December 19, 2008
Daily Care, Pregnancy
Question from Chennai, India:
Now 23 weeks pregnant, I have diabetes and take insulin twice a day. My postprandial levels are still between 160 mg/dl [8.9 mmol/L] and 190 mg/dl [10.5 mmol/L]. I am eating more because I feel hungry. I am worried about how the higher blood sugars will affect my baby. What do you recommend?
Answer:
Your doctor needs to increase your insulin dosing. Your fasting blood glucose should be between 60 mg/dl [3.3 mmol/L] and 90 mg/dl [5.0 mmol/L]. Just before a meal, it should be less than 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L] and one hour after a meal, your glucose should be less than 130 mg/dl [7.3 mmol/L]. At this point in your pregnancy, the main risk to the baby is excessive growth and low blood sugars in the baby after delivery. If the baby were too big you might need to have a cesarean section. The low blood glucose can be managed in the nursery after delivery and is a temporary condition.
OWJ
