There are variety of complications which will result from gestational diabetes, some more serious for your baby than others:
Delivery Complications:
- Due to a baby’s larger size, injuries during childbirth like the shoulders getting stuck (dystocia) within the passage. Bleeding within the head (subdural hemorrhage), or low oxygen (hypoxia) can occur.
- The delivery can also require the utilization of forceps or a vacuum. Therefore the chances of a C-section are much higher.
Other Problems to Gestational Diabetes:
- Feeding Problems: Prematurity, low blood glucose after birth, and difficulty breathing can make feedings harder .
- Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar): The baby of a mom with diabetes makes extra insulin. This is to ensure all the sugar that mom passes to him during pregnancy.
- After birth, the availability of sugar from mom is stop , but the kid still makes extra insulin. The extra insulin is just too much so it brings his blood glucose levels down too low. It causes hypoglycemia within the infant.
- Jaundice: The breakdown of red blood cells creates bilirubin. When there’s tons of bilirubin or the body cannot get obviate it fast enough. The extent of bilirubin within the blood increases, causing the skin and eyes to seem yellow.
- Babies of mothers with diabetes may take longer to urge the additional bilirubin out of their body if they’re premature. Also, if they’re larger than average, or have low blood glucose .
Long Term Concerns
- There can be complications of prematurity or a birth injury. There’s also a greater chance of developing diabetes and being overweight later in life.
- Macrosomia: Extra sugar in mom’s blood passes to her child. It can cause excessive growth and a larger-than-average baby.
- Placental Insufficiency: Problems with the placenta and transfer of oxygen and nutrients aren’t likely to occur in gestational diabetes. It is usually only seen in pregestational diabetes. In rare cases, if gestational diabetes comes on early and isn’t controlled it can be an problem. Placental issues can cause a smaller-than-average baby and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).
- Polycythemia: Sometimes a baby are going to be born with a high level of red blood cells. This is as a result of a mom having diabetes. It can make the blood thick, and it also can contribute to breathing problems and jaundice.
- Respiratory Distress: within the weeks before a toddler is born, the lungs mature and produce something called surfactant. Surfactant coats the small sacs within the lungs and keeps them inflated when the baby breathes. If a baby is born early, his lungs could also be immature and without enough surfactant. But, since diabetes also causes a decrease within the production of surfactant, even full-term babies can have breathing issues.
Gestational diabetes during pregnancy affects your baby. For concerns related to your baby’s health, visit our Pediatrics Department.
