Gestational Diabetes
Molloy College
Samantha Bishop and Morgan Woods Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance, by any degree, with its beginning or first recognition happening during pregnancy. GDM encompasses women who have had preexisting diabetes that had not been diagnosed until pregnancy and woman whose intolerance to glucose emerges during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes differs from type 1 or type 2 diabetes in women that get pregnant. The important distinction is that dissimilar to most fetuses of women who develop a intolerance to glucose in pregnancy, is that women who have pre-existing diabetes that are exposed to hyperglycemia within the first two trimesters of pregnancy have an increased …show more content…
The area that was not addressed enough was the teaching piece. Although the importance of management was noted, there wasn’t enough information on the education to provide to the pregnant woman with diabetes. Some of the teaching that the nurse should provide to the diabetic mother is recognizing the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, and how to treat it effectively. A mother can recognize that she is having a hypoglycemic episode if she experiences shakiness, sweating, pallor, disorientation, headache, hunger, and blurred vision (McKinney, James, Murray, Nelson, & Ashwill, 2013). The nurse should teach the diabetic mother that treatment of hypoglycemia is the consumption of a 15 g carbohydrate if the mother can swallow. The signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia that should be taught to this patient is fatigue, flushed skin, dry mouth, excessive thirst, frequent urination, rapid respirations, drowsiness, and depressed reflexes (McKinney et al., 2013). The physician should be notified if these symptoms occur so treatment can be initiated and blood glucose levels can be monitored. Since infection is one of the triggers for hyperglycemia, the mother should be made aware of this information and be instructed to notify her healthcare
Molloy College
Samantha Bishop and Morgan Woods Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance, by any degree, with its beginning or first recognition happening during pregnancy. GDM encompasses women who have had preexisting diabetes that had not been diagnosed until pregnancy and woman whose intolerance to glucose emerges during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes differs from type 1 or type 2 diabetes in women that get pregnant. The important distinction is that dissimilar to most fetuses of women who develop a intolerance to glucose in pregnancy, is that women who have pre-existing diabetes that are exposed to hyperglycemia within the first two trimesters of pregnancy have an increased …show more content…
The area that was not addressed enough was the teaching piece. Although the importance of management was noted, there wasn’t enough information on the education to provide to the pregnant woman with diabetes. Some of the teaching that the nurse should provide to the diabetic mother is recognizing the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, and how to treat it effectively. A mother can recognize that she is having a hypoglycemic episode if she experiences shakiness, sweating, pallor, disorientation, headache, hunger, and blurred vision (McKinney, James, Murray, Nelson, & Ashwill, 2013). The nurse should teach the diabetic mother that treatment of hypoglycemia is the consumption of a 15 g carbohydrate if the mother can swallow. The signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia that should be taught to this patient is fatigue, flushed skin, dry mouth, excessive thirst, frequent urination, rapid respirations, drowsiness, and depressed reflexes (McKinney et al., 2013). The physician should be notified if these symptoms occur so treatment can be initiated and blood glucose levels can be monitored. Since infection is one of the triggers for hyperglycemia, the mother should be made aware of this information and be instructed to notify her healthcare