Does Gestational Diabetes Cause Birth Injuries?

While pregnancy is usually a time of happiness and expectation, it is also a time in which mothers-to-be have to be attentive to their health for themselves and their unborn babies. One of the most common medical conditions to affect pregnant women and their babies is gestational diabetes. When gestational diabetes occurs, the risk of mother and baby suffering complications increases. That’s why it’s essential for expectant mothers to understand the medical condition, its treatment, and the potential complications it may cause.

What Is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes mellitus, commonly shortened to just gestational diabetes, is a type of diabetes that occurs in about seven percent of women during pregnancy. Like other types of diabetes, it affects the way the body breaks down sugar (glucose). When the body digests food, some of it is converted into glucose, and it enters the bloodstream. The pancreas releases a hormone called insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. Insulin works by moving glucose from the bloodstream into energy cells. When the body is working efficiently, glucose levels are maintained at a healthy level.

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that only affects women during pregnancy. It typically resolves itself with the proper treatment or after the baby is born. With gestational diabetes, pregnant women suffer from high blood sugar levels because hormones released by the placenta can impair insulin regulation. As the pregnancy goes on, the placenta releases more of these hormones, and it becomes increasingly more challenging to manage blood sugar levels.

Testing blood glucose levels with an oral glucose tolerance test is required for most pregnant women as part of routine prenatal care to identify gestational diabetes. It is a responsibility of doctors and other medical professionals to ensure that the testing is done correctly and that women are monitored and treated properly when it’s determined that they have gestational diabetes.

What Are The Risk Factors For Gestational Diabetes?

Some factors may contribute to an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes, such as:

• Being over the age of 25
• Being overweight
• Gaining excessive weight while pregnant
• History of diabetes in the family
• Being African-American, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American, as they are at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes
• Having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Having given birth to a baby that weighed over nine pounds previously
• Having had a stillbirth previously
• Having had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy

While having any of these risk factors doesn’t mean that a woman will suffer gestational diabetes for certain, they are risk factors that indicate she and her doctors should be especially mindful of any symptoms that arise so treatment can begin right away.

How Can Gestational Diabetes Lead To Birth Injuries?

Even though gestational diabetes is treatable and is usually resolved after pregnancy, some complications can occur that are long-term for mothers and babies when it isn’t diagnosed and treated properly. Untreated gestational diabetes may cause the following:

• Premature delivery – Gestational diabetes can cause premature labor and delivery. The earlier a delivery, the greater the chances of medical complications.
• Preeclampsia – This is a condition that causes high blood pressure that can lead to stroke, seizure, and organ failure.
• Larger birth weight – Gestational diabetes in the mother can lead to bigger babies. A baby that weighs more than nine pounds increases the likelihood that a C-section will have to be performed because the birth canal is too small, which increases the risk of birth injuries.
• Stillbirth – Gestational diabetes can lead to a baby dying in the womb after 20 weeks of gestation.

The complications and birth injuries that gestational diabetes can cause during pregnancy, labor, and delivery can be devastating for mother and baby. Any complications must be taken seriously and treated quickly and appropriately to prevent further injury.

If gestational diabetes isn’t diagnosed early, it can be very dangerous for pregnant women, but also for babies. Some of the complications that babies may suffer include:

• Respiratory problems
• Jaundice
• Low blood sugar
• Heart defects
• Brain defects

Any of the above can be risky, or even life-threatening for babies, when early detection and treatment is delayed.

Has Gestational Diabetes Caused Birth Complications In Your Family?

Even though testing for gestational diabetes is becoming a more universal part of prenatal care, there are still many cases that are undiagnosed or diagnosed too late, resulting in health complications for mothers and infants.

Medical providers have a duty to address concerns, identify risk factors, perform appropriate testing, and accurately diagnose and treat medical conditions promptly. Failure to do so can keep you from having a healthy pregnancy, and it may be a violation of your legal rights as a patient.

If your family has suffered birth injuries due to gestational diabetes, the attorneys at Ross Feller Casey can help you understand whether your rights have been violated and if you’re entitled to compensation for your damages. The firm has an unmatched record of obtaining multi-million-dollar recoveries in all types of birth injury lawsuits, including those involving gestational diabetes.

Contact our offices today to schedule your free case evaluation.