Gestational Diabetes

Improved Essays
The importance of refraining from any tobacco products during and after pregnancy is crucial in maintaining a healthy baby throughout and after pregnancy. Nicotine passes through the bloodstream of the mother and into the developing fetus causing harm to the fetus (“Birth defects and brain development”). Smoking during pregnancy also causes mother’s blood oxygen content level to drop drastically(“Birth defects and brain development”). When the mother’s oxygen level drops it causes the fetus to receive less oxygen. This can cause damage to the fetus and result in a condition called fetal hypoxia (Birth defects and brain development”). Patricia Shiono states that “Tobacco is the most commonly abused drug during pregnancy.” The outcome for those …show more content…
Gestational diabetes is often found in women who do not eat healthily and regularly exercise (“Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy”). There is no cure for this disease, but there is a treatment that is started quickly after the diagnosis (“Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy”). Special meal plans and scheduled physical activity is available to help treat the disease (“How to treat Gestational Diabetes”). The CDC advises that if blood glucose level does not stay regulated the mother must take insulin to control it. If blood glucose level is not monitored accordingly, the baby may be born with an extra large head due to being “overfed.” This puts the mother in a difficult condition for childbirth. According to the CDC, if the baby is too large for delivery the doctor will have to perform a cesarean section often called a C-section. With a C-section, the baby is more likely to be born with nerve damage due to pressure on the shoulder during delivery (“Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy”). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes the importance of monitoring gestational diabetes throughout a pregnancy to ensure good health throughout the delivery of the baby. Gestational diabetes usually goes away shortly after pregnancy, but there is still a risk that it may return in future pregnancies (“How to treat Gestational

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