Gestational Diabetes: What You Need to Know to Ease Your Mind and Help You Manage
Have questions about gestational diabetes? Read more to learn how you can manage without fear and learn what is best for you and your baby!
When you’re pregnant, it can be scary to hear that you’re at risk for or that you have gestational diabetes. But what does this mean? What should you do? We’ll unpack your next steps below.
What is gestational diabetes?
Basically, this means that the body has difficulty controlling blood sugar during pregnancy.
Traditionally, gestational diabetes is tested during weeks 24-28 of pregnancy. Your health care provider will likely measure your blood sugar using a test specifically designed to detect high blood sugar.
However, there are other ways to detect elevated blood sugar prior to the second trimester. You can ask your healthcare provider to check your Hgb A1c, which is a measure of your average blood sugar over a 3 month period. This may help determine if you are at risk of developing gestational diabetes.
You can also test your blood sugar at home with a glucometer. Now, I get it, pricking yourself does not sound like fun, but early detection of blood sugar control issues can help give you clues on how to manage your lifestyle to help prevent complications. Later in this article, we discuss some of the risk factors for gestational diabetes that might cause you to want to test.
Why does this happen?
Your body changes a lot during pregnancy. Some of these changes affect your body’s ability to manage blood sugar. This is partly due to an increase in certain hormones, an increase in insulin production as well as insulin resistance. For some people, their body’s are able to overcome these changes and blood sugars do not get out of hand. In others, these changes can lead to an increase in insulin resistance, meaning the body has difficulty allowing insulin to do its job. The sugar stays in your blood and cannot get into your cells, which increases your blood sugar.
Some people who develop gestational diabetes have a history of diabetes/gestational diabetes, but some do not. There are several risk factors and some include being overweight, having a history of PCOS, being over the age of 25, and having a family history of diabetes. However, these factors do not mean you will get gestational diabetes - they are statistics.
What does it mean for you and your baby?
This is not to scare or shame, but the truth is, if gestational diabetes is left untreated or poorly managed there are increased risks for you and your baby. Some of these risks include preterm birth, macrosomia, you and/or baby developing diabetes later in life and an increased risk of you developing preeclampsia.
The good news is that gestational diabetes is treatable and this diagnosis doesn’t mean these things will happen. Think of this diagnosis as a wakeup call. There may be some lifestyle changes you need to make, but I promise you they are worth it for you and your baby’s health.
What can I do to manage my blood sugar?
In short, what you eat and how much activity you get play a huge role. Prioritizing movement throughout the day can help your body manage your blood sugar. This could start off as a simple 15 minutes walk twice a day or some light stretching for 10 minutes. In addition to being a good tool to help manage blood sugar, incorporating workouts into your pregnancy can help reduce backaches, ease constipation and help with weight management after pregnancy .
Always make sure you are well hydrated and be sure to listen and honor your body when exercising during pregnancy. For ideas on which exercises to incorporate check out our Instagram and Youtube Channel!
Also, speaking with your healthcare provider about expectations and options is a great start. Your provider knows the most about your pregnancy. Which is why it is best to get advice from them as well as make them aware of the lifestyle changes you are going to make to help keep this under control.
Do I need to change my whole diet?
No, not necessarily. Your blood sugar is directly related to what you eat. This means that eating certain foods and food combinations can help manage gestational diabetes. This does not mean you have to completely change your entire routine.
Education on nutrition and diabetes can be very detailed - whole books are written on this single subject. Start with the general guidelines and learn what your body can handle. Using a glucometer or a continuous glucose monitor can help teach you how your body handles certain foods.
But do I have to give up bread, pasta and dessert?
Nope! Think of it as changing some food combinations and paying attention to portion sizes.
For simplicity, carbohydrates in general are not bad, they help provide your body with energy, and some even have fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals.
Foods that are considered carbohydrates include grains, pasta, breads, sugary foods, starchy vegetables, fruits, legumes and some dairy foods. I’m going to say this again, carbohydrates are white bread and cake, carbohydrates are also veggies like broccoli and kale. The difference is the amount of starch or sugar they contain.
Non-starchy vegetables contain carbohydrates as well, but in smaller amounts than the starchy ones. A few vegetables higher in starch to keep in mind are sweet and white potatoes, corn, butternut squash, beans (such as chickpeas and black beans) and carrots.
How should I plan my meals?
The American Diabetes Association suggests making half of your plate filled with non-starchy vegetables! These foods will have less of an effect on your blood sugar, will help keep you full and are full of nutrients! Think broccoli, salad greens, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers - there are so many.
Next, you can make one fourth of your plate starchy carbs, such as whole grains, fruit or starchy veggies (these include beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, green peas, winter squash, carrots, mangos, grapes and apples). These foods are high in fiber and nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium, but will have a more significant impact on your blood sugar. For visual help, these should make up ¼ of your plate. Look below for a visual representation
Finally, enjoy your treats in moderation. Enjoy them, but respect them. It’s okay to have desserts, pasta, white rice, sugary cereal, but pay attention to the serving size and what carbohydrates you have already had in that meal and in your day. These foods will alter your blood sugar but that doesn’t mean that you can never enjoy them! It is important to prioritize your nutrition with gestational diabetes so keeping a close watch on your carb consumption while maximizing your nutrients is important!
One more thing! Pairing high carbohydrate foods with fat and protein can help slow the rise in blood sugar. Think apples with peanut butter or crackers and cheese or oatmeal with collagen powder (I swear collagen powder is tasteless!). Try to stay away from naked carbs (eating sugary/starchy foods by themselves) but rather balance them with fat and protein. This will also make your snack or meal more filling and satisfying!
Ok, that should help you get started. :)
You got this!
Gestational diabetes can sound scary, but with the right attention to your diet and movement, you can control it! Check out our subscription options for access to meal plans and recipes tailored to gestational diabetes. We can help you manage your nutrition during pregnancy! You and your baby belong here.
Resources:
Exercise during pregnancy. ACOG. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/exercise-during-pregnancy. Accessed May 26, 2022.
Gestational diabetes and pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/diabetes-gestational.html. Published July 14, 2020. Accessed May 26, 2022.
Get smart on Carbs. Get Smart On Carbs | ADA. https://www.diabetes.org/nutrition/understanding-carbs. Accessed May 26, 2022.
Glucose screening tests during pregnancy: Medlineplus medical encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007562.htm. Accessed May 26, 2022.