Is It Possible To Have Natural Delivery With Gestational Diabetes?

There are several reasons why doctors recommend induction of labor for women with gestational diabetes. Please remember many of these complications occur in those women who fail to manage their blood sugar levels:

1. The Baby Will be Larger Than Normal Size

If you have gestational diabetes, you will probably have a big baby. Macrosomia, the super-sized baby, can cause some complications during vaginal delivery such as:

Shoulder Dystocia

Shoulder dystocia refers to a condition in which the baby blocks in the pelvic outlet since his shoulders are too wide to pass through. Most doctors think about this as a medical emergency.

Perineal Tearing

Delivering a big baby vaginally increases the chances and the intensity of the perineal tearing. Even fourth-degree laceration (a perineal tear that extends to the rectum) is common in the delivery of a big baby.

Damage To The Tailbone

If your baby is very large, the pressure of a baby passing through the birth canal can injure your tailbone.

Blood Loss

The chances of postpartum hemorrhage increase if the baby is larger than the normal size.

Therefore, inducing labor a little earlier in such a situation will make vaginal delivery easier. This is because the baby’s size and weight increased considerably in the last couple of weeks. Inducing labor a couple of weeks before the due date, thus, prevents the baby from putting on extra weight.

2. Increased Chances of Stillbirth

Preventing stillbirth is the main reason for inducing labor when in a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes. In a normal pregnancy, even if the gestation crosses the forty weeks benchmark, the 42nd week before inducing labor.

But in the case of a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes, the chances of stillbirth increase significantly when the pregnancy progresses beyond 40 weeks. Therefore, labor is induced around the 40th week of pregnancy if there are no signs of natural labor

Is Vaginal Birth Possible With Gestational Diabetes?

For a successful vaginal delivery for women with gestational diabetes, the doctors may follow a few precautions such as:

Close Monitoring of Mother

The team closely monitors the mother throughout the labor and delivery if she is suffering from gestational diabetes.

Continuous Monitoring of the Baby

The team continuously monitors the baby throughout the labor for signs of distress.

Getting The Baby Into The Right Position

Even if you are expecting a big baby, you can still have a straightforward vaginal birth if the baby gets into the right labor position. The doctors will be monitoring the position of the baby to ensure smooth delivery

Inducing Labor a Little Earlier

As we already mentioned, the labor induce happens a little earlier than the due date to make the delivery easier and reduce the chances of risks and complications

Controlling The Blood Sugar Level  Throughout The Labor And Delivery

Monitor the blood glucose level each hour during labor to make sure it remains under control. If the levels are high, you may receive insulin and glucose will be administered through a drip. If your gestational diabetes has remained under control during pregnancy, it is unlikely that your blood glucose levels will spike

Assisted Birth

If the pregnant woman gets exhausted during the process of delivery, if the baby is distressed, or if the baby is not smoothly moving out of the birth canal, there will be a need for an assisted birth. This means the doctors will either be using forceps or a ventouse to gently help the baby out of the birth canal

Gestational diabetes is very common. And if one manages it properly through diet and exercise, the chances to have a normal birth are quite high.