What is gestational diabetes?

During pregnancy, more commonly in the later stages of pregnancy, a small percentage of pregnant women develop a type of diabetes known as "gestational diabetes." 

A woman who has been diagnosed as having gestational diabetes means that she has not been diagnosed with diabetes prior to her pregnancy.  After her pregnancy, she may return to normal--that is, not have any type of diabetes.

For a woman who develops gestational diabetes during pregnancy, hormones produced by her placenta are suspected to block insulin produced by her pancreas from getting to her body's cells that are needed to breakdown glucose and pass these sugar molecules through the cell membrane during the normal metabolic process to produce energy used by her body.

Gestational diabetes can adversely affect the baby, because excess blood glucose ("sugar") builds up in the preganant mother's blood, and these sugars pass through to her baby while the insulin gets blocked.  The baby reacts to the excess blood sugars and produces abnormally high levels of insulin in reaction and may develop a condition called, "macrosomia," or "fat baby."

"Fat babies" may develop breathing problems and are at an increased risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes.