Controlling Gestational diabetes can be a challenge.

Find tips on how to control it.

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Gestational diabetes is when a woman develops diabetes during her pregnancy.

This happens due to the hormones in the placenta making it difficult for the body to produce and use insulin effectively.

The symptoms of it are needing to urinate more often and increased thirst.

People who are more at risk.

If you are overweight.
Family history of diabetes.
If you had a stillbirth which was unexplained.
Your baby was large in a previous pregnancy.
You had it before.
You and your family are originally from South Asia, the Caribbean or the Middle East.

Quite often you don't always know that you have it until your antenatal appointment when they do a test.

After that you will be sent to see a dietitian and shown how to make changes in your diet and lifestyle.

Ways of controlling gestational diabetes

You will have to check your blood sugar levels 4 times a day. They will need to be between 4 and 7 mmol/l at all times.

By doing it you need to cut down on sugar and refined carbohydrates. So you need to cut down on white bread, white rice, white pasta, sweets, cakes and biscuits.

You also need to eat lots of protein (lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs cheese and beans.)

You will also need to eat lots of wholegrain foods (Wholemeal pasta, brown or wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholegrain cereals.)

Also eating lots of fruit and vegetables is a good idea and I myself enjoy snacking on plums and raspberries.

Do gentle exercise regularly.

Eat lots of fruit and veg.

Make sure you get plenty of rest and relaxation.

It is important to do all of this to make sure that you have a healthy baby.

If you find it difficult you may have to be put on insulin.

The diabetes will go away when the baby is born.

However you will need to keep an eye on your blood sugar. You will have a higher risk of developing diabetes later on in life.

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