Working Through a GDM Pregnancy
Reviewed by CDE Mehandi Sharma · Updated
Managing GDM at work adds a layer of logistics to a pregnancy that is already tiring.
The testing is the visible part. You need to test after lunch, which means having the meter with you and somewhere reasonably private to use it — a desk drawer and a quiet corner are usually enough. It takes under a minute once you are practised.
Lunch is the more consequential problem. Canteen food is often heavily rice-based, and a large plate of it will show up on your one-hour reading. Carrying lunch two or three days a week gives you control on those days; on others, ask for less rice and more sabzi, dal and curd.
The post-meal walk is the piece people skip at work, and it is the most valuable. Ten minutes around the floor, or up and down a corridor, is enough. Set a repeating alarm.
Commuting deserves thought. A long journey with a delayed meal is uncomfortable in any pregnancy, and if you are on insulin it can cause a low. Carry a snack.
Whether to tell anyone is your choice. Practically, one colleague knowing that you need to eat and test at particular times makes the day considerably easier — and if you are on insulin, someone knowing what a low looks like is a sensible precaution.