
Does Gestational Diabetes always mean a Big Baby and Induction?
July 3, 2012 by Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN
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This question was submitted to me by one of my readers, Sarah.
“I have a question about gestational diabetes. It seems like everyone I know who has had it has ended up being induced. Does gestational diabetes automatically mean induction? Does it automatically mean big babies? It seems like people get diagnosed and then give up on a natural childbirth and are treated as a sick person.”
I talked to Dr. Shannon (a family medicine physician), and she echoed Sarah’s perceptions about gestational diabetes:
“I would say that ‘routine care’ in the U.S. is to induce at 38 to 39 weeks for gestational diabetes (leaning towards 39 weeks nowadays) if the mom’s glucose is uncontrolled or if she is controlled on medication. However, women can technically be treated as ‘normal’ if their gestational diabetes is well controlled and baby’s growth looks normal on a 32 week scan. So people just might want to know they will get major push back from their provider if they refuse induction. It’s tough. Many OB’s cite the risk of stillbirth as a reason for induction, because the risk of stillbirth in women with regular diabetes is higher. However, there is no evidence that the risk of stillbirth goes up in gestational diabetes.”
Evidence Based Birth® offers an online course on Big Babies and Gestational Diabetes (3 contact hours)! To learn more, click here!
Dr. Shannon brings up several good points. First, she is talking about “routine care,” whi
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