I totally sympathise with what you are being faced with..
I had a home birth in water with GD. No Induction. I really wanted to aviod it like the plague! Dispite my consultant, as he wanted me in a 40wks on the dot for an induction. My reasons for refusing the induction were simple: I didn't have any clinical presentation that suggested that I needed to be induced.
There are 3 things to consider here:
1 - GD babies can be fatter. This might cause problems if the babies adnominal circumference is so large that baby is unable to descend into the pelvis, and hence babies can't be born vaginally. But if you agree to an USScan late in pregnancy you will know whether this is the case or not - it shouldn't be routine to induce without this evidence.
2 - Yes, there is a higher incidence of placental insufficiency with GD mums, but the stats are still tiny. This can be monitored - and for me, I would rather choose monitoring of the placenta via scan and expectant management than the introduction of synthetic drugs to induce labour when my baby/body hasn't decided it is ready (as there are serious well documented risks to induction, which I feel/felt were greater than a wait and see approach - such as fetal distress, greater number of mums requesting epidurals because labour contractions don't let up due to the constant drip drip of synthetic hormones. The Epidural leads to further incidences of assisted deliveries using instruments, and further fetal distress, culminating in an increase in EMSC rates). Not one for me, when I could be simply monitored.
3 - Babies can be hypo (low blood sugars) at birth. However this is quite unlikely. You are unlikely to have eaten a large meal in labour to send your sugars high to increase babies own insulin reduction to counter the rich glucose rich blood they get from you.. Once baby is no longer receiving nutrients (therefore glucose) from you they are left with lots of insulin in their blood and this causes a srop in blood sugars for baby (hence the hypo)... but delayed cord clamping (until cord has stopped pulsing), physiological 3 stage rather than managed, and feeding baby all mitigate any incidence of this unlikely occurrence. (NB you don't have to have established breast feeding either, as a very small amount of colostrum is all that is needed - there stomachs are the size of a pea at birth - and they have a lapping instinct if offered a thimble or cap full at the mouth)
It is your choice, but I would only say take it on evidence of how YOU are presenting and not routine policy - no medical treatment or intervention with its inherent risks should be done routinely without clinical evidence.
Hope this helps with your decision - don't be bullied or coerced into choices which are not your own.
XxX
and if hubby and i ever get pregnant i really want a natural birth. the problem is i have been told because of my insulin resistance i will most likely have gestational diabetes. i just wondered how many people avoided induction with GD, had natural or even water births etc. i am nearly gutted that before im even pregnant the idea of a natural birth has already been torn away from me
