Serving mothers all over the eastern area of the DFW metroplex including Rockwall, Mesquite, Garland, Forney, Royse City, Greenville, Wylie, Richardson and Rowlett. We looks forward to meeting you and your family!
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATIONYou have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes...Now what? First please do not allow this to stress you out. You are still a candidate for midwifery care and home birth
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes (GDM) is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. It is a condition that 2-10% of pregnant women are diagnosed with annually. The cause of GDM is hormonal and involves hormones released by you (insulin) and hormones released by the placental (Human placental lactogen). These hormones interact with one another and depending on your bodies ability to compensate for these hormones will determine how your body distributes sugar that you consume in your diet.
What is the risk for pregnancy?
High levels of sugar in the blood, is transferred to the baby. The baby turns the extra sugar into fat — mostly around his or her shoulders and belly. This extra birth fat increases your baby’s chance of having obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes later in life. In addition, the baby may have difficulty being born which is known as shoulder dystocia, if he or she is too big, and can have low blood sugars that require special care right after birth.
What do I do now?
First, I will have you consult with a registered dietitian to give you the resources you will need to manage your blood sugar levels. If your levels remain good with diet alone you are considered low risk and may continue midwifery care.
I also have a book in the client library I will bring to our next visit that will help with diet management. Most women with GDM are able to have normal blood sugar levels by eating healthy and increasing exercise
Second, I will ask you to monitor your blood sugars at home. You will need to obtain a glucose meter to perform daily finger stick blood glucose tests daily. Glucometers, test strips, and lancets can be purchased without prescription over the counter. However, if you have insurance, you may want to check and see if the insurance will cover your glucometer supplies. I will be happy to call in a prescription for supplies upon request.
Testing will need to be done four times daily as follows:
Fasting, in the morning, prior to any food or drink, water is permissible
2 Hour Post Prandial, 2 hours after start of meal, for example, if you start lunch at noon, you will perform test at 2:00 PM.
Record your daily blood sugars and detailed meal log to share with your midwife.
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