Diabetes in Pregnancy: How to manage it
Diabetes is a disease where your body is not able to properly control the amount of sugar in the blood as it doesn’t have enough insulin. It is the most common medical complication during pregnancy that represents 3.3% or all live births. Diabetes can create a lot of problems during pregnancy for women and their developing babies. If diabetes is not controlled properly, it can increase the chances of birth defects and also other problems during pregnancy. There are also chances of serious complications for the woman who has diabetes. Before and during pregnancy, if proper care is taken it can help prevent birth defects and also other health problems.
Causes and symptoms of Diabetes
There are basically two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where one is required to take daily use of insulin. The common symptoms of Type 1 include increased thirst and urination, weight loss, constant hunger, extreme fatigue and blurred vision. This is often diagnosed in childhood and in young adults.
Type 2 diabetes – In this type of diabetes, the body makes too little insulin or cannot use the insulin to use blood sugar for energy. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include kidney or bladder infections that heal slowly, constant hunger and fatigue and increased urination and thirst. This form of diabetes is associated with older age, family history, obesity, physical inactivity and can be more seen in certain ethnic groups. Type 2 diabetes can be sometimes controlled through taking a proper diet and exercising regularly. Many people who suffer from type 2 diabetes have to take diabetes pills, insulin or both.
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that is diagnosed or developed during pregnancy. Like the other forms of diabetes, it involves high blood sugar levels. Women who have gestational diabetes generally do not have any symptoms or are mild, non-life threatening symptoms.
Diabetes in Pregnancy
Although you may have taken good care of yourself, when you get pregnant, it’s the time that you have to take care of yourself even more. It is more important for your health and your baby’s health that the blood sugars are kept stable.
When fasting, that is before meals the ideal blood sugar should be 4.0-5.5 mmol/L and less than 7.0 mmol/L two after the meal.
There are chances of some complications of diabetes like kidney disease and eye disease while you are pregnant There is also the risk of you developing pre-eclampsia, in which the blood pressure of yours rises and that lead to problems for the baby. Babies that are born to women with diabetes face the risk of being larger than average, or with a certain birth defect. There also chances of babies born prematurely or even stillborn. These risks can however, be reduced if the blood sugars are under good control.
How to manage diabetes in Pregnancy
• Finding the right treatment: Whether you are pregnant, or trying to conceive, finding the right treatment during pregnancy is important to the health of both your baby and you. You need to contact your doctor regularly so that he helps you manage your blood glucose levels and there is regular monitoring of your health and your baby. Women who suffer from Type 1 diabetes should ask the doctors about a thyroid test, a kidney function test and also an eye exam so that the other conditions can worsen.
• Try losing weight: To ensure a healthy pregnancy, see that you maintain a normal weight. In case your pregnancy was unplanned, there is no need to panic. You can start the weight loss programme if you are overweight the day you come to know that you are pregnant. You can avoid excessive added sugars, processed foods and stick to primarily plant based diet.
• Maintain a healthy meal plan: You need to develop a healthy meal plan for yourselves. Proper nutrition can help you control your blood sugar both before pregnancy and after pregnancy
• Talk about medications to the doctor. You need to tell your doctor about the medications that you are taking for diabetes or if you have any other health conditions so that you take whatever is safe during your pregnancy.
Every year, thousands of women are able to successfully navigate diabetes in pregnancy and that too with favourable results. During pregnancy, extreme care should be taken to manage the glucose levels, prioritize good nutrition and exercise and also visit the doctor regularly. Managing diabetes during pregnancy with the help of the doctor is important for your health and the health of the baby.
Why Ravi hospital is the best for treatment of Diabetes
If you are looking for treatment for Diabetes in KPHB, Hyderabad, then Dr. Ravi’s hospital in Kukatpally is the Best Hospital for Diabetes and Multispecialty Hospital in KPHB Colony, Kukatpally.
Though Diabetes is known as a common disease now, we understand that every individual comes with a unique problem and we take care of and treat them accordingly. Our specialists in the hospital are quite up to date with the latest techniques and medical approaches.
The hospital is also equipped with some of the best facilities and infrastructure to handle all kinds of serious illnesses. We have an excellent team of experienced and trained specialists who help manage all types of diabetes effectively. We are also open 24/7 for emergency or critical care.
