Pregnancy and childbirth is a wonderful phase in your womanhood and in case you find yourself afflicted with diabetes during your pregnancy, then you need to take few extra caution with regard to your diet so as to have an uneventful pregnancy cycle. You should first be aware that few drugs meant for diabetics are not good on the developing fetus and hence at the first instance you should avoid all the possible medicines that may prove to be dangerous to your baby in womb.
Furthermore, you should also get your kidneys and eyes checked thoroughly besides stopping your smoking habits altogether in order to save your unborn child from any possible complications later.
At the first instance, you as a pregnant woman should strictly follow the recommended insulin regimen to keep your blood glucose level under control. Though you are likely to post a lower glucose level during your pregnancy for the reason that the developing fetus will be using some amounts of glucose, you should also keep a watch on your ketone level as any increase in ketones might hamper the growth of fetus.
Choosing Your Diet is the Key
Today you have a voluminous information on the various diets meant for pregnant diabetic women, but you should be in a position to choose the one that suits you better and that could give you a better long-term benefit. You can certainly find the following diet tips helpful in your pregnancy journey:
During your pregnancy, your protein requirement will be calculated based on your body weight and it is two grams for every kilogram of your body weight. For instance, if you weigh 55 kilograms, then your ideal daily protein requirement will be around 110 grams and once you ensure that you take this recommended level, you can rest assured that your protein requirement is met.
Get to know your daily energy requirements in the form of kilocalories and note to get half of it from eating carbohydrates. And within the choice of choosing carbohydrates, it is better if you can choose some complex carbohydrates so as to derive quality calories.
When it comes to the fat that you can consume during your pregnancy is that it should not exceed 30 percent in your calorie scale. One gram of fat, being denser than carbohydrate and protein, can supply you with 9 kilo calories and hence ensure that you do not derive more than 30 percent of your calories from fatty foods.
During your entire pregnancy period ensure that you eat at least three meals in a day and if you so desire you can even break them into more numbers, say five or six meals. A small snack before bedtime can really help you from starving during your sleep process and save you from any lower blood glucose shock.