Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that is first recognized during pregnancy. It is usually diagnosed during the 24th to 28th weeks of pregnancy. The symptoms of gestational diabetes are 
usually mild and not life-threatening to the pregnant woman. About 20-50 % of women with gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
Though changing hormones and weight gain are part of a healthy pregnancy, but they become major cause of gestational diabetes. These changes make it hard for the body to keep up with its need for a hormone called insulin and therefore body doesn't get the energy it needs from the food intake.
The risk of pregnant women getting gestational diabetes increases if they have at least one of their siblings or parents with diabetes, are 25 year or older, have African or Hispanic ancestry, have given birth to a child weighing 9 pounds or more, gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, an unexplained death in a previous fetus or newborn, a congenital malformation (birth defect) in a previous child, and recurrent infections.
The symptoms of gestational diabetes include increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss in spite of increased appetite, fatigue, frequent infections and blurred vision. An oral glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy is the main test for gestational diabetes.
The baby born to a woman with gestational diabetes may develop complications, like large size at birth, birth trauma, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), congenital anomalies such as cardiac, central nervous system, and skeletal muscle malformations. Increased fetal insulin may inhibit fetal surfactant production and cause respiratory distress syndrome.
Sometimes, insulin is required to stabilize blood glucose levels. However, for women who are borderline diabetic or have a very mild case of gestational diabetes, all that may be needed are diet and exercise changes. Women with gestational diabetes are urged to eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grain and low fat dairy in moderate portions at regularly spaced intervals throughout the day. Exercise is also recommended because physical activity can help women with gestational diabetes use excess glucose without the need to produce insulin.
