Infant of Diabetic Mother
Alternate Names : IDM
DefinitionAn infant of a diabetic mother is, by definition, an infant born to a mother who suffers from diabetes mellitus, but this term refers specifically to the infant born to a mother who had persistently elevated blood sugar (glucose) during pregnancy.
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Elevated blood sugar in pregnant women often has specific effects on their infants. Infants of diabetic mothers are generally larger and may have large organs and systems, particularly the liver, adrenal glands, and heart.
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 an 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 also has an increased risk of having congenital malformations if her disease is not well controlled.
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