Gestational Diabetes

 Gestational diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels become high during pregnancy. It affects up to 10% of women who are pregnant in the U.S. each year. There are two classes of gestational diabetes. Women with class A1 can manage it through diet and exercise. However, untreated or poorly controlled gestational diabetes can hurt your baby. ... Because of the extra insulin made by the baby's pancreas, newborns may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and are also at higher risk for breathing problems. A: Eating sugary foods will not increase your risk for gestational diabetes. If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes it will be important to manage your carbohydrate intake to best manage your blood sugar levels. This would include managing your intake of sugary foods. If untreated, gestational diabetes can cause problems for your baby, like premature birth and stillbirth. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after you have your baby; but if you have it, you're more likely to develop diabetes later in life. Gestational diabetes is when hormones from the placenta block insulin, preventing the body from regulating the increased blood sugar of pregnancy effectively. This causes hyperglycemia (or high levels of sugar in the blood), which can damage the nerves, blood vessels and organs in your body