Garbh Sanskar: Garbh Sanskar: Gestational Diabetes And Pregnancy : This Is My 100th Blog On Pregnancy

Glucose is the primary fuel for your baby's development in the womb, and your blood sugar levels during pregnancy can have a significant impact on the health of your baby at birth and into adulthood.

What is gestational diabetes?: Gestational diabetes is the development of diabetes during pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes is a measure of glucose intolerance detected in a woman for the first time during pregnancy (as opposed to pre-existing diabetes). Basically, if your body is able to process glucose so that your blood glucose levels rise moderately and then return to normal levels reasonably soon, you have good glucose tolerance. On the other hand, if your blood glucose levels rise very high and have a tendency to stay high, then you have a glucose intolerance.

Women with gestational diabetes are likely to have bigger babies and bigger babies can lead to complications during birth. As gestational diabetes has been linked with an increase in the number of medical interventions during birth including forceps deliveries and emergency Caesareans.

If gestational diabetes goes untreated, the baby can experience a sudden and serious drop in blood glucose after birth, which may mean he or she needs special care. The good news is this problem usually doesn't occur if the mother's gestational diabetes has been diagnosed and treated.

There is now very strong evidence to suggest that babies exposed to high glucose levels while in utero are more likely to have higher levels of body fat and insulin resistance when they're born. This puts them at higher risk of developing obesity and related health problems as they grow up.

There is particular concern around the fact that women with raised blood glucose levels who fall short of a clinical diagnosis of gestational diabetes are tending to have birth complications at a higher rate than those who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes and get the appropriate treatment. Also, current research suggests that any increase above normal blood glucose levels can have a negative impact on a baby's long-term health. "Some women are aware of that but most women, unless they're diagnosed with gestational diabetes, are not.

"There is a lot you can do, for gestational diabetes "We do know that losing weight and exercising and eating the right diet even prior to conception can quite significantly reduce that risk of gestational diabetes."

DO EAT plenty of nutrient-dense foods. These include a rich variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables; wholegrains; legumes; lean proteins including poultry, fish, tofu and eggs; dairy or soy products, and nuts and seeds. Food that are nutrient-dense grainy breads, oats, barley, legumes, wheat and pasta.
DON'T EAT much in the way low-nutrient foods such as cakes, pastries and biscuits, lollies, chocolate, chips and other fatty salty snacks, or soft drinks . And avoid foods including white and non-grainy wholemeal breads, puffed and flaked breakfast cereals and cracker biscuits, and most types of rice and potatoes.

Design a meal plan to help keep blood sugar in your target range. This may involve:

limiting sweets and other carbohydrate-rich foods.
eating small meals and one to three snacks daily.
making sure that you get fiber with your meals in the form of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain cereals, crackers and breads.

Most women have no symptoms at all, although in rare cases, excessive thirst and increased urination may occur. However, when gestational diabetes develops, women are at increased risk of high blood pressure throughout the pregnancy as well as at increased risk of needing a cesarean section at delivery.

All women receiving prenatal care are tested for gestational diabetes between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy, although those at higher than average risk may be tested sooner.In some cases, high-risk women are tested as soon they learn they are pregnant. The test measures blood glucose (sugar) levels to make sure they fall in a normal range and aren’t elevated. This may be done after a four-to-eight hour fast and again after consuming a sweet drink. Alternatively, your blood glucose may be checked an hour after you drinking a sugary concoction. If your blood sugar is normal, you probably don’t have gestational diabetes. If it is high, you may be retested after fasting.

Hormones produced by the placenta to sustain pregnancy can make cells throughout the body more resistant to insulin. The placenta produces more and more of these hormones as pregnancy progresses making it harder for insulin to “unlock” cells so that glucose can enter. Gestational diabetes is most likely to develop during the last three months of pregnancy when hormone production by the placenta is at its highest.

Risk factors for gestational diabetes (besides being pregnant) include being overweight (the more overweight you are, the higher your risk), a family history of diabetes, your age (women over 25 have a higher risk), having had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy, having had a stillbirth or a very large baby with a previous pregnancy, or a history of abnormal glucose tolerance.

Recommend for gestational diabetes?

Dietary changes: Since being overweight can cause cells to become resistant to insulin, not gaining excessive weight during pregnancy can make a big difference. In addition, try to keep your blood sugar in a healthy range by eating small frequent meals. Learn about of carbohydrate foods and choose foods that are low on that scale. Mostly that means avoiding refined and processed carbohydrates.

Exercise: Regular physical activity is the single most important thing you can do to support a healthy pregnancy. Every pregnancy is unique, and there are stages of pregnancy when particular exercises will be especially helpful, and when some types should be avoided. Talk with your GYN about his or her recommendations and any restrictions.

Supplements: All pregnant women should be taking a prescribed pre-natal vitamin, and should also supplement with fish oil or another source of omega-3 fatty acids to help support the nervous system of their developing child.

Make better, simpler choices about carbohydrates, reduce consumption of processed and refined foods (such as snack foods, white bread, sweetened drinks, and sugary desserts). Eat fewer white potatoes, less bread, more whole grains and fewer products made with flour, more fruits (especially berries, cherries, apples, and pears) and fewer tropical ones, and more beans.

Take care of your unborn baby.

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these blogs is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention or cure of any disease. If you have any serious, acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained doctor/health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. If you are seeking the medical advice of a trained Ayurvedic expert, call us or e mail.

Dr Unnati Chavda
(Promoting pregnancy wellness)
www.ayurvedapanchkarma.in