Role of Nurses in Gestational Diabetes

Along with all the worries and complications a woman might face while pregnant, one of the more serious conditions is gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in 4% of all pregnancies (Seibel, 2009). Many women are not informed about the disease, some may not know that they need to be tested, and others may have heard about it, but want more information on what may cause it and/or how to prevent and treat it. Either way this disease needs to be taken seriously by every pregnant woman or woman planning to get pregnant to protect not only herself but the unborn child.

Most pregnancies progress with the mother being healthy, however in some cases problems do arise with the mother developing complications. This can in the form of gestational diabetes. Mothers who didn’t have diabetes prior to pregnancy exhibit high blood sugar levels, in most cases this is during the later stages of pregnancy, this could lead to pre-eclampsia and babies could be born with higher birth weights. If left unchecked mothers can develop type 2 diabetes post pregnancy.

Amanda manages her gestational diabetes with diet. She experiences a few episodes of postprandial hyperglycemia, but does not have to go on insulin. At her 36-week

It is estimated that 387 million people, globally live with diabetes (Phillips & Mehl, 2015). According to Medical News Today [MNT], diabetes is a metabolic disorder; which causes patients to be extremely thirsty and produce a lot of urine. Diabetes arises due to high blood pressure, due to the body not being able to produce enough insulin or because the body does not respond well to high insulin levels (MNT, 2016). There are four types of diabetes; there is the pre-diabetic stage, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. In 2014, 29 million people died due to diabetes. This equates to 1 diabetic patient dying every seven seconds due to preventable complications (including complications affecting lower limbs) caused by diabetes. It is said that 20-40% of health care costs are spent on the treatment of lower limb complications due to diabetes. The risk of a diabetic patient developing a foot ulcer is 25% and foot ulcers account approximately 85% of lower limb amputations. Diabetic complications that affect lower limbs are caused by both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (Phillips & Mehl, 2015). It is said that the World Health Organization described diabetic foot syndrome as including all possible complications in relation to the feet of a diabetic patient. Diabetic foot syndrome is defined as the ulceration of the foot, from the ankle downwards. Causes of foot ulceration include peripheral sensory neuropathy, vascular disease (ischaemia) and infection

The writer explained there could be no concern for fetal or maternal health during the delivery although some obstetricians tended to induce labor in all diabetic mothers to protect babies and mothers. Moreover, labor progress was supposedly assessed by old-fashioned methods, which resulted in performing unnecessary obstetrical practices. Intervention was imposed in cases of inaccurately labeled slow or abnormal labors and failures to progress. It is common practice that a primary cesarean generally produces subsequent surgical deliveries. The author realized that cesareans were performed because of insufficient data on laboring women’s

In 2014, diabetes was responsible for 4.9 million deaths, approximately one death every seven seconds (Bone, 2015). For some women, pregnancy can precipitate diabetes causing numerous subsequent lifelong complications for both the mother and her fetus/newborn. The previous shocking statistic is just one of the many reasons why implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) protocols is an essential aspect in providing great patient care. In addition, EBP is crucial in improving patient outcomes while decreasing negative outcomes that can result in lifelong complications due to gestational diabetes. The process of establishing an EBP requires research to be critically appraised before it could be used

Gestational diabetes, which is much less common, only occurs during pregnancy and is caused by a resistance to the actions of insulin brought on by the hormones a woman’s body releases during pregnancy (WHO 2011, p. 2). Once diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus you are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life (Zimmet & Magliano 2011). For this reason it is particularly important to use preventative measures and consistent health checks.

Gestational diabetes, affecting approximately 3-10% of pregnancies, is diagnosed by hyperglycemia during pregnancy in women without a history of diabetes. The underlying cause of gestational diabetes remains unknown, although the interference of pregnancy hormones, such as human placental lactogen, with susceptible insulin receptors, has been considered. The patients usually have few symptoms, and they are often diagnosed by screening during routine pregnancy check-up. For the mother, glucose intolerance typically disappears after the baby is born. However, gestational diabetes often places the body at risk. Babies born to mothers with poor hyperglycemia control are often at increased risk of series problems including macrosomia, which associates with a high chance of C-section, shoulder dystocia, hypoglycemia after birth, polycythemia as well as multiple chemical disorders.

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Rowan J., Gao W., Battin M., & Moore M. (2008). Metformin Vs. Insulin for the Treatment of Gestational Diabetes. The New England Journal of Medicine. 358(19):2003-2015.

The aim of this study is to examine the maternal and fetal risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as gestational diabetes, stillbirth and other risks in relation to maternal obesity(1). It is clearly stated that the study was not original as it is claimed that previous studies that had been done were similar. Besides, there was no any obvious conflict of interest as the data was obtained directly from a validated database and no funding body was reported. Compare with previous studies, they had put into a broader context where they used a larger sample size that consists of 325,395 cases of completed singleton pregnancies to obtain a more confident quantification of the risks

Gestational diabetes is a disease that affects pregnant women it’s a glucose intolerance that is started or diagnosed during pregnancy. Based on recently announced diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, it is estimated that gestational diabetes affects 18% of pregnancies. Pregnancy hormones can block insulin therefore causing the glucose levels to increase in a pregnant woman’s blood. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy (American Diabetes Association). Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to

Jardine-Brown et al, 1996, highlight many areas of substandard care and indicate the lack of specialist maternity services for the diabetic woman with resultant increases in poor pregnancy outcome. Even though improvements in care for the pregnant diabetic woman have been made over the last decade, the statistics provided by the NSF (2001) and CEMACH (2002-03) suggest insufficiency. In the search for safety and a reduction in mortality/morbidity rates, the professional must use the best available evidence for care decisions (Page, 2000).

JB was terrified during the interview because she also had a history of gestation diabetes with her last son and was not eating as nutritionous as she wanted to and did not exercise regularly despite having available resources. This author can understand her fear for developing diabetes as the literature indicates that it is the sixth leading cause of death and is cited as a global epidemic (Castro et al. 2008). The author also understand her risk for developing type 2 diabetes, like many of her maternal relatives, because it is closely linked to obesity and sedentary lifestyle which are factors the patient has at this time (Shulze & Hu 2005). This author will not just solely focus on her risk factors but on promoting her prevention of diabetes and well being in the future through the development of a

Between 5.5 and 8.8% of pregnant women develop GDM in Australia. Risk factors for GDM include a family history of diabetes, increasing maternal age, obesity and being a member of a community or ethnic group with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While the carbohydrate intolerance usually returns to normal after the birth, the mother has a significant risk of developing permanent diabetes while the baby is more likely to develop obesity and impaired glucose tolerance and/or diabetes later in life. Self-care and dietary changes are essential in treatment.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an intolerance of glucose documented for the first time during pregnancy. It is usually a short-term type of diabetes and the most common health problem with pregnant women. GBM is caused by the way the hormones in pregnancy affect the mother. GDM accounts for 5-7% of all pregnancies (American Diabetes Association, 2010). During pregnancy the placenta develops and becomes the main bond between the mother and the baby. It is used to make sure the baby has and gets enough nutrients. The placenta makes several hormones which make it hard for insulin to control blood glucose and block the action of the mother’s insulin in her body (American Diabetes Association, 2010). Hormonal changes during the