can anyone please give me a scientific reason as to why diabetic women have large babies?

Question

as apposed to non diabetic women?
my wife is diabetic and pregnant, so please only send serious answers as we are concerned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

At a certain point in gestation, the baby begins to make his/her own insulin.
As much as diabetic mothers try to keep their sugars low, they are always higher than the normal non-diabetic range.
So the baby continues to make more and more insulin to cope with the hi blood sugar levels.
Insulin causes weight gain so the baby gets very big.
My Baby was taken from me in the delivery room to the NICU for 24 hours. The checked her blood sugar- a heel stick- every hour or so.
Her body was still making too much insulin and she did require sugar a few times so she didn't have a low sugar.
She was fine after 24 hours and weighed a hefty 7 lbs.She looked like a tiny sumo wrestler.
Many babies of diabetic mothers are taken early to avoid having a huge baby.Mine was taken a month early.They did an amnio to test her lungs.She was cooked so out she came.

Answer 2

I had gestational diabetes at the end of having my daughter over six years ago and she was 10lb 4oz. I was told then I was more at risk to get type 2 diabetes at an early age and have bigger babies!! bigger?? I ask you. So I have stuck to having two kids one of each is more than enough for any girl to cope with. I have thought about reasoning behind this after seeing your qusetion and think it is because being diabetic you either don't produce insulin so need shots (type 1 diabetes) or produced a little insulin (type 2 diabetes) and what you do produce you can't process properly so it all the goodness goes straight to the baby. Thats my theory anyway and i'm no doctor!!!!

Answer 3

Simple really. In diabetic mums there is more sugar in the amniotic fluid supplying nutrition to the baby. The baby basically absorbs more calories and is not only large but often visibly chubby. He or she is effectively eating sweeties in the womb.

The largest baby I have seen delivered to a diabetic (By C-section!) was over 13lbs. Unfortunately though these babies are large they tend to have a few more problems than normal. One of the common ones is that perversely they are born with low sugars and this has to be treated sometimes. Generally however they soon settle down to be happy and healthy.

The best of luck with your pregnancy, now days with good monitoring things should be fine for you both.

Answer 4

I am a diabetic and when my baby was born she weighted 6lbs. and 11 oz. I wouldn't be too concerned unless you have evidence by the doctor that the baby is getting too big or have some indication that the baby is gowing to be big. It may just be a myth or some thing. I wish her luck on controling her sugars and having a healthy baby.

Answer 5

OK I was the third child and weighed 12lb born my mother was not diabetic at the time but is now.
My son was 8lb12oz I am not diabetic yet, my sisters went from 8lb5oz to 11lb and no she is not diabetic.
the only thing I can relate to larger babies apart from hereditary reasons is Alcohol, as while it is in the body the placenta closes off, so stops eating...Oh and my mother smoked all through so that dint cause a small child.
Sorry for not being much help but its all I can think of.

Answer 6

Diabetic women tend to have more glucose floating around in their blood than non-diabetic women (high blood glucose being the principal characteristic of diabetes, both type I and II). That means more glucose crosses from the maternal circulation into the fetal circulation, and thus higher glucose levels in the fetal circulation than normal. Diabetes develops after birth; the fetus is perfectly capable of producing its own insulin and its tissues are perfectly capable of responding to that insulin and pulling that extra glucose out of the fetal blood and into its tissues, where it is stored. Thus, larger babies result. The solution to this is for the mother to have good control of her blood sugar, meaning blood levels closer to normal and less extra glucose floating around for the fetus to grab as it goes by.

Answer 7

The general consensus is that because diabetic women have more blood glucose available, the child grows more rapidly in the nine month gestation period.

Answer 8

Glucose is used in the baby's growth. Basically, too much glucose causes too much growth (that's what my OB told me).

Answer 9

the baby is growing more rapidly due to the increased sugar.

Answer 10

they can also have low birth weight babies.....