Lois Hamel

Planning for a Healthier Birth and Beyond: Strategies Women Use to Manage Gestational Diabetes Lois Hamel

Gestational diabetes, the most frequent pregnancycomplication in the United States, puts mother andinfant at risk for serious medical problems that canhave lifelong sequelae. Maternal glucose control iscrucial to successful pregnancy outcomes. Previousstudies have described the experience of gestationaldiabetes as stressful; and anassociation between maternal stress and glucosecontrol has been documented. Few studies haveexamined how women perceive the experience ofgestational diabetes, and understanding the patient''sperception of a stressor is essential for effectivenursing intervention. Using grounded theorymethodology, this study generated an emerging nursingtheory, planning for a healthier birth and beyond,that provides a framework in which to interpret thestrategies women use to manage a pregnancycomplicated by gestational diabetes. The findingscould provide nurse clinicians and researchers with aricher understanding of how women experiencegestational diabetes, and potentially serve as abasis for developing proactive nursing interventionsto improve treatment adherence and better help womenmanage their lives with the condition.