Question:
For those of you who've had GD with your pregnancy, were you induced
and, if so when in your pregnancy were you induced? Were you diet
controlled or on insulin and how much did your baby weigh?
For those of you with GD right now, is your doctor/midwife planning to
induce you early?
Someone on one of my other pregnancy groups said diabetics are rarely
allowed to go to term with their pregnancy and I was just wondering if
this is true. I asked the perinatologist/diabetic specialist if I would
be induced and he said probably not and my midwife hasn't mentioned it,
so I wonder if this is just a big rumor.
Answer:
I had gestational diabetes for both of my pregnancy's. I started non
stress tests once a week in week 34. My OB induced me starting on May
7th (I was due May 8th). I delivered my daughter Kristen on May 9th at 8
lbs, 10 oz. She was fine and I was able to nurse her and felt no pressure
to give formula because of her blood sugars. My OB told me he wouldn't
let me go past my due date when I was first diagnosed for all the reasons
you gave regarding the placenta. I also had to do kick counts for the
last 2 weeks and my NST's started twice a week at week 38.
I was automatically assumed to be gd when I got pregnant with my son. It
was confirmed at 28 weeks with that god awful test. Both times my gd was
managed by diet. My ob told me again that he wouldn't let me go past my
due date. We started the non stress tests again in week 34. The baby
seemed to being doing fine. Week 35 showed that the baby was on the
larger side but my ob was not too concerned. Week 38, my ob wanted to
start thinking about inducing so he did an amnio to check lung maturity.
It ended up that the lungs were not okay to induce so I had two more non
stress tests that week and went back for Week 39. Again he did an amnio
to check the lungs and again they were not mature enough. We did two more
NSTs and my due date passed (June 22). On June 25th I went in for my last
NST and the baby failed (non responsive). I was scheduled for an
induction on 6/26. Weight estimate on the baby was 8 lb 10 oz.
Checked into the hospital at 2 pm and they started the induction. Went so
easily this time, I went from 2 cm to 6 cm in 40 minutes. My Dr. came in
and broke my water.
The cord prolapsed and I had to have an emeregency c-section. Timmy was
born 8 minutes after the cord prolapsed. He weighed 10 lb 10 oz. My
doctor was convinced I could have never delivered him naturally.
My OB really wanted to deliver earlier and he probably should have but
Timmy's lungs never showed mature enough. So while I believe it is harder
to be induced, the baby's health is the number 1 priority. In the case of
gd, it appears to be medically necessary to induce if you do not deliver
close to your due date.
