WHAT IS GESTATIONAL DIABETES AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT BABIES?

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that affects women during pregnancy.



Up to five per cent of women giving birth in England and Wales has diabetes. Most of these women have gestational diabetes, but some have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

In most cases, gestational diabetes develops in the third trimester - after 28 weeks - and usually disappears after the baby is born .



Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood.



Normally, the amount of glucose in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin. But during pregnancy, some women have higher than normal levels of glucose in their blood and their body cannot produce enough insulin to transport it all into the cells.



This means that the level of glucose in the blood rises.

Gestational diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise but some women will need medication to control blood glucose levels .

If gestational diabetes is not detected and controlled, it can increase the risk of birth complications, such as babies being large for their gestational age known as macrosomia.



Macrosomia is a term used to describe babies when they are born weighting more than 8.8lb. It occurs because the excess glucose in the mother’s blood is passed to the unborn baby.

This causes the foetus to produce the growth hormone insulin that allows glucose to enter the cells, which results in growth.

Macrosomia can lead to a condition called shoulder dystocia. This is when the baby’s head passes through the vagina, but your baby’s shoulder gets stuck in the mother's pelvis during birth.

This c an be dangerous as a baby may not be able to breathe while they are stuck. It is estimated to affect 1 in 200 births.