Women who developed gestational diabetes while pregnant are at a higher risk for pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, that's the word from a new study. According to this report from Canada's CTV News, past studies have linked type 2 diabetes with increased pancreatic cancer. And, of course, having gestational diabetes puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes. However, this is the first time a link has been made between GD and pancreatic cancer.

The study involved an analysis of health records for a whopping 40,000 women, all of whom gave birth in Jerusalem between 1964 and 1976. Phew, that's a lotta diapers... Of 410 women diagnosed with GD, five developed pancreatic cancer in later years. None of the 137 women with type 1 diabetes went on to develop pancreatic cancer. Want the full story? Results have been published in BMC Medicine.

Now, don't panic if you have had GD. Says lead researcher, Mary Perrin of NYU's School of Medicine, the absolute risk for pancreatic cancer is still very low. Nevertheless, she points out that even a small statistical difference is significant since obesity is on the rise. The implication? If trends continue, we can expect to see more and more moms-to-be with GD in the future.

Shannon Lewis, whose little boy Brendon was diagnosed with diabetes while still a toddler, blogs Mom Wants A Diabetes Cure ... pure and simple. In a recent post, she shared the moment of realization of what she needed to do to be the mother Brendon needed her to be.

Shannon did all the rights things that mothers do when they are pregnant and avoided all the things mothers are supposed to avoid when they share the same heartbeat with another human being, sustaining their life until they enter the world and can sustain life on their own.

When your baby is born, you listen for the cry. Then you check the fingers and toes. Then you wait while the doctor and nurses run your newborn through a quick series of tests. Brendon was born with all his fingers and toes, and he aced the APGAR. Brendon was home-free to the beginning of a healthy life. Shannon's efforts during her pregnancy to be healthy for both herself and her baby had served them well.

Two and a half years later, Brendon lay on a gurney in the ER, limp, seemingly lifeless, with shallow breath and sallow skin. What had gone wrong to such a perfect beginning for Brendon? He was diagnosed with diabetes and Shannon's idealistic concept of motherhood and her child's health became forever altered. She writes poignantly about the threshold from one reality to the next and touches your heart in the passage. It's a must-read post for all mothers.