The cause of this illness is unknown, but how it works is known. The hormones in the placenta which help the baby develop also work to block the action of the mother's insulin in her body, so she may need up to three times as much insulin. Controlling blood sugar is essential to keeping a baby healthy and avoiding complications during delivery. Most women benefit from a gestational diabetes diet and exercise, but some may need medication along with lifestyle changes. Either way, monitoring blood sugar is key to the treatment program for expectant mothers because it tells whether or not a patient's blood sugar is staying within normal range.
Aggressive treatment of all women suffering from gestational diabetes symptoms is recommended, according to recent data. Aggressive treatment includes dietary advice, frequent blood glucose monitoring, and insulin injections for elevated blood glucose levels. Another goal of aggressive treatment is to maintain tight control of blood glucose. Those women who receive aggressive treatment develop significantly fewer childbirth problems than women who receive routine care. A gestational diabetes diet, along with the other aggressive treatments, effectively reduced the problems caused by having unusually large babies, as women with this problem often do. In addition, women receiving aggressive treatment report lower rates of depression and a higher quality of life three months after giving birth. The reason for these benefits is not known.
Frequent blood glucose monitoring is essential during this time, but even more important is the gestational diabetes diet. Eating the right kind and amount of food is one of the best ways to control blood sugar levels. In general, more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are important to relieving gestational diabetes symptoms. Fewer animal products and sweets are required as well. A dietician or counselor can help these women to put together an individual meal plan based on glucose level, height, weight, exercise habits, and food preferences.
Regular exercise is helpful not only to relieve gestational diabetes symptoms, but to prevent other discomforts of pregnancy such as back pain, muscle cramps, swelling, constipation, and difficulty sleeping. Exercise can also help prepare a mother-to-be for labor and delivery. The increased muscle strength and endurance that she develops will reduce stress on the ligaments and joints during delivery. Peace of mind is an important part of our overall health, and a Christian's trust in God is the source. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalm 42:11)
Obstetricians recommend close monitoring of the baby's growth--usually by using ultrasound. Although ultrasound can give a good idea of the baby's size, it tends to be less accurate as the baby gets bigger. A gestational diabetes diet will provide necessary nutrients for both mother and child without making the baby grow too much. In most cases, the obstetrician will try to prevent the pregnancy from going longer than 40 weeks because being overdue may increase the risk of complications. Although most women with this illness deliver happy, healthy babies, labor with gestational diabetes isn't routine, and Cesarean delivery is necessary in some cases. However, gestational diabetes doesn't affect a woman's ability to breast-feed or care for her new baby.
In those instances where gestational diabetes diet and exercise are not enough to get blood levels back to normal, and daily medications are prescribed. Insulin can be used, but it is no longer the only option in treating this illness. The oral anti-diabetes drug, glyburide, may also be safe and effective. Doctors in Europe use metformin to treat the problem, and this medication is being studied in the United States.
If medications are used, the obstetrician may also recommend a non stress test (NST) or biophysical profile to make sure the infant is taking in enough oxygen and nourishment, especially as the mother approaches her due date. This is a simple procedure that checks how often a baby moves and how much his or her heart rate increases with movement. If the gestational diabetes symptoms in the mother are under control, these responses by the baby will be normal.
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