20 | Oh BABY! Gestational diabetes is a condition that occurs during pregnancy. During the 24-28th weeks of your pregnancy, your body is producing large amounts of hormones that help your baby grow and develop. These hormones can make it difficult for the insulin in your body to carry sugar from your bloodstream into your cells the way it should, a condition known as insulin resistance. Usually your pan- creas (the organ that produces insulin) is able to keep your blood sugar ranges within normal levels in spite of insulin resistance. However, if your pancreas does not produce enough insulin to work against the pregnancy hormones, your blood sugars will rise above normal ranges, causing Gestational Diabetes Women at risk: • 25 years of age or older • Overweight or obese • Family history of diabetes • Delivered babies larger than 8 lbs. 5 oz. or more • History of high blood pressure • History of gestational diabetes Risks for my baby: If left untreated, gestational diabetes can cause serious complications for your newborn. For example: • The baby may grow too big (called macrosomia), increasing the risk of problems during delivery, such as injuries to the baby’s shoulders and arms and nerves in these areas. • The baby may also develop low blood sugar levels (called hypoglycemia) right after birth because the baby may have too much insulin in their body. The extra sugar in the mother’s body stimulates the baby’s body to make more insulin. When the baby is born, the extra insulin can cause the baby to have low blood sugars. • The baby may also, develop jaundice (a condition that causes yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) and breathing problems. • If you have gestational diabetes, your baby has higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and being over- weight. Risks for mother: If left untreated, gestational diabetes can cause serious complications for you: • Gestational diabetes raises your risk of high blood pressure, as well as preeclampsia — a serious compli- cation of pregnancy that causes high blood pressure and other symptoms that can threaten the lives of both mother and baby. • Having a very large baby may also increase the moth- er’s risk for requiring a cesarean section or other as- sistance during delivery (such as a forceps or vacuum delivery). • Polyhydramnios, a condition when you have too much amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is the fluid that surrounds your baby in your uterus (womb). • Future diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, you are more likely to develop it again during a future pregnancy. In addition, you are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, as you get older. However, making healthy lifestyle changes such as eating healthy foods and exercising can help reduce the risk of future type 2 diabetes. The GOOD news is that you can control Gesta- tional Diabetes by: • Healthy Eating • Exercising • Controlling the amount of carbohydrates you eat • Monitoring your blood sugar levels with a glucose meter and maintaining a healthy blood sugar range throughout pregnancy and delivery • Taking medications to control your blood sugar, if necessary • Enrolling in a FREE Gestational Diabetes Class. Gestational Diabetes