The treatment for gestational diabetes typically revolves around a strict diet. In some severe cases of gestational diabetes, it may be necessary for pregnant women to take insulin as well. Many women with gestational diabetes also try to do some exercise, such as walking or swimming, to help lower their blood sugar levels. The specific treatment for gestational diabetes will likely depend on the patient and the severity of the condition. All women with gestational diabetes may be required to monitor their blood sugar levels on a daily basis to make sure the levels are safe and will not adversely affect their baby or themselves.
Women who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes are usually advised to eat foods rich in fiber and low in sodium and fat. Foods that are high in sugar are also normally avoided. It is additionally important for women with gestational diabetes to make sure they eat enough and eat often every day. Instead of three big meals in one day, doctors usually recommend eating at least six small meals that consist of healthy foods. Doing this should help to ensure that the blood sugar levels do not either rise or fall too drastically as a result of eating too much or too little.
Even though exercise may be a helpful treatment for gestational diabetes, it is not generally recommended for pregnant women to start up exercise routines without first consulting their doctors. Women often have problems with high blood pressure while pregnant, and exercise may do more harm than good for women who have that problem. As long as the blood pressure is normal, exercise may be recommended. Most pregnant women can benefit from light exercise such as walking, swimming, or yoga.
If a woman has been prescribed insulin as treatment for gestational diabetes, it is very important that she take it at the exact times recommended by her doctor. When gestational diabetes is serious enough to warrant an insulin prescription, it could be very dangerous to miss doses. It may help to make a chart listing the exact times the medicine is to be administered and checking it off after it has been taken so that no doses are missed and the medicine is not taken again when it isn't needed.
Gestational diabetes is a condition that pregnant women usually do not have to live with once they have given birth. After the baby is born, it normally goes away and no other diabetes symptoms are experienced. A doctor will normally ask a woman to come in for a fasting blood test a few months after she has given birth to make sure the diabetes has gone away.