No, not V.D. silly. G.D., as in Gestational Diabetes. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases each year.The cause of GD is not known, however there are some risk-factors. The only risk-factors that apply to me is that I'm over 30 and am pregnant for the first time.
Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. So, extra blood glucose goes through the placenta, giving the baby high blood glucose levels. This causes the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat.
This can lead to macrosomia, or a "fat" baby (over 9 pounds, which Jeremy was at birth...so it's not looking like my baby will be small either way). Babies with macrosomia face health problems of their own, including damage to their shoulders during birth.
Because of the extra insulin made by the baby's pancreas, newborns may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and are also at higher risk for breathing problems. Babies with excess insulin become children who are at risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
Luckily I have excellent doctors who are monitoring me closely. I am on a fairly strict diet and eat every 2-3 hours, 6 times a day. I check my blood glucose levels 5 times a day (the pricking is going to get old, real fast) and have to submit my numbers to the nurse weekly. What a regiment!
I'll definitely be glad when the baby is born, as GD goes away after pregnancy!
No comments:
Post a Comment