It’s always so helpful when celebrities speak out about their own pregnancy struggles. Sometimes it can feel so lonely to be carrying a child, and knowing we’re not alone is so comforting. One topic that several stars have been open about is gestational diabetes. It’s a condition that only occurs during pregnancy and usually clears up after the baby is born.
According to Healthline, gestational diabetes occurs when pregnant women suddenly develop high blood sugar levels. It’s usually a result of changing hormone levels and can effect 2% to 10% of pregnancies in the U.S. It can be a concern for baby’s health, but it’s also relatively easy to manage if mama is careful. Per the Mayo Clinic, eating healthy foods and exercising often enough helps keep both mother and baby healthy, but medicines are also available.
Us Weekly recently rounded up a list of celebs who’ve struggled with this very condition. Keep reading to see who’s opened up about it.
Meghan Trainor
The singer didn't want more kids after that
Mariah struggled for several reasons during her pregnancy, including with gestational diabetes, and it all made her decide she didn’t want any more kids. Today reported that she said, “I really don’t know if I can make it through after what I went through, it was really tough.” She added, “I was in a lot of pain because of the fact that they’re twins. I had a rough one. I just want people to be prepared that it can happen where you go through a rough time when you’re pregnant.”
Always keeping it real.
Angelina Jolie
Like Mariah, Angelina Jolie also reportedly had gestational diabetes while pregnant with her twins. She never confirmed the rumors herself, but sources claimed she’d experienced sickness, irritability, and weakness after the alleged diagnosis. To help her manage, she was reportedly seeing a nutritionist.
Trista Sutter
The former Bachelorette told the RD Lounge that she wanted to share her experience so people would see how common it is. “It’s important to realize that anyone can get gestational diabetes,” she said. Still, the news came as a bit of a shock to her. “I still went into my pregnancy hoping everything would be perfect, and that all would go well. When I completed the glucose tolerance test, I was definitely shocked, even though I have diabetes in my family. I should have thought to myself that it could happen, but I really didn’t think about it,” she said.
Her kids are now 13 and 11
Trista’s experience with gestational diabetes is a distant memory, because her kids are in or nearing their teens now. Her son Maxwell is 13, and her daughter Blakesley is 11. “They’re still the source of my greatest joy,” the former Bachelorette captioned a recent selfie with her children.
Salma Hayek
When pregnant with her daughter, Valentina, actress Salma Hayek found out she had gestational diabetes. “I didn’t know whether I was feeling bad because I was pregnant or whether something was seriously wrong,” she said about the time before she’d been diagnosed. “I was nauseated for nine months, which can be one of the symptoms.”
Amber Portwood
While pregnant with her second child, Teen Mom OG star Amber Portwood told Us Weekly that she’d been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. “It’s been a big issue, you know, it doesn’t make you feel the greatest,” she admitted. “I can’t really go anywhere. I have to stay here to be close to my doctor.”
Fortunately everything ended up alright and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
