Managing Type 2 Diabetes During Pregnancy

Being a Type 2 diabetic in and of itself is a challenge, managing the disease while pregnant can be a daunting task. It CAN be done. You CAN have a healthy, normal weight baby but it is not going to happen by accident. I was terrified when I found out all the risks that could occur during a diabetic pregnancy. But I found that the situation was manageable and if I was willing to do the work, the results did follow. The result of course was my happy healthy baby.

KNOW THE FACTS:
First you need to know the facts. Do the research; get all the information you can from your physician and diabetic support team. The resource section of this article lists websites that will provide information as well.

The most basic factor you are dealing with is how your bloodsugar is impacting your baby This is the essential factor you will be managing. Your baby gets its nutrients from your blood via the umbilical cord. You baby does NOT receive your insulin, but will produce its own insulin via its own pancreas while it is in the womb. Because of this, if you are experiencing consistently high blood sugar, your baby's pancreas is going to be producing high amounts of insulin to regulate that imbalance. Your baby will not develop properly and may experience such difficulties as a poorly developed heart, a disproportionately large head, or an abnormally high birth weight.

This is why it is CRUCIAL that you become more aware of your own blood sugar numbers than you ever have before. In order to be able to effectively do that you need to understand that your blood sugar is no longer simply impacted by your food intake and insulin dosage. The hormones that your body produces during pregnancy will dramatically impact your blood sugar readings. I found that the cornerstone of managing my diabetic pregnancy was measuring my blood sugar religiously, six times a day. Because the hormones in the body are vacillating throughout pregnancy, so are your blood sugar readings and insulin needs.