Keeping the amount and types of food - carbohydrates, fats, and proteins - about the same from day to day can also help maintain consistent blood sugars. Because of this, it's helpful to regulate your intake of carb-rich foods. Half of all women who have had gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes later in life, but continuing these habits after you have your baby can help prevent or delay this from happening.Įating a balanced diet of healthy foods is important to help you manage gestational diabetes by keeping your blood sugar stable.įor example, fat and protein affect your blood sugar over many hours, but carbohydrates affect it much faster, resulting in spikes. It's important to exercise and eat a healthy diet before, during, and after your pregnancy to help regulate your blood sugar and reduce your risk of future health complications. Previously delivering a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.Having an immediate family member with diabetes.Having polycystic ovary syndrome ( PCOS).Previously having gestational diabetes or prediabetes.

Being overweight or obese prior to becoming pregnant.Some people are more at risk for developing gestational diabetes. Hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy sometimes cause insulin - the hormone that regulates your blood sugar - to not work properly. It occurs in about 1 in 10 pregnancies in the US and is generally resolved once the baby is born. When diabetes is diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy, it's known as gestational diabetes.

Diabetes meal planning