“Is it safe to have a baby if you are diabetic?”

Absolutely; we have been delivering healthy babies now for over 60 years, but keep diabetic control good with A1c low.

Respectfully
Marvin A Leder, MD, FACP, FACE

Yes, you can. It is important to be under good control when you become pregnant. However, if you are not, try to achieve tight control as soon as possible. During pregnancy, the amount of insulin you use will increase because of the growth of the placenta, which produces hormones that make your body more resistant to insulin. Commonly, I see my diabetic pregnant patients monthly during the first trimester (first 3 months), then if they are in "good control," continue monthly. Definitely during the last trimester of pregnancy the requirement of insulin rises sometimes dramatically. So we check once a week. Keto acidosis is very dangerous to the infant (also to you), however, third trimester keto acidosis often results in a still birth. I like using the insulin pump during pregnancy and use CGMS continuous glucose monitoring. Then it is easy to dial up more insulin in the "basal rate" and add more 'boluses for meals. Learn to estimate your carbohydrates and correct for the high sugars. I have had very successful pregnancies in patients with close monitoring and "good" sugar control. Years ago, we did not have these instruments and prenatal care was low, so I witnessed patients coming into the emergency room and the baby was in distress along with the mother. Obstetricians could do nothing at that time. So many intrauterine deaths occurred in the third trimester. It is best to plan a pregnancy. Achieve the "good" control before and you will have smooth sailing. You need to pay a lot of attention, but it is only for 9 months and it is worth it.

Yes. You can have healthy children if before pregnancy your sugar is well controlled and during pregnancy it remains in excellent control with Hemoglobin A1c 6.0 or less.
Hope this answer helps.

Marina Strizhevsky, DO

That depends entirely on how hard you are willing to work to keep your sugars under control. If you are super diligent and keep your sugars as close to normal as possible, and follow up with a doctor, then it is quite safe to have a baby, as long as you have a good partnership with your medical team and are under close supervision.

Yes, if management is good.

Yes, you’re having insulin deficiency, which you need to replace with insulin under the supervision of an Endocrinologist. Otherwise, you could have a completely ordinary lifestyle.

Many women with diabetes have healthy pregnancies! It will be important to keep your glucose under good control while you are pregnant. You should discuss your plans for pregnancy with an ob/gyn before you start trying to get pregnant so they can do testing and see if you need a referral to the high-risk pregnancy specialist.

As long as you have your diabetes under good control, you will be able to have healthy babies.