Posts Tagged ‘macrosomia’

2 Ways Gestational Diabetes Affects Your Baby

Posted in Gestational Diabetes, insulin resistance on November 19th, 2008 by admin – Be the first to comment

If gestational diabetes is not tested for or ignored it can have few adverse effects on your newborn baby.

Macrosomia

Macrosomia occurs when your baby weighs more than 8.8 pounds.  This excessive weight gain is caused by the mother passing too much sugar to the baby and the baby inturn converting this sugar to fat.   Macrosomia can cause premature birth or forced cesarean delivery.

Neonatal Hypoglycemia

Neonatal hypoglycemia occurs when the baby is born with low levels of sugar for the first few hours of life.  After delivery the baby is no longer receiving all that extra sugar from the mother, however the baby is still producing extra insulin for a few hours (or even a few days) causing “below normal” levels of blood sugar.  Babies born with neonatal hypoglycemia exhibit shakes, fussiness and even respiration distress.  All of these effects usually subside in a few hours once the baby’s pancrease begins to normalize.