“What to look for in the summer with gestational diabetes?

  With the large number of fruits available in summer, gestational diabetes has also become a “fashionable disease”. Since the temperature has risen for half a month, the number of diabetes patients in the diabetes clinics of hospitals and maternal and child health centers has been increasing by more than 20% compared to the past.  The reason for the high incidence of gestational diabetes is mainly related to the excessive intake of fruits with high sugar content by pregnant women.  With the rising summer temperatures, many pregnant women who lack appetite spend their days with fruits, some of them can eat up to seven or eight peach and two large watermelons a day to quench their thirst and quench the summer heat, consuming a lot of sugar; and because of the increased eating, reduced exercise and increased weight of pregnant women, coupled with the physiological changes during pregnancy that lead to disorders of sugar metabolism, they are extremely vulnerable to diabetes. Experts say that if gestational diabetes is not controlled in time, it will not only affect the health of the mother, but also pose a serious risk to the growth and development of the next generation. In addition to infection, miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and excessive amniotic fluid, diabetes can also cause high maternal blood glucose levels and excessive weight gain, resulting in huge fetuses, which can lead to delivery difficulties and increase the chances of obstructed labor, surgical delivery, neonatal birth injuries and postpartum hemorrhage.  According to domestic data, the probability of congenital malformations in fetuses of pregnant women with diabetes is 2-3 times higher than that of pregnant women in general. Moreover, about 30% of gestational diabetes patients transform into chronic type 2 diabetes after 5 to 10 years, with an eventual incidence of 60%.  Experts suggest that it is best for pregnant women to have regular blood glucose measurements at the hospital during the 18th and 32nd weeks of pregnancy, and to visit the obstetric nutrition consultation clinic for nutritional counseling in a timely manner. Pregnant women should arrange their diet reasonably, avoid high-sugar foods, take fewer and more frequent meals, eat more vegetables and fiber-rich foods, and pay attention to vitamin, iron and calcium supplements. Fruit supplementation is best between meals, up to a maximum of 200 grams per day, and in choosing fruits should try to choose fruits with low sugar content, or replace them with vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Never eat unlimited amounts of watermelon and other fruits with high sugar content.