BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Pregnant women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes face a higher chance of miscarriage, premature birth and difficult delivery.

But according to new research, the blood sugar problems from diabetes put the baby at greater risk as well.

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that babies born to mothers with diabetes are more likely to have birth defects such as a cleft lip, heart defects or shortened limbs.

They studied thousands of mothers and babies in the United States and found three to four times more birth defects in infants born to women with diabetes.

Women who developed diabetes during pregnancy also had some increased risk for birth defects in their babies, but this was largely linked to the mother's obesity levels.

The research has also suggested that blood-sugar levels matter most in early pregnancy when the baby's organs are just developing.