NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has introduced a team of midwives to support women with gestational diabetes, help them manage the condition, and reduce the risks to them and their baby.
National and local figures reveal a concerning uptick of mums with risk factors of gestational diabetes, with 7,828 pregnant women in Greater Glasgow and Clyde having these in 2023 compared to 7,247 in 2018.
Gestational diabetes is caused by high blood sugar (glucose) in pregnant women. Those at most risk are women over the age of 40, women with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 30, women whose previous babies have weighed more than 4.5kg (10 lbs) at birth, women who have previously had the condition, and those with a family origin with a high prevalence of diabetes.
While gestational diabetes generally disappears after a woman has given birth, those who have the condition during pregnancy are more likely to develop type two diabetes later in life. The pregnancy-related condition can also affect the baby receiving nutrients while in the womb, impact the baby’s size, and cause pregnancy-related conditions such as pre-eclampsia which can be life threatening.
The NHSGGC Gestational Diabetes Midwifery Team aims to prevent this happening. Jill Smith is a NHSGGC Gestational Diabetes Midwife at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. She explained: “Quite often gestational diabetes is played down as people are aware that it disappears after birth, however it can have a big impact on pregnancy such as early labour, caesarean birth, too much amniotic fluid in the womb, causing complications and pre-eclampsia. There is also the impact that it can have in later life.
“Previously, mums would have been referred into the general diabetes service. Now, our dedicated midwifery team ensures that these women have continuity of carer for them and their baby up until birth.”
NHSGGC enables midwives to take the most modern approaches to care and empower women to make choices that are best for them and their baby. The NHSGGC Gestational Diabetes Midwifery Team also supports by hosting education sessions for self-managing the condition, including dietary advice and exercise.
Jill continued: “We provide women with the tools to manage their condition and advice to those at high-risk. This includes making small changes such as walking for 20 minutes after every meal, light exercise such as swimming and antenatal yoga, and managing what sugar levels they’re putting into their body, such as drinks with high e-number content.”
High-risk groups for gestational diabetes include women with family heritage from the following communities – South Asian (specifically women whose country of family origin is India, Pakistan or Bangladesh), Black Caribbean or Middle Eastern (specifically women whose country of family origin is Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon or Egypt).
Director of Midwifery, Dr Mary Ross-Davie explained: “It is essential that women from all backgrounds understand the care and choices that are available to them as part of maternity services in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. We are proud of the positive changes we are making to improve our services for all.
“We understand that there may be women that require language interpretation to be able to have in depth conversations about their condition, risks, and care options with their midwife or obstetrician. We really encourage women who have English as a second language, who may not feel confident in technical language relating to pregnancy care, to take up the offer of an interpreter at their appointments. Our interpreting service is professional, with interpreters bound by confidentiality rules and with training to provide appropriate support through either in person or telephone interpreting.”