A normal pregnancy to full term is a perfectly reasonable expectation for a diabetic mother.
However, she and her partner will have to take extra precautions as the disease can cause complications if not correctly managed.
Even for the non diabetic, gestational diabetes, occuring in the latter stages of pregnancy, is a risk for every mother, which again can cause unexpected stress and anxiety.
Unlike type 1 and 2 diabetics who already know and understand their disease and what is involved as regards treatment, gestational diabetes comes with no warning and the mother has a whole new set of rules to abide by, including injecting themselves with insulin, and monitoring their blood sugar levels.
Left untreated, there are huge health risks to the unborn child when it comes to high blood sugar levels in the mother.
Where the prospective mother is already diabetic, it is important that she consults with her medical team before she concieves, so that her medication can be revised. This is because oral diabetic medication can damage a foetus, and she will need to change over to insulin.
The dangers to the foetus of high blood sugar levels in the mother, are risks of miscarriage and abnormalities. Any abnormalities will be apparent after 5-9 weeks of the pregnancy, which means that they can occur so early that the mother doesn't yet know she is in fact pregnant.
In the second half of the pregancy, blood sugar levels that are too high can cause "macrosomia". This is a condition that affects the unborn child, in that the high level of sugar in the mother's bloodstream causes some of this excess sugar to transfer into the baby. The baby's pancreas is then triggered to start producing insulin. Because the baby has no need of the extra sugars, the insulin causes these same sugars to be stored as fat, typically in the arms, legs and abdomen.
This process cause the overall weight and size of the baby to increase to a level where the baby becomes too big to be delivered by natural birth, and instead has to be delivered by section, often prematurely.
A moderate amount of exercise, gentle walking for example, is of benefit during pregnancy, as well as stopping smoking, which has been proved to increase the risk of the baby becoming obese and diabetic later in life.
However, she and her partner will have to take extra precautions as the disease can cause complications if not correctly managed.
Even for the non diabetic, gestational diabetes, occuring in the latter stages of pregnancy, is a risk for every mother, which again can cause unexpected stress and anxiety.
Unlike type 1 and 2 diabetics who already know and understand their disease and what is involved as regards treatment, gestational diabetes comes with no warning and the mother has a whole new set of rules to abide by, including injecting themselves with insulin, and monitoring their blood sugar levels.
Left untreated, there are huge health risks to the unborn child when it comes to high blood sugar levels in the mother.
Where the prospective mother is already diabetic, it is important that she consults with her medical team before she concieves, so that her medication can be revised. This is because oral diabetic medication can damage a foetus, and she will need to change over to insulin.
The dangers to the foetus of high blood sugar levels in the mother, are risks of miscarriage and abnormalities. Any abnormalities will be apparent after 5-9 weeks of the pregnancy, which means that they can occur so early that the mother doesn't yet know she is in fact pregnant.
In the second half of the pregancy, blood sugar levels that are too high can cause "macrosomia". This is a condition that affects the unborn child, in that the high level of sugar in the mother's bloodstream causes some of this excess sugar to transfer into the baby. The baby's pancreas is then triggered to start producing insulin. Because the baby has no need of the extra sugars, the insulin causes these same sugars to be stored as fat, typically in the arms, legs and abdomen.
This process cause the overall weight and size of the baby to increase to a level where the baby becomes too big to be delivered by natural birth, and instead has to be delivered by section, often prematurely.
A moderate amount of exercise, gentle walking for example, is of benefit during pregnancy, as well as stopping smoking, which has been proved to increase the risk of the baby becoming obese and diabetic later in life.
About the Author:
Toby has been type 2 diabetic for a number of years now. To try and relieve his hypertension he likes to restore machinery, restoring old used air compressors. He has put up a website about used air compressors, where one can find useful information on this subject.
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