Medical Eating for two and gestational diabetes

[Math Is Hard]

So I have this friend who's been "eating for two" since the day she found out she was pregnant, but I came across a news story that suggests this could be a bad idea.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/23/science/la-sci-pregnancy23-2010feb23

This is the first time I have heard of "gestational diabetes".

The article says she should only be consuming an extra 100-300 calories a day. Maybe I should send her this and tell her to slow down on the chow. Or is it something she only has to worry about if she has other risk factors for diabetes?

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Purely from personal experience, from some time ago,and in another country, I found most information from books and obstetricians, etc., highlighted concern that not too much weight was gained during pregnancy. I was regularly weighed and gentle exercise (not getting the heart-rate too high), like walking and swimming, was encouraged. Also, considering the usual nausea of the first trimester, it can be difficult to gain much weight. Congrats for your friend.

 

[Evo]

So I have this friend who's been "eating for two" since the day she found out she was pregnant, but I came across a news story that suggests this could be a bad idea.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/23/science/la-sci-pregnancy23-2010feb23

This is the first time I have heard of "gestational diabetes".

The article says she should only be consuming an extra 100-300 calories a day. Maybe I should send her this and tell her to slow down on the chow. Or is it something she only has to worry about if she has other risk factors for diabetes?

The funniest thing I read when I was pregnant was "yes. you're eating for two, but remember, one of you is the size of a ping pong ball".

 

[Moonbear]

The funniest thing I read when I was pregnant was "yes. you're eating for two, but remember, one of you is the size of a ping pong ball".

LOL! That's a good line.

And, yes, a lot of women overeat during pregnancy, and gain more weight than is healthy. The additional amount of food needed, particularly during early pregnancy, is about the equivalent of a half sandwich a day.

Gaining too much weight during pregnancy isn't just unhealthy for the mom in terms of gestational diabetes, but can also lead to higher birth weight babies that are also at higher risk for long term issues, like developing diabetes themselves.

The most important thing to keep in mind is not volume of food, but nutritional quality of the food. Make sure you're getting a balanced diet while pregnant, and definitely take the prenatal vitamins to ensure you're getting adequate folic acid, which is important for neurological development of the fetus. Though, even on that, be careful and consult an obstetrician on the right amounts of folic acid to take too. Too much can potentially be harmful as well, and the doses generally start out lower and step up as the fetus grows.

Oh, and many women actually lose some weight in their first few months of pregnancy. This is also normal and as long as they start to catch up later, nothing to worry about. Obstetricians will monitor weight gain or loss and let you know if you're losing too much or if it's a concern.