Diabetes
Pregnancy
Being pregnant should be a happy and exciting time however for many with diabetes it can be stressful and overwhelming.
We have a dedicated Team to support all ladies with either pre-existing diabetes or those who develop gestational diabetes, to achieve a stress-free pregnancy.
Please contact us if you have diabetes and are considering having a baby.
I am thinking of having a baby
If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and are planning a pregnancy or have recently found out that you are pregnant, please inform the diabetes team as soon as possible. Good blood sugar control both prior to and during pregnancy is known to reduce pregnancy complications. The target HBa1c is less than 48mmol/mol. The diabetes team are here to support you to achieve good bloody sugar control. During the period leading up to your pregnancy, we will encourage you to start 5mg of Folic acid and Vitamin D supplements and advise you to continue these into early pregnancy.
Information leaflet on pre-conception
Health eating in pregnancy with diabetes
- Gestational Diabetes - a guide
- Healthy eating for Gestational Diabetes
- Pregnancy and diet: Food Fact Sheet
- Carbs and Cals Gestational Diabetes
- Balancing meals
Top tips
Carb free snacks
Using CGM in pregnancy
NHS England announced in November 2020 that ladies with type 1 diabetes who have the joy of being pregnant will have access to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for 12 months. This will automatically alert you if your glucose levels are going too low or high. Please speak to a member of the team to discuss in more detail.
If you have commenced CGM you may find the following information useful:
GDM post-delivery
If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes then this should go away once your baby has been born.
You will be asked to do a blood test 6 weeks after the birth of your baby to make sure the diabetes has gone away.
However, you still have a risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. You may find it useful to look at the diabetes prevent website for further guidance on what you can do to help prevent/delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.