Accredited Diabetes Counseling and Education Program


 


Our program is recognized by the American Association of Diabetes  Educators (AADE) as meeting the national standards for education. The mission at Desert Perinatal Associates’ Diabetes Center is to empower our patients with the diabetes self-care management skills necessary to promote optimal glucose control prior to conception, and throughout your pregnancy to help you achieve the best outcome for you and your baby.

Our highly experienced team of experts are Certified Diabetes Educators as well as Registered Dietitians. Combined, they have over 33 years of experience as Certified Diabetes Educators and over 45 years experience as Registered dietitians.

If you have diabetes or develop it during pregnancy, it can be a stressful time and require some special skills to keep you and your baby healthy. Desert Perinatal Associates offers a comprehensive and individualized Diabetes Education and Self-Management Training Program for our patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and those who develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. Our friendly and supportive team uses diabetes education and management strategies that employ the latest in medical science and technology, in a comfortable and compassionate environment. Our educators work closely with the physicians of Desert Perinatal Associates to help women who have type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes develop a personalized diabetes management plan.

The education we provide to our patients includes meal planning, self-blood glucose monitoring, medication management, problem-solving, shift-work adjustments, all individualized to your needs.   Professional Continuous Glucose Monitors are available to help you understand your glucose patterns and make adjustments to improve your glucose control, even while sleeping.

We understand that you want the best for your baby so we work closely with you and our Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists to provide education, training, and ongoing support that is so important for your health and your baby’s health.   

CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING (CGM)

If you have diabetes prior to getting pregnant or you develop gestational diabetes during your pregnancy, there is an increased risk of macrosomia.  Macrosomia is an infant born with excessive birth weight and can lead to health risks for you and your baby.

As part of our diabetes management program, Desert Perinatal Associates offers our patients the latest in advanced technology for continuous blood glucose monitoring.  Our patients are offered the professional continuous glucose monitor (CGM).  This is a small device that patients wear for 3 days to track blood glucose trends by monitoring glucose levels every five minutes throughout the day, for up to 288 readings. Use of this technology helps our physicians and diabetes educators to evaluate your diabetes control around the clock and make individualized adjustments in your treatment plan to help you protect your baby from risks of uncontrolled glucose levels.


Pictures provided by Medtronic

Usual monitoring of your blood glucose provides a “slide show” of blood glucose values. A CGM essentially provides a “movie” of blood glucose patterns by connecting the dots between the usual monitoring values. This is information that would virtually be impossible to obtain without the use of a CGM.


Picture provided by Medtronic

To learn more about this technology or to make an appointment to see one of our diabetes educators so that you can better manage your diabetes during your pregnancy please call us at (702) 341-6610.

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