Diabetes During Pregnancy

Types of Diabetes and Pregnancy

Diabetes during pregnancy requires different management than usual, as high blood sugar can lead to complications for your baby. Our team is here to support your journey.

Prediabetes and Pregnancy

Prediabetes means the amount of glucose in your blood, or blood sugar, is higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetes. If you have prediabetes while pregnant, you may be at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes and Pregnancy

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder often occurring in children or young adults. Managing it during pregnancy involves diet changes, controlling insulin and regular monitoring to reduce the risk of health complications for mom and baby.

Type 2 Diabetes and Pregnancy

Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with insulin resistance and often requires dietary changes and monitoring. Those with diabetes during pregnancy may need additional tests, such as fetal movement counting, ultrasounds, and nonstress tests, to closely monitor the baby’s health.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy and typically resolves after delivery. Your OB/GYN will determine if you have gestational diabetes using a glucose tolerance test. If it’s positive, your provider will talk with you about treatment options, which may include diet, exercise, glucose monitoring, and, if needed, insulin.

Risk of Uncontrolled Diabetes on a Baby

Gestational diabetes does not usually result in complications for your baby. However, if you had diabetes before pregnancy, especially if left untreated or unmanaged, complications may include:

• Birth defects – Often occur in the first trimester of pregnancy, and can affect the heart and blood vessels, brain and spine, urinary system and kidneys and digestive system.
• Macrosomia – A baby that is much larger than normal, due to excess sugar in the mother’s blood.
• Stillbirth (fetal death) – Can happen due to poor circulation or damaged blood vessels. The risk goes up when blood glucose levels are not controlled.
• Birth injury – Larger babies have a higher risk of injury during delivery.
• Hypoglycemia – If the mother's blood sugar was high during pregnancy, this can cause the baby to have high blood sugar. After delivery, the baby continues to have a high insulin level, but no longer has the glucose from the mother to support it. This causes the newborn's blood sugar to drop to low levels.
• Trouble breathing (respiratory distress) – Breathing issues can happen if excess insulin or glucose affects lung development, especially in preterm babies.
• Preeclampsia – People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy.