Around 7 percent of pregnant women in the United States develop gestational diabetes, the American Diabetes Association reports. Gestational diabetes occurs in women who don't have diabetes before pregnancy and whose blood sugars normally stabilize after delivery. Most practitioners test for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks into the pregnancy, or sooner if you have high risk factors. Testing involves a blood testing for fasting glucose as well as repeat tests after drinking an oral glucose solution. Following a special diet helps reduce the risks of gestational diabetes in pregnancy.
Purpose
Eating properly helps keeps blood sugar levels within normal limits and reduces your need to take oral or injectible medication for gestational diabetes. It's important to keep blood sugars under control because high blood sugars can affect not only you, but also your baby. The normal fasting blood glucose level during pregnancy should be less than 105 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL or less than 155 mg/dL one hour after eating, the American Diabetes Association says.
Calorie Requirements
If you're obese, with a body-mass index greater than 30, reducing calorie intake by 30 to 33 percent to around 25 calories per kilogram of weight per day helps reduce elevated blood sugars along with triglycerides. Because one kilogram equals 2.2 lbs., a woman weighing 220 pounds would require around 2,500 calories per day, according to the ADA. If you're not on a calorie-restricted diet, you need just 300 extra calories per day over your normal daily intake, MedlinePlus reports.
Nutritional Requirements
Restrict carbohydrates, the main source of energy for your body, but also the main source for sugars, to 35 to 40 percent of your total daily calorie intake also helps stabilize blood sugars and improves pregnancy outcomes for you and your baby, the ADA says. Starches such as grains, vegetables and fruits, along with refined sugars and processed foods make up carbohydrates. Your practitioner or dietician may want you to count you daily carbohydrate intake and keep in under a certain level. You also need two to three servings of protein and four servings of milk of dairy products each day.
Benefits
Babies whose mothers have poorly controlled gestational diabetes are often larger than normal for their gestational age. These babies are called LGA or macrosomic. Macrosomic babies have more complications at the time of delivery, require Caesarean delivery more often or may have difficulty navigating the birth canal due to increased size. Babies with a diabetic mother also are more likely to have breathing problems at birth and may experience hypoglycemia, a drop in their blood sugars, after birth. Fasting blood sugars higher than 105 mg/dL may also be associated with an increase in fetal death in the last four to eight weeks of pregnancy, the ADA warns.
After Delivery
Both mothers who had gestational diabetes and their babies have an increased risk of obesity and developing diabetes later in life. Keeping your weight and your child's weight within normal limits after delivery and making sure you both follow a diet that emphasizes nutritious carbs and fats over junk food help prevent lifelong complications for both of you.
