I’ll be the first to tell you, I’m terrible at managing my Type II diabetes. As long as I have my weight under control, I pretty much eat whatever I want… whenever I want. Unfortunately, the second I get knocked up, I have to go in diabetic hyper drive. Managing diabetes during the first trimester is key as this is the time when the vital organs begin forming. The risk of birth defects in mothers with diabetes (Type I and Type II) is higher than in women without diabetes, so controlling blood sugar is paramount.

Unfortunately, the reality is that being on a diet for 9 months of your pregnancy is anything but fun. What about the cravings? Ice cream hardly fits into my 1800 calorie, 15 grams of carbohydrates per meal, eating plan. There is only so much sugar-free crap you can eat before only the real thing will do. I was going over my food diary from my first pregnancy, and I can already see a huge difference in my numbers between the two pregnancies… weird since I’m following the same diet and (for now) am really sticking to it.

The difference? Exercise. Exercising can make all the difference in a type II diabetic’s pregnancy. For me, the doctor has advised that I do about 30 minutes of cardio (heart rate not over 140), 7 days a week. The days I exercise I see my glucose numbers go down by almost 20%. Crazy! The moral of the story? I’m not really sure. But if you’re facing a pregnancy with diabetes I would consult your doctor about the benefits of exercise and the risk of a little bite of ice cream every now and then.

Posted by Dorian.

PS: This link has lots of good diabetes information, for those interested in learning more!