Gestational Diabetes and Pre-eclampsia

Some of the risks associated with undiagnosed or uncontrolled gestational diabetes include:

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Complications during pregnancy:

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Gestational diabetes increases the risk of certain complications during pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, stillbirth, preterm birth , and caesarean delivery.

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Macrosomia or large babies:

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Babies born to mothers with uncontrolled gestational diabetes are at risk of being larger than average (macrosomia).  This can lead to complications during delivery, such as shoulder dystocia (difficulty delivering the baby's shoulders). 

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Hypoglycaemia in newborns:

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Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes may experience low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia) shortly after birth. This is because the baby's insulin production increases in response to the mother's high blood sugar levels during pregnancy, and after birth, the baby's blood sugar levels may drop as a result.

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Respiratory distress syndrome:

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Babies born to mothers with uncontrolled gestational diabetes may be at higher risk of respiratory distress syndrome, a breathing disorder that affects newborns.

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Type 2 diabetes risk:

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Women who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Additionally, their children are also at increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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Pre-eclampsia

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Pre-eclampsia caused by high blood pressure and can put the mother at risk of eclamptic seizures, stroke(s), organ problems and leading to the development of HELLP syndrome (a rare liver and blood clotting condition).

Pre-eclampsia puts the baby at risk of slowed growth and in some cases the baby may need to be delivered early which carries risk of long-term complications as a result of prematurity.

Some examples of negligent failures relating to pre-eclampsia include:

• Failing to monitor mum’s blood pressure (BP) at routine antenatal appointments, particularly in the second half of the pregnancy.  

• Failure to recognise that mum is at high risk of developing pre-eclampsia and not referring for obstetric-led care.  

• Ignoring a high BP reading or where protein is detected in the mother’s urine, or not recognising that this may be due to pre-eclampsia.  

• Misdiagnosing pre-eclampsia as a different condition, resulting in a delay in management / treatment of pre-eclampsia.  

• Delaying management or treatment of pre-eclampsia.  

• Delay to labour and delivery due to failure to properly manage the symptoms of pre-eclampsia.

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