increased sugar level during pregnancy,hows that going to affect baby?
i’ve undergone glucose test for checking sugar level in blood (7th month running)they called me today from the lab n said its showing slightly increased levels n wanted to repeat the test 2moro morning(fasting blood sugar).i jus hope it shows normal.however i wanted to know how does that affect baby…is there any danger while delivering the baby also what precautions im supposed to take?..please help!
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4 Responses to “increased sugar level during pregnancy,hows that going to affect baby?”
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First let me state that I am an insulin dependant diabetic.
You may be at risk for gestational diabetes. Don’t be alarmed. It’s no biggie. (From where I sit, anyway.) With either gestational diabetes or “regular” diabetes, elevated blood sugar levels tend to create very large babies. In this case bigger is definitely NOT better.
Simplifying this greatly:
AND when your blood sugar is elevated, the baby’s pancreas works hard to create enough insulin to process this sugar. When your blood sugar is high during labor, the baby is born with too much of its own insulin in his/her bloodstream and the supply of sugar is cut off from mom, so the baby’s blood sugar can go very low. In some hospitals, all infants born to diabetics (gestational or otherwise) must be observed in neonatal for a while. (When my fifth daughter had to be observed in neonatal for a couple of hours, I was told that she was the healthiest baby to ever go through those doors.)
IF you are found to have gestational diabetes, it is very important to get good medical care from an endocrinologist. He/she will help you to maintain very tight control of your blood sugar so that it will not be a problem AT ALL.
Take it seriously, but don’t stress out. I was a *40* year old insulin dependant diabetic when I had my fifth child and she is a very happy healthy brilliant 7 year old. (Yep, that makes me 47.)
Have you taken a glucose tolerance test? –The kind where you drink the syrupy disgusting stuff and they check your blood at several intervals after that?
Please see the web pages for more details on Gestational diabetes.
I’m currently 32 weeks and have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes after failing the 1 hour and 3 hour glucose tolerence tests. If you have elevated sugar levels with both you will receive the diagnonsis of gestational diabetes. There are risks to the baby for having elevated blood sugar levels that are uncontrolled. The risks are macrosomia which means the baby grows too large. This can cause shoulder distocia during delivery where the head is delivered but shoulders are too big. When that happens the baby’s shoulder bones, collar bone, and nerves in the area can be damaged through the difficult delivery. In addition there is a slight increase in the risk of stillbirth. Again, these things only pose a risk when the sugar levels are uncontrolled. Your doctor can do several things to get the sugar levels in control. You may be able to do it through diet, or you may need assistance through insulin, or pills such as glyburide or metformin. In my case, I was not able to control it through diet and have been put on insulin injections. If you have any questions, feel free to email me pack513@yahoo.com Hope this info helps.
I also was diagnosed with gestational diabetes after the glucose tolerance test, and I felt absolutely devastated, like I had somehow done something that had endangered my baby.
My levels were only slightly increased, so I was just referred to a dietician for a low GI diet. I didn’t need to do anything else to manage it, though I had to put up with my mother berating me constantly that I would end up with a large, floppy baby.
My darling little girl is now 5 months old. She was absolutely perfect at birth – not big or floppy at all. She was 6 lb 8 oz (2.955 kg), and actually had extremely good, strong muscles – she has had very good head control right from birth.
So if you do find out that you definitely do have gestational diabetes, don’t stress! It’s very common, and if you follow what your ob/gyn recommends, you and your baby will both be fine.