Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus
Personal
experience of Gestational Diabetes
Other than
two prior miscarriages, I experienced no symptoms of
gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). As with most
pregnant women, anything out of the ordinary was simply
due to 'being pregnant'.
My doctor
decided that since my father suffered from diabetes,
it would be prudent to get tested. And I had lost
my last baby when I was at five months along, so to
him, that signaled an even stronger indication for testing.
Sure enough,
I had good-old gestational diabetes and I remember my
dad crying when he learned the results of the test.
He had insisted to tag along with me when I went to
get tested. During the test, we escaped to the
outdoors because after drinking a sugary substance,
there was a waiting period before the blood could be
drawn.
We found
an ancient oak tree and picked up some of the acorns
off the ground. Later that day, my dad planted one of
the acorns and it's a fairly big tree now - about 21
years old!
After the
doctor received the results of the test, he instructed
me to carefully watch my diet and was concerned about
the size of the baby, thinking at first that I might
have been carrying twins.
During my
24th week of pregnancy, I began going to the clinic
to be tested weekly for sugar levels. The test included
fasting. When I arrived for testing, I was given a sugary-tasting
substance to drink - which made me want to hurl. Although
there were several flavors to choose from, I would rather
have not.
After a
spell of about half an hour, the testing began. A series
of five to six viles of blood were collected with a
needle. I got to where I would get very ill to
my tummy when the needle would go in. It was a
queasy, sick feeling that I have only been able to equate
with that situation over the years. I believe
that the sick feeling was due to the needle going in
one time after the other over a handful of hours.
When the
baby arrived, he was pronounced a healthy little boy
weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. He'd had a
terrific time being delivered; a complication involving
an excessively long umbilical cord being wrapped around
his neck.
Needless
to say, there were concerns for a long while after the
birth - but all ended well. He's a fine young
man now, healthy and fit as can be.
Risk Factors and
Symptoms for Gestational Diabetes Include:
None!
(Yes, that's right - none!)
Being
overweight
Family
history of diabetes
Miscarriages
Health
Notes Regarding Gestational Diabetes:
Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus generally resolves itself within a
few days after the baby is born.
Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus is not the same condition as having
Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes during pregnancy.
Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus doesn't mean that the baby will be
born with diabetes.
Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus increases risk for birth defects,
as well as miscarriage.
Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus may OR may not reoccur with subsequent
pregnancies.
An
individual with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus has
about a 70% (or higher) risk for developing Type
2 Diabetes later in life. Because my dad suffered
from diabetes, by doctor said my risks were about 98%
- so it's one of the things that motivate me to really
keep a lid on my weight.
If you have
experienced Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, I want to
highly encourage to drop those extra pounds. It
may help to know this....
Although
I truly LOVE cake icing, the feeling that I have whenever
I have to resist cake icing isn't anything when compared
to the woes and pain of diabetes.
Diabetes
is both an emotional and physical roller coaster, often
claiming one part of the body, then another. Whether
it is blindness, kidney issues, heart problems, skin
boils, or life-threatening incidents of low blood sugar,
diabetes is no one's friend. So please, don't
invite Diabetes into your life.
Although
we cannot ensure that by keeping weight down and activity
levels up will keep Diabetes at bay, we can certainly
greatly reduce our chances of getting Diabetes.
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