Question:
I went to my Dr yesterday to take the 3 hour glucose test which confirmed
gestational diabetes.My doctor is putting me on a 1800 calorie diabetic diet,
not sure what this diet is yet but I should know on Friday. He also said that
if it doesn't work he will put me on insulin. He told me that gestational
diabetes does not hurt the baby, it will just make him large. My question is
why would I want to take insulin which could hurt the baby if the only thing
that could happen to him otherwise is that he comes out fat? I already have to
have a c section due to PP so that isn't an issue. Any answers would be greatly
appriciated.
Answer:
First of all, insulin should not hurt your baby. Remember that
insulin is naturally produced by your body anyway! What could harm
the baby would be the pills that some diabetics take to bring their
blood sugar down.
Second of all, being too fat can be bad for your baby. It's not a
case of large=healthy. It's a case of your baby being born way too
chunky (like 9-12 lbs), and possibly having problems regulating his or
her blood sugar (which is harmful but easily treated). Also more
likely with babies of GD mothers are jaundice (again, easily treated)
and breathing problems (which also can be treated but who wants her
baby in a NICU if it can be avoided?). Your risk of pre-eclampsia and
pre-term labor is a little higher, too. It's not that anything bad is
likely to happen to your baby--the odds are actually against it, and
no doubt that's why your doctor said what he did--but s/he will be
observed carefully after birth to stave off or treat potential
problems early. (High blood sugar early in pregnancy can cause birth
defects, but this is not usually the case with GD and is why diabetics
are usually put on insulin/told to get their sugars under control
before ttc).
I have diet-controlled GD. It can be done, and the diet is a healthy
one. See a dietitian if you possibly can. You may not need insulin at
all (many GD women don't). I probably eat more on the diet than I
normally would, just different things and at different times . Most
GD babies turn out just fine, though some are still larger than
average, and many are induced/c-sectioned a few weeks early. There is
a good support webboard called "Pregnant and Diabetic" at
http://www.parentsplace.com/messageboards for pregnant women with GD
and pre-existing diabetes.
