Type 1 or Juvenile diabetes is the inability of the pancreas to make insulin. People with this form are born with the predisposition to diabetes. Insulin is the hormone that helps our bodies use the sugar in our blood for energy.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body makes insulin but does not use it as well as it should so the blood sugar remains higher than normal. Type 2 used to be called adult-onset diabetes but this term has fallen out of use as the incidence of this form has greatly increased among teens and even children.

Gestational diabetes occurs when a pregnant woman develops diabetes during her pregnancy. It usually goes away after pregnancy but if you had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, you have a 50% increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years post pregnancy.

If you’re pregnant now with gestational diabetes you need careful monitoring to prevent your baby from growing too large. When that happens, there’s an increased risk for stillbirth and birth injuries, and the babies may have problems maintaining their blood sugar levels in the days after they are born. Additionally, these babies are more likely to be obese as children and have type 2 diabetes later in life.