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I had never been diabetic, but failed the glucose tolerance test during my pregnancy and have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I am under the care of a specialist and am on insulin and testing my blood sugar levels several times throughout the day, as instructed. It has been making me feel tired. I am not asking for dietary advice, I am under the care of a dietician.
Does anybody have any good advice or tips for Mums with gestational diabetes and managing fatigue?
Tiredness and diabetes may not be very strongly connected. While rapidly changing sugar levels may introduce additional strain on your body, pregnancy puts even more stress on it on its own.
In general, women often feel very tired and weak during the first trimester. My wife slept around 11 hours, lay a lot during the day and felt constantly tired even without diabetes. I have a friend who, from what she says, feels even worse. Combine all this with morning sickness, hormones, and the psychological stress (OMG I'm going to have a baby;) - and you'll get te picture. All of this is completely normal.
Gestational Diabetes has to be properly managed, otherwise it may cause undesirable effects on mother and the child.
Fortunately, a proper diet and some exercise is often enough. The daily amount of calories has to be set based on mother's BMI. The diet must consist of as little simple carbohydrates as possible, to avoid rapid spikes of blood sugar. Especially breakfasts must be chosen properly, because insulin resistance is highest in the morning.
Moderately intense physical exercise often helps to manage GD. Personally, I'd suggest aerobics (though remember, that not all exercises are good for pregnant women!) - it keeps your heart rate reasonably high and does not introduce heavy stress on your body.
As always, it is very important to follow your doctors suggestions and consult him whenever you are in doubt. All advice you can find in the Internet, including mine, may be wrong or just not applicable to your specific case.
The moms I have known with GD have benefited from having a lot of protein and eating every few hours, along with moderate exercise ( walking, swimming, yoga) and enough water, like a LOT of water.
That said, pregnancy is just hard work! Give yourself a break and don't be afraid to ask for help. Congratulations and good luck!
