Dealing with gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes can occur during pregnancy in women who do not have diabetes. Each year, between 5% and 9% of pregnancies in the United States are affected by gestational diabetes.

Managing gestational diabetes can help ensure you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Gestational diabetes often has no symptoms, as in the case of Bertha Perez Sanchez, who resides in California’s Central Valley and shares that she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in her fourth pregnancy after a few months. At the age of 38, she found out she was pregnant again and remembers what it was like during this period.

She recalls that none of her 4 pregnancies were planned and she did not have previous care that is now recommended when looking to have babies.

Bertha Perez Sanchez says that she does not like to take medications and because of her situation she had no choice but to take them.

She even says that she was given insulin to deal with gestational diabetes.

Bertha Perez Sanchez says that her last baby was large, so they monitored the baby’s growth and vital signs.

Unlike her previous pregnancies, Bertha Perez Sanchez recalls that it was a difficult experience.

She said that what she learned is that there are necessary conversations that we must have, with the partner with the family, let’s listen to Bertha Perez Sanchez.

She commented that fortunately she had the nurses’ follow up.

Remember that before getting pregnant, you could prevent gestational diabetes with lifestyle changes. Recommendations given by doctors include losing weight if you are overweight, eating healthy foods and getting regular physical activity.

This dispatch is part of the series “Growing with Latino Support: Latino Radio for Maternal and Child Health” and is funded in part by the David and Lucy Packard Foundation.