How does gestational diabetes affect mother and baby?
PT Health Life – Gestational diabetes can affect mothers and babies during pregnancy and childbirth as well as afterward. Therefore, pregnant mothers with diabetes need to be checked regularly throughout pregnancy to ensure the health of both mother and child.
1. What is diabetes?
Your body uses sugar for energy. Sugar passes from the blood into the body’s cells with the help of a hormone called insulin. When sugar is in cells, it is converted into energy or stored. However, if the body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use insulin well, sugar has a hard time moving into cells and instead stays in the blood. High blood sugar is called diabetes .
2. Complications of gestational diabetes for mother and baby
2.1 Risk of premature labor
Complications from high blood sugar can increase the risk of premature birth. Studies show that the risk of preterm birth due to gestational diabetes is greater if the mother develops diabetes before the 24th week of pregnancy. After week 24, the chance of premature birth decreases.
2.2 Effects on newborns
There are a number of complications that can occur from gestational diabetes, some more serious for your baby than others.
Complications during birth: Pregnant mothers with diabetes are at risk of giving birth to children with high birth weight. The birth process will have a higher risk of obstetric complications . The mother may have difficulty giving birth vaginally. Some risks of injury can occur to the baby such as suffocation due to lack of oxygen, forceps for cesarean section, etc. Therefore, doctors will advise pregnant women to perform a cesarean section to ensure the safety of the baby. Friend.
Neonatal hypoglycemia : the baby of a diabetic mother will make extra insulin to handle the amount of sugar the mother passes through the placenta. After birth, the mother’s sugar supply is cut off , but the baby still makes extra insulin. Too much extra insulin will cause the baby’s blood sugar to drop too low, causing hypoglycemia in the newborn. This affects the process of raising children later.
Neonatal jaundice : Babies of mothers with diabetes may take longer to clear the extra bilirubin from their bodies if they were born prematurely, weighed more than average, or had low sugar levels. low in blood.
The breakdown of red blood cells produces bilirubin. When there is a lot of bilirubin or the body cannot eliminate it quickly enough, bilirubin levels in the blood increase, causing jaundice in newborns.
Respiratory failure : If a baby is born prematurely, his or her lungs are immature and do not have enough surfactant. However, because diabetes also reduces surfactant production, even full-term babies can have breathing problems.
2.3 Effects of gestational diabetes on maternal health
Pregnant mothers with diabetes are also at risk of potential complications such as: higher risk of developing gestational diabetes in the next pregnancy, increased risk of other health problems such as high blood pressure and preeclampsia, risk of type 2 diabetes, risk of premature birth or giving birth to a baby that is too large leading to a cesarean section.
3. How to control gestational diabetes
All pregnant women are screened for diabetes as part of their routine prenatal care. Your doctor will take your family history to see if you are at high risk for the disease. A physical exam can give your doctor an indication of your health and reflect signs and symptoms of high blood sugar or insulin resistance.
If your doctor tells you that you have gestational diabetes, you will be monitored more closely to prevent complications.
3.1 Postpartum care
After giving birth, follow these tips to care for yourself and your baby:
3.2 Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is safe even if your blood sugar doesn’t drop after giving birth. Diabetes does not affect breast milk. In addition, breastfeeding can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes for both you and your baby later in life.
3.3 Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Continue to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly. Diet and exercise can keep your blood sugar levels at healthy levels and reduce your risk of obesity and developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
3.4 See your doctor
Keep following up with your doctor’s appointments to see if your gestational diabetes has gone away. If not, your doctor will continue to monitor your blood sugar levels and have a treatment plan for type 2 diabetes.