What Is Gestational Diabetes?

If blood tests show that you have gestational diabetes, this doesn't mean that you're sick or that you did anything wrong. And it doesn't mean your baby will be born with diabetes. But it does mean you need to take special care of yourself, so you and your baby stay healthy.

Gestational diabetes is a special kind of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy (gestation). Changes that occur in your body while you're pregnant cause your blood sugar to be too high. Gestational diabetes is more likely in women who:

• Are overweight.

• Have a family history of diabetes.

• Have had a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds at birth.

• Have had a baby who died before birth.

• Have had gestational diabetes in the past.

• Are Latina, African American, Native American, South or East Asian, or Pacific Islander.

Help from Your Healthcare Team

To have a healthy baby, you need to take special care of yourself. Your healthcare team will help you learn what to do.

• An obstetrician (a doctor who cares for women during pregnancy) or a family doctor will oversee your care.

• You may also see an endocrinologist (a doctor who treats diabetes) or a perinatologist (a doctor who treats high-risk pregnancies).

• A dietitian, a diabetes educator, a nurse, or a counselor may work with you, too.

• Exercise, diet, pills (such as glyburide), and/or insulin may be used to help maintain blood sugar control.

Understanding Blood Sugar

Your body turns food into blood sugar. This gives your body energy. Your blood sugar also goes to your baby. If your blood sugar level gets too high, it can cause problems for the baby and for you. You can help prevent these problems by controlling your blood sugar.

Your Body Turns Food into Blood Sugar

As food is digested, it turns into sugar (glucose), a fuel that feeds your body. This sugar goes into your bloodstream. Your body then releases a substance called insulin to help your body use blood sugar.

Blood Sugar Goes to Your Baby

Your blood sugar goes to your baby through the placenta (special tissue that connects the mother and the baby). Your baby uses this sugar to grow. But the placenta also makes hormones that can disrupt the way your body uses insulin.

If your body can't use insulin properly, your blood sugar level gets too high. Then too much blood sugar goes to your baby. This can cause problems for both you and your baby.

You can lower your blood sugar by eating right, exercising, and maybe by taking insulin.

Risks to Your Baby

Your baby is more likely to have these problems:

• Your baby may grow too large. If your blood sugar stays too high, your baby may be too large (macrosomic) to come through your vagina without injuring the baby's arms and shoulders.

• Your baby's organs may not be fully developed before birth. If your blood sugar stays too high, your baby might have to be born early. Then the baby's lungs may not work well. This is called respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Your baby's liver also may not work well. Then your baby may be yellow (jaundiced) after birth.

• Your baby's blood sugar may be low after birth. If your blood sugar is too high, your baby makes extra insulin. The baby still makes extra insulin right after birth. Then he or she may have to be treated for low blood sugar.

• Your baby could be stillborn. This is very rare, but your baby could die before birth if your blood sugar stays high for too long.

Risks to You

If you don't control your blood sugar, you are more likely to have these problems:

• You may have high blood pressure. High blood sugar makes you more likely to have high blood pressure during your pregnancy (preeclampsia). This is a danger to your health. And it could mean your baby will have to be delivered early.

• You may have more infections. High blood sugar makes you more likely to have bladder, kidney, and vaginal infections.

• You may be uncomfortable or short of breath. High blood sugar can cause too much fluid around the baby (polyhydramnios). Your abdomen gets big and pushes on your lungs. You may also go into labor early.

• Your delivery may be harder, and recovery may take longer. If your blood sugar stays too high, your baby may grow too large. A large baby might cause injury to you during birth. So the baby may have to be delivered by cesarean section (C-section). This means making a cut (incision) in your abdomen and uterus. Needing a C-section is one of the most common risks of gestational diabetes.