Pregnancy and diabetes

Diabetes is an increasingly common condition observed in antenatal clinics. It describes not only those women with pre-existing diabetes, but also a significant number of women who develop diabetes during their pregnancy (gestational diabetes), which may resolves postnatally. These high-risk pregnancies are known to be associated with maternal, fetal and neonatal complications and require specialist care. This happy time in a woman's life can also be one of anxiety and concern over their baby's health. Having diabetes in pregnancy requires daily monitoring of blood glucose levels, adaptions to dietary intake, frequent hospital visits, additional ultrasound scans and the fear of the baby growing ‘too big’. This article describes the woman's journey from pre-conception to postnatal care and the management, guidance and support offered by the multidisciplinary team to keep her and her baby safe and achieve a successful pregnancy outcome.