DIABETES IN PREGNANCY

Diabetes is a situation or condition where by the glucose or sugar in the blood is too high. This  sugar comes about through the  digestion of starchy foods such as bread and rice . A  hormone in the body  known as insulin helps the body use sugar for energy.
There are 3 types of diabetes  that can affect people Type 1 and Type 2 are long term conditions.  Gestational  diabetes only occurs in pregnancy and goes away after delivery.

Type1 Diabetes; This is a  condition where the body produces  little or no insulin at all. This makes the body unable to use blood sugar for energy. It requires daily intake of insulin to control the condition.
Type 2 Diabetes; This is when the body  produces too little insulin or cant make use of the insulin it makes to use blood sugar for energy. This  condition can be controlled  by eating a proper diet and exercise. Some  people  take diabetes pills, insulin or both of them.

Gestational Diabetes
This type of diabetes  is the type of diabetes that is seen in a woman that did not have diabetes before she became pregnant. It  can be controlled through a good diet and regular exercises. Sometimes, the woman requires insulin.
The test for gestational diabetes is to measure the glucose level in a woman's blood during her  first antenatal visit and again  at the 28th week of pregnancy. When a woman is expecting a baby, her body has to make extra insulin especially from mid pregnancy. Her body needs extra insulin because hormones from the placenta  make the body less  responsive to it. If  her body cannot  meet this demand, her blood sugar level will rise and she may develop gestational diabetes.

SYMPTOMS OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES
1. Tiredness
2.Dryness in the mouth
3.Excessive thirst
4. Excessive urination
5.Getting reccuriing  infections eg thrush
6. Blurred vission
Gestational diabetes  may lead to birth complications. Labour may need to be induced or a caeserian section may be carried out  at  the 38th or at 40 weeks. The baby may have a low blood sugar  when born and also jaundice The baby's blood sugar will need to be mornitored  for a while after birth.