“Pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes have an increased risk of preterm birth, induce childbirth, and even lose the baby due to overgrowth. However, these risks can be reduced by keeping your blood sugar properly monitored during pregnancy.
Pregnant women who control their blood sugar and do not have children over 4 kg can wait 38 weeks of gestation for spontaneous delivery to begin and may have a normal birth, if desired. However, if your baby is found to weigh more than 4 kg, your doctor may suggest a C-section or induction of delivery at 38 weeks.
- Gestational diabetes is characterized by carbohydrate intolerance that occurs for the first time during pregnancy.
- And there are more risks associated with it during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Risks of birth in gestational diabetes, which can occur in pregnant women, may include:
In addition, after delivery, the mother may also experience a delay in the onset of breastfeeding. Learn how to solve the most common breastfeeding problems.
Gestational diabetes can pose risks to the baby during pregnancy or even after delivery, such as:
In addition, children can develop obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
To reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, it is important to control blood sugar, monitor hair glucose daily, eat well and exercise, such as walking, aquagym or bodybuilding, approximately 3 times a week.
Some pregnant women may need to use insulin when diet and exercise are not enough to control blood sugar. The obstetrician, in collaboration with an endocrinologist, may prescribe daily injections.
Learn more about treating gestational diabetes
Watch the video below and find out how diet can reduce your risk of gestational diabetes:
Immediately after delivery, blood glucose should be measured every 2 to 4 hours to prevent hypoglycemia and ketoacidosis, which are common during this period. Blood sugar is normalized during the postpartum period, however, there is a risk that pregnant women will develop type 2 diabetes in about 10 years if they do not adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Before discharge from the hospital, the mother’s blood glucose should be measured to make sure it is already normalized. Oral antidiabetics are usually discontinued, but some women should continue taking these medications after delivery, after evaluation by a doctor, so as not to interfere with breast-feeding.
The glucose intolerance test should be done 6 to 8 weeks after delivery to check that your blood sugar stays normal. Breastfeeding should be encouraged because it is critical for the baby and because it contributes to postpartum weight loss, insulin regulation and the disappearance of gestational diabetes.
If blood glucose remains controlled after delivery, curing of C-section and episiotomy occurs in the same way as in women who do not have gestational diabetes; However, if the values do not return to normal, recovery may take longer.