a common problem among the babies of pregnant diabetic women is a condition called "macrosomia " which means "large body. " in other words babies of diabetic women are apt to be considerably larger than others. this occurs because many of these babies receive too much sugar via the placenta because their mothers have high blood sugar levels. the baby's pancreas senses the high sugar levels and it produces more insulin in an attempt to use up all the extra sugar. that extra sugar is converted to fat making a large baby. sometimes the baby becomes too large to be delivered vaginally and a cesarean delivery becomes necessary. your doctor will closely monitor the size of your baby and will plan for the safest mode of delivery for you and your baby. if you have high blood sugar levels consistently during pregnancy (especially in the 24 hours before delivery) your baby may develop dangerously low blood sugars right after delivery. this is because the baby has high levels of insulin to use up the extra sugars but that source of sugar is suddenly taken away leaving high insulin levels so their blood sugar levels drop quickly. thus your doctor will check your baby's blood sugar levels after birth. if it's low your baby will be given glucose intravenously. your baby may also have mineral imbalances such as calcium or magnesium which can be replaced with medication.
how can being diabetic and pregnant affect the baby?