Gestational diabetes may be overdiagnosed

[BellyBelly]

Oh that sucks blondedoctor Fingers crossed it gets better than worse.

[forshelby]

Would it be unwise for me to decline this test? What kind of symptoms should I look out for indicating diabetes? I had none last time and my level was 8. something. I was diet controlled only.

Seriously, what are the ramifications if I did have GD and was undiagnosed? I'm afraid of the interventions I might face... don't want to give them reason to call me high risk and start to intervene (interfere). But of course I want baby to be well.

[blondedoctor]

I think the main thing that the docs are worried about is a 'larger than normal' baby which nowadays seems to be anything above 9 pounds! There is also considered to be an incresed risk of morbidity for the child, as well as a high risk of the mother developing diabetes beyond the pregnancy. This is what http://www.wdxcyber.com/gestational_diabetes.html says:

How Can Gestational Diabetes Affect My Baby?

Left untreated, gestational diabetes can cause a number of problems at birth. Low or high blood sugar levels as well as jaundice are all possible side effects of babies born from mothers with gestational diabetes.

Furthermore, the American Diabetes Association warns that gestational diabetes also causes extra blood glucose to be circulated through the placenta. As a result, the baby’s pancreas will be forced to work overtime, producing extra insulin to get rid of the excess. This causes what’s leftover to be stored as fat, leading to higher than normal birth weight. For the mother, this will likely mean a more painful birth with a greater chance of cesarean section.

What’s worse is that overweight babies are more likely to be obese in childhood, putting them at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Indeed, contrary to the popular belief that children are primarily at risk for type 1 diabetes (previously referred to as juvenile diabetes), poor lifestyle choices including minimal exercise and poor nutrition has caused more and more to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.


I felt the same way and didn't really want to be tested this time, but since my result came back reasonably high I am glad I did. The main intervention I wanted to avoid was being induced as to from my experience that is a gateway to a lengthy mild labour, countless minor interventions and then emergency ceasarean. Luckily when I voiced that to my doc he said to em there is no way they would induce someone who has already had a c-section as it increases the risk of uterine rupture. My doc said either vbac or scheduled c.

[HotI]

What’s worse is that overweight babies are more likely to be obese in childhood, putting them at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Indeed, contrary to the popular belief that children are primarily at risk for type 1 diabetes (previously referred to as juvenile diabetes), poor lifestyle choices including minimal exercise and poor nutrition has caused more and more to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
[/I]

Let's break this down abit. What is their definition of an overweight baby - what weight, and are they talking about birth weight or later weights?

What charts are they using (breastfed only charts or other)? Have they accounted for how the baby is fed?

If it is poor lifestyle choices etc, then obese children could have nothing to do with a mother having 'gestational diabetes'.

actually it is so confsuing, it is hard to make anything concrete out