Pregnancy and Diabetes

To have a baby is indeed a miraculous moment. If you plan to have a baby, the most important thing that you need to understand is that the baby develops since there is fertility.

In this process, the high level of glucose can cause danger to the vital organs of the baby such as heart, lungs, liver, and brain. For this reason, people with diabetes have to be extra aware of this possibility when they are planning on having a baby.

Diabetes mellitus is metabolism anomaly that is caused by many factors. The symptoms of this disease can be hyperglycemia and metabolism dysfunction on carbohydrate, fat, and protein. This dysfunction is due to deficiency of insulin hormone or deficiency of glucose transporter.  In a normal condition, insulin hormone will control the blood glucose levels. Insulin is a type of hormone produce by pancreas. Insulin will function to lower the blood glucose level. After we eat something, typically our blood glucose will rise up.

In this situation, insulin is released from pancreas to stabilize the glucose level. People with diabetes can not produce insulin well; therefore the production of insulin is insufficient. Diabetes mellitus can occur to anyone in spite of the age, gender, sex, and even race. Every one is potential to get diabetes. Many people think that diabetes is elderly disease or disease that can only occur due to the parental inheritance. However, the fact is flipping 180 degrees from that common believe. Diabetes can hit anyone at any time, including pregnant women.

Diabetes in pregnant women is a condition of carbohydrate intolerance. During the pregnancy, there will be an adjustment of endocrine metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism that support the food intake of the baby and so for the preparation due to breast feeding. As a result, the glucose level will increase due to the hormonal secretion. This condition is called diabetes gestational. The glucose level will usually back to the normal level after give the birth. This diabetes gestational is commonly occurred in the 24th week up to 28th week of the pregnancy period.

During this time, if you consult to a doctor, he will usually do the glucose level test. If the result is high, then you are strongly advised to do the more extensive test that required.

The risk of diabetes gestational will be greater if you are in a condition such as overweight even before you are pregnant. It can also be triggered if you are more than 35 when you are pregnant; the family history of diabetes is also risky for diabetes gestational. In order to make sure that you have a healthy and safe pregnancy period, you have to plan your diet, do the exercises regularly even when you are pregnant, use the insulin based on your doctors have prescribed, and controlling the glucose level in your blood.

Glucose can be transferred to fetus regularly through the placenta. This diffusion of glucose level is almost at the same level with glucose level in mother’s blood. Mother’s insulin can not reach the fetus so that the only aspect that can influence glucose level of the baby is the mother’s glucose level. For this reason, diabetes gestational is in fact can directly affect your pregnancy. The glucose level in your blood will influence the size of your baby. If the glucose level is high, the baby accepts too much nutrition and become overgrow. This condition can lead to macrosomia or fat baby.

Macrosomia can be too risky both for the mother and the baby. For the baby, too much glucose intake from the mother can cause him accumulating fat and result in difficulty to deliver him naturally. Therefore, usually the doctors will give advice to give birth early than it supposed to be. If it is forced, the baby will break his arm or shoulder. Other risk is baby will have low glucose level at birth. Moreover, the baby is in a big potential to obesity and diabetes type two later in his future life. The last, it can cause a (jaundice) yellowish discoloration of the baby skin for two or three days after birth, even more if the baby’s liver has not developed perfectly. The baby can also experience breathing difficulty, moreover if the baby’s lung is not developed.

In the meantime, for the mother, the risk will be inevitable need for cesarean delivery. Pregnancy will at risk of high blood pressure and swelling of the hands and feet. Moreover, mother will typically suffer with urinary tract infections. During nine months of pregnancy, your body will change in many different aspects. These changes will influence the ways of your body to process glucose from food you take. The frequency of glucose level measurement must be raised in order to keep up a good control.