Consult with the maternal-fetal medicine team.
Diabetes during pregnancy, whether gestational or preexisting (Type 1 or Type 2), can be managed effectively with the right care for a healthy pregnancy. Proper management helps minimize risks to both mother and baby, ensuring a healthier pregnancy and delivery.
At Norton Women’s Care, we offer a multidisciplinary approach to managing diabetes, whether you are planning to conceive or currently pregnant, our team has expertise to provide personalized care to ensure the healthiest outcomes for both mother and baby.
The Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute Perinatal Program, the first of its kind in Louisville and Southern Indiana, provides specialized support for managing diabetes before, during, and after pregnancy. Integrated within the Norton Children’s Perinatal Center, our program brings together a team with diabetes expertise, specializing in complex pregnancies. This includes maternal-fetal medicine specialists, diabetes educators and clinical dietitians, working collaboratively to develop a personalized care plan that addresses your unique needs and ensures the best possible outcomes for both you and your baby. We also collaborate with endocrinologists and primary care providers when needed to ensure seamless care and support. Our services include prepregnancy counseling, pregnancy monitoring and postpartum care, providing a full spectrum of care designed to help you thrive throughout your pregnancy.
Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute is part of Norton Healthcare and Norton Children’s.
Access to advanced services: Take advantage of innovative resources focused on health equity, patient education and the latest in diabetes care, all designed to support you and your baby’s health.
With gestational diabetes, your body produces high amounts of insulin, but that doesn’t effectively lower your blood sugar levels. The changes your body undergoes during pregnancy, including natural weight gain, can affect how well your body uses insulin. Gestational diabetes has been increasing in recent years, and as many as 10% of pregnancies in the United States are affected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The extra blood sugar increases fetal blood sugar, triggering your baby’s little pancreas to create more insulin. Extra blood sugar is stored as fat, increasing your risk of having a large baby (9 pounds or more), which can make delivery more difficult.
Gestational diabetes can develop after your 20th week of pregnancy. Obesity, advanced maternal age (35 years or older), high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes and having a previous gestational diabetes diagnosis are all risk factors. Ethnicity can be a factor, with women of African, Asian, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander descent more often affected.
There are no symptoms of gestational diabetes. Healthy eating, exercising and taking medication, if necessary, can help control gestational diabetes and prevent complications when you deliver.
Your blood sugar generally returns to normal after your delivery, but about half those with gestational diabetes will go on to develop Type 2 diabetes. You’ll need more frequent glucose tests to stay on top of it.
Your obstetrician may refer you to a gestational diabetes class that covers topics such as nutrition, blood sugar management, meal planning and additional ways to help you manage your blood sugar levels. This class requires a referral from your obstetrician. Call (502) 629-2604 for more information.
If you are already living with diabetes when you get pregnant or plan to get pregnant, you likely will need specialized care with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. Left untreated, diabetes at the time of conception risks complications for you and your baby.
Pregestational diabetes occurs in about 1% to 2% of pregnancies in the United States, but cases have increased as Type 2 diabetes diagnoses have increased broadly.
Insulin is often part of pregestational diabetes treatment, as it doesn’t cross the placenta to the fetus. It has been shown to be safe and very effective at lowering glucose levels.
Managing pregestational diabetes starts before conception by working on a healthy weight and controlling your blood sugar. You also may be tested for obstructive sleep apnea, which has been linked to gestational hypertension (high blood pressure), preeclampsia and preterm birth. You may need to work with a dietician to reduce your weight before conception. Prenatal vitamins, including folic acid, are especially important for patients with pregestational diabetes.
While you are pregnant, you’ll need to monitor your glucose more closely — at least seven times per day. Your insulin sensitivity will be especially high early in your pregnancy, and you’ll risk hypoglycemia.
Fetal echocardiogram may be part of your pregnancy care. This special ultrasound will show images of your developing baby’s heart.
After delivery of the placenta, your need for insulin may drop dramatically, possibly to lower than prepregnancy levels. Breastfeeding has advantages of weight loss for you and bonding with your baby. Because you’ll express carbohydrates through breast milk, hypoglycemia is a risk and may require lower insulin doses.