By Introduction
Being pregnant with low blood sugar can feel unsettling, especially when the symptoms show up suddenly. One minute you may feel fine, and the next you are shaky, sweaty, dizzy, or strangely weak. Low blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia, can happen for several reasons during pregnancy, including skipped meals, vomiting, long gaps between eating, exercise, or diabetes treatment that needs adjusting.
Fortunately, most low blood sugar instances can be managed safely once you know how to respond to them. By recognizing warning signs, being aware of which foods will help and having a simple plan to follow will allow the experience of being pregnant to feel much more stable and less stressful.
This guide to managing low blood sugar during pregnancy will provide you with a reasonable, accessible, step-by-step approach so you can manage your energy levels and quickly respond when you develop them.
What Pregnant With Low Blood Sugar Means
Typically, a blood sugar level below 70 mg/dL is considered low and should be addressed quickly. During pregnancy, blood sugar levels should be kept at a safe level (normal range) regardless of whether the mother has diabetes or not. Because pregnant women with diabetes need their blood sugar controlled tightly during pregnancy, their healthcare team typically a) will monitor their blood sugar more frequently and b) will make adjustments to their diet or medications when they frequently have low blood sugars.
Because hypoglycemia can occur without having diabetes, pregnant women may experience episodes of hypoglycemia due to: a) nausea making eating difficult, b) not eating frequently enough (waiting too long between meals) or c) using energy more than what is needed by their bodies. In addition, reactive hypoglycemia may occur after meals when blood sugar levels have gone up significantly, leading to a rapid decrease within a matter of hours after eating.
Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar During Pregnancy
If you’re feeling jittery, sweaty, chilly, starving, cranky, dizzy, nauseous, racing heart, or unable to concentrate then you may have low blood sugar while pregnant. You might also get blurred vision or a general sense of being “off.” Low blood sugar can happen fast, so it’s helpful to identify those symptoms as early as possible.
In more severe cases you can experience confusion, fainting, or seizures. Low blood sugar will become life-threatening very quickly; therefore you don’t want to risk low blood sugar during pregnancy for you or your child.
Why Is There Low Blood Sugar During Pregnancy
Pregnancy affects how you eat, your digestion and how the body processes sugar (glucose). If you are having morning sickness, it might be hard to consume enough food. When you miss a meal and there is no food in your system, then your body has no glucose to utilize and your blood sugar drops dramatically. If you already use insulin or any other medication to lower your blood sugar, you may also need to adjust your dosage gradually as your pregnancy proceeds.
The reason some women can feel fine earlier in the day and progressively feel worse is that sometimes they are busy early in the day, or they have been very active. When there are long gaps between meals, frequent vomiting, or if you do not eat a snack before bed, it makes it more likely that you may experience low blood sugar.
What Do You Do Right Away If You Have Low Blood Sugar?
If you’re low on blood sugar and can swallow, you should use faster-acting sources of carbohydrate to bring your blood sugar up. One common way to do this is called the 15-15 Rule: take 15g of fast-acting sugar, wait 15 minutes, then check again. If it is still low, repeat. You can get fast-acting sugars from glucose tablets, fruit juice, regular soda, or some other fast-acting sources suggested by your trusted health professional.
Once your blood sugar has returned to a safe level, you should follow it up with a snack or meal that contains carbohydrate and protein to help keep your blood sugar steady. Some options include whole grain toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit, or crackers with cheese. The goal is to not only restore your blood sugar to a safe level, but also to prevent another episode from occurring too quickly.
If you are too confused, weak, or sleepy to swallow safely do not attempt to force food or fluid into your mouth. Seek emergency medical treatment immediately. A severe level of hypoglycemia will most likely require treatment with glucagon or some other urgent type of medical intervention and your family members need to know how to assist you in the event that you cannot treat yourself.
Pregnant Women with Low Blood Sugar: What to Eat
Women who experience low blood sugar while pregnant should focus on eating nutrient-dense foods that are both simple and tasty. Foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, protein rich food, etc.
Will provide you with the necessary nutrients and energy to get through your day. However, food items that contain sugar will only provide short-term energy, and therefore should not be relied upon as a long-term solution.
Some examples of good foods to eat to help control low blood sugar during pregnancy include:
- Sliced apples with peanut butter
- Whole grain crackers with cheese
- Yogurt with berries or granola
- Toasted whole grain bread spread with nut butter
- A banana with a handful of nuts
If you’re experiencing nausea, consuming smaller meals frequently can also help keep your blood sugar level more stable throughout the day. Smaller meals will help reduce the chances of you going for a long period without eating something when experiencing low blood sugar, and therefore having to consume food to stabilize your blood sugar.
Keep healthy, easy to grab or prepare snacks available within arms reach can help you maintain your mental and physically steady state throughout the day as opposed to crashing from being too far between meals.
Managing Low Blood Sugar During Pregnancy
The best way to manage low blood sugar in pregnancy is to create a routine for daily energy levels. Eating at regular intervals throughout the day (planned meals and snacks) and checking blood sugar as recommended can help reduce the likelihood of having unexpected drops in blood sugar.
If you have diabetes, your health care team may provide target levels and potentially adjust your treatment plan if you continue to experience low blood sugar levels frequently.
Several habits that may help reduce low blood sugar levels include:
- Do not skip breakfast.
- Do not go without food for long stretches of time.
- Always carry a source of sugar with you (e.g., glucose tablets, juice).
- Keep a quick source of sugar by your bedside.
- Ask your health care provider about adjusting your medications.
- Let your partner and/or family know what to look for when you have a low blood sugar episode and how to help.
If you tend to have low blood sugar after specific meals or after exercising, write down that information so you and your doctor can figure out if it was caused by meal timing, medication, or something else. Tracking blood sugar will make it easier to manage and maintain stable blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
Do Not Hesitate to Contact Your Health Care Provider
Consult with your health care provider or member(s) of your diabetes health-care team if:
- you keep having low blood sugars
- the low blood sugars are becoming more difficult to treat
- you are unable to identify why you are having low blood sugar.
Repeated episodes of low blood sugar may suggest that you need to develop an alternate plan. This may include adjusting your insulin regimen, changing your meal timing, or re-evaluating your snacks/activities.
Seek immediate, emergency care if:
- you are unconscious
- you have had a seizure
- you cannot keep food down
- you cannot swallow safely.
You cannot treat severe hypoglycemia by yourself and need immediate medical attention. This is especially important when you are pregnant.
Tips for Creating a Consistent Day
Generally, a consistent day starts with being more consistent instead of perfect. Many women believe that by preparing a meal before they become extremely hungry, they can break the cycle of continuously low blood sugars due to waiting too long to eat. Some women may benefit from having a nighttime snack because they wake up shaky or nauseous.
Consider keeping your fast-acting carbohydrate source in more than one location. For example, some glucose tablets in your purse, a juice box in your car, and a snack in your house will help you manage your low blood sugar if you are in a stressful situation. A little planning can help make panic over low blood sugar while pregnant easier to handle.
Conclusion
Pregnant women experiencing low blood sugar are often distressful, and at times please don’t hesitate to reach out to your medical team if you find yourself having repeated episodes of hypoglycemia due to low blood sugar levels.
Pregnancy can be tough enough without any additional complications like low blood sugar, so do everything you can now to prepare yourself, as some women have experienced low blood sugar many times.
The key points are: become familiar with the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar; treat the lows promptly with quick-acting sugars; eat a balanced snack afterward; keep in touch with your healthcare provider or educator if you continue to have episodes of hypoglycemia.
Preparing for scheduled meals, having quick-acting snacks, and creating a diabetes management action plan will help you to manage your diabetes while you are pregnant, and will provide you with a much clearer focus on your pregnancy.
FAQ
1. Does a low blood sugar level during pregnancy pose a danger?
A low blood sugar level during pregnancy can pose a danger to you and your unborn child. A mild episode of low blood sugar will generally be manageable; however, if you experience prolonged low blood sugar levels or become confused, pass out or seize then you need to seek immediate medical assistance.
2. What sign indicates that you may be experiencing low blood sugar during pregnancy?
A pregnant woman may exhibit shakiness, sweating, extreme hunger, dizziness and a rapid pulse as a common example of early symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). In addition, many women experience feelings of anxiety, weakness, and light-headedness.
3. What should you eat after an episode of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose)?
Once the quick sources of sugar (candy, fruit juices, etc.) have corrected the problem, the next step would be to eat a snack that contains a combination of a carbohydrate and a protein such as cheese crackers, yogurt and fruit, etc.
4. When should I call my doctor when experiencing hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) while pregnant?
Contact your doctor if you continue to experience reoccurring episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), if it takes longer to correct your low blood glucose (if you must rely on more than 1 to 2 sources of sugar), or if you develop symptoms of vomiting, changes in your medications, or any other unusual symptoms; your doctor’s care plan may need to be adjusted.