• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kids at Risk For Diabetes

Registered Nurse, Diabetes Educator, CDE, Obesity, Children, Youth, Lifestyle

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Resources
    • My Video Lectures

birth defects

Prevent Birth Defects from uncontrolled blood sugars

11/28/2020 by Julie RN DCES Leave a Comment

Uncontrolled blood sugars can cause serious birth defects.

It is unfortunate that I find a need to present this information. I have experience working with thousands of teens and unfortunately many of them get pregnant. I am located in the American Bible belt. They encourage schools to teach “abstinence only” in sex education classes. In today’s society, it appears to not be effective in controlling unwanted pregnancies.

Never trust your schools to adequately prepare your children for pregnancy prevention.

All parents need to take an active role in the discussion of sex and the importance of contraception. Do not expect your child to be adequately informed by the school’s sex education classes.

Know your risks. Research shows, if the mother has gestational diabetes, the child is at increased risk for diabetes. There are a variety of risk factors that can be found on the CDC’s website on Diabetes. You can take their survey to evaluate your child’s risks.

Type 2 diabetics are at risk for the most serious complications in unplanned pregnancies. About 7% of embryos developed with high blood sugars also develop Spinal Bifida. There are other brain and heart malformations that are associated with uncontrolled diabetes.

Typically, babies born under gestational diabetes are over nine pounds. Doctors recommend C-sections due to the increased possibility of broken bones during birth (particularly the collar bone).

The most serious health issue is high blood pressure in the mothers. This can be life threatening to the pregnant woman. If the mother develops high blood pressure, she will often times be placed in the hospital on bed rest until the baby is developed enough to be induced. There is a risk of underdeveloped lungs in the newborn and high medical cost for intensive care for the newborn.

There is a wide variety of birth defects associate with high blood sugars.

All diabetics need to seek pre-conception counseling before getting pregnant.

If you are interested, I have a 30 day course for gestational diabetes.

Pin
Share
Share
Tweet

Filed Under: Children, Diabetes, Motherhood Tagged With: birth defects, blood sugar, unplanned pregnancy

Prediabetes & Birth Defects

02/03/2017 by Julie RN DCES Leave a Comment

Preconception health matters! Especially when you are trying to get pregnant and you have either gestational diabetes or prediabetes. Go to my website for more info about my 30 Day Virtual Gestational Diabetes Course. www.kidsatriskfordiabetes.com

Your preconception health matters! Keep reading to learn how you can prevent birth defects & prediabetes, and why it’s so important!

Why it’s So Important to Keep Blood Sugars at Normal Levels

High blood sugars can cause birth defects. As you can see from the graph, all of your baby’s vital organs are developing before you even know you’re pregnant. There is a direct correlation between Type 2 diabetes and spina bifida. Many other neurological and heart deformities are associated with uncontrolled blood sugars.

Type 2 diabetics need to have good control of their blood sugars for six months before pregnancy to avoid birth defects. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommend an A1c of 5.7 or less for 6 months before conception. This is very difficult to do. It requires dedication to your diabetes program and possibly additional education. (I provide this kind of support, for Type 2 diabetics in their quest for a healthy baby.)

If you have had gestational diabetes or have had a baby over 9 pounds, you are at an increased risk for prediabetes. If you are considering getting pregnant again, ask for an A1c blood test. The standard fasting blood test does not diagnose prediabetes. Many doctors do not recommend the A1c test for non-diabetics because many insurance companies will not cover the cost. But it is important to evaluate your average blood sugar levels before you get pregnant to avoid birth defects. If this is something that concerns you, check out my “Healthy Baby from Preconception to Birth and Beyond” online course!

Do you need support to get your blood sugar within an acceptable range? I offer a 1:1 phone consulting service to assist Type 2 diabetics. (Sorry, no Type 1 diabetics accepted at this time. Please consult your diabetes team for assistance.)

Are you ready to have a healthy baby? Schedule a FREE call with me! Let’s see how I can help you.

Not sure about any of this? I know it can be overwhelming. Click here to get a Free list of 10 signs of prediabetes.

Good luck to you! Please contact me if you have any questions!

By Julie Stelting RN CDE

Pin
Share
Share
Tweet

Filed Under: Infertility, Motherhood, Prediabetes, Uncategorized Tagged With: birth defects, Insulin resistance, miscarriage, prediabetes

Primary Sidebar

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Featured Posts

7 Causes of Infertilty, and possible solutions.

7 Causes of Infertility

Preconception health matters! Especially when you are trying to get pregnant and you have either gestational diabetes or prediabetes. Go to my website for more info about my 30 Day Virtual Gestational Diabetes Course. www.kidsatriskfordiabetes.com

Prediabetes & Birth Defects

Prevent PCOS

Stages of Motivation refers to the process of deciding and then acting on your decision to make lifestyle changes, to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes...

Stages of Motivation

Before Footer

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclaimer

Copyright © 2023 · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in