When it comes to things to look forward to during pregnancy, the list is long. Hearing the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Feeling movement for the first time. When you finally come up with the perfect name for your child. There are still many things worth “looking forward to”. Morning sickness, exhaustion, and of course, blood sugar testing. While it’s never going to be fun, one TikTok creator knows how to do it less It sucks, but honestly it’s great.
For the uninitiated, gestational diabetes (GD) is a serious but not uncommon condition in which a pregnant woman’s body cannot effectively use insulin (the hormone that regulates blood sugar). Mothers with GD are at increased risk of developing preeclampsia, which can lead to liver and kidney damage, stroke, seizures, and death. Babies born to mothers with GD are at increased risk of having a higher birth weight; being born prematurely; having breathing problems immediately after birth; hypoglycemia (as dangerous as hyperglycemia); and stillbirth.
Unfortunately, there is an unfounded stigma against GD – many people believe that it can be avoided with self-discipline, diet and exercise (this is not always the case), while others believe that if Some way of looking at it, that’s not a problem. Neither of these things is helped by the idea that if one fails a blood sugar test (which requires drinking a high-glycemic drink and watching how your body processes the sugar), then you did something wrong during pregnancy.
TikTok founder Erica, a registered dietitian who posts about gestational diabetes as @gdnutritionist, hopes to redefine the way we talk about gestational diabetes as pregnant women and medical professionals.
“What if instead of being told, ‘You failed your blood sugar test,’ you were told something more accurate and useful?” she began.
“like:
“Your placenta is releasing hormones so that nutrients from the food you eat can reach your baby as he grows and develops. Your placenta hormones are so good at delivering energy to your baby that they actually prevent your body from using insulin. ability. We do need insulin to maintain low blood sugar levels. So let’s make some adjustments to make sure you’re getting enough nutrients, your baby is getting enough nutrients, and sugar isn’t building up in the blood.
“By the way: It’s totally doable with the right tools.” Even with gestational diabetes, you can still have a healthy baby and a smooth delivery.
She said that by making this approach mainstream, not only would pregnant women not feel guilty and ashamed about a GD diagnosis, but they would have a better understanding of the condition and be better able to manage it effectively for better outcomes. Childbirth outcomes.
Therefore, if you are about to have a glucose tolerance test and receive a diagnosis of GD, do not consider it a “failure.” Instead, acknowledge that your pregnant body is over-eager, over-successful.
