The fetus’ growth is supported by the placenta, and it is hormones in the placenta which help the baby develop. However, these hormones can interrupt the natural function of insulin in the mother’s body. When this occurs it is called insulin resistance and when this happens it becomes difficult for the mother’s body to effectively use insulin and she may end up needing as much as three times the normal amount of insulin.

When the mother’s body is unable to make and effectively use all the insulin needed for pregnancy, glucose cannot be changed into energy when it leaves the blood, and as a result the glucose can build up to high levels.

Due to the fact that gestational diabetes does not affect the mother until late in pregnancy and until well after the fetus’ body and organs has been formed, the gestational diabetes will not cause birth defects that can sometimes result from pregnancies with pre-existing diabetes.

Untreated or mismanaged gestational diabetes can however, harm your baby. With this condition your body will signal your pancreas to work harder to produce more insulin, but this insulin is not effective in lowering the mother’s blood glucose levels. Even though this extra insulin will not cross through the placenta to the baby, the higher levels of glucose will. This will cause the baby’s pancreas to create extra insulin in order to get rid of the extra glucose. As a result, the baby gets more energy than needed and this extra energy can be stored as fat. This process can lead to a condition called macrosomia, or ‘fat’ baby. This condition can lead to damage to the baby’s shoulders during delivery, or due to the extra insulin the newborns may have low blood sugar levels and can be at risk for breathing issues. Finally, babies born from mothers with gestational diabetes often become children who are at higher risk for obesity and become adults with a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that gestational diabetes usually disappears after birth. However, once having had this condition, a woman is more likely to develop it again in future pregnancies. In some rare cases type 2 diabetes results from having gestational diabetes, or in other cases pre-existing diabetes is caught due to the screening process while pregnant.

While not cause for serious alarm, gestational diabetes can result in dire repercussions to the baby if not managed properly. The doctor or health care provider will advocate a strict course of diet, exercise and sometimes medication, in order to properly control blood sugars and to manage a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

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Your special diet will include plenty of whole grains rich in fiber, as well as ensuring that you consume some protein with each meal to help deter blood sugar fluctuations. Exercise may also be advocated, as this will help your body to use the extra glucose without having to take insulin shots. This will also help avoid insulin resistance.

Carbohydrates or other foods high in starch or sugar, are turned into glucose during digestion, therefore they have the highest impact on blood sugar levels and consumption needs to be strictly counted. The nutritionist or dietician will counsel you on how many carbohydrates you should be consuming at each meal and snack, and will educate you on what kinds of foods are better sources of carbohydrates than others.

Eating at the same time each day and not skipping meals or snacks will help maintain blood sugar levels, and eating fewer carbohydrates at breakfast is always a good idea because that is the time of day when typically insulin resistance is at its greatest. Women with gestational diabetes should avoid fruit and fruit juices at breakfast for this very reason.

Reading nutritional labels will become second nature to the woman with gestational diabetes. Every food has the potential to contain carbohydrates, and it is only by looking at the nutritional information that these can be accurately counted. Likewise, it is helpful to have a kitchen scale on hand for measuring weights so that you can get an exact number of carbohydrates per serving.

While having gestational diabetes is certainly a concern, most women easily manage it with the help of their health care team. Careful monitoring of blood sugar levels will reduce the chances of any adverse affects on the baby, and will help ensure continued good health for the mother as well.

Related posts:

1. How to Manage Gestational Diabetes
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3. Oral Agents for Type 2 Diabetes