Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It is one of the top health complications that a woman has to face during pregnancy. Indeed a double curse!
If the woman had gestational diabetes during pregnancy then she is most likely to pass it on to the child. So, if a woman has gestational diabetes during pregnancy, there is an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child. Timely knowledge about this condition, goes to control it effectively by diet and exercise. After the baby is born, the mother and the child both recoup their original health.
One problem gives room for a series of problems. The major risk is the birth of a fat baby. The condition is known as macrosomia. The baby by birth will have its own problems, the common one being damage to its shoulders during birth.
Some basic precautions have to be taken to prevent the risk of gestational diabetes. It is taking recourse to natural methods again! Make it a point to lose weight, if you are overweight. Be careful and choosy about your food, and above all, do exercises regularly. This type of diabetes is a temporary condition, a passing phase, that occurs during pregnancy.
There is another risk for the baby. It may develop breathing problems.
The exact causes of the gestational diabetes are not known yet. But there are certain clues and possibilities, why gestational diabetes occurs! It is insulin resistance.
The baby, as it grows, is supported by the placenta. Hormones help the baby develop. But the hormones also do a damaging act. They block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. The mother's body finds it hard to use insulin, so her requirement of insulin goes up by 300 % and gestational diabetes is the result!
Utmost care is needed to combat gestational diabetes, as it concerns the health of the mother as well as that of the baby. Food choices are of paramount importance. This will have beneficial effects on the health of your baby's growth. If you are fit and healthy, the risk of cesarean section birth can also be avoided.
In many cases, it has been found that gestational diabetes leads to type II diabetes later.
Do exercises regularly even during pregnancy, but only after consulting your doctor. This is the formative period for you as well as for the baby. Proper exercises provide strength to your body and act favorably for the growth of the baby within.
Shut the door on the face of the diabetes, even if it pleads that it is only gestation. This evil does not deserve mercy.
Ashish Jain writes about many topics. For more information on diabetes visit http://www.diabitieslife.com and for additional diabetes articles visit the main articles page: http://www.diabitieslife.com/index.html To comment on this article visit: http://www.diabitieslife.com/2006-04-17
