Before pregnancy

If you are planning to have a child, but are not pregnant yet, you have probably heard, that you should eat folic acid, stop using contraseptives, have sex regularly and reduce stress. Certainly you are aware of the many other tricks and pointers on how to get pregnant. Healthy life style will aid in getting pregnant and gives both you and your child the best chances of success. The main advice we can offer is to quit smoking and drinking alcohol (or atleast reduce alcohol concumption), move regularly and eat healthy and regularly. If you are already concerned about your weight and blood sugar levels you may receive more information about our medical nutrition therapy here.

Prepare yourselfWhen you become pregnantFirst visit to the midwifeBlood sugar analysisNutritional advice

Prepare yourself

The body changes in many ways when you become pregnant in order to be able to bring a new life into the world. Among other things, it is changing your immune system in order to accept the unborn baby. Almost half of all pregnant women suffer from nausea during pregnancy. Gaining weight is another natural part of being pregnant. Weight increase is due to several factors, including the baby, placenta and amniotic fluid that weigh a lot. In order to provide the best conditions for both yourself and the baby, it is important for you to get the right nutrition and the right amounts of it. You can read more about what is the ‘right nutrition’ here. If you are worried about being overweight during pregnancy, you might need support on how the weight gain can be limited, how to prevent Gestational Diabetes and also get the best possible nutrition for yourself and the baby. You can read more about here.

When you become pregnant

When you become pregnant, it would be wise to enroll at a maternity clinic. In some places in Sweden they are named maternity care clinics. At the prenatal clinic, they will assist you throughout your pregnancy. This is where parents pay regular visits to and undergo regular midwife inspections, so that the baby and you feel good during pregnancy. You can choose which reception you want to go to. Visits are free and voluntary. The prenatal clinic usually has midwives, and sometimes even doctors, psychologists, nutritionists and physiotherapists on staff.

First visit to a midwife

Most women, who become pregnant, pay their first visit to the prenatal clinic some time during the week 8-12, but you may come sooner. During the first visit, you have to register or “sign up” at the reception, so that they can maintain records on your pregnancy and the baby’s health. Already at the first visit, you will meet with your midwife, who will follow you throughout your pregnancy. If you are not happy with her you may change your midwife.

The midwife will ask questions about hereditary diseases, if you are taking medical drugs, etc., you will also have an opportunity to ask questions. There are several tests to determine blood type, possible diseases and blood count. The midwife will check your blood sugar level and see if you are at risk of developing Gestational Diabetes (read more about Gestational Diabetes here). The blood sample will be normally checked for your blood sugar a few times during pregnancy. If the blood test shows higher blood sugar level it is named glucose load. You can read more about blood sugar test here.

Blood sugar test

If the blood sample taken by the midwife shows high glucose level (over 9 mmol/l) it is always called glucose load. Before the blood test, you may not eat anything for eight hours. That is why the test is usually done in the morning. Blood sugar level is measured about eight hours after meal, and it is named fasting blood glucose. After that you will drink a sugar solution containing water and glucose. During the next two hours blood sugar level will be measured two additional times . Blood sugar levels are measured after the meals and are named in medical literature a postprandial blood sugar test. If blood sugar is above 10 mmol/l, gestational diabetes will be diagnosed. You can read more about Gestational Diabetes here.

Nutritional advice

If you have passed a glucose tolerance test at the midwife, and it shows that you have Gestational Diabetes, then in the first stage of treatment you will be advised to immediately change your eating habits and start exercising, which will help to bring down your blood sugar to a normal level.

The general advice is:

• Eat smaller amounts, but have more frequent meals distributed evenly during the day.
• Food should be rich in fiber and vegetables and low in fast carbohydrates.
• Exercise daily, take long walks.

You can read more about what to consider when it comes to dieting and exercising habits here.

Unless dietary management and exercise are enough to lower blood sugar content, hypoglycemic treatment, mostly with insulin, is required. With the help of medical nutrition therapy blood sugar content can be reduced without insulin treatment. Medical nutrition therapy adds to a concentration of natural nutrients that reduce and stabilize blood sugar levels by stimulating production of insulin with more hormones. You can read more about Preload® Balance here.