Pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy can have serious consequences for the mother and the growing fetus. The severity of problems often depends on the severity of the mother's diabetic disease, especially if she has vascular (blood vessel) complications and poor blood glucose control.
If you have diabetes and want to get pregnant, it is important for you to get and keep your blood sugar in control. Working to keep your blood sugar in control before and during pregnancy increases your chances of having a healthy baby and reduces the chances that you will have other problems.
Uncontrolled diabetes increases the chances for the following problems you and your baby:
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For you:
- Worsening of any existing eye, kidney, heart
- Preterm labor
- Bladder and other infections
- Gum disease
- Injury from delivering big baby
- C-Section
- High blood pressure
- Preeclampsia
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For your baby:
- Birth defects
- Some heart defects
- Spinal cord
- Stillbirth or miscarriage
- Born very big (more than 9 pounds)
- Low blood sugar after birth
- Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
- Obesity later in life
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To get healthy before pregnancy:
- Get your diabetes under control 3 to 6 months before you try to get pregnant.
- Talk your provider about managing your diabetes.
- Use birth control until you're ready to get pregnant.
- Eat healthy foods and be active.
- Take a multivitamin with folic acid every day.
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