Transmission: Does no sugar help before childbirth?
The fear of transmission is often present, especially in first-time mothers. Because it is difficult to say in advance whether and with what risks a birth after the calculated due date (ET) is associated. Here’s what one of our MomaSquad editors overheard from friends the other day: It’s said that cutting out sugar for two weeks before ET is supposed to help. We followed the theory.
Of course, a due date is only an approximation, not an “appointment”. The date of delivery is calculated according to the Nagele rule based on the first day of the last period and not based on the day of conception. Determining the real age of the child is therefore very difficult. Even with the help of ultrasound , this moment cannot be perfectly pinpointed.
Nevertheless, a transfer is not easy for the mother-to-be to shoulder. Because the problem of transmission is usually to be seen in the aging placenta, which no longer supplies the baby with oxygen and nutrients as well.
However, most children show no long-term damage, but recover after a short time from their short-term undersupply. In this case, too, there is only limited cause for concern.
You can find out more about transmission in our article: “Transmission: When the baby is late” .
How can you prevent transmission?
Aside from keeping calm and protecting your unborn baby from stress, cutting out sugar two weeks before ET is said to help. We asked ourselves: Is there something to it?
We researched and asked questions and found out: Yes, there is definitely something to this theory.
It’s no secret that sugar should be avoided during pregnancy, despite all the cravings . After all, more glucose (grape sugar) is released during pregnancy in order to provide the body with the energy it needs. If you then consume a lot of sugar, you risk an increase in blood sugar levels and thus gestational diabetes.
You can find out more about gestational diabetes in our article: “Gestational Diabetes” .
No sugar before birth
As the delivery room team at the Vinzenz-Pallotti-Hospital Bensberg explains in their information sheet “Information for promoting physiological birth” , a high blood sugar level can also have an impact on the due date:
“Nutrition plays an important role in the beginning of labor. We now know that simple sugars (e.g. sweets, lemonade, fruit juices) but also white flour products significantly increase the blood sugar level. For a pregnant woman, this may have an adverse effect on the start of labor and the perception of pain.
High blood sugar levels inhibit prostaglandins (tissue hormones) that have a positive effect on childbirth. They soften the cervix/cervix and are important for the development of labor pains.
By changing your eating/drinking habits from 37 weeks of gestation at the latest. Check and regulate in this regard, you can influence your birth situation yourself at an early stage. Keep
moving, because exercise also lowers blood sugar levels.”
Healthy eating is important
In concrete terms, this means that no sugar before birth can help prevent transmission. In general, however, the following always applies: A healthy and balanced diet has priority during your pregnancy – regardless of whether it is the first or fifth! Snacking is of course allowed. But if you want to be on the safe side, talk to your gynecologist about sugar.
You can read about which foods you should avoid during your pregnancy in our article “11 things that pregnant women should not eat” .