The basics of gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a kind of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy. About one in every 20 pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes. Like with other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes means that your glucose (also called blood sugar) is too high.

How pregnancy affects blood glucose

During pregnancy your placenta makes hormones that cause your cells to resist the action of insulin on your blood glucose. This makes it more difficult for glucose to enter your cells, so your body needs to produce more insulin to make up for the resistance.

During the last trimester of pregnancy, your body needs two to three times more insulin than it normally would. If your pancreas can't produce enough insulin to keep up with the higher demand, this leads to excess glucose in the bloodstream and is called gestational diabetes.

Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

?Having a family history of diabetes

?Being overweight

?Having pre-diabetes

?Having given birth previously to a baby weighing more than nine pounds

?African Americans, Latino Americans, Pacific Islander and Asian Americans are all at higher risk

How is gestational diabetes diagnosed?

Usually, between weeks 24 to 28 of pregnancy, women will have a screening test to check for gestational diabetes. This is sometimes called a glucose challenge test. It involves drinking a sugary beverage and having your blood drawn for a lab test one hour later. Depending on your results, your provider may also have you do a glucose tolerance test to confirm a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

Treating gestational diabetes

The treatment goal for gestational diabetes is to keep your blood glucose in good control. This involves following a healthy diet, being physically active, and sometimes taking a medication if diet and exercise are not enough. Your care team, including your doctor and diabetes educator will work with you to make an individualized plan to keep your blood sugars in good control so that you can have a healthy pregnancy and baby.

How gestational diabetes can affect your baby

If your blood sugar goes too high during pregnancy, the extra glucose will pass through the placenta to your baby. High blood sugars during pregnancy can cause your baby to grow too large and have a low blood sugar after birth. If your baby grows too large during pregnancy, it can make delivery more difficulty for both mother and baby. Because of this, it makes women who have gestational diabetes more likely to need a Cesarean section (C-section). Also, having too high of blood sugars during pregnancy can make your baby more likely to have lifelong weight problems.

However, the good news is if you keep your blood glucose in good control during pregnancy by following a healthy meal plan and staying active- you can prevent these complications.

Gestational diabetes prevention

There is no for sure way to prevent gestational diabetes, but ways to improve insulin resistance including maintaining a healthy weight, staying active and eating right. If you are at higher risk for developing gestational diabetes, talk to your health care provider about your gestational diabetes risk and ways you can lower it.

Once you have a history of gestational diabetes, you are 50 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. Some risk factors like race, age, family history and gestational diabetes are things you can't control. However, there are things you can do to help prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes. It is important for your health care provider to screen you for diabetes every year after having gestational diabetes. As always, following a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and staying active are all ways to help prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes later on down the road.

Katie's Recipe Corner

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

-Cooking spray

-1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

-1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

-1/4 cup sugar-free apricot preserves

-1/4 cup barbeque sauce

-1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

-1 (12-inch) pre-packaged whole wheat Italian pizza crust

-1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

-1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Italian Style cheese

-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Season the chicken with salt (optional) and pepper on both sides.

3. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the oven and chop into half-inch pieces.

4. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar-free apricot preserves, barbeque sauce, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil.

5. Spoon the sauce over the pizza crust. Top the crust with cooked chicken, sliced onion, and cheese. Sprinkle the cheese with the dried oregano.

6. Bake the pizza for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size: 1/8 of pizza

Calories: 155

Carbohydrate: 22 g

Protein: 11 g

Fat: 3.5 g

Cholesterol: 20 mg

Sodium: 315 mg

Potassium: 190 mg