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Infant of diabetic mother

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

IDM

Treatment:

All infants born to mothers with diabetes should be tested for hypoglycemia, even if they have no symptoms.

If an infant had an initial episode of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), tests to check blood sugars will be done over several days. This will continue until the infant's blood sugar remains stable with normal feedings.

Early feeding may prevent hypoglycemia in mild cases. Low blood sugar is treated with glucose given through an IV. Rarely, heart medications (such as propranolol) are needed.

Expectations (prognosis):

Better control of diabetes and early recognition of gestational diabetes has decreased the number and severity of problems in infants born to mothers with diabetes. Usually, an infant's symptoms go away within a few weeks. However, an enlarged heart may take several months to get better.

Complications:

• Stillbirth (stillborn LGA infants are believed to have outgrown their oxygen supply before being born)
• Cardiac failure
• Serious hypoglycemia (blood sugar may be low enough to cause permanent brain damage)
• Low back and leg wasting
• Small left colon syndrome
• Polycythemia
• Congenital heart defects

Calling your health care provider:

If you are pregnant and receiving routine prenatal care, your physician will know by your history whether you have diabetes, and will discover through routine testing if you develop gestational diabetes.

However, if you are pregnant, have diabetes, and are having difficulty controlling your blood sugar, call your physician immediately.

If you are pregnant and not receiving prenatal care, make an appointment with your physician or call the State Board of Health for instructions on how to obtain state-assisted prenatal care.

• Review Date: 8/18/2006
• Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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