(BETHESDA, MD) -- The National Institute of Health is using Mother's Day to call attention to the risk of diabetes tied to pregnancy. Dr. Vivian Pinn is with the Office of Women's Health.

Dr. Pinn says if women do have gestational diabetes, there are things they can do to reduce the risk of contracting Type 2 diabetes later in life. "Weight management, proper nutrition, watching their diet, bringing their blood pressures down - doing physical fitness as little as 30 minutes a day for at least five days a week can help with weight management and help with control of blood sugar levels."

Women with a history of gestational diabetes are 35-60 percent more likely to eventually contract Type 2 diabetes. In North Carolina, 9.5 percent of the population has diabetes.