Birthed a Big Baby? The Diabetes Connection.
I was born weighing less than seven pounds. My body type is what’s referred to as petite. (Though one of my friends calls me “fun-sized.”) When I was pregnant, I expected my children would weigh about seven pounds—and they did. But this wasn’t the case for a few of my friends who sport larger/taller frames, and who, themselves, were born “jumbo-sized!”
A baby which tops nine pounds at birth is, in my opinion, a cuddlier looking baby. They’re “quilted” with little creases ringing their wrists and ankles. Yet these bundles of cuteness need to serve as a possible red flag with regards to their mommas’ health because the conditions surrounding their “enlarged” development can potentially usher in the not-so-cute blood sugar metabolic disease, type 2 diabetes.
While it’s long been known that 9+ pound babies place their mothers at an increased risk for gestational diabetes, most pregnancy-induced diabetes will right itself soon after childbirth. That said, for 5-10% of these moms, diabetes will unfortunately become their new “norm.” Even more troubling—and less well known—however, is that a full 25% will re-develop the life-threatening disease of type 2 diabetes within the following 15 years!
Even if a woman is free and clear of this sugar processing/insulin inefficiency problem during her pregnancy, the mere fact that she ushered a 9+ pound baby into this world significantly increases her risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in her future.
So, what’s the momma of a big ol’, cuddly baby to do? Two things. First, make sure you get annual checkups which should include a full bloodwork panel and an A1C test (measures your blood sugar regulation over the past 3 months). Second, if you plan to have more children, do your best to lose ALL your baby weight from your previous pregnancy and then work hard to stay within healthy pregnancy weight gain guidelines. Remember, the heavier you get during your pregnancy, the bigger your baby will grow. In these ways, you’ll be doing all you can to protect yourself from a big baby-induced, life-long, health-robbing disease.