Important to diabetics who want baby
A woman with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes can have a healthy pregnancy, because of advances in diabetes research and knowledge gained.
Still high blood-glucose can be harmful to both for mother and her unborn baby. Even before become pregnant, you should maintain it close to the normal range. Keeping blood-glucose as required before and during pregnancy, helps protect both mother and baby.
Insulin needs may change when pregnant, doctor may advise you to take more insulin and check blood-glucose more often. If you take diabetes pills, you will take insulin instead.
Women with diabetic pregnancy should need to have some extra.
- effort and commitment
- care on blood-sugar control
- knowledge on all areas of diabetes management
- Plan financial needs to meet laboratory tests and hospitalization if necessary.
Diabetes tips - before and during pregnancy.
- Work with your health care team to get your blood-glucose as close to the normal range as possible even prior to pregnancy.
- See a doctor, who has experience in taking care of pregnant women with diabetes.
- Have your eyes and kidneys checked, because pregnancy can make it worse.
- Do not smoke, drink alcohol, or use harmful drugs.
- Follow the meal plan you get from your dietitian or diabetes educator to make sure you and your unborn baby have a healthy diet.
If you are already pregnant, see your doctor right away. It is not too late to bring your blood-glucose close to normal so that you will stay healthy during the rest of your pregnancy.
Some risks of diabetes pregnancy
- Miscarriages - poorly controlled blood-sugar level or having severe complications are at some risk for miscarriage. Otherwise, the risk is no greater than that of the general population.
- Large Babies – chances may increase by high maternal blood-glucose level, makes the delivery more difficult, and needs to perform caesarean. This effect can be reduced by maintain blood-sugar levels near normal.
- Polyhydramnios - too many amounts of amniotic fluid throughout pregnancy, it is a less common effect. It causes an overly distended belly, rarely may cause harmful consequences.
- Toxemia - increase in blood pressure with the presence of protein in the urine, and swelling of hands/feet. It is common complication of diabetic pregnancy, but with proper blood-sugar control, it is not common than in a non-diabetic pregnancy.
- Edema - Swelling is a commonly happens during pregnancy. Limiting salt intake can help to reduce this excessive accumulation of fluids.