For women who have diabetes, pregnancy presents some difficult challenges that must be dealt with early on. Not only do women need to be concerned about their own health; they must be concerned about the health of their baby as well. Fortunately, there are a variety of steps pregnant women can take to ensure that they have a pregnancy that is free of problems.
Consult different doctors
In addition to keeping regular appointments with an obstetrician, pregnant women with diabetes also need to keep regular appointments with a diabetes specialist (or endocrinologist) and one or two professionals who specialize in diabetic care, such as a health educator or a nutritionist. It is very important that diabetic women receive sufficient care while they are pregnant so that they can keep their diet on track.
In addition to seeing an obstetrician and nutritionist, pregnant women with diabetes should also consult with a few other types of specialists throughout their pregnancy.
- Eye specialist – it is important to visit an eye specialist regularly so that a close watch can be kept on any diabetes related damage that might occur to the blood vessels of the eye. This is a condition that is likely to occur during pregnancy, so do not neglect this aspect of care.
- Pediatrician – you may not have your baby yet, but it is still a good idea to go ahead and establish a relationship with someone that you feel would be the right choice to take care of your child after he is born.
Control your blood sugar
In order to prevent complications from developing while you are pregnant, you need to devote your energies to keeping your blood sugar under control. Do not underestimate the importance of this action, because controlling your blood sugar properly can help to prevent a host of problems.
- Decreases your risk of developing high blood pressure.
- Reduces the risk of excess growth with your baby – having too much glucose in your body can directly affect your baby. Once the excess glucose reaches the placenta, your baby’s pancreas will be triggered to produce additional insulin, which could cause him to grow too large. This can result in problems during childbirth.
- Reduces the risk of miscarriage or premature birth – keeping your blood sugar levels normalized greatly reduces your risk of going into labor prematurely or having a miscarriage.
- Reduces the likelihood of birth defects – your child will be much less likely to develop birth defects (particularly of the spine, heart, and brain) if you keep your blood sugar levels stabilized.
- Reduces the risk of complications for your baby – diabetic mothers frequently have babies that develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) sometime shortly after birth. This happens because the baby’s own insulin production is high as a result of having a diabetic mother. If you can keep your glucose levels controlled, there is a great possibility that your child will be born with a healthy blood sugar level.
By Marc Courtiol