How does low and high sugars affect baby?

[Honesty]

Was just wondering if anyone knew because my readings have been high... How does this affect baby? Does it affect baby at all?

 

[kdea547]

Really the only direct effect on the baby is going to be putting on too much weight. The baby has all the bodily functions it needs to deal with the high blood sugars that cross the placenta. The problem is that when the baby gets more fuel than it needs for normal growth, it's insulin will store the extra sugar as fat.

 

[Honesty]

The reason I ask is I just found out from a friend that had gestational diabetes when she delivered she had high sugars but baby was born with low sugars... How did that happen?

 

[going_crazy]

Constant high blood sugars can cause the heart muscle to thicken, and when baby is born, sometimes they can have trouble regulating their own blood sugars xxx

 

[MizzDeeDee]

Because the high blood sugar crosses the placental barrier the baby overcompensates and produces a lot of insulin which causes them to have lower blood sugar........at least that is what they've been telling me.

 

[Floralaura]

Baby is so used to having to produce so much extra insulin whilst in the womb that when born and their body doesn't need that much insulin any more their levels crash and go low..They can be born bigger, increasing the risk of shoulder dystocia, birth problems and rates of C-sections. Also their risk of jaundice is higher after birth. During pregnancy GD that isn't controlled can cause the placenta to fail and thus poses a risk to the Babies life.

 

[Honesty]

Thanks ladies.... In class yesterday they did till us about birth defects, stillborn, and other problems which kind of freaked me out... Is it the placenta failing that causes someone to have a stillborn if having gestational diabetes? It it's very rare that this happens? Sorry to bring up this subject but it's been on my mind since class..

 

[MizzDeeDee]

Thanks ladies.... In class yesterday they did till us about birth defects, stillborn, and other problems which kind of freaked me out... Is it the placenta failing that causes someone to have a stillborn if having gestational diabetes? It it's very rare that this happens? Sorry to bring up this subject but it's been on my mind since class..

The placenta could stop working which I imagine could cause a stillborn.... birth defects for gestational diabetes? I know that is possible for diabetes before pregnancy, but my Doctors said that wasn't very likely with GD. They did say that the lungs might not mature that well with GD.

 

[Honesty]

I see I cant wait till Monday to see the actual gd doctor and ask him all the questions I have... I just went for class on wednesday which I hardly understood...

 

[Mommy's Angel]

This is if high blood sugars are constant though right?? I've heard that if you get high readings occassionally and they don't last longer than say an hour or so that it really wouldn't affect them. Is this right??

 

[MizzDeeDee]

This is if high blood sugars are constant though right?? I've heard that if you get high readings occassionally and they don't last longer than say an hour or so that it really wouldn't affect them. Is this right??

I think it actually has to be pretty high. I know that when I went into the perinatologist they considered my GD to be "controlled" but I am consistently over 140... I am usually in the 150s to 160s and my fasting is usually in the 100s- with insulin.

I have sonograms twice a week to make sure baby is okay.

 

[kdea547]

Blood sugars generally have to be a lot higher than the standards we're held to to really cause serious issues with pregnancy. My doctor has always told me that the target blood sugars are very tight and the reason being that as a patient, you'll try your best to make that target. Generally, a few numbers out of target are not of concern. I've had a couple in the 200s that freaked me out and several in the 140-160 range, but my doctor and nurses are not concerned about those high readings since my averages are overall within target or very close to target.

 

[Honesty]

Blood sugars generally have to be a lot higher than the standards we're held to to really cause serious issues with pregnancy. My doctor has always told me that the target blood sugars are very tight and the reason being that as a patient, you'll try your best to make that target. Generally, a few numbers out of target are not of concern. I've had a couple in the 200s that freaked me out and several in the 140-160 range, but my doctor and nurses are not concerned about those high readings since my averages are overall within target or very close to target.

Thanks my high reading was after breakfast yesterday at 158 but the rest of the day I did real well...

 

[K123]

I don't think the occassional higher reading matters too much. When they talk about side effects of GD at hospital they tend to stress worst case scenario, to make us all a bit scared and make sure we try and control our sugars as well as we can. If baby gets used to higher blood sugars they can end up with low blood sugars after birth - but my understanding is that feeding them soon after birth is usually enough to correct that. In the UK women with GD tend to be kept in hospital for 24hours after birth so baby can be monitored for a bit longer because of this. And with growth scans and extra monitoring then problems from baby being too big are unlikely to be too serious. Hope you get lots more answers at your next appointment.

 

[Floralaura]

My GD was 'controlled' and that was with diet changes alone..I was scanned every week (last scan put LO at 7lb 7oz at 39 weeks) and had ctgs every week and induced at 40+1..yet LO was born at 10lb 3oz and was poorly at birth and they said both were due to GD. I only had the occasional high reading and none over 10 (not sure what this is in the measurements US ladies use)..so I had GD complications from a non complicated GD pregnancy, apparently.

 

[Mommy's Angel]

You ladies who've delivered with GD, are the babies taken away from us right away or will they allow our babies to latch on directly after delivery?? I'm SO annoyed that they may want to take my baby out of my hands and we'll both miss that bonding opportunity.

 

[Honesty]

You ladies who've delivered with GD, are the babies taken away from us right away or will they allow our babies to latch on directly after delivery?? I'm SO annoyed that they may want to take my baby out of my hands and we'll both miss that bonding opportunity.

Good question! Does anyone know?

 

[capel]

I am diabetic before pregnancy and what I know is that high levels in third tri can't cause birth defects. What is can do is damage the placenta and cause a big baby. But at the levels women with GD are told to keep it is VERY rare. The levels must be much higher than that. If I had the levels you all are talking about I woulb be so happy. I am type 1 diabetic and it is VERY hard to run to these levels without hypos. Another thing the risk is associated with the hba1c, not with the levels you test. They make you test because that is what helps you get control, but the risk of complications is determined by the average (hba1c). I have very bad levels after meal, but a great hba1c so my care team is not overly concerned.

 

[Tanikit]

In general GD babies are bigger than normal and they can be even on very closely controlled sugar levels simply because your average sugar level is higher than normal - obviously it depends what size baby you would have had without GD and how well controlled you are and your baby itself (boys are usually bigger anyway) The main risk is for shoulder dystocia as GD babies are usually normal for head circumference but have enlarged abdominal (and shoulder) measurements.

They should watch the placenta with scans late in pregnancy - these changes (if they happen) usually start at about 36 weeks and is one of the reasons GD babies are often born earlier than they are due.

The lungs mature more slowly than for non GD mothers so they try to keep GD babies in til 38 weeks or even 39 weeks (this is the problem - the desire to get them out early to prevent placental deterioration but keep them in long enough for the lungs to develop)

I am a type 1 diabetic and we deal with the birth defect issue too - birth defects shouldn't occur in GD pregnancies unless they were already there before diagnosis as you only get GD after development of all organs has occurred. Both my pregnancies went fine and even with high sugars and very low sugars at times, both my children are very healthy. They were taken away at birth and monitored for low sugars. They went to ICU - one for a day and the other for four days due to the low sugars. A GD baby usually can be sorted out faster though and possibly without needing to be taken away - remember there is very little colostrum at birth and it may not be enough to bring up the babies sugar levels enough - then they give formula or even a drip with dextrose in it. I managed to breastfeed both my children despite them being given formula in a bottle for a couple of days after birth, so it can be done and it is more important to have a healthy baby than one with its mother immediately after the birth (and trust me having my babies taken away was very very hard, but was in their best interests)

Very often though things go fine and baby stays with Mom and the sugars stabilise by themselves.

You asked about low sugars too - this is almost never a problem with GDs - low sugars give more trouble for the mother than the baby and the only thing I have found is that they can cause short term memory problem in the baby or lead to early spontaneous labour. If something happens to the mother while low (falling, being in an accident etc) then this can affect the baby too. Finally having too low sugars during labour (something that can happen if you are on an insulin drip during labour) can make it harder to push the baby out. When I say low sugars I mean in the 1s (around 30 I think in USA measurements) and again unless you are on insulin this is highly unlikely to happen.