How can gestational diabetes affect your baby?

This is an automatically translated article.

Gestational diabetes is one of the medical conditions that can be encountered in pregnant women during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes can lead to health risks for both mother and baby. Women who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant, especially women who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, need to know the information they need to know about gestational diabetes in order to self-monitor, have a regimen of care and prevention. prevent complications during pregnancy and beyond.

1. What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy, which is a condition in which a high blood sugar index is identified during pregnancy. If your preprandial blood sugar is >7mmol/l, it will be diagnosed as gestational diabetes.

2. Is gestational diabetes dangerous?

One of the main and most common consequences of gestational diabetes is that the unborn baby can gain weight rapidly in the womb, or be born with a low birth weight. This can lead to trauma to both mother and baby during delivery, or difficult delivery. It also increases the risk that a woman will have to have a cesarean section, which means a slower postpartum recovery time. Maintaining blood sugar levels throughout pregnancy can reduce these risks.

3. What are the health risks in the future if a pregnant woman has gestational diabetes?

Most gestational diabetes goes away after giving birth. However, in some cases, the mother still has diabetes after giving birth. Those mothers may also have had diabetes before their pregnancy without them knowing it. Those mothers need special diabetes care right away.

4. For women who still have diabetes after giving birth, what should be done?

For mothers with gestational diabetes, they should have their blood sugar checked periodically within 3 months after giving birth. The doctor will schedule an appointment for the following checkups if the mother has high blood sugar levels and needs treatment for diabetes. Some mothers may also have high blood sugar levels after giving birth, but it is not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It's called prediabetes. Mothers identified as prediabetes are at risk of developing diabetes and should be closely monitored by their physicians.

5. Are there ways to reduce the risk of diabetes in women?

Fortunately, there are measures to control and limit diabetes. And people at high risk for diabetes can reduce their risk by eating right, controlling their weight, and exercising. By making lifestyle changes, women who have had gestational diabetes can cut their risk in half.

6. How can a healthy lifestyle change?

There are many ways to change your lifestyle, remember that even a small change can be very beneficial. Choose healthy foods first. Eat more green vegetables, fruits or beans, lean meat, low-fat milk or cheese. Second, try to be physically active for at least 2.5 hours a week. If you are overweight, try to lose weight. Even just losing about 4-7 kg has a lot of benefits.

In addition, you should consult with your doctor and nurse about how to prevent disease. They can give you a full treatment and care regimen, plus advice on nutrition, weight control and exercise.

7. What to look out for in case a patient has been diagnosed with diabetes a long time ago?

Things to note are the same as for pregnant women just mentioned above. First, make sure that your Doctor or other healthcare provider tells you about your diabetes whenever you use medical care. It is a very important piece of information in your medical history.
Plus, if you were diagnosed about a year ago, ask your healthcare provider to schedule regular checkups of your blood sugar. All women in general need to have their blood sugar checked at least once every three years, however some women need to have their blood sugar checked as often as every year. Finally, follow the advice of health professionals about diet, weight, and physical activity.

8. Why women need regular checkups about their diabetes. Do symptoms like extreme thirst, hunger or fatigue indicate that she has diabetes?

In fact, many people with diabetes have no symptoms at all and don't even know they have diabetes. The only way to check is to do blood sugar tests.

9. What about women who have gestational diabetes and go on to get pregnant again?

It is extremely important to check blood sugar levels regularly for women who have a history of gestational diabetes because they may have it again later. Undiagnosed gestational diabetes carries many risks to the mother such as premature birth.
Control your blood sugar before you get pregnant next time will greatly reduce the risk. In addition, if a woman has gestational diabetes and wants to get pregnant again, it is very important to get counseling and guidance as well as do the necessary tests. And it's always important to keep in mind that when it comes to continuing a pregnancy, it's very important that women with a history of gestational diabetes receive proper care.
Vinmec International General Hospital offers a Package Maternity Care Program for pregnant women right from the first months of pregnancy with a full range of antenatal care visits, periodical 3D and 4D ultrasounds and routine tests to ensure that the mother is healthy and the fetus is developing comprehensively.

Pregnant women will be consulted and checked for health under the close supervision of experienced and specialized Obstetricians, helping mothers have more knowledge to protect their health during pregnancy as well as reduce reduce complications for mother and child.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

References source: diabetes.org, tools.cdc.gov
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