the essentials

how is gd managed?

You have a whole team behind you to care for you, including your doctor and nurses. Malama can also connect you with a nutritionist for help with food choices

 You play the biggest role, and we’re here to help with tracking your blood glucose levels, tracking what you eat. Light daily exercise is also key!the start of 3rd trimester)

All recommendations given follow the guidelines of Sweet Success California

Diet

  • Aim for 3 small meals and 3 snacks every day — this means eating every 2 to 3 hours so you don’t get hungry during the day

  • Logging your meals after tracking blood glucose will help us identify if specific foods are causing your blood sugar to spike

  • Typically you are advised to limit sweets and using too much sugar in your food — but there might be other

  • Hydrate with water 💧

  • Focus on adding protein to every meal and snack — our nutritionists can help with ideas on how to do this while keeping with your food preferences

    Source: Sweet Success California

Lifestyle changes

  • Believe it or not, getting quality sleep can help with blood sugar levels!

  • Exercise is essential (Check there are no restrictions from your doctor).

    • Try 10-15 minutes of walking, even a little can make a difference

    • Target 6,000+ steps per day.

Tracking blood glucose

Keeping track of how your blood sugar levels involves a few key things:

  • A meter: A machine to test your blood glucose levels — and can sync to the Malama app to get personal insights

  • A lancet: A small needle used to draw your blood

  • Blood glucose strips: A small piece of hard plastic that the blood is places on and fed to the meter

TARGETS

under

90

when you 
wake up
under

130

after the first bite of a meal

  • We expect blood sugar to rise after a meal but our goal is to make sure that they don’t rise too much. Standard blood sugar goals are given below, but make sure to check with your doctor and care team as to what your targets are:

    • Below 90 mg/dl plasma, in the morning before breakfast

    • Below 130 mg/dl plasma, 1 hour after the first bite of a meal. The hormone (a chemical messenger) insulin lowers blood sugar when it is too high

  • If insulin is unable to do its job (this is called “insulin resistance”), sugar levels in your blood stay high

  • Excessive rises in blood sugar can lead to high blood pressure for mom, and too much sugar can be shared with baby. This sugar is stored as fat and, if not properly managed, can lead to a large baby (”macrosomia”)

    Source: Sweet Success California

It's never your fault

It's never your fault

Insulin

  • Sometimes high blood sugar cannot be brought down with meal planning and exercising. This is never your fault — and scientists don’t understand clearly why this happens to some women as compared to others

  • Your doctor might suggest taking insulin, in the form of a daily injection; These shots don’t hurt when done correct, and a member of your care team will show you how to give yourself the injection under the skin in your stomach area

  • The insulin injected will not hurt the baby or cause the baby to get diabetes