What can happen to the baby of a woman with gestational diabetes?
A woman who has gestational diabetes has less chance of having a baby with a birth defect than does a woman with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Since gestational diabetes develops later in pregnancy, the baby’s organs are already formed. If her blood sugar is not controlled, a woman with gestational diabetes still has a greater chance of having a stillborn baby than a woman who doesn’t have diabetes. If the woman’s blood sugar remains out of control throughout the pregnancy, the baby likely will grow extra large. Out of control diabetes causes the baby’s blood sugar to be high. The baby makes more insulin and uses the extra calories or stores them as fat. The baby is “overfed” and grows extra large. Extra large babies can occur in women with any out of control diabetes, including Type 1, Type 2, and gestational. The extra large baby can cause problems during and after delivery. Nerve damage to the baby can happen from pressure on the baby’s shoulder during delivery. A newborn might have qu
