If you have gestational diabetes, your baby is at higher risk of: Being very large (9 pounds or more), which can make delivery more difficult Being born early, which can cause breathing and other problems Having low blood sugar Developing type 2 diabetes later in life Your blood sugar levels will usually return to normal after your baby is born.
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Babies of mothers who have gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. Death. Untreated gestational diabetes can result in a baby's death either before or shortly after birth. Complications in the mother also can occur as a result of gestational diabetes, including: Preeclampsia.
· When a patient is diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it may result in fetal macrosomia, birthing a large baby.Fetal macrosomia increases the risk for complicated vaginal delivery and puts the baby at risk of injury during birth. Fetal macrosomia also increases the risk of health problems after birth.
Having gestational diabetes can increase your risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy. It can also increase your risk of having a large baby that needs to be delivered by cesarean section (C-section). If you have gestational diabetes, your baby is at higher risk of: Being very large (9 pounds or more), which can make delivery more difficult
If you’ve had gestational diabetes, you are also at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes during your life. Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes may also be at greater risk of developing …
If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may be at increased risk of: Excessive birth weight. If your blood sugar level is higher than the standard range, it can cause your baby to grow too large.
Although any woman can develop GDM during pregnancy, some of the factors that may increase the risk include the following: Overweight or obesity. Family history of diabetes. Having given birth previously to an infant weighing greater than 9 pounds.
The incidence -- the number of new cases -- of diabetes per 10,000 person-years was 4.5 in children born to mothers with gestational diabetes and 2.4 in mothers without. A child or teen whose mother had gestational diabetes was nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes before the age of 22 years.
The researchers found that a child or teen whose mother had gestational diabetes was nearly twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes before the age of 22 compared to those whose mothers did not have gestational diabetes. "This study is important, as we try to understand risk factors for type 1 diabetes," says Dr.
GDM is associated with an increased risk of complications for both the mother and the child. The rate of preeclampsia and cesarean section is increased in the mother and the risk of macrosomia is increased in the newborn.
Babies born to mothers with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing low blood sugar or hypoglycemia shortly after birth and during the first few days of life, since they are already producing an excess of insulin.
You can do a lot to manage your gestational diabetes. Go to all your prenatal appointments and follow your treatment plan, including: 1 Checking your blood sugar to make sure your levels stay in a healthy range. 2 Eating healthy food in the right amounts at the right times. Follow a healthy eating plan created by your doctor or dietitian. 3 Being active. Regular physical activity that’s moderately intense (such as brisk walking) lowers your blood sugar and makes you more sensitive to insulin so your body won’t need as much. Make sure to check with your doctor about what kind of physical activity you can do and if there are any kinds you should avoid. 4 Monitoring your baby. Your doctor will check your baby’s growth and development.
About 50% of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes, but there are steps you can take to prevent it. Talk to your doctor about how to lower your risk and how often to have your blood sugar checked to make sure you’re on track.
Eating healthy food in the right amounts at the right times. Follow a healthy eating plan created by your doctor or dietitian. Being active. Regular physical activity that’s moderately intense (such as brisk walking) lowers your blood sugar and makes you more sensitive to insulin so your body won’t need as much.
Gestational diabetes occurs when your body can’t make enough insulin during your pregnancy. Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into the cells in your body for use as energy. During pregnancy, your body makes more hormones and goes through other changes, such as weight gain.
Every year, 2% to 10% of pregnancies in the United States are affected by gestational diabetes. Managing gestational diabetes will help make sure you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
It’s important to be tested for gestational diabetes so you can begin treatment to protect your health and your baby’s health.
Your blood sugar levels will usually return to normal after your baby is born. However, about 50% of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes. You can lower your risk by reaching a healthy body weight after delivery. Visit your doctor to have your blood sugar tested 6 to 12 weeks after your baby is born ...
You can reduce your risk of health issues in the future by maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercise.
If you are diagnosed, the best thing you can do is follow your healthcare professional’s advice on how to manage your condition and go to all your extra antenatal care appointments.
Your baby may be born early because your healthcare team believe that it’s better for you to have an induction or caesarean section rather than carrying on with the pregnancy. Some studies have also shown that some women with gestational diabetes go into premature labour naturally.
Your baby's weight will be monitored carefully in pregnancy using ultrasound scans. If your baby is large, you may be advised to have an early induction (starting labour artificially) or planned caesarean section. Read more about giving birth with gestational diabetes.
If your glucose level is high, your body will produce more insulin. The same will happen to your baby, which can make them grow larger than usual. Large birthweight is called macrosomia. Babies weighing more than 4kg (8lb 8oz) at birth are considered macrosomic.
Large birthweight increases the risk of birth trauma, including bone fractures, breathing difficulties or nerve damage for baby. It can also cause shoulder dystocia. This is when the baby’s shoulder gets stuck in your pelvis once the head has been born.
Jaundice. Some babies develop low blood sugar or yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice ) after they are born. This can usually be monitored at home with the support of your midwife or health visitor, but some babies will need hospital treatment.
Often gestational diabetes can be controlled through eating healthy foods and regular exercise. Sometimes a woman with gestational diabetes must also take insulin.
5 Tips for Women with Gestational Diabetes 1 Eat Healthy Foods#N#Eat healthy foods from a meal plan made for a person with diabetes. A dietitian can help you create a healthy meal plan. Learn more about diabetes meal planning. 2 A dietitian can also help you learn how to control your blood sugar while you are pregnant. To find a registered dietician near you, please visit The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website#N#external icon#N#.
Because pregnancy causes the body’s need for energy to change, blood sugar levels can change very quickly. Check your blood sugar often, as directed by your doctor. Take Insulin, If Needed. Sometimes a woman with gestational diabetes must take insulin.
Gestational diabetes usually shows up in the middle of pregnancy. Doctors most often test for it between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Often gestational diabetes can be controlled through eating healthy foods and regular exercise. Sometimes a woman with gestational diabetes ...
An Extra Large Baby. Diabetes that is not well controlled causes the baby’s blood sugar to be high. The baby is “overfed” and grows extra large. Besides causing discomfort to the woman during the last few months of pregnancy, an extra large baby can lead to problems during delivery for both the mother and the baby.
When a pregnant woman has high blood pressure, protein in her urine, and often swelling in fingers and toes that doesn’t go away, she might have preeclampsia. It is a serious problem that needs to be watched closely and managed by her doctor. High blood pressure can cause harm to both the woman and her unborn baby. It might lead to the baby being born early and also could cause seizures or a stroke (a blood clot or a bleed in the brain that can lead to brain damage) in the woman during labor and delivery. Women with diabetes have high blood pressure more often than women without diabetes.
Exercise Regularly. Exercise is another way to keep blood sugar under control. It helps to balance food intake. After checking with your doctor, you can exercise regularly during and after pregnancy. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days a week.
We don't know what causes gestational diabetes, but we have some clues. The placenta supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance . Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.
Because of the extra insulin made by the baby's pancreas, newborns may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and are also at higher risk for breathing problems. Babies born with excess insulin become children who are at risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
She may need up to three times as much insulin. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels, called hyperglycemia.
This causes the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat. This can lead to macrosomia, or a "fat" baby.
Gestational diabetes affects the mother in late pregnancy, after the baby's body has been formed, but while the baby is busy growing. Because of this, gestational diabetes does not cause the kinds of birth defects sometimes seen in babies whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy.
However, untreated or poorly controlled gestational diabetes can hurt your baby. When you have gestational diabetes, your pancreas works overtime to produce insulin, but the insulin does not lower your blood glucose levels. Although insulin does not cross the placenta, glucose and other nutrients do. So extra blood glucose goes through the placenta, giving the baby high blood glucose levels. This causes the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat.
Risk factors for gestational diabetes include the following: Overweight and obesity. A lack of physical activity. Previous gestational diabetes or prediabetes. Polycystic ovary syndrome. Diabetes in an immediate family member. Previously delivering a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (4.1 kilograms).
If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may be at increased risk of: 1 Excessive birth weight. Higher than normal blood sugar in mothers can cause their babies to grow too large. Very large babies — those who weigh 9 pounds or more — are more likely to become wedged in the birth canal, have birth injuries or need a C-section birth. 2 Early (preterm) birth. High blood sugar may increase women's risk of early labor and delivery before the due date. Or early delivery may be recommended because the baby is large. 3 Serious breathing difficulties. Babies born early to mothers with gestational diabetes may experience respiratory distress syndrome — a condition that makes breathing difficult. 4 Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Sometimes babies of mothers with gestational diabetes have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) shortly after birth. Severe episodes of hypoglycemia may cause seizures in the baby. Prompt feedings and sometimes an intravenous glucose solution can return the baby's blood sugar level to normal. 5 Obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. Babies of mothers who have gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. 6 Stillbirth. Untreated gestational diabetes can result in a baby's death either before or shortly after birth.
Causes. Researchers don't yet know why some women get gestational diabetes and others don't. Excess weight before pregnancy often plays a role. Normally, various hormones work to keep your blood sugar levels in check. But during pregnancy, hormone levels change, making it harder for your body to process blood sugar efficiently.
Expectant mothers can help control gestational diabetes by eating healthy foods, exercising and, if necessary, taking medication. Controlling blood sugar can keep you and your baby healthy and prevent a difficult delivery.
Focus on making lasting changes to your eating habits that can help you through pregnancy, such as eating more vegetables and fruits. Don't gain more weight than recommended. Gaining some weight during pregnancy is normal and healthy. But gaining too much weight too quickly can up your risk of gestational diabetes.
Excessive birth weight. Higher than normal blood sugar in mothers can cause their babies to grow too large. Very large babies — those who weigh 9 pounds or more — are more likely to become wedged in the birth canal, have birth injuries or need a C-section birth. Early (preterm) birth.
Gestational diabetes raises your risk of high blood pressure, as well as preeclampsia — a serious complication of pregnancy that causes high blood pressure and other symptoms that can threaten the lives of both mother and baby. Having a surgical delivery (C-section).
Age (women who are older than 25 are at a greater risk for developing gestational diabetes than younger women)
Unlike type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes generally occurs too late to cause birth defects. Birth defects usually originate sometime during the first trimester (before the 13th week) of pregnancy.
All of the nutrients the fetus receives come directly from the mother's blood. If the maternal blood has too much glucose, the pancreas of the fetus senses the high glucose levels and produces more insulin in an attempt to use this glucose. The fetus converts the extra glucose to fat. Even when the mother has gestational diabetes, the fetus is able to produce all the insulin it needs. The combination of high blood glucose levels from the mother and high insulin levels in the fetus results in large deposits of fat which causes the fetus to grow excessively large.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition in which a hormone made by the placenta prevents the body from using insulin effectively. Glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells.
The combination of high blood glucose levels from the mother and high insulin levels in the fetus results in large deposits of fat which causes the fetus to grow excessively large. Hypoglycemia.
Infants of mothers with gestational diabetes are vulnerable to several chemical imbalances, such as low serum calcium and low serum magnesium levels, but, in general, there are two major problems of gestational diabetes: macrosomia and hypoglycemia: Macrosomia. Macrosomia refers to a baby who is considerably larger than normal.
Specific treatment for gestational diabetes will be determined by your doctor based on: 1 Your age, overall health, and medical history 2 Extent of the disease 3 Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies 4 Expectations for the course of the disease 5 Your opinion or preference