Diabetes and pregnancy

Hello!I have read/heard that during pregnancy you should eat 175 grams of carbohydrates a day.For me that figure is crazy because I have achieved good control of my diabetes by reducing carbohydrates and especially choosing carbohydrates such as legumes, cooked potatoes, vegetables and fruit.I barely eat pasta, rice, bread... and if I do eat it, it is in small quantities.

It makes me very anxious to think that in the future I would have to eat so many carbohydrates.Also, that amount of carbohydrates along with the protein and vegetables that they recommend, how much should you eat per day???It seems too much to me.

Could anyone tell me their experience regarding this?:)

Thank you so much!

Hello @Cuevast,

It is best that you talk to your endocrinologist so that they can advise you on the most recommended diet during pregnancy.

It doesn't seem reasonable to have a low-carbohydrate diet, since you need energy for both yourself and the fetus, so the amount you propose seems appropriate.

I eat about 200 grams of carbohydrates daily and it is manageable, although if you are used to low amounts, the change may seem complex, since increasing insulin doses increases the probability and severity of the error, but surely you can do it.

Let's see if any woman on the forum who has been through pregnancy can help you.

Cuevast said:
@Cuevast said:

Hello!I have read/heard that during pregnancy you should eat 175 grams of carbohydrates a day.For me that figure is crazy because I have achieved good control of my diabetes by reducing carbohydrates and especially choosing carbohydrates such as legumes, cooked potatoes, vegetables and fruit.I barely eat pasta, rice, bread... and if I do eat it, it is in small quantities.

It makes me very anxious to think that in the future I would have to eat so many carbohydrates.Also, that amount of carbohydrates along with the protein and vegetables that they recommend, how much should you eat per day???It seems too much to me.

Could anyone tell me their experience regarding this?:)

Thank you so much!

Hello @Cuevast, I have a two-year-old child and right now I am pregnant again, no one has told me about how many carbohydrates I should eat per day in either of the two pregnancies, they simply advise me on a varied and healthy diet, and they monitor my glucose levels and peaks in more detail.My usual intake, whether pregnant or not, is about 120g per day, although it is true that with pregnancy I get hungrier and there are days when I can eat more.

If it's any advice to you, what I have done in both cases has been to tell my endocrinologist my plans before starting, so he already gave me the guidelines that I would need to follow, apart from the fact that he can adjust other medications that you need, I also have hypothyroidism and he already put in the prescription the dose that I would need when I confirmed pregnancy, since it is higher.

I have to say that the first weeks for me were variable and unpredictable, but the rest of the first trimester you usually have much more sensitivity to insulin and I have to be controlling the hypos.

Good luck and good luck, because it is possible!🍀

Hello @Mireia!congratulations on your pregnancy!how much are you?Can I know what community you live in?How often do you have checkups/reviews?

Yes, I am already in contact with my endocrinologist and I have an appointment on May 21.

@Cuevast said:

Hello@Mireia!congratulations on your pregnancy!how much are you?Can I know what community you live in?How often do you have checkups/reviews?

Yes, I am already in contact with my endocrinologist and I have an appointment on May 21.

Thank you so much!I'm still very young, 10 weeks now.I live in Catalonia and I have a high-risk pregnancy due to diabetes. I visit them once a month.My endocrinologist is also scheduling me 1 visit a month and the diabetes nurse too, they coordinate so that every 15 days they visit me or call me to talk about the charts, controls, my doubts, etc. I don't know if it will be by protocol or because I have had diabetes for more than 15 years, but they also order you to do complete check-ups, such as fundus, electros, etc.

Write down all the doubts and fears you have so you don't forget anything and tell your endocrinologist on the 21st 😚