If you have diabetes and are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, our team of specialists wants to help you have a healthy pregnancy. We provide the most advanced yet personalized care for you and your baby.
Who We Serve
We treat women before and during pregnancy with:
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
- Gestational diabetes
Why Get Specialty Care
Working with a specialist to manage your blood sugar during pregnancy can decrease the risk of complications and make it more likely you'll carry your baby to term. We also offer preconception counseling to help you plan and manage your blood sugar control before you become pregnant.
Prenatal Services
During your pregnancy, we offer these specialized prenatal services:
- Personalized prenatal care throughout your pregnancy with perinatologists who specialize in treating women with diabetes
- Assistance in learning about diabetes and how to monitor your blood sugar and administer insulin, if necessary
- Medication management, including insulin pumps
- Frequent ultrasounds during pregnancy and a nonstress test at the end of pregnancy
- Support with nutrition, diet and physical activities, including meal planning
- Assistance from social workers and maternal health specialists to help you with personal, family or financial needs
- Monitoring for complications, such as hypertension and preeclampsia, and prompt intervention and coordinated care if complications do exist
- Planning for a safe delivery and, if needed, access to our
NICUs (neonatal intensive care unit) at both of our hospitals
- Referrals to our Maternal Weight and Wellness team for weight management
Coordinated Care
We can see you for all pregnancy-related visits or you can continue seeing your regular provider for routine obstetrics care, including delivery at your provider's hospital.
More About Pregnancy and Diabetes
Approximately one in five women delivering babies in San Diego County begin their pregnancies with diabetes, and others develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
Pregnant women with diabetes are at risk for complications during pregnancy and after delivery, including:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Eye disease
- Kidney disease
- Too much weight gain
- Severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
Babies of pregnant women with diabetes are also at increased risk for complications, including:
- Macrosomia (high birth weight)
- Higher rates of miscarriage and stillbirth
- Birth defects
- Delivery complications
- Jaundice