gestational diabetes | Barbara Hessel, MD FACOG

Managing Type 1 Diabetes in Pregnancy, Part 1

by Barbara Anne Hessel MD | Nov 29, 2012 | Pregnancy

This guest post is written by Kelley Ward, PhD., RN,C.

You were probably diagnosed with type 1 diabetes years ago. By now, you know how to manage your blood sugar, count your carbohydrates, and take care of your eyes and kidneys. If you are confident that you can control your diabetes and you are thinking about starting a family there are some things you should know about managing the condition during pregnancy and some things you should think about before you get pregnant.
Managing a pregnancy complicated by type 1 diabetes is a lot easier today than it was just a few years ago. Just 10 years ago, the medical community warned many women with type 1 diabetes not to get pregnant because of the risks to the mother and baby. Thankfully, today we know more about how to manage diabetes during pregnancy so women with type 1 diabetes can have healthy pregnancies and deliver healthy babies. Here are tips on how to manage type 1 diabetes during pregnancy. (more…)

Understanding Gestational Diabetes

by Barbara Anne Hessel MD | Aug 22, 2011 | Pregnancy

The newest online edition of the journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology is reporting that women who gain weight between pregnancies are more likely to develop gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs only during pregnancy as a cascade of maternal hormones effect the body’s ability to utilize insulin to control blood sugar levels. Insulin is responsible for detecting changes in blood sugar levels and keeping them within normal range–however thanks to a mother’s changing body, insulin in these moms isn’t able to keep sugar levels in check, resulting in diabetes. (more…)