What Is Considered Low Blood Sugar during Pregnancy?
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- It should be around 105 mg /dL before breakfast or after fasting for about 12 hours.
- It should be around 130 mg /dL for about 2 hours after your meal.
In general, blood sugar is considered too low if it is less than 60 mg /dL. If you think you have a blood glucose reaction and you also have 60 mg /dL or lower, see your doctor promptly.
If you have hypoglycemia, in general here are some tips to do to increase your blood glucose safely:
- Consume sugar-containing foods. For instances, you can try brown sugar, a half cup of apple /orange juice, a cup of skim milk, and a tablespoon of honey. But do this step carefully! Just make sure you not over do it!
- Take your prescribed glucose tablets if necessary!
- Then check again your blood sugar about 15 minutes afterward!
- If the result of the test is still around 60 mg /dL – eat more sugar-containing foods! But again make sure you don’t over treat your low blood sugar, particularly if you have diabetes or gestational diabetes! Over treating the problem can be counterproductive, because you may have hyperglycemia which is also dangerous for your pregnancy!
- For more advice – talk with your doctor!
Hypoglycemia and its effects on baby
According to a study in 2009, having uncontrolled hypoglycemia during pregnancy may put you at greater chance of developing preeclampsia (a serious condition that typically followed with abnormal high blood pressure).
Preeclampsia can lead to early birth or even fetal death if left untreated. Furthermore, uncontrolled low blood glucose also can increase the risk of delivering a baby that needs admission to intensive-neonatal care unit, according to Journal of Perinatology published on 2005.
Low blood sugar symptoms during pregnancy
The symptoms vary from pregnant woman to pregnant woman. But in general, the main ones include sweating, dizziness (headache), sudden /increased hunger, shakiness (being at hypoglycemia can make you shake), confusion, weakness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and poor coordination!
If you notice these symptoms after taking your insulin replacement, check your blood glucose level immediately! Again, hypoglycemia can pose the risk of serious pregnancy complications. It can be very harmful both for you and your pregnancy if left untreated!
I strongly disagree with the “solutions” suggested for low blood sugar. I am pregnant with my second child and have had this condition for years now, and it is common knowledge that eating sugary foods just makes things worse, as it causes the blood sugar levels to go up temporarily, before causing a “crash”. The only way to stabilise blood sugar levels is to concentrate on protein and complex carbs, to avoid eating sweet or starchy foods, or if doing so, to always have them with a source of protein on the side. For example, an apple with a handful of almonds/peanuts, whole wheat toast with peanut butter, baked potato with tuna, etc. Constantly eating sugary foods when suffering from hypoglycemia is not only useless but even harmful, especially while pregnant.
#Marie Alice
Thanks a lot for your advice. The tips mentioned on the article is intended for the emergency procedure to increase the level of blood sugar immediately. Once the blood sugar back to normal, a well-balanced diet is the key for the treatment. We also remember that it’s also important to not over treat the low blood sugar.
As a type 1 diabetic for 30yrs & currently on my second pregnancy, where I have the opposite reaction to the majority with low blood sugars during the full pregnancy, I completely agree the the doctorone advice above & think it is important that any type of diabetic knows the most effective way to quickly treat hypoglycaemia & return blood sugar to safe levels. Sugar or fruit juice is in my experience quick & effective. Avoiding anything that contains fat or protein which slows down digestion is important when blood sugars are very low & they need to be elevated quickly. As the post above mentions, taking small amounts & retesting every 15mins or so helps ensure that blood sugar levels do not go too high. When blood sugar levels have returned to a safe level, then MarieAlice’s advice for complex carbs & balanced nutrition is really helpful to help avoid a blood sugar yo-yo effect.