Amy Lee

When people think of diabetes, they typically think of type 1 or type 2. As an obstetrician, I would like to add gestational diabetes to that mix. Gestational diabetes is difficult because patients need to learn quickly and poor glycemic control has grave effects of outcomes for both the mother and infant. The most feared poor outcome is stillbirth. Others can include a shoulder dystocia, where the head is delivered, but the body is stuck. This happens due to gestational diabetes causing disproportionate growth of the chest and abdomen compared to the head. Shoulder dystocia can lead to broken bones for infants, hypoxic brain injury, and, in worst case scenarios, death. Even if all goes well at delivery, infants of gestational diabetes mothers who did not have the resources to best control their glucose levels, can experience hypoglycemia leading to NICU admissions to help prevent seizures, as well as high bilirubin that in severe cases leads to infant brain injury. The great news is that we can prevent poor outcomes with great glucose control! The bad new is that we sometimes struggle to get moms the supplies that they need. I strongly support this bill and its efforts to get patients the supplies that they need. In the realm of obstetrics, better access to supplies and therefore glycemic control can help reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity in this state!