Some Impact on The Baby if the Mother Has Gestational Diabetes

By: medicmagic

Diabetes that occurs in pregnant women occurs because during pregnancy, hormones in the body makes the insulin more difficult to use, so the pancreas has to work harder.

For pregnant women which has pancreas which works work well, then the pregnancy condition would not be a problem. But when the pancreas can not meet the demand forinsulin, the blood sugar levels will increase and causes diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes).

In most cases, the diabetes will disappear after the baby is born, although the risk of getting diabetes again is high for the women if they are pregnant again.

According to Babycenter, there are some impact on the baby if the mother has gestational diabetes:

1. Excess sugar in the blood and insulin can cause babies to have more fat, especially in their upper body so they become bigger.

There is a possibility that the baby is too big to be born through the normal process so caesarean birth is needed.

After the baby is born, there is a possibility the baby has low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). This condition occurs because the body still produces excess insulin in response to high glucose intake of the mother.

If doctors know that the mother have gestational diabetes, the newborn will be tested for blood sugar levels by taking a drop of blood from the baby’s heel. If the levels are low, the baby will be breastfed, but if it is too severe there is a possibility the baby will be given glucose IV infusion.

2. Infants have higher risk of jaundice disease, polycuthemia (increasing number of red blood cells in the blood) and hypocalcemia (low calcium levels in the blood).

3. If the control of blood sugar levels are bad, there is the possibility the the infant’s cardiac function can be affected.

4. As for the mother, the pregnancy has two times higher risk of pre-eclampsia.

Gestational diabetes generally does not have specific symptoms. That is why almost all pregnant women need to check glucose levels at 24-28 weeks of gestation. If the result shows positive, then a good blood sugar control and maintaining food intake is needed.

Pregnant women are vulnerable to diabetes if they are overweight, have a history of previous gestational diabetes or have a history of strong diabets in the family.