Current researches show that about seven percent of pregnant women exhibit signs of diabetes during the second trimester. Excessive increase in body weight during pregnancy is the main cause of GDM or gestational diabetes mellitus, in some cases leading to diabetes in the mother after delivery, posing complications during subsequent pregnancies. Since the baby is more likely to be bigger, it has to be delivered by a caesarean section. The baby is also susceptible to type II diabetes or to obesity later on in life. Thus, the need to know how to avoid diabetes during pregnancy does exist.
A baby gets its nourishment in the form of glucose via the placenta. At the same time, the placenta also produces hormones that are essential to the baby’s growth. These hormones prevent the sugar in the mother’s system from being processed, hence leading to an accumulation of sugar in the mother’s blood, resulting in diabetes.
As a result of GDM, the mother’s system is unable to break down the glucose or sugar, resulting in increase in sugar levels in her blood, which if not treated, could be harmful for both the mother and child.
Knowing how to prevent diabetes during pregnancy is very essential to both the mother and the baby’s health. A regimen of a healthy diet low in sugar, but rich in proteins, safe and proper exercise, and good sleep are advisable to those who want to know how to avoid diabetes during pregnancy. Women diagnosed with preeclampsia or PIH (pregnancy induced hyper tension) have excessive quantity of protein in their urine, frequent swelling, and high blood pressure. The risk factors are more for women during their first pregnancy, in teenagers or women older than 40, women who have multiple foetuses, women who have a family history of diabetes, and those who have kidney problems or very high blood pressure. Your doctor and nutritionist can also help you know how to avoid diabetes during pregnancy.
A close watch on the mother’s sugar levels, customized healthy diet, and daily doses of insulin can control diabetes during pregnancy. Such medications are normally administered with great discrimination as they could affect the baby too. Regular medical supervision, a strict and close watch on one’s calorie intake, supplemented with a healthy diet and periodic tests to determine blood sugar levels are a must. Adhering to a proper exercise routine determined by an expert also helps in avoiding diabetes during pregnancy.
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