How dangerous is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes can cause numerous problems for the mother and the baby during and after pregnancy. For example, a woman with gestational diabetes has an increased risk of preeclampsia, a potentially serious condition involving high blood pressure and protein in the urine. There is also an increased risk of premature delivery. This early delivery puts the baby at higher risk for respiratory problems because the lungs are among the last organs to fully develop. However, the most common problem for the fetus as the result of gestational diabetes is a condition called macrosomia. This means that the baby is larger than normal, which increases the risk of a difficulty delivery and the need for a Caesarean section. At birth, the higher insulin may cause the baby to have low glucose levels (hypoglycemia). The baby is also at a slightly increased risk for developing hypocalcemia, which is a low level of calcium in the blood, or polycythemia, which is an increased level of red blood cells
