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Illustrated Health Encyclopedia
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Ency. home > Disease > I > Infant of diabetic mother

Infant of diabetic mother   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

IDM

Definition:


An infant of a diabetic mother is, by definition, an infant born to a mother who suffers from diabetes mellitus, but refers specifically to the infant of a mother who had persistently elevated blood sugar (glucose) during pregnancy.

Causes and Risks


Elevated blood sugar in pregnant women can cause certain consistent findings in their infants. Infants of diabetic mothers are generally larger and may have large organ systems.

These infants may have a hypoglycemic episode (low blood sugar) shortly after birth because of the increased fetal production of insulin (a substance that moves glucose from the bloodstream into body tissues) in response to maternal high blood sugars. This requires close monitoring of blood sugar levels in these infants.

Overall, there is increased chance that mothers with poorly controlled diabetes will miscarry or have a stillborn child. If the mother was diagnosed with diabetes before the pregnancy, her infant has an icreased risk of having congenital malformations if her disease is not well controlled.

Ency. home > Disease > I > Infant of diabetic mother

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