Keeping Mom AndChild Healthy After Gestational Diabetes (NAPSA)—Gestational diabetes is something to be concerned aboutafter and notjust during pregnancy. Gestational diabetesis diabetes that is found for the first time when a woman is pregnant.If you had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, you and yourchild from that pregnancy have a lifelong risk for developing diabetes, a serious disease that can lead to health problems such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease and amputations. The good newsis there are steps you can take to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and lowerthat risk for you and yourchild. Get Tested for Diabetes Mostofthe time, gestational dia- betes goes awayafter the babyis born. However, an estimated half of all women who had gestational diabe- tes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. If you had gestational diabetes, it is important to get tested for diabetes within 12 weeks after your babyis born, and at least every three yearsafter that. Talk to Your Doctor—and Your Child’s Doctor Talk with your doctor if you plan on becoming pregnant again because youhavea higherchance ofdeveloping gestational diabetes again during future pregnancies. It’s also important to know that any child you give birth to while having ges- tational diabetes is at risk for obesity and type 2 diabeteslaterin life. So tell your child’s health care provider that you hadgestational diabetes while you werepregnant.Thisis an importantpart of your child’s health history and can alert your health care provider to monitor growth charts more closely. ee Keepuphealthy habits—evenafter the baby is born. OtherSteps to Take to Stay Healthy Here are some additional steps womenwitha history ofgestationaldiabetes can take to preventordelay type 2 diabetes, andto help their children stay healthy, too: *Try to reach your pre-pregnancy weight six to 12 months after your baby is born. Even if you do not reach your goal weight, maintaining a healthylifestyle can help reduce the diabetesrisk. + Make healthy foodchoicesfor you and your children. Choosefoodsthat are lowerin fat and calories and high in fiber. For example, choose lean meats, chicken and turkey with the skin removedandfish. Drink waterinstead ofjuice or sweetenedsoda. + Be moreactive each day.Try to get at least 30 minutesofactivity, five days a week.It’s okay to be active for 10 minutes at a time, three times a day. Do this as a family! Learn More For more information about gestationaldiabetes,visit the NIDDKwebsite at www.niddk.nih.gov. Editor's Note: While this information on gestational diabetes can be distributed year-round, it may be especially usefil in ‘November, which is National Diabetes Month.
