What happens when gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy?
The extra sugar (glucose) will cross the placenta to the unborn baby. Their little pancreas will make more insulin and they will have more energy than the need at this time; as a result, the baby will become fat or macrosomic. These babies may have difficulty being born due to their large size and the mother may require a c-section at the time of delivery. The baby may also have low blood sugar after birth; this is dangerous. Also, the baby may also develop breathing difficulties. These babies may grow up to have Type 2 diabetes at a young age, and/or become obese. How is gestational diabetes treated? The doctor must get your blood glucose levels back to normal right away. So, a special diet plan will be provided to the expectant mother along with a recommendation for increased exercise (if the expectant mother is not on bed-rest). The doctor will have you test your blood sugar levels several times a day, and may also place you on insulin injections for the rest of the pregnancy, if ne
