their own insulin injections in case no one when they need it. They also must request from their doctor how to adjust insulin doses after they are through with these SBMG. Knowing how to adjust insulin dosage needed is very important to ensure that the body's insulin supply is stable.
- Treat or control the hypoglycemia. Pregnant women with diabetes are more susceptible to hypoglycemia due to hormonal changes in their bodies. Although research shows that there is no knowing the effects of hypoglycemia in infants, it is best to control or treat as soon as possible so soon become mothers will not experience problems during conception.
- Maintaining a routine set of sport or physical activity. It is also very important for pregnant women with diabetes because through them can reduce the risk of hypoglycemia as well as being overweight. Because it is difficult for pregnant women to perform strenuous exercise, it is best to maintain the hobby has a mild exercises which will make the body move.