OFMOM NEWSROOM

Life Ofmom APP—Blood Sugar Monitor Helps Pregnant Women with GDM Control Sugar Intake Cleverly

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a fairly common pregnancy complication. Many mothers-to-be tend to have a misconception about being invulnerable to GDM. Yet the truth is, if they have themselves tested, the result will show that their blood sugar level is too high.

GDM has two types. One is diabetes diagnosed before pregnancy, or pre-pregnancy diabetes mellitus and the other is diabetes diagnosed due to pregnancy without preexisting diabetes. Based on clinically characteristics of pregnant women with GDM, over 80% patients have the second type. In fact, there is no need to worry too much. In most cases, GDM can be under good control through standard medical nutrition therapy.

A high level of blood sugar is mainly associated with insensible diet, overweight, family history of diabetes, pregnancy at an older age, production of insulin inhibited by hormones and other factors. If you don’t want to have high blood sugar, you should take heed of the above factors. Yet generally speaking, an illness finds its way into by the mouth. Insensible diet is the common contributor to high blood sugar. High-calorie and high-fat food stimulates the secretion of insulin. When it’s too much for pancreatic islets, insulin secretion fails to meet the needs of the body of a mother-to-be, causing high blood sugar during pregnancy.

Therefore, pregnant women should control their sugar intake and choose low-sugar vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes. Fruits can be eaten between two meals so as to delay the rise in blood sugar but also to have satiation conducive to blood sugar control. Miscellaneous grains are recommended as the staple food. They can easily satisfy hunger and are easy to digest, which is helpful in blood sugar control. The intake of meat, eggs and milk should be guaranteed. Pregnant women should also eat more food rich with cellulose and vitamins such as vegetables. Moreover, try to eat small, frequent meals—it would be better to have three big meals and three small ones a day and digest food as thoroughly as possible. This can help control blood sugar effectively.

In addition, pregnant women should control their weight. A rapid increase in weight during the later stage of pregnancy can result in obesity in pregnancy which in turn may lead to high blood sugar. Meanwhile, appropriate exercise can be effective in blood sugar control. Pregnant women can do yoga indoors or engage in outdoor activities like a walk after dinner. Workouts which are relaxing and not vigorous are suitable.

Other than that, it would be better for pregnant women to have their blood sugar monitored everyday and collect their real-time blood sugar data in case of medical treatment. Life Ofmom—a parenting media service platform has developed and introduced a mother-child service APP with blood sugar management function. Catering to stages of pregnancy preparation, pregnancy and parenting, the APP provides detailed guidance on how to self-monitor blood sugar in daily life and protects pregnant women against the risks associated with GDM.

The blood sugar management function of Life Ofmom APP has a risk assessment and alert mode. It will conduct risk assessment based on important body indices such as blood pressure, blood sugar level and weight. If the indices are lower or higher than the specified minimum or maximum number, it will send an alert and suggest remedial measures to patients for timely adjustment in their blood sugar level, rendering it more convenient for users to manage their blood sugar.

GDM is not a minor ailment. Pregnant women and their family members should pay careful attention for the sake of the health of the mother-to-be and that of the baby. If diet and exercise fail to lower the blood sugar level, pregnant women should seek for professional help immediately and receive medication under the guidance of a doctor.

Source: One Daily