I have a question about pregnancy as a Type 1 patient. What precautions are needed when that patient is pregnant? I know a lady who is not compliant with her diet and I am afraid she is harming her baby with her eating habits. She is eating for 4 instead of 2 and I think she is eating too much refined carbs. How much should a pregnant woman with type 1 be eating?
The pregnant woman with type 1 diabetes should still be following the diet her doctor prescribed for her. If she is going overboard with eating, she is no doubt in noncompliance of her diet. I would think that she would be getting hyperglycemia at many points of her day. This is not good for the baby since it would be getting extra glucose which could complicate the birthing process and antenatal care. If you are able to, you may want to mention to her that the baby can be born larger than normal, which increases the risks of its shoulder being injured coming out of the canal; another scenario would be the need for a C-section to avoid this from happening. The baby could also develop hypoglycemia at birth so interventions would need to be made to ensure its blood sugar stabilizes. If the mother is aware of these complications, maybe she will start following her diet more closely.
I would tell that woman that she is not thinking about her baby by not eating right! She is being very selfish and irresponsible. I dislike women that don’t take responsibility for the welfare of their children. You should get brochures on proper diet for type 1 pregnancy for her and hand them to her if you don’t want a confrontation with her. She needs to be told one way or another.