Around weeks 24-28 of pregnancy, it’s possible to develop gestational diabetes. When you have this condition, your body can’t produce the insulin it needs, so you’re left with high blood sugar levels.
Gestational diabetes affects up to 10% of women during pregnancy, and it can occur even if you didn’t have diabetes before getting pregnant.
This condition also goes away after pregnancy, but it can raise your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life, and it also raises your child’s risk for diabetes.
Because November is National Diabetes Month, our team at Women’s Health Services in Arlington, Texas, wants to give you some tips on how to avoid both high blood sugar levels and developing gestational diabetes.
Researchers aren’t sure why some people get gestational diabetes and others don’t. However, they do know some factors that can put you at a higher risk for developing it. If you know and understand these risk factors, you might be able to lower that risk.
Some common risk factors for gestational diabetes are:
Being over age 24 and of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, or Native American descent can also heighten your likelihood of gestational diabetes.
A nutritious diet contains a large variety of foods that are able to fuel your body well. We recommend aiming to eat a mainly plant-based diet. This means plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with lean proteins and whole grains.
You may also need to take a supplement to make sure you’re getting all of the nutrients your body needs.
Swap out all of those sugary snacks such as cookies and ice cream for sweet alternatives such as raisins or other yummy fruits. You also want to scale back on consuming foods that contain large amounts of dairy, fat, or preservatives.
A good way to consume all of these nutritious foods is to eat them in three small meals along with two snacks at the same time every day.
Not only can exercise help to lower your blood sugar levels, but it can also tame other common pregnancy ailments, such as back aches and fatigue.
If you haven’t been very active before, aim to work up to 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise. This can include walking, running, biking, swimming or other similar activities.
If you’re a fairly active person already and you’re not sure if your exercise routine is appropriate for pregnancy, our team would love to talk with you about how to modify it to best fit your needs.
To learn more about how to lower your risk of gestational diabetes, reach out to our team with any questions you may have. Give us a call at 817-277-9415 or schedule an appointment by using our online booking tool today.
