COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY: MATERNAL DIABETES (GESTATIONAL DIABETES)
If you develop diabetes during your pregnancy, you have what is called gestational diabetes. This usually becomes evident through routine testing of the urine for sugar, which is done at regular intervals during your antenatal care. Some women are known diabetics before they become pregnant. In either case extra precautions need to be taken to safeguard the well-being of both the mother and her baby.
Cause
The exact cause of diabetes is not known. It does have a tendency to run in families.
You may be unaware that you have diabetes until it is diagnosed on a urine dipstick during one of your routine antenatal visits. The build up of glucose (sugar) in the mother’s system passes through the placenta to the baby. This in turn makes the baby grow very big and fat, but does not make him mature any faster. This may cause difficulties around the time of birth, because the baby may be too big to fit through the mother’s pelvic outlet. In addition, he will most likely be immature and require a special care nursery until his condition is stable. Immediately after birth the baby’s glucose level may drop dramatically (hypoglycaemia), and this needs to be monitored carefully. Such babies are jittery and may even have convulsions. Occasionally, if the risk of normal labour is thought to be too great to both mother and baby, a Caesarian section will be advised.
Treatment
Careful monitoring of the mother’s glucose levels throughout pregnancy is important for good control. This may be achieved by using a home glucose monitor. Avoiding sweet foods such as cakes, lollies and chocolates is mandatory. If stable levels cannot be achieved through dietary control, insulin may be used. Sugar levels usually return to normal soon after the delivery and there should not be any problems with breastfeeding.
*52\90\8*
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.