The IWK Pregnancy and Diabetes Clinic helps by providing care, education, and support for patients with type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. We offer this support before, during, and after pregnancy.
How we help
We believe that early and ongoing care and education are crucial to optimize outcomes for pregnancies for people managing diabetes. Our goal is to help expecting parents with any type of diabetes to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy babies. Our clinic helps patients to have fewer complications for themselves and their babies, have less hospitalization during pregnancy, learn more about diabetes management, and become confident in self-management of diabetes in pregnancy
Services provided at the clinic include:
- Treatment and evaluation for gestational diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes
- Pre-pregnancy consultation
- Individualized treatment that identifies specific needs
- Counselling and support
- Food planning specific to individual needs
- Diabetes Education in our clinic includes:
- Blood sugar (glucose) testing
- Managing medications
- Meal planning and healthy eating
- Exercise and weight counselling
- Motivation and stress management
- Emotional adjustment to pregnancy and diabetes
- Prevention and delaying of complications of diabetes
We're also active in diabetes research. Our team participates in national and international research work designed to improve and enhance the care we provide to pregnant patients with diabetes. You can contribute to the advancements in prenatal care by joining a research study.
What to expect
Your first visit may take two to three hours. You’ll be seen by members of the diabetes team as needed. At the end of each visit you’ll be asked to book a return visit. Return visits usually take about one hour.
Please bring the following items along with you:
- Your MSI Health Card
- A record of your most recent blood sugars
- Your diabetes supplies for the day (meter, strips, lancets, insulin)
- List of any medications, vitamins, minerals and any herbal medicines that you are taking
- Recent three day food record with food amounts and times
- Morning snack and lunch (cafeteria service is available)
Who you’ll meet
With a physician referral, you’ll meet with a few of our team members to plan your diabetes care and have a healthy pregnancy. We work closely with primary care physicians, midwives, obstetricians and other health care providers. The team members you see will depend on your needs and your type of diabetes, but the following people are all team members that you might meet:
- Diabetes Nurse Educator
- Dietitian
- Endocrinologist
- Maternal Fetal Medicine Resident/Fellow
- Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist
- Physiotherapist
- Prenatal Care Nurse
- Social Worker
Accessing this Clinic, Program or Service
The Pregnancy and Diabetes program is located within the Perinatal Centre on the main floor of the Woman’s Building (5980 University Avenue). Use the entrance on the corner of University Avenue and Robie Street. Enter the lobby and register at reception found behind the security desk.
For more information, please talk to your family doctor or call the Perinatal Centre.
Women's/Adult Building -IWK Health Centre
Parking is available in the IWK Parkade located on University Avenue. Parking is available at hourly rates. When you enter the parking garage, you will receive an entry ticket that you must take with you. When you are returning to your car you put your entry ticket in the pay station (looks like a bank machine) to pay for your parking. This validates your ticket so that you can put your paid ticket in the reader as you exit the garage.
3 Clinics, Programs or Services
Clinical Nutrition
Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program
Confirm details with the program or clinic provider.