If you’re a woman with type 2 diabetes, there was a time when you would have been discouraged from getting pregnant – for your own wellness as well as the wellbeing of your
future baby. However, today you can have a safe pregnancy and a healthy little one in your life with a bit of careful planning during pregnancy, and closely monitoring your blood glucose levels.
Firstly, before getting pregnant you should ideally speak with both your endocrinologist and your obstetrician, so that they can help you be at your healthiest to conceive. One thing you’ll need to be aware of both before, during, and beyond your pregnancy is your blood sugar levels, and you’ll need to strictly follow all the health risk minimising guidelines to ensure the wellness of you and your baby.
However, you could have lots of help with this if you assemble your own Avengers team of diabetes practitioners. Your obstetrician should be someone who has experience with high-risk pregnancies, or caring for patients with type 2 diabetes, and your future paediatrician should likewise be experienced with diabetes, especially treating babies whose mothers are diabetic. During pregnancy, your dietician can outline a pre-pregnancy and pregnancy diet that will keep blood glucose under control, and your diabetes education specialist can help you learn about your body’s changing needs throughout your pregnancy.
Every woman, and not just diabetic women, needs to get her body baby-ready before conceiving, but for a diabetic woman this first and foremost refers to your blood glucose levels. The American Diabetes Association recommends that your blood glucose levels should be in the suggested range for three to six months before you try to conceive and, of course, during your entire pregnancy. You may need more visits to the doctor to accomplish this, but it’s essential you control your diabetes to reduce the risk of birth defects, a miscarriage or a stillbirth, and other mother and baby health problems that arise from your high glucose levels.
However, not only is your blood glucose control important, but you also need to practise good weight control. Eating right and getting regular exercise can help you achieve, or maintain, your ideal weight for conception, as well as keeping your baby healthy. When it comes to diet, besides choosing the right foods to help control blood sugar levels, you’ll want to pay careful attention to the health advice all women hoping to conceive are advised to follow, such as taking folic acid and other prenatal vitamins suggested by your doctor. With a little help from a few friendly experts, you can have the pregnancy and the baby that you’ve always wanted.
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