Diabetic Source.Org

If gestational diabetes is not tested for or ignored it can have few adverse effects on your newborn baby.

Macrosomia

Macrosomia occurs when your baby weighs more than 8.8 pounds.  This excessive weight gain is caused by the mother passing too much sugar to the baby and the baby inturn converting this sugar to fat.   Macrosomia can cause premature birth or forced cesarean delivery.

Neonatal Hypoglycemia

Neonatal hypoglycemia occurs when the baby is born with low levels of sugar for the first few hours of life.  After delivery the baby is no longer receiving all that extra sugar from the mother, however the baby is still producing extra insulin for a few hours (or even a few days) causing “below normal” levels of blood sugar.  Babies born with neonatal hypoglycemia exhibit shakes, fussiness and even respiration distress.  All of these effects usually subside in a few hours once the baby’s pancrease begins to normalize.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance occurs when your muscle, fat (lipo) and liver cells stop responding to the effects of insulin.  When this happens the pancreas tries to make more and more insulin, however it can’t keep up with the demand for insulin and eventually glucose levels in the body start to rise.  If insulin resistance is not diagnosed and halted it eventually turns into Type II Diabetes.

So, what causes Insulin Resistance?

Extra fat tissue reduces the effectiveness of the insulin hormone.

Can I reverse Insulin Resistance?

Yes!!! With diet and excercise.  Every pound in body fat lost increase the effectiveness of insulin.  You don’t have to go on some sort of crash diet, just try to lose about 5-10 pounds and then get re-tested for insulin resistance.