Understanding Gestational Diabetes

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Gestational diabetes is becoming a growing concern for women across the U.S.

Helen Watts, 25, said she has become more selective about what she and her 3-year-old daughter, Carter, eat since she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes a few months ago.

"It came back that my blood sugar was very high. My body wasn't taking care of it the way it was supposed to, and they slapped me with all the dieting, and I now take my blood sugar four times a day," Watts said.

"We can thank the obesity crisis for that. The more women that are obese with a body mass index of 30 or higher, the more we'll see women with diabetes," said Dr. Robert Atlas, the chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Mercy Medical Center.

He said unrecognized, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to serious problems, including a higher risk of fetal death and having very large babies, which leads to more C-sections and complications. He said it can also lead to shoulder dystocia, an unequal growth of the baby's shoulders.

"When the baby comes out of the vagina, its shoulders get stuck, and that is an obstetrical emergency that can lead to nerve damage and the death of the fetus," Atlas said.

Women with gestational diabetes have a much higher risk of going on to develop type 2 diabetes, doctors said.

"It's an epidemic. We have to reverse the trend of obesity so we can reduce complications during pregnancy," Atlas said.

Watts said she took the warning seriously and totally changed her diet. She said she currently counts her carbohydrates and feels great.

"I've been losing weight. I'm nine months pregnant, and I've lost weight just from counting carbs and watching what I eat," she said.

Atlas said that babies who are born large are also at a marked increased risk of being obese by the age of 8 and having long-term obesity throughout life.