The 8 dangers of gestational diabetes Every mother-to-be looks forward to the healthy growth of her baby during pregnancy, but once diagnosed with gestational diabetes, she begins to worry about the health of her baby. On the other hand, failure to control blood sugar effectively can have serious consequences. Because gestational diabetes is not the same concept as non-gestational diabetes, it is important to understand the dangers of gestational diabetes and to actively manage and prevent it. Difficult delivery or cesarean delivery When the pregnant woman’s blood sugar is effectively controlled, the weight of the fetus will be close to normal, so the pregnant woman with gestational diabetes will also have a smooth delivery, but if the blood sugar is not effectively controlled and a huge baby appears, it is easy to have a relative cephalopelvic disproportion and cannot deliver normally, so a cesarean delivery has to be taken. Pregnant women. Increased chance of infection The chance of infection during gestational diabetes is greatly increased, especially perineal, genital tract and bladder-urinary tract infections. In case of infection, antibiotic treatment is the best method, but many antibiotics can have adverse effects on the development of the fetus, so do not take the initiative and use antibiotics without permission, but choose antibiotics with few side effects under the guidance of a physician. Gestational hypertension syndrome Pregnant women with gestational diabetes may develop serious pregnancy complications, namely gestational hypertension syndrome, when the pregnant woman’s blood pressure increases and her body becomes edematous, which can have serious adverse effects on both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Once gestational hypertensive syndrome occurs, it is important not only to control blood sugar effectively, but also to visit a hospital for active treatment, including hospitalization and bed rest, and appropriate medication. Diabetes at the end of pregnancy One of the more serious consequences for pregnant women with gestational diabetes is the persistence of diabetes after delivery. About 2% of pregnant women with gestational diabetes do not lose their diabetes after delivery. About 8% of pregnant women with gestational diabetes improve after delivery, but develop “abnormal glucose tolerance,” which means that their blood sugar is higher than normal but does not meet the criteria for diabetes. About 60% of pregnant women with gestational diabetes have symptoms that disappear after delivery and their blood sugar is normal, but they may develop diabetes in later years, especially if they are obese. Giant baby Excess glucose in the blood of pregnant women with gestational diabetes will pass through the placenta into the fetus, causing the fetus to produce large amounts of insulin to lower its blood sugar. High blood sugar and high insulin cause the fetus to gain weight, resulting in a giant baby, which makes delivery more difficult and often requires a cesarean section. Hypoglycemia after birth Maternal hyperglycemia prompts the fetus to secrete too much insulin, but after delivery, the pregnant woman’s blood sugar can no longer enter the baby’s body, but the newborn still secretes a lot of insulin, causing hypoglycemia to occur. Therefore, if the pregnant woman has gestational diabetes, the physician will check the blood sugar within a few hours after the birth of the newborn. Jaundice is caused by a substance called bilirubin that is not eliminated in time. In newborns delivered in normal pregnancies, jaundice does not usually cause serious consequences, but in newborns delivered by pregnant women with gestational diabetes, jaundice is very pronounced and gradually worsens, sometimes with serious consequences, because the newborn’s liver is not well developed and therefore cannot remove bilirubin in time. Serious consequences. Gestational diabetes can also cause stillbirth or premature birth. If the blood sugar is well controlled during pregnancy, the baby is no more likely to be born with diabetes than a baby born in a normal pregnancy. Warm tip: In order to prevent gestational diabetes, we should measure the weight of pregnant women regularly to judge it, generally weighing once a month before 20 weeks of gestation and once every 1 to 2 weeks afterwards, as well as conducting routine pregnancy checks. If you find that you are not gaining weight or gaining too much weight without other pathological conditions, you should increase or decrease the energy intake from the diet to ensure normal weight gain. Therefore, nutrition during pregnancy is very important. We should pay attention to nutrition during pregnancy and give proper guidance to maintain normal weight gain so that the fetal weight is within the normal range and to ensure the health of mother and child.