Mom’s gestational diabetes and baby’s language skills
Time and time again, we have heard about the health risks of gestation diabetes to both mom and baby. This latest study suggests that babies born to moms with pregnancy-related diabetes have twice the risk of having problems in language development compared to babies born to non-diabetic moms. These children performed poorly in language tests – particularly in grammar and vocabulary – even after they start school. The study looked at about 2800 children who were tested several times between 18 months and seven years.
Currently, it is an estimated incidence that 2 to 14% of children are born to moms with gestational diabetes. Two major risk factors for this pregnancy-related disorder are maternal age and weight.
I always take such news with a grain of salt. I had mild gestational diabetes when I was expecting my twins – mainly due to my age and the multiple pregnancy. I’ve been warned that my boys might have language problems – them being boys, preemies, growing up in a bilingual home, and now this. Am I worried? No. I am no expert but I don’t think my boys have any language problems whatsoever. Maybe I’m wrong. After all, they are only 5. But I don’t want my boys to be just part of some health statistics. There are other factors involved in the language development of a child and the family environment is one of them. The same study, for example, also noted that children of moms with higher education are less affected by this problem.
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