HOW TO PREVENT Gestational Diabetes

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Nutrition
Eating protein alongside carbohydrates helps to balance blood sugar levels. Women with gestational diabetes should try to eat lean, protein-rich foods, such as: fish, chicken, and turkey.
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Exercise
Moderate exercise can be good for you and your baby. Exercises that are safe to perform during pregnancy include Pilates, yoga, walking, swimming, running, weight training etc.
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Medication
Insulin is the gold standard for treatment of hyperglycemia during pregnancy, when lifestyle measures do not maintain glycemic control during pregnancy.

Digestive Process in Pregnancy

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Glucose is the main source of energy for our body. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body convert glucose into energy for use by our cells.

placenta supports your baby as it grows. The placenta produces several hormones that block the action of your insulin, making your insulin not work as well. This is called insulin resistance and is thought to occur due to the hormonal changes that occur in pregnancy. In pregnancy we are insulin resistant so our baby can get the glucose it needs. As your pregnancy progresses, this insulin resistance increases which helps to meet the increasing nutritional requirements needed for growth and development of your baby as well as meeting your glucose needs. If we do not consume the correct amount of energy, then our body uses the energy stored in our fat cells, which then produces free fatty acids.

Digestive Process in Gestational Diabetes

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Gestational Diabetes starts when your body is no longer able to make and use the insulin it needs during pregnancy. Too much glucose builds up in your blood. This is called Hyperglycaemia.

Women with gestational diabetes cannot make up for the insulin resistance that occurs in pregnancy. Insulin works like a growth hormone for the baby. The insulin molecule is too big to get across the placenta. If mother’s blood sugar is too high, then the baby’s pancreas must make insulin in order to keep its blood sugar normal. The higher your blood sugar, the more insulin the baby must make to handle the higher sugar level. This causes the baby to grow even bigger. Because the baby’s pancreas is now working hard to keep its blood sugar normal, this puts your baby at risk for getting Type 2 diabetes and become overweight and obese as children and adults.

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