Implications of diabetes in pregnancy; any advice?

[mongrel]

DW had a visit from the midwife this am and had the usual urine test which showed her as potentially having diabetes. She has taken another couple of tests today with varied results.

Does anyone know what the process is to find out:

i - to confirm she has diabetes
ii - implications to the pregnancy (22 weeks)
iii - likelihood of it being nothing at all

She is to take few more tests and is checked again next Thursday.

She will need a glucose tolerance test - which is a couple of blood tests four hours or so apart. She will have a test done on an empty stomch, then drink a glass of glucose drink, then have the second blood test around four hours later. She should get the results pretty quickly.

If she has GD, the pregnancy will be closely monitored, and she will be referred to the diabetic clinic for advice and the diabetic midwifery team for the rest of the pregnancy. They will ensure that she is given the right treatment to keep the blood glucose at the right levels.

Treatment will depend on her results. Often GD is treatable by diet alone, although insulin may be necessary. As long as the blood sugar levels are kept down, the chances are the pregnancy won't be affected.

After birth (which may be highly monitored if she becomes insulin dependent) the baby's blood sugar levels will be checked with a heel prick. If the levels are low she may come under pressure to give formula feeds every couple of hours (if she's breastfeeding). The baby will be monitored every couple of hours until his/her blood glucose levels stabilise.

It could be nothing at all ... it's not unusual for traces of glucose to show up once or twice but the GTT to come back normal. If it is GD she will be at a slightly increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life but can minimise the risk by managing her weight.