Diabetes is a serious ailment at any age, but more so during pregnancy. However, it is one of the most common conditions faced by women at this stage. In diabetes the body is unable to control the sugar content that gets mixed up in blood. This happens because the body is unable to produce insulin which controls this sugar quantity.

Different types of diabetes

Diabetes is primarily of two types: type 1 and 2. Patients with the first variety have to take daily doses of insulin. The symptoms include frequent urination, thirst, continued hunger, blurred vision, weight loss, and severe fatigue. Children and adults are often diagnosed with this type and accounts for nearly 10% of the total number of diabetes cases in the US. The Type 2 accounts for nearly 95% of the number of cases in the US. The symptom of this variety are similar to Type 1, but is prevalent among people who are obese, aged, physical inactivity, family history of diabetes and certain ethnic groups.

How To Control Diabetes During Pregnancy?

Whether you have already conceived or are trying to diabetes try to control your sugar levels on an urgent basis.

• You will have to sit with your medical practitioner to work out the food chart which controls the glucose levels.
• Regular monitoring and care of the health of the mother and baby is essential at this stage.
• Your doctor will need to know all your medications to include only safe medications in pregnancy.
• You should seek the help of specialists only if you have a complicated pregnancy to avoid any kind of risk. A perinatologist is a good choice because they deal with risky pregnancies only. Alternatively, you can also look for endocrinologists who are specialists in treating with diabetes.
• If you have diabetes, then, it is even more important for you to be physically active during pregnancy.

How diabetes can affect the baby?

Diabetes can have pose serious health risks to the baby.

• Jaundice is the commonest disease that can happen to the baby. The eyes and skin gets a yellowish tinge.
• The child can also grow abnormally big, a condition known as macrosomia. This happens because excess insulin passes through the placenta to the child. Vaginal delivery becomes very difficult in such cases because the child can get injured in the birth process.
• The child may also get hypoglycemia due to high levels of insulin in the blood.

What else to keep in mind?

Women across the world have safe deliveries in spite of having diabetes. The trick is to keep the blood sugar level under control through drugs to take during pregnancy and exercise.

• Monitor the situation with your doctor and try to keep the blood sugar level low so that delivery is safe.
• Take care of your body after the birth to reach a healthy weight with proper diet and exercise.
• Speak to your pediatrician regarding what can help to improve the baby’s health.