I just got the results of my 2nd glucose test which came back abnormal as did the first. So i have diabetis now. They said it can go away after the pregnancy but since it runs on both sides of my family it might not. I'm so worried now. They are sending out a nurse and a lady from a place called stork watch that will go over everything with me and tell me what to do to watch the sugar level and how to use the equipment. I'm not worried about that, but the effects of my unborn son. I know that with watching and controlling the diet i will be fine but i'm so worried about my baby. Is there anyone that has had this problem? Please help me!
Did anyone have a c-section due to the GD?
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I developed gestational diabetes when pregnant with my twins. As with you, there is some history of diabetes on both sides of my family. My GD was insulin dependent and I required insulin shots in the morning because my fasting glucose levels were not within the target zone; the rest I was able to control with diet alone. After delivery my sugars were fine and normal, before I left the hospital. Regardless of family history, having GD puts you at greater risk of developing Type II diabetes, and also puts you at greater risk of contracting GD with subsequent pregnancies — though neither of those things, Type II diabetes or GD in the future, is at all a given.
If GD is caught *and controlled* there should not be issues with your child — the risks are far, far, far more of an issue if the GD isn't (caught and controlled). Your pregnancy and your baby will receive greater monitoring now, because of those risks, and your baby will be checked at birth. The extra insulin you produce does not cross the placenta, but the extra glucose does, which means that your baby will also produce extra insulin to deal with the sugars; the baby thus gets more energy than it needs to grow and the excess is stored as fat….and so one of the risks of GD is having a "big baby." You and your baby will be monitored for that. (It also means you may be more likely to require a cesarean section, depending on the size of your baby). Your baby may have very low glucose levels at birth, in which case it will essentially be treated by "sugar water" immediately after birth to bring those levels up.
When my babies were born they were fine — their insulin levels and sugar levels were fine, and they were not big for their gestational age. My concern for them really wasn't ever much about the risks of GD because I knew that if my GD was controlled well and I was getting good care then, really, it shouldn't be a problem — my concern has always been knowing that Type II diabetes runs in the family, putting them at an increased risk of getting Type II later in life…regardless of whether I did or did not contract GD.
Of course I don't know what the credentials are of the staff person from "stork watch" are, but I highly recommend you consult with an endocrinologist about your GD if you can — after all, this is their area of expertise. As for me, I saw an endocrinologist (and did a consult with a nutritionist who works with diabetics and women with GD). The endo reviewed my sugars which I checked four times daily and modified my insulin levels as needed, and I was confident about the care I was getting because, as I said, this was her area of expertise.
Take a deep breath and relax. And please, talk to your doctors about the risks — it should put you at ease to do so, while driving home the importance of keeping the GD well controlled. Hopefully you'll be able to do so with diet alone, but if you need insulin it is absolutely not the end of the world. (There is also a pill some doctors use, but its use with GD is "off label" as it's not been FDA approved for use in patients with GD, so many doctors won't use it that way essentially for reasons of liability.) Also, if your doctor hasn't already told you, you should know that it gets more difficult to control sugars as pregnancy progresses, so even if you are able to control your GD with diet alone now, you may find your sugars more difficult to manage as time goes on and may need to get stricter with diet, or be medicated, down the road.
Hope that helps. Congratulations on your pregnancy and best of luck to you!
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