Preconception Care
Having diabetes should not keep any woman from enjoying pregnancy and expecting a good outcome but it can certainly make the challenges and choices more difficult. That's why preconception medical care is so important.
By making plans and positive changes before pregnancy, you are investing in your personal health as well as that of the future baby.
Preconception medical care can help you cope cope with the stresses of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. It ensures that the mother and fetus are not exposed to environmental factors that could be harmful during pregnancy. Many women do not know that they are pregnant until several weeks after conception. The early weeks of pregnancy are the most crucial for the baby as its vital organs are developing. Certain substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and medications may interfere both with the ability to become pregnant and with the normal growth and development of the baby after conception.
The foods you eat become the main source of nutrients for the baby. As the baby develops and places new demands on the mother's body, more nutrients and calories will be needed.
There may be unique dietary needs that should be met before becoming pregnant. Talk to your doctor, diabetes educator or dietitian before conception to discuss special needs (see below) and determine if you should adjust your current diet.
Ask yourself:
- Am I eating a well balanced diet?
- Am I trying to lose weight?
- Am I a vegetarian?
- Do I have an eating disorder?
- Have I been told I have anemia?
Folic acid may help prevent certain birth defects (neural tube defects, spina bifida, cleft lips and palates). The United States Public Health Service recommends that all reproductive age women take at least 0.4 mg of folic acid daily to reduce the risk of these problems. Certain foods such as leafy, dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, dried beans and bread have folic acid.
One prenatal vitamin a day supplies enough folic acid for most pregnant women Women who have given birth in the past to a baby with a neural tube defect should take one prenatal vitamin plus an extra four mg of folic acid per day for up to one month before pregnancy and for three months after conception. This will substantially decrease the chance of it ever happening again. Some physicians recommend that all pregnant women with diabetes contemplating pregnancy should take the extra folic acid preconception.