Eating fruit as a meal, gestational diabetes comes unexpectedly.

by lkts1ji2kod on 2011-04-07 11:55:19

This article is excerpted from the Family Doctor 2009 Annual Highlights Edition in the Family Doctor Series.

After more than half a year of careful preparation, I finally succeeded in conceiving last year. In the first three months, I had severe pregnancy reactions, often feeling nauseous and dizzy, even vomiting right after eating. With insufficient energy and poor appetite, the only thing I was willing to eat was various delicious and sweet fruits.

My husband fully supported me. He said that fruits contain abundant water and vitamins, which would benefit both me and the baby inside my belly. Thus, he added a definite daily task: searching for all kinds of fresh fruits at the supermarket, such as grapes, watermelons, apples, mangoes, pears, mangosteens, etc., without missing any.

Since then, I have developed an inseparable bond with fruits, almost "unable to be happy without fruits" every day. As the weeks of pregnancy increased, my abdomen gradually swelled and my body expanded like an inflating balloon. At that time, I, who was about to become a mother for the first time, was very proud and did not care much about these changes in appearance.

As the summer season arrived, the weather became unusually hot and stifling, and I became increasingly lazy to move. To cool off, quench my thirst, and adjust my appetite, there was a period when I even lived on fruits every day, and fruits became my sole sustenance. Often, over a dozen peaches and a large watermelon would be consumed by me in less than half a day.

In autumn, apples, pears, mandarin oranges, and other fruits were available on the market, and I happily indulged in them every day. However, when I was seven months pregnant, I went to the hospital for a routine check-up. During the ultrasound, the doctor said that the fetus was too large, and if it continued this way, it might develop into a macrosomic fetus. Later, the fasting urine sugar and blood sugar tests showed even more shocking results: +++ urine sugar and blood sugar levels exceeding the normal range. Could I have diabetes? Impossible! This is a common disease among middle-aged and elderly people, how could it happen to me? Was the lab report wrong? With many doubts, I consulted the doctor. After reviewing various test results and carefully questioning my diet and living habits, she informed me that I indeed had gestational diabetes.

Upon hearing this, I was greatly shocked and didn't understand why I suddenly got this disease. I felt fine previously and didn't have the classic symptoms of diabetes: excessive drinking, excessive eating, and excessive urination. Moreover, my previous physical examinations showed normal blood sugar levels. After listening to my complaints, the doctor explained that my diabetes was likely caused by excessive fruit consumption. She also mentioned that gestational diabetes has a certain degree of concealment, and clinical symptoms are often not obvious.

"How can eating fruits cause illness? Isn't it said that eating more fruits during pregnancy benefits both mother and child?" I became more confused as I listened. The doctor was patient and explained to me that eating an appropriate amount of fruit during pregnancy, such as one apple or others per day, can supplement vitamins and water, regulate appetite, and is indeed good. But remember "excess is as bad as deficiency," if you consume fruits as your main meal every day, it will not only lead to unbalanced nutrition but may also result in a large accumulation of sugar in the body. Combined with reduced exercise and weight gain during pregnancy, as well as physiological changes, diabetes can be triggered. Especially in the summer and autumn seasons, when there are many varieties of fruits and abundant yields, it's a high incidence period for this disease. Since gestational diabetes often lacks obvious symptoms, pregnant women tend to overlook it. If the condition is not timely and effectively controlled, the probability of miscarriage, gestational hypertension syndrome, polyhydramnios, infection, fetal intrauterine growth restriction, macrosomia, and even deformities and premature births will significantly increase.

At this point, I realized the severity of the situation, regretting deeply, and immediately sought advice from the doctor on what to do. The doctor reassured me not to worry, saying that my condition was not yet too serious and I could try controlling my fruit intake from now on. By adjusting my diet, I could bring my blood sugar back to normal. If I couldn't control it, we would consider drug treatment.

Recognizing my mistake, I strictly followed the doctor's instructions upon returning home. I quit the fruit-only meals, controlled my diet, exercised appropriately (such as walking after meals), and closely monitored and meticulously recorded my blood sugar. Sure enough, my blood sugar gradually approached the normal range. Two months later, our son Dingding, weighing 3400 grams, was safely delivered naturally, and the whole family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Link: Prevention of Gestational Diabetes

In the summer and autumn seasons, various fruits flood the market, and when pregnant women indulge without exercising, gestational diabetes quietly sneaks up. To prevent gestational diabetes, expectant mothers must pay attention to regulating their diet, maintaining balanced nutrition, not excessively consuming high-sugar foods and fruits, and knowing when to stop. It is advisable to eat light food, moderately restrict salt intake, and do some suitable exercises, such as walking and cycling.

After the 18th week of pregnancy, pregnant women should regularly monitor their blood sugar at the hospital. If necessary, they should undergo an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and seek nutritional consultation. Pregnant women with a family history of diabetes, habitual abortion, unexplained early delivery, stillbirth, neonatal death, or malformed fetuses; chronic hypertension, positive urine sugar; pre-pregnancy weight exceeding 90 kilograms, or significantly larger fetuses than the normal level for the gestational age, or having given birth to a macrosomic baby; or showing symptoms of excessive drinking, eating, and urination, should be highly vigilant.

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