Prenatal classes/ Childbirth queries answered

Gestational Diabetes (GD) in Pregnancy

Gestational Diabetes (GD) in Pregnancy

Dearest Mother’s,

It has been eleven long beautiful and sweet years in to antenatal counselling, long because I have savoured every moment of it and lived in it completely. Talking of sweetness brings in a quiver in my tummy as from then to know gradually I have seen the rise in number of pregnant woman developing Gestational Diabetes. Seems as it is so normal and natural for an expecting woman to have high blood sugar levels post 28th week in the third trimester. This affair of change is not a very pleasant one because we need to remember what diabetes does to a diabetic’s organs in their body, the same effect happens on the baby’s developing organs. Once a pregnant woman develops GD she is bound to have the same issue early in to her second pregnancy and become a diabetic early in her life span. Every woman wants the best for her baby; GD is primarily a result of unhealthy irregular food intake pattern with lack of exercising and high stress in life. So unconsciously we are making very wrong choices for the most precious thing in our life and affecting the growing foetus is an undesirable manner.

Some basic facts about Gestational Diabetes

• An expecting woman who has a strong family history falls in to a high risk category.
• Pregnancies planned beyond thirty and above of age are more prone to GD.
• The abnormal rise in blood sugar levels show up in the blood work in the third trimester.
• That GD affects the size of the head of the baby reducing the chances of natural birth increasing the incidence of C-section is only the least worrying affects of GD on the baby. There is more to it.
• GD being a life style orientated condition can be easily managed by simple changes in our diet and life style, it is well under our control and results are achievable.
• It is safe and essential to take insulin to normalise the blood sugar levels to avoid complications.
• Breakfast lunch and dinner on time and early.
• A small snack every two hourly.
• Cutting out on junk.
• Exercising to bring in to life the fading spunk.
• Through challenging times the ability to chill.
• Cure for GD packed in a pill.

Take care…. Rakhi

 

Dear Shwetha,

Congrats on the confirmation of the pregnancy. The initial joy will be dampened by a little fatigue or nausea and vomiting. See how you feel considering the fact that you are working also. It will be an act to balance your personal professional and pregnant life. Trust me its a beautiful journey if we could steer things around.

Kindly call on our studio number 09884034562, my colleague Vanitha our Studio Manager will be help you on this regard after assessing your status!

PS: don't stress on suddenly increasing your food intake, quantity doesn't matter now! Small portions at regular intervals and adequate water intact. Rest when you feel tired.

God Bless
Take Care
Rakhi

 

Dear Karpagam,

Congrats on the confirmation of your pregnancy. And I am sorry to hear about your status. I think you and your spouse have read enough about GD from the internet. I could get very technical and list down the affect of GD on you and the baby, reconfirm your fears and increase your anger and frustration levels.

I believe that life poses a number of challenging situations in front of us, what is within our control has to be worked upon and what is not within our control should be accepted with grace. I know it’s even more frustrating that you are not a sweet lover and have never indulged in anything that should lead you to this. Trust me, through my 11 years of antenatal practice I can only see the numbers rising and GD which generally comes up in the third trimester is suddenly active in many women in the first trimester of the pregnancy. It has something to do with our life style, exercise tolerance, the additional demand of pregnancy along with the normal day to day life commitments.

If you are tired and exhausted having too much of nausea and vomiting leading to dehydration and asked to be off work by your Obstetrician then take a break. But you will soon have to focus on your fitness levels and exercises with a strict regime of eating healthy at regular intervals along with insulin (if you have been prescribed) to overcome the affects of GD on the baby and ensure a healthy baby in the end of your term.

How do we go about this?

1. Anger and frustration is only going to aggravate this whole thing.
2. Stop blaming yourself and asking why
3. Focus on what next

Acceptance and willingness to do something positive about this situation will help with anger and resentment.

A few facts about GD

1. Breakfast lunch and dinner on time and early.
2. A small snack every two hourly.
3. Cutting out on junk.
4. Exercising to bring in to life the fading spunk.
5. Keeping stress levels in the professional and personal front under control

As I scrolled down to see your post I was happy to see you are in Chennai, Dwi Maternity Studio is in Chennai. I would be happy to be able to help you with more active involvement by having you and your spouse in person at the studio. You will get to see many more couples happily cruising through the pregnancy and many with a similar condition like yours doing their best with a smile and relief. And I would require more details about you and your lifestyle to be able to help you.

Take Care and God Bless...

Rakhi

 

Dearest Minnu,

Congrats on your second pregnancy, hope you are in the pink of your health. Honestly till date no one has a definite answer as to" the exact factors of time causes and progress of the rate of dilation of the cervix."


That is why we can never guess the exact date of delivery. It could happen anytime after the 38th week of gestation in a normal pregnancy. The dilation of the cervix is the start of labour and it has to dilate up to 10 cms to mark the end of the stage one of labour to enable the head of the baby to be delivered because that is the approx circumference of the fetal head.

I am unable to answer your question with clarity because you have not provided me with adequate information about your labour its duration how long did the first stage last in your first pregnancy? When was the decision taken for a C-section?



In case of long labours artificial rupture of membranes by the obstetrician is used to speed up the process, long hours in labor can also lead to erratic fetal heart rate indicating fetal distress and maternal fatigue which may hinder cooperation by the mother to bear down and push the head of the baby in stage two of labor. So there can be various reasons as to perform a C-section when the cervix doesn’t dilate with in a particular time frame and the progress of labor. The discretion lies in the experience of the obstetrician to perform a C- Section in the course of labor.


Drop in the level of amniotic fluid is again a phenomenon which has various factors few of the prime reasons could be stress, maternal dehydration, Gestational Diabetes or a gynaecological history relevant in a woman in her pregnancies.

Answering your specific query " As per scan report AFI = 67mm. (32mm deep at the largest pocket). What does it means? Whatz the normal AFI rate? Last pregnancy also during 27-28 weeks i have less of fluid level."

The normal amniotic fluid ranges between 5 cm to 25 cm through the pregnancy. The uterus is divided in to pockets during a scan to assess the fluid levels in close approximation.
So measuring the depth of one such pocket the level is low and does not match up to minimum levels of fluid hence your amniotic fluid is less.

What you need to do is make sure you are adequately taking fluids and prevent excessive sweating. This part is under your control along with whatever remedial measures your obstetrician advises.

• Please drink adequate water regularly throughout the day.
• Look at having soupy meals to ensure increased fluid intake.
• Make sure you are not having junk food and taking care of yourself to avoid developing GD.
• Keep your stress levels under control.
• Keep your activity levels according to the instruction of your obstetrician.
• Stay in an air-conditioned room to avoid sweating.

Take Care and God Bless!

Rakhi

 

Dear Karthik,

Good to know both of you are feeling better and having a more positive outlook towards the whole thing.

I have no clue what was Karpagam's fitness level before conceiving.

She has to walk every day hence she should stick to a regime of time and intensity which she is comfortable with. Consistency is going to be the key. Please let me know how much of walking she is doing right now and how much she is comfortable with and which part of the day is ok with her to walk. Will work around it.

Till then strictly restrict the intake of white sugar, fruit juice, pastry, sweets etc… which I am sure you are taking care off. If the whole family along with you helps karpagam by changing their food habits without creating temptations rather motivating her, it would be helpful.

Every body around her needs to get strong for her and focus on what to do rather than looking at GD as a concern. This will help her feel more in control and ease her worries.

Take Care….. God Bless
Rakhi