title: High risk of neonatal complications in children of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus in their first pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  THE study presents the neonatal outcome from a cohort of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in their first pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a five-year period (2009-2013), a prospective follow-up study was performed at the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Lillebaelt Hospital - Kolding. The study included 535 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM. A study population of nulliparous GDM patients was sampled, and during the period from 1 January 2010 to 1 March 2013, a total of 137 women delivered for the first time. The present study population considers the 131 offspring, excluding six pairs of twins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overwhelming majority of the offspring had a birth weight within the normal range and only six (4.6%) were large for gestational age. There were 95 (72.5%) vaginal deliveries, whereas 36 (27.5%) were born by caesarean section (CS). Nearly half of the 25 nulliparous GDM patients with a body mass index ≥ 35 kg/m² delivered by CS - six by emergency CS and three by planned CS. A total of 20 neonates (15.3%) developed neonatal hypoglycaemia and four (3.1%) had an Apgar score < 7 after 5 min. A total of 25 (19.1%) among the offspring were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study supports the notion of high-risk pregnancy among GDM patients. Compared with nulliparous in general, the offspring were more likely to be delivered by emergency CS. Despite the prophylactic procedures, one in six had neonatal hypoglycaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Lillebaelt Hospital - Kolding, 6000 Kolding, Denmark. hanne.wielandt@dadlnet.dk.
authors.forename: Hanne Benedicte
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Wielandt
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schønemann-Rigel
authors.forename: Charlotte Blunck
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Holst
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fenger-Grøn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D000068104:Infant Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D011446:Prospective Studies