let's talk diabetes and pregnancy

A reader asked a question about gestational diabetes and I made a mental note to discuss it as a topic and make a post out of it.so here we go.

  Diabetes is a metabolic disease that results from lack of insulin. Insulin is meant to mop up glucose in the blood stream,so a lack if insulin or a reduced quantity means a person would have an excess amount of glucose in the blood.we all know too much of anything is bad.
 In pregnancy, some with diabetes could either have had an established diagnosis of diabetes before getting pregnant or the diabetes commences or is recognised for the first time during pregnancy. The latter is termed GESTATIONAL DIABETES(GDM).
 

  1).how is gestational diabetes managed and does it have a cure?
 
   Management of a pregnant diabetic requires areas work by the obstetrician, endocrinologist,neonatologist and dietician. That is why it's good for a pregnant diabetic to be registered in a tertiary institution where she can get access to such specialists.
 Pregnant diabetics may be controlled on diet alone,but insulin should be commenced immediately blood levels become difficult to control.
Oral hypoglcaemics are contraindicated in pregnancy.

  Does GDM have a cure? Well for most people with GDM, insulin requirements actually fall after delivery and their glucose levels tends to be normal but they are at risk of maturity onset diabetes so it's required of them to have glucose tolerance test at least 6 weeks after delivery.

2) Will GDM affect the baby?
 YES, If your blood glucose levels are not well controlled.

 Glucose in the blood can pass the placenta and get to the baby and just as an adult eat food in excess and get overweight so also the excess glucose getting to the baby makes it overweight (macrosomic -big baby).
 
Due to the fact that the baby has a large amount of glucose inutero the baby starts secreting excess insulin by itself to combat this large amt of glucose thanks to constant supply from the mothers blood, immediately the baby is born the baby has hypoglcaemia(low glucose level in the blood) this is because the baby already has a high amt of circulating insulin but regular supply from the mother has stopped.
  Problems with breathing because of lung immaturity, fractures of some bones because of difficult delivery thanks to their large size and there are also affectation of multiple systems in the body.

The goodnews is that most of these complications in infants of a diabetic mother can be taken care of but it starts with controlling the glucose level of the mother followed by birthing your child in a Centre were specialised hands can attend to the baby

If you have any more questions as regards the above topic, you can drop them in the comment section.