Sweet Success is a Pregnancy and Diabetes Management Program. The program was designed by the California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program (CDAPP) of the Maternal and Child Branch of the Department of Health Services. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, the Sweet Success Team strives to improve pregnancy outcomes for women who have preexisting or gestational diabetes. Services are provided during preconception, pregnancy and post-partum.

The Sweet Success Team at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center is part of over 211 clinics statewide. The program teaches patients how to monitor their blood sugars at home and develop meal plans to help keep blood sugars in control throughout the remainder of pregnancy.

Diabetes in pregnancy means much more than a large for gestation baby. Uncontrolled pregestational diabetes is a major cause of birth defects, obesity, hypertension and early onset of type 2 diabetes in the offspring. Using the “Sweet Success Guidelines” for preconception care can reduce the risk of malformations to that of the non-diabetic population.

Although there are 800,000 new cases every year in the United States of Type 2 Diabetes, providers of women’s health care can help reduce this number. With the knowledge that a family history of diabetes, personal history of gestational diabetes or large for gestational age (LGA) baby, ethnicity including Hispanic, Asian, Native American, African American, East Indian and indigenous Australian places a woman at high risk for already having diabetes, providers can screen for diabetes at the first prenatal visit. Early identification of women with diabetes and subsequent education stressing lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) can prevent or delay the onset of this deadly disease. Sweet Success programs are designed to tackle this challenge.

The “Sweet Success Guidelines for Care” are patient management references for multidiscipline providers, including clinical care. “The Guidelines” strive to be evidence based, scientifically supported, and contain up to date standards of care. They are periodically revised by a consensus of recognized experts in the field, who are experienced in setting standards for the care of women experiencing diabetes during pregnancy at various clinical settings throughout the State of California.

For more information about gestational diabetes and treatment, visit the California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Dietary Recommendations

Eating Out Wisely

Exercise in Pregnancy

Food & Exercise Record

Dietary Food Pyramid for Gestational Diabetes (English)

Dietary Food Pyramid for Gestational Diabetes (Spanish)