If you’ve recently been told you have gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, don’t panic. “It’s not the end of the world. This is very common,” says Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, nutritionist and cookbook author in New York City. The key to a healthy pregnancy with gestational diabetes, and giving your baby a healthy start, is keeping your blood sugar under control.
Your gestational diabetes diagnosis doesn’t mean you had diabetes before your pregnancy, or will continue to have it after you give birth. The exact cause of gestational diabetes isn’t entirely clear, but researchers have some clues.
Sandra Arévalo is a spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and director of nutrition services and community outreach at South Bronx Health Center.
Dr. Chaudhry is an Endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
Frances Largeman-Roth is a nutritionist and cookbook author in New York City.
References
American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). How to treat gestational diabetes.
American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). What is gestational diabetes?
American Pregnancy Association. (n.d.). Pregnancy weight gain.
Bevier, W, PHD, et al. Weight gain and gestational diabetes mellitus is a sensitive issue. Sansum Diabetes Research Institute.
Ehrlich, S, et al. (2014). Post-partum weight loss and glucose metabolism in women with gestational diabetes: the DEBI Study. Diabetic Medicine.
National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (n.d.). Gestational diabetes overview.
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