If you have Type 1 or 2 diabetes before you become pregnant--or develop gestational diabetes while pregnant--you can pose certain effects and risks on your unborn baby, especially if your diabetes is not monitored and well controlled throughout your pregnancy. As your system supports the baby's, often his pancreas mimic your own when it comes to insulin production. This can pose problems after birth, when his system is on its own to support him. Controlling your diabetes carefully helps reduce your instances of serious effects on your baby.
Macrosomia
The University of Virginia Health System says there is a chance for macrosomia, or an unusually large baby, if your diabetes is not well controlled. When this happens, you make too much glucose. The fetus sets his own pancreas to make even more levels of insulin to make up for the excess glucose in the body. The high glucose in the mother and high insulin in the baby results in the excess glucose being stored in your baby as fat, making him much bigger than a normal baby.
Hypoglycemia
Your baby can be born with neonatal hypoglycemia when you have uncontrolled diabetes throughout pregnancy. This is caused by high levels of insulin that the baby has had to produce to combat the high levels of sugar in the mother's blood. When she is born, the baby's body continues to make much more insulin than needed, resulting in low blood sugar. Some babies need to receive glucose intravenously when this occurs.
Neonatal Metabolic Problems
Neonatal problems can occur, such as jaundice, and calcium and magnesium deficiencies. The Eastern Virginia Medical School Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine says that babies who are born to mothers who have Type 1 diabetes have about a 5 percent chance of developing diabetes as a child.
Birth Defects
Those with Type 1 or 2 diabetes before pregnancy have triple the likelihood than the general population of giving birth to a baby with a defect. The Eastern Virginia Medical School Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine says a damaged placenta and reduced oxygen and blood flow to the baby is the culprit. It can cause the baby to not develop properly and suffer from physical defects, including those of the spinal cord and heart.
Stillbirth
Stillbirth is a rare side effect that can occur when a mother has diabetes. Those with gestational diabetes don't usually have this certain side effect; it's more prevalent in women who had Type 1 or 2 diabetes before they become pregnant. High blood sugars can lead to blood vessel damage on the placenta, where the baby gets his nutrition and oxygen. Poor oxygen can lead to stillbirth.
