Pregnancy blood sugar targets, and the effect that pregnancy will have on her diabetes should be discussed. Prior to pregnancy, a women with Type 2 diabetes may need to discontinue oral medication and start on insulin therapy. This is important to discuss with your physician before or very soon after conception since some oral medications are not safe during pregnancy. Frequency of blood sugar monitoring may need to be increased to help assess adequacy of blood sugar control and adjust insulin doses. Achieving these blood sugar goals requires support and frequent contact with the health care team.
Pregnancy can make tight blood sugar control a challenge.
Fetal uptake of glucose can increase the risk of low blood sugars beween meals. Pregnancy hormones can make the body more resistant to insulin and make after meal blood glucose values higher. The goals of nutrition therapy for the pregnant woman with diabetes are twofold. The first is to ensure that nutrient needs for pregnancy are met and appropriate weight gain goals achieved. General carbohydrate management strategies will be recommended, and usually an individualized meal plan for carbohydrate control to match the medication and activity prescriptions.