Most pregnant women experience high blood glucose levels and in about 4% of cases these levels are so high that they deserve a diagnosis of gestational diabetes. If you experience this form of diabetes, don't be afraid - you can considerably reduce the risk of complications, as long as you are under medical treatment, including insulin injections, which are needed in some women. With careful monitoring and constant commitment, however, other women are able to manage gestational diabetes without resorting to insulin or other medicines. If you want to try and your doctor approves, start reading the following instructions to help keep your blood sugar level stable.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Obtaining the Necessary Assistance
Step 1. Talk to your doctor
When gestational diabetes is diagnosed, you need to talk to your doctor about the choices to make. If you intend to try to manage blood sugar without taking drugs, say so. The doctor will be able to explain to you if there are any risks in your case and, if you are reassured, how to increase the chances of success.
Step 2. Meet a nutritionist
The most important factor in the management of gestational diabetes is diet. Planning meals and snacks with the right nutritional intake, so as not to push blood sugar levels too high, can seem complicated and unnerving at first. A nutritionist can give you the information you need, helping you design a nutrition plan that fits your situation.
If you have health insurance, see if it covers the nutritionist's expenses. There are conventions by which pregnant women with gestational diabetes can add these medical treatments. If you don't have health insurance, ask your doctor (or do an online search) about nutrition courses for women with gestational diabetes. Hospitals, clinics and centers offer these courses that provide advice and guidance from nutritionists - and they are often free or inexpensive
Step 3. Talk to your partner or someone you trust
Gestational diabetes can be stressful, frightening, and frustrating. In addition to the guidance of your doctor and nutritionist, you will need emotional support from those who love you - whether you want to share your most serious pregnancy concerns or feel the need to complain about a lack of sweet foods.. This support will help you cope with the necessary changes in your health.
Step 4. Use the internet to your advantage
There is a multitude of information and help available online: message boards, support groups, nutritional programs, recipe suggestions and much more, all aimed at women who have gestational diabetes problems. A few simple searches will give you the answers you are looking for to the most pressing questions and put you in contact with those who have had similar experiences.
The internet can be a wonderful tool for gathering information, but never use it as a substitute for doctor's advice. And don't give any further: spending all day clicking on links, reading terrifying stories, is very likely to feed your anxiety instead of making you feel better
Part 2 of 4: Changing the Diet
Step 1. Eat regularly
Most doctors and nutritionists recommend eating five to six times a day at regular intervals. You can divide these meals into three main ones and two or three large snacks. Don't skip them and don't wait too long before eating, or your blood sugar level could drop significantly.
Step 2. Aim for balanced meals and snacks
In general, it is easier to control blood sugar if you eat with a moderate amount of fat and protein and if you consume well-balanced portions of carbohydrates. If you have gestational diabetes, you need to balance every single meal and snack. If you've been too loaded on carbohydrates (even healthy ones, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains), your blood sugar could spike.
Step 3. Choose your carbohydrates carefully
They should make up less than 50% of your daily calorie intake and it is advisable to consume them carefully, as some are much more "sugary" than others (and therefore prone to pushing sugar levels too high). For best results:
- Eat lots of products. Vegetables are low in sugar but are extremely rich in nutrients, so eat 3-5 servings a day. Fruit and fruit juices raise blood sugar levels a little more, but they are important for your health and the development of the fetus, so consume 2-4 servings a day, pairing each with a meal or snack.
- Consume small portions of starchy grains, beans, and vegetables. These foods can raise blood sugar levels, so choose them carefully for maximum nutritional impact: bread and brown rice instead of bread and white rice and servings of beans, legumes and potatoes instead of crackers and chips. You can eat about six meals a day, but be careful about distributing the fruit to reduce its effects on blood glucose levels.
Step 4. Include low-fat or completely fat-free products in your diet
Dairy products contain protein and calcium, which are essential for a healthy pregnancy, so make sure you include about four servings of milk, yogurt or cheese in your diet. Since these foods contain natural sugars, try not to eat more than one portion within a given meal and not to choose those with added sugars (such as flavored and sweetened yogurt with the use of different types of sugars).
Step 5. Get enough protein
Generally speaking, protein doesn't raise sugar levels like carbohydrates and dairy products do, so eat at least three servings of high-protein foods, such as red meat, white meat, fish, and eggs.
To make the protein portions as healthy as possible, be sure to cut the fat off the meat and avoid frying - baking, broiling, or spit-roasting is fine
Step 6. Choose healthy fats
Saturated fats are not suitable for you and your baby, but unsaturated fats (such as olive, canola, sunflower, avocado, walnut, and flaxseed) are important for health and have a low impact. on blood sugar levels. Get small amounts of these fats during a few meals or snacks.
Step 7. Avoid sweets and other foods with added sugar
They are very dangerous for women with gestational diabetes. Theoretically, cakes, biscuits and sweets with a high sugar content should be completely eliminated. It is advisable to limit the consumption of foods prepared with added sugars, such as ketchup, barbecue sauce, and other salad dressings.
- If you buy a package of prepared foods, in a jar or box, read the nutritional value label. Many ready-to-eat foods and snacks have a surprisingly high amount of added sugars. For example, it is underestimated that sauces purchased are "sugary" foods (and they are not, when made at home), but many brands work by adding sugar to their products. Read the labels carefully so that you are sure not to consume foods with high sugar content and, at the same time, also check the ingredients that may be "sugary" under another name, such as corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, malt syrup, molasses and sucrose.
- This part of the diet is often the most difficult for women with gestational diabetes to adhere to, especially those who indulge in the craving for sweets during pregnancy. If you too are fighting against this need, you could try adding small amounts of low-sugar or even sugar-free foods to relieve yourself a little. You can find them at many supermarkets.
Step 8. Stay hydrated
Try to drink eight glasses of water a day, but avoid drinks with added sugar or sweeteners.
Step 9. Keep a detailed journal of the foods and drinks you consume each day
In conjunction with continual blood glucose monitoring, these notes will help you pinpoint any problems and keep your blood sugar as stable as possible.
Part 3 of 4: Increase Physical Activity
Step 1. Talk to your doctor about the physical exercise to follow
Regular physical activity can help stabilize the blood sugar level without taking drugs, but talk to your doctor first. Many pregnant women run particular risks or may have health problems that limit physical activity and affect the type of training.
Step 2. Walk more
With your doctor's consent, you can start doing brisk laps on a regular basis. Walking is the simplest form of exercise to include in your day: you can do it anywhere and you don't need to equip yourself in a special way.
Step 3. Consider other exercises as well
Jogging, swimming, yoga, and other activities suitable for pregnant women can be a great way to keep your blood sugar in check.
Step 4. Get help from friends and relatives
When you feel tired, uncomfortable and stressed (all very common during pregnancy), regular physical activity can be difficult. Having someone to keep you company can make these moments more fun. Plan walks or exercises to do with a friend, a relative or your partner: it can be an opportunity to catch up with someone and chat and, maybe, every time you won't be looking forward to it.
Part 4 of 4: Monitor Your Blood Glucose Levels
Step 1. Check your blood sugar level regularly
Your doctor can give you specific recommendations, but in general it is preferable for women with gestational diabetes to monitor these levels in the morning and again an hour or two after meals, seeing if they are within the values recommended by doctors or nutritionists.
Most women with these problems test their blood sugar levels by pricking a finger with a fine needle and placing a drop of blood on a test strip, which is used with a special device that detects the sugar levels in the blood.. Your doctor or nutritionist can tell you how
Step 2. Note the results carefully
It is advisable to write down the blood glucose values you find next to your diary notes. By doing this, you will be able to understand if certain foods are the cause of any spikes in blood sugar levels.
Step 3. Show your notes to the doctor
Introduce them to your doctor every time you have a follow-up appointment and ask them if and how you are behaving. He might give you some helpful tips on this.
Advice
- Talk to your mate, friends, and co-workers about gestational diabetes. They may be able to help you, giving you tips on cooking or keeping you company while you work out, and at the very least, they will be less likely to offer you sweets, cookies, or other treats that you are trying to eliminate.
- If you get it wrong, eat something you shouldn't have or miss a blood glucose test, don't think it's all lost. Write it down in your journal and get back to your healthy habits as soon as possible. Whatever damage it may be, it is not necessarily irreparable.
- If your blood sugar levels remain too high or unstable, despite having followed the instructions and recommendations of your doctor and nutritionist, you may need to take insulin. Don't consider it a failure. You have done your best to manage gestational diabetes without medication and now you must do whatever your doctor thinks is best to ensure you and your baby are in good health.
- Remember that having gestational diabetes does not mean that your baby will have diabetes. It also does not mean that you will continue to have diabetes after giving birth, although there is a risk of developing it in the future. Maintain an ideal weight, a healthy diet, and regular exercise to reduce this risk.
