Pregnancy
Who are these services for?
Pregnancy services are provided to those women with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes as well as those women who develop gestational diabetes or Impaired glucose tolerance during a pregnancy.
Where is the service provided?
Most of our program is offered in our offices at 285A Memorial Avenue but much of the day to day changes are handled via phone call with a member of the team. We have a toll free number
Why do we need this program?
It is important to achieve and maintain good blood sugar control both before and during pregnancy. High blood sugars can put your baby at risk for many complications at birth. Too much sugar in the blood exposes your baby to putting on excess body fat. This can result in complications at delivery for both baby and mom. For this reason targets for blood sugar control in pregnancy complicated by diabetes are much lower than in women with diabetes who are not pregnant.
What is the program about?
Registered Dietitians (Diabetes Clinicians) will provide education in meal planning and adjustments to achieve target blood sugars. Diabetes Nurse Clinicians will teach blood glucose monitoring, use of insulin pens, and recording results so that patterns of highs or lows can be identified. Support from the team is provided in monitoring results and adjusting meals or insulin doses as required. We are also available for those women who are contemplating pregnancy and need assistance with improving control of blood sugars first. Women who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes must have blood sugars under good control before pregnancy occurs to ensure the health of baby.
How do we do this?
The team provides follow up during the pregnancy to monitor the blood glucose control and to provide further education and support as required. We also provide an appointment for 6 weeks post partum counseling for those women who had gestational diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy.At this visit we will provide information on how to prevent diabetes and offer follow-up services for weight management The pregnancy team works with Obstetricians, Family physicians, Midwifes and specialists to ensure the best possible care of the mother and baby. The program offers preconception counseling to ensure good control of diabetes before pregnancy
