Diabetes In Pregnancy - Risks To The Baby

By Terry Robbins

Introduction

Developing diabetes in pregnancy also known as gestational diabetes is quite common which is no less stressful because of concerns for the health of the unborn baby. Gestational diabetes usually only lasts for the duration of the pregnancy and goes away after delivery. However, while this condition can cause no problems to the baby and mother during the pregnancy, in some cases, there may be some issues that having gestational diabetes can cause to the baby and the mother. In this article, we shall look at the risks to the baby if you develop gestational diabetes.

Diabetes In Pregnancy

● It is reasonable to be worried about the baby when you develop this type of diabetes or are at risk of developing this condition. It is easy to be stressed out and upset when you get this diagnosis but with careful blood sugar monitoring and management through diet and making other healthy lifestyle changes, the risks to the baby and mother can be minimized and even eliminated.

● Choosing to ignore this condition or not putting in your best effort to manage blood sugar levels due to various reasons such as denial, feeling stressed out and powerless, being fearful, etc, can only make a bad situation worse.

Risks To The Baby

● All types of diabetes including gestational diabetes mean one thing - high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Glucose that remains in the blood for longer than is healthy because the hormone insulin which is charged with removing this insulin from the blood and transferring it to the various cells in the body where it is required for energy, or the storage of excess glucose as fat reserves to be used when glucose levels are low, malfunctions or the pancreas is not producing enough of insulin or any insulin to perform this task.

● High blood glucose levels can lead to various complications besides depriving the body of the energy that is needed for daily activities.

Risks To The Baby cont.● As far as the baby is concerned, diabetes in pregnancy

can lead to a very rich diet for the baby which causes baby fat which is also known as macrosomia. The excess glucose in the mother's system which is also shared by the baby causes the baby to produce extra insulin to take care of this glucose but this also results in the creation of unnecessary baby fat stores by this extra insulin.

● The result of these excess fat stores is an increase in the size of the baby which can become dangerous. A large baby (macrosomia) makes labor and delivery more difficult. The large baby may suffer injuries during delivery of which shoulder injuries are the most common.

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Risks cont.● A large baby also means in many cases that a natural

birth will be impossible. Large babies are usually delivered by caesarean section which also comes with its own health risks and complications.

● Another factor to consider with diabetes in pregnancy that is not properly managed is that upon delivery, though the baby will no longer have to deal with your high glucose levels, he or she will continue for a period of time, to produce insulin at the same rate that was produced in the womb. This can lead to hypoglycemia which is a condition characterized by dangerously low blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar levels leads to weakness, sweating, trembling, fatigue, loss of consciousness, etc.

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Risks

● Another result of gestational diabetes is that the babies born when the mother suffers from this condition and the high insulin levels that the baby ends up having, increase the chance of developing type 2 diabetes later on in life. Childhood obesity which sets the groundwork for the development of type 2 diabetes, also affects these babies.

Conclusion

With all these risk factors and wanting to protect your baby and child as much as possible, this should be the incentive you need to deal effectively with diabetes in pregnancy so that the baby does not have this cross to bear in the womb, during childhood and adulthood. For tips on a gestational diabetes diet plan, visit http://diabetestype1and2info.com/gestational-diabetes-diet-plan-tips/.

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