Test #4 Flashcards
What is Veal Chop? How can we use it?
Used to help interpret fetal strips:
V = variability
C= cord compression
E = early decelerations
H= head compression
A = accelerations
O = Ok (what we want to see)
L = late decels
P = placental insufficiency
What classifies as obesity
BMI at 30 or above pre-pregnancy
What things are we worried about with an obese mom? 4
- Bleeding (have hemorrhage kit ready)
- Difficult to monitor baby
- Difficult to help change patients position if needed
- Anticipate large babies (LGAs - large for gestational age) creates issues during delivery
What does IUGR stand for
Intrauterine growth restriction
Would we always expect a large baby from an obese mom?
No - there may be other comorbidities, like mom is a smoker, that causes issues with perfusion with the placenta, which can lead to IUGR and smaller babies
Before birth, what are complications of obesity 3
- Diabetes
- HTN leading to preeclampsia
- Sleep apnea
During birth, what are complications of obesity 4
- Macrosomia (large baby)
- Prolonged labor
- Shoulder dystocia (increased C-section rates)
What are some risks for C-sections for obese women 4
- Increased risk of BLEEDING
- Increased risk of infections
- Delayed wound healing (increased risk for dehiscence)
- Thromboembolism (all pregnant women are at an increased risk, but being obese increasing this risk factor even more)
Why is there an increase of bleeding for obese mom’s
It can be difficult to do a proper fundal massage with the extra tissue
Later on in life, what are children who are born from an obese mother at risk for 2
- Increased risk of childhood obesity
- Increased risk for chronic conditions (like diabetes)
What are our nursing considerations for obese mom’s 5
- Weight gain through their pregnancy should be smaller (so we only want them to gain around 11-20 pounds)
- Early testing for gestational diabetes due to their increased risks
- More frequent prenatal visits
- Anticipate more challenges in labor and delivery (have hemorrhage kit ready)
- Issues with babies maintaining blood sugars after delivery
Why are we seeing an increase in CVD in our mom’s
2 main factors:
- Women are having babies when they’re older
- Underlying preconception comorbidities like obesity, HTN, diabetes, rheumatic heart disease if strep is not treated
What population of women is more likely to have untreated strep
Immigrant populations with lower socioeconomic status
Why do we consider pregnancy the ultimate stress test in terms of CV health 4
- Dramatic increase in blood volume, especially during 3rd trimester (up to 50% increase)
- Increase in HR that naturally happens
- Decrease in systemic vascular resistance (naturally), that can cause dilation in your legs, which can lead to pooling of blood and risk for DVTs
- Increased coagulability
If a pt is at an increased risk of coagulability, possibly from CVD, what two medications might they be on?
- Baby aspirin
- Heparin
What anticoagulant drug do we NEVER use during pregnancy (carries a black box warning - category D)
Warfarin (can cross the placenta and cause baby’s blood to thin)
What sucks about having CVD while pregnant?
Normal pregnancy symptoms can be made even worse by CVD, like:
- Increase in fatigue caused by anemia and changes in cardiac output and BP
How can CVD impact a woman’s labor 2
- During a contraction, blood is shunted away from the placenta and out into the mom’s cardiovascular system, which can be up to 500mLs of extra blood going out into the system. This can put a lot of strain on a woman’s cardiac system taking in this extra blood and increasing her cardiac output.
- Contractions are painful and can increase BP and HR, which can then increase cardiac output
How can we care for our CVD pts during labor 3
- Strict Is and Os (don’t give any extra fluid, which can increase mom’s fluid volume and increase her CO).
- Close monitoring of mom and baby (might also have telemetry on mom)
- Want effective pain relief to help decrease CO and to help shorten second stage
What is second stage? Why would we want it shortened for moms in labor? What can we do to help?
Second stage is when mom is pushing, so when a mom with CVD is bearing down and pushing, this can increase their BP and HR, which increases their CO… So we don’t want to put this kind of stress on their heart for very long, so we want to try and shorten this stage.
These women are great candidates for laboring down, which, with an epidural, is when a women lets her uterus do some of the work when she is 10cm and 100% effaced, where the women isn’t pushing, and instead the uterus is passively moving baby along, this helps take off some of the pushing duties for our CVD moms
What acronmyn can help us remember what infections women should avoid during pregnancy
TORCH (teratogenic - cross placenta can cause fetal abnormalities or other complications during pregnacy). We screen for these.
T = toxoplasmosis (kitty litter and uncooked meat)
O = other infections like chicken pox, syphilis, HIV, parvo virus, chlamydia, Hep B)
R = rubella
C = cytomegalovirus
H = herpes simplex
What is important about rubella
We screen for it and have a vaccine for it, but we can’t give the vaccine until after pregnancy, because it’s a live virus vaccine (one of the few live virus vaccines we have left)
Besides screening for TORCH infections, what other infections do we screen for?
- Hep B
- HIV
- GBS (group beta strep) (screen towards the end of pregnancy, because most adults who have it will be asymptomatic, but it can cause newborns to have sepsis if not treated, so we like to screen for it and treat prior to delivery) (GBS positive or GBS status unknown, we treat with antibiotics during labor to help reduce transmission with a vaginal delivery)
- UTI (big deal in pregnancy because they may be asymptomatic during pregnancy, so will screen for it just in case they have it but are not showing symptoms)
Why are we worried about UTIs during pregnancy
They can cause pre-term labor and progress to pyelonephritis (so we want to catch these UTIs early so we can prevent any complications)
With HIV, since we are trying to prevent transmission between mom and baby, what are we looking at? Why?
Mom’s viral load, because the higher her viral load the more likely she is to pass it on
How can HIV transmission from mom to baby occur in the 3 phases of pregnancy (ante, intra, post)
- Ante: HIV can cross the placenta if we don’t do anything to prevent the transmission (without intervention rates can be as high as 25% of babies becoming infected)
- Intra: transmission into babies bloodstream due to minor tears during birth
- Post: through breast milk
How can we prevent HIV transmission
- Antiretroviral therapy to help decrease viral load (usually 3 different medications) (usually need to start by 28 weeks to reduce risk at birth)
- Have a C-section if viral load is not low enough to help prevent transmission
- Newborns will receive antiretrovirals for 5 weeks after delivery
- Do not let mom breast feed
What is some psych that goes along with HIV
It’s a universal screening for all pregnant mothers, so this could be the first time that she’s ever being tested for and the first time finding out if she is HIV positive, which can be a shock
What is important to reinforce with an HIV positive mother
That HIV is no longer a death sentence, it is a chronic illness that can be managed
What do we do for our Hep B positive mothers 3
- They will be on antivirals, which will help prevent transmission across the placenta, where it is most likely to occur
- Safe to deliver vaginally
- Can breastfeed
What do we do for our newborns born from Hep B positive moms 3
- First thing: bathe baby prior to giving any injections (like the vitamin k and hep B vaccine)
- Will receive a hep B vaccine
- Will receive hep B immunoglobulin (HBIG)
(these injections should be given within the first 12 hours to prevent any transmission that may have occurred)
Is alcohol bad for baby
Yes, it’s a potent teratogenic drug
What things can cause neonatal abstinence syndrome
- Heroin, codeine, fentanyl, methadone, oxy, hydrocodone
What can happen to babies born with a tobacco addiction 2
- Very fussy, sensitive, hyperreactive due to withdrawals after delivery
- Increased risk for IUGR (why these babies born from smokers are generally small)
If a mom has substance abuse, what else is she at risk for having 3
- Intimate partner violence
- STIs
- Lack of prenatal care
Some moms won’t admit to having substance abuse, so what things can suspect us to think that she actually does abuse substances 3
- If she has had no prenatal care
- If there is a placental abruption without an obvious reason
- If there is IUGR without obvious reasons
What is interesting about social services and substance abuse
Sometimes there will be a mandate from social services telling us that there is a hx of abuse and we need to do a toxicology screen
Can we get a toxicology from a mom without her consent
No, even if there is a court order, she would end up just being in violation of the order
Are we allowed to do toxicology on babies here in Oregon without mom’s consent
Yes
When doing a toxicology on a baby, what two fluids do we test
- Meconium
- Urine
What happens to babies born from mom’s with substance abuse
- They are often SGA (small)
- There may be some neurodevelopmental abnormalities
- Acute withdrawals
If a mother is positive for an illicit substance (except tobacco, which is not illicit), can they breastfeed?
No
Is there a screening tool for babies born from substance abuse mothers
Yes, typically like to use the screening tool within the first 4 hours (looking at things like does baby have a high pitched cry, decreased sleeping, hyperactive reflexes, etc), then this gives us a score and tells us how frequently we should rescore the baby and what our treatments should be.
- Good to note that we may not see signs of withdrawal until 12-24 hours after birth, but it’s still good to start at hour 4 so we have a baseline before withdrawals kick in
What extra care might we do for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome due to opioids (a lot)
- High-calorie formula (due to all of their extra movements going on and increased metabolism during their withdrawal)
- Small frequent meals
- Antidiarrheals
- Meticulous Is and Os
- Wts
- Breastfeeding
- Morphine or methadone if baby has a high score
- Promote comfort like swaddling, sucking (give pacifier), swing
- Billy lights
- Monitor tox screen
- Work with social services
For mental health, what drug types are we concerned about
If they take SSRIs during the first trimester, there is conflicting info on whether it can cause fetal malformation, so we would want to work with their doctor to see if they should be taken off the medications (weight the risk vs benefit)
What are our prescription drug categories
A and B are generally safe.
C we don’t know either way.
D we’re going to avoid.
What is a mom with a hx of depression at risk for
Developing postpartum depression
What might be a sign that a mom has postpartum depression
They’re feeling down longer than 14 days (it’s normal to have a few days that you may feel like this
What is hyperemesis gravidarum
Persistent vomiting that is not caused by something like the flu or eating something bad
It’s just vomiting that goes on and on while pregnant and you can’t figure out why
What signs do we see (besides persistent vomiting) for hyperemesis gravidarum 2
- There will be signs of malnutrition, so we would see ketonuria (+2 ketones with dipstick)
- Weight loss (below pregnancy weight by 5%)
What do we think causes hyperemesis gravidarum 5
Not really clear, but we think it has something to do with high levels of HCG, estrogen or thyroid hormones
Might also be a genetic component
Increase risk if you’re having a girl
Can be worse symptoms if you have multiple babies (due to more hormones being released)
Hx of motion sickness or migraines may make a woman more susceptible
What are our txs for hyperemesis gravidarum
- Antiemetics
- IV fluids for hydration
- Can give dextrose for calories
- Worst case - have central lines to get TPNs
What is placenta previa? Why is this bad?
Where the placenta has attached to the lower uterine wall, and may be covering the cervix.
This is bad because it can increase mom’s chance of having a hemorrhage, where in the 3rd trimester when she starts having contractions, those contractions around her cervix can put a lot of pressure on her placenta and cause bleeding. Plus a baby can’t be born vaginally if the placenta is completely blocking the cervix, because the placenta will be born before the baby, so the baby won’t be getting perfusion.
What are the 6 different types of placenta previa
- Complete: where the placenta is completely blocking the cervix
- Partial: where part of the placenta is blocking the cervix
- Marginal: where the placenta is very close to blocking all of the cervix
- Accreta: placental attaches too deep into the uterine wall
- Percreta: where the placenta grows through the wall and attaches to nearby organs
- Increta: attaches even deeper into the uterine muscle
Ho do we deliver placenta previa babies
C-section
Why are placenta accreta, increta, and percreta troublesome?
Because the placenta has attached itself so deeply in the uterine wall, or muscle or other organs, which can lead to massage bleeding once baby is born because we can’t really do a fundal massage or anything in this area, it will just keep bleeding
Where are mom’s with Placental accreta, increta or percreta going to give birth? What are we prepared to do?
In the OR, where we are ready to do a massive transfusion. May even need to do a hysterectomy
What are the cardinal signs of placenta previa 2
- Painless bright red vaginal bleeding (think about the placenta covering the cervix, and any little disruption to that placenta’s blood vessels can cause bleeding, but the pt might not feel any pain) (usually occurs in 3rd trimester)
- Abdomen will be soft, nontender
What should we not do on pts with placenta previa
Vaginal exams, because we don’t want to be poking and prodding the placenta since it’s right at the cervix
What is teaching for pts with placenta previa
When they go to the hospital or get checked, make sure they tell whoever that they have a placenta previa and cannot have vaginal checks
What initial assessments are we going to do on pts with a hx of placenta previa
Maternal and fetal well being.
- Vital signs on mom
- Look at mom
- Get baby on monitor
What is important to remember about BPs for pregnant moms
Their BP will be higher due to their increase in blood volume, so this can be a poor indicator of volume status, so we want to look at her HR to see how she’s coping (tachycardia would show that something is up)
We would also see changes in baby’s HR first if there is an issue with blood volume (like bleeding), where baby will get tachycardia trying to compensate, then eventually mom’s HR will also go into tachycardia
What kind of test might we do on a mom with placenta previa? What is it?
A Kleihaurer-Betke (KB) test to see if mom’s blood has mixed with baby’s, especially for our RH negative moms (if mom is Rh negative and baby is positive, than mom can create antibodies that kill baby’s RBCs)
(since mom’s with placenta previa are at an increased risk of bleeding, we want to be on the lookout for Rh negative and positive situations)
What is a placental abruption
A premature separation of the placenta from the uterus
What are the signs of a placental abruption
- ***Very painful
- May or may not Vaginal bleeding (a complete separation may block blood from leaking out, so that blood will just collect where its separated)
- With a complete separation and blood blooding in the abdomen, we will get a rigid abdomen
What are the 3 different types of placental abruptions
- Marginal
- Partial
- Complete
What are signs from baby that a placental abruption may be occurring
We would see late decels on FHR
What is a complication of placental abruption
The mom can go into DIC, which can lead to hypoxia of the baby
What is interesting about placental abruptions
Some can be minor, where maybe we didn’t even know they had one until after delivery or they can be extreme, where we would need to do an emergency c-section
If a woman’s membranes rupture before 37 weeks, what do we refer to them as?
Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM)
What is a common cause of PPROM 4
- Infection, which is called chorioamnionitis
- Uterine distention like from multiple babies or a lot of fluid
- STIs
- Smoking
How do we diagnosis PPROM 4
- A provider will do a sterile speculum exam to see if they can see fluid in the birth canal
- nitrazine test where normal vaginal pH is between 4.5-5.5, but amniotic fluid increases the pH
- Amnisure (lab test)
- Ferning (amniotic fluid will fern when dried)
What are our concerns with PPROM? What can we do? 2
- Infection risk (decrease number of invasive procedures)
- Fetal wellbeing (we are losing our amniotic fluid cushion, babies may have variables on the monitor, because there can be compression of cord without the cushion)
If there is chorioamnionitis, what are we doing?
Deliver the baby right away, because mom and baby are at risk for sepsis
If baby is tolerating the decrease in amniotic fluid well and there are no signs of infection, do our PPROM moms have to deliver within 24 hours?
No, we will keep a close eye on them and try and let the baby cook longer
What is good to tell pts with PPROM 2
- They are at an increased risk of going into labor spontaneously
- They will be on bed rest
What are signs of infection besides an increased in temp 5
- Tenderness
- Cramping
- Lower back pain
- Odor
- Increased HR of both mom and baby
(infection will usually trigger the body to go into labor, because it knows that we need to get the baby delivered)
If there are no signs of infection, what might we want to try and do?
Slow down labor for at least 48hrs so we can give 2 doses of betamethasone, which can enhance lung maturity of the baby before they are born
What do we consider preterm labor
Anywhere from 20 weeks (when we consider the baby viable) to before 37 (because we consider 37 weeks and after full term)
What is the most acute problem in maternal-child health
Preterm labor
Do we still focus on preterm labor prevention here in the US?
No, we’ve shifted from prevention to early detection of preterm labor
What is our core measure for preterm labor
To be able to give more babies going into preterm labor between 24-32
What is our core measure for preterm labor
To be able to give more babies going into preterm labor between 24-32 betamethasone to help their lungs prior to delivery
What age in weeks will a premature baby have a 90% survival rate
At 28 weeks (so we REALLY REALLY want to get our babies to 28 weeks)
What are our concerns with premature babies 5
- Immature lungs (not producing surfactant yet, not having coordinating breathing yet), which can lead to respiratory distress
- Small babies, not much subcutaneous tissue or glycogen stores, which can lead to hypothermia and hypoglycemia (monitor temps, put on warmers, check sugars)
- Underdeveloped livers (at risk for jaundice) Can have under billy lights
- Intraventricular hemorrhage for really small babies, where there is internal bleeding in the babies head, so we don’t want to have small babies deliver vaginally, because trauma during birth can increase the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage
- Cerebral palsy longer term
- Retinopathy long term
What can cause preterm labor (a lot)
- Periodontal disease
- Diabetes, HTN
- *Infections
- *Uterine distention usually caused by multiples
- Hx of preterm labor
- Demographics (older and younger, no prental care)
- Smoking
- Stress
- Interpregnancy interval (less than 6 months since last pregnancy)
How can we prevent preterm labor 4
- Number one thing is prenatal care
- Manage chronic conditions that might trigger it (like managing HTN, diabetes, stress)
- Screen and treat infections
- Give progesterone intravaginally (pro-pregnancy hormone - wants to keep you pregnant)
How do we determine if a mom is actually in preterm labor 7
- Greater than 20 weeks pregnant and less than 37 weeks
- Have to have persistent contractions
- Dilating more than 1cm or dilation is changing
- Effacement of 80%
- Get a UA
- Fetal fibronectin (FFN) test
- Exam cervical length
If a mom who is less than 37 weeks pregnant calls and says that she is having contractions, what kinds of things can we advise her to do at home to stop those contractions 4
- Drink water (dehydration can cause contractions)
- Go to the bathroom (full bladder can cause issues)
- Put their feet up
- Take a nice warm bath
What is the Fetal fibronectin (FFN) test? When would we not want to use this test? What does a negative result mean?
- A test used to rule out preterm labor
- The fetal fibronectin is a prostaglandin that is released when membranes are disturbed by contractions (so this is how we can tell if they’re actually having contractions)
- Don’t use if there are rupture membranes (PPROM) or if there is vaginal bleeding
- Can’t use if there has been anything in the vagina in the last 24 hours, like from having sex or having their cervix checked.
Negative means that there is a less than 1% chance that the mom is going to deliver that week. (we want negative)
Why do we want to do an FFN test for preterm labor before we check the cervix
Because the FFN test won’t be accurate if anything has been in the vagina in the last 24 hours, like from having an exam. So we always want to do this test first before a cervical exam.
What does a positive FFN tell us?
Well it tells us that the mom has a 20-50% chance of delivering this week, but there are also a lot of false positives, so basically a positive result doesn’t really tell us much.
What is our goal for preterm labor? How do we accomplish this goal? 5
- We want to delay delivery!
How we accomplish:
- Give tocolytics, which are medications used to reduce contractions.
- Try to delay delivery enough to get two doses of betamethasone in within 48 hrs
- Abx for GBS as needed
- Bed rest (remember increase of DVTs on bed rest, maybe more of an activity restriction)
- Possibly may need to transport to another facility
What are our tocolytic drugs 4
- Nifedipine (Ca channel blocker) (don’t give nifedipine and magnesium sulfate together because both compete with calcium and cause cardiac issues)
- Indomethacin (NSAID)
- Terbutaline (beta-adrenergic receptor agonist) (not first line, will stop contractions, but can cause maternal tachycardia)
- Magnesium sulfate (CNS depressant - also competes with Ca) (has to be given inpatient)
How do we administer betamethasone? When would we give it? What does it help babies produce?
Give 12mg to mother IM every 24hrs twice
Give to mothers if babies are less than 34 weeks
Helps babies produce surfactant
What are the benefits of betamethasone 5
Reduces:
- Respiratory distress syndrome
- Intraventricular hemorrhages
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Neonatal mortality
- Neurologic handicap
What if you give your two doses of betamethasone thinking the mom is in preterm labor and is going to deliver soon, but the mom doesn’t actually deliver until a week later?
You can give one “rescue dose” of betamethasone a week later, or even at a later time.
What are we worried about it, in terms of our moms, when we give them betamethasone (think steroid risks) 1
- Diabetic moms (this med will spike their sugar levels) (might need extra insulin coverage)
Can we sign off on mag sulfate by ourselves
No, it’s a dual RN sign off
What are the effects of mag sulfate (good and bad)
It’s a CNS depressant so…
It provides neuroprotection to the baby to help reduce cerebral palsy risk
Reduces contraction and tone (helps baby cook longer)
It’s a vasodilator, so it can drop BPs (we don’t want to drop mom’s BP too much, because this can reduce profusion to the baby
What are assessments are we doing if mom is on mag sulfate
- BP and RR frequently (remember, it’s a CNS depressant)
- Continuous EFM
- DTRs (don’t want these to become too decreased)
- LOC (don’t want these to become too decreased)
- Lung sounds
- Urinary output
- Watch for late decels (signs of poor placenta perfusion)
How do moms feel on mag sulfate
- Groggy
- Malaise like when they have the flu
- Flushed
What if mom’s DTRs, LOC and RR is becoming too suppressed on mag sulftate.
We should stop the mag sulfate and consider giving the antidote, calcium gluconate
What are newborn considerations for mom’s taking mag sulfate
Mag sulfate does cross the placenta, so these babies will also have mag sulfate in their system, and we may see signs of CNS depression, like decreased RR, muscle tone, they’ll likely have low APGAR scores
Picture:
Notice how identical twins are called monochorionic/diamniotic twins because they share the chorion and placenta, but have separate amnion.
Twins that are not identical are dichorionic/diamniotic and do not sure a chorion or placenta
What are risks for mom’s caring multiples 4
- Intrauterine distention
- ROM
- Pre term labor
- Hyperemesis
What are some nursing considerations for perinatal loss 3
- There may be more bleeding than usual, which may turn into a DIC event
- Infections can occur if membranes have been for some time or if the baby has died a while ago and these things are still inside mom
- If Rh-, mom should still have RhoGAM
What is an incompetent cervix
Usually where you have dilation and effacement of the cervix when you’re not supposed too, which can lead to loss of the baby (usually occurs in 2nd trimester - basically cervix won’t stay closed)
How can we manage an incompetent cervix
Through a cerclage, where the provider will stitch up the cervix until delivery to help keep baby inside
If a woman has an incompetent cervix for one of her pregnancies, is she more likely to have it again for future pregnancies
Yes
What are risk factors for ectopic pregnancy (a lot)
Usually things that have caused scarring to the fallopian tube, which is where we see a lot of ectopic pregnancies occur
So…:
- STIs
- PID
- Prior ectopic
- Hx of abd surgeries
- Endometriosis
- Hormone therapy
- Assisted reproduction
- Use of an IUD
What are s/s of an ectopic pregnancy 5
- Bleeding
- Missed period
- Abd pain/tenderness (usually unilateral on the side where the ectopic is in the fallopian tube)
- Referred shoulder pain
- Pain that worsens with rupture (pretty severe)
How can we diagnosis an ectopic pregnancy 5
- Hx (previous ectopic - especially in the same fallopian tube as the previous ectopic, due to the scar tissue, if they still have that tube)
- Palpable mass
- Ultrasound to see if pregnancy is actually in the utererus
- hCG will be low
- Going to have hypotension s/s if ruptured
What is our management of an ectopic 2
- We can give methotrexate to terminate pregnancy if unruptured and less than 4cm in size
- Salpingectomy via laparotomy
Is it pretty serious when an ectopic ruptures
YES! There can be massive internal bleeding going on. It definitely becomes an emergency
What is gestational trophoblastic disease (also called molar pregnancy or hydatidiform mole)
Basically a woman has a positive pregnancy test, but instead of a baby growing, the placenta develops abnormally and grows fluid filled grape like clusters instead of a baby (basically abnormal tissue growth instead of a baby, even though there was a positive pregnancy test)
What are the s/s of gestational trophoblastic disease 4
- There would be a discrepancy in the size of mom’s tummy and how far along she is (these fluid filled sacs are going to grow a lot larger, and much faster than a baby would)
- Bleeding, possibly passing some of these little fluid filled clusters
- Markedly elevated hCG
- No fetal HR
What are we really worried about with gestational trophoblastic disease? So what do we do? What do we teach out mom’s?
These women are at an increased risk of developing cancer
So we will measure their hCGs for at least one year, where a rise in hCG may indicate malignancy
We advise our moms to not become pregnant for at least one year, because their pregnancy could mask a rise in hCG, which is helping us determine if she may have cancer
Picture showing how insulin builds up in the first half of pregnancy because a decrease in insulin needs vs second half of pregnancy were we have an increase in insulin needs
We don’t need insulin as much in the first half of pregnancy, things like our hormones may be decreasing our need for insulin, as well as maybe we have morning sickness so we’re not eating as much, and baby isn’t needing very much.
An increase in insulin needs can lead to insulin resistance (pancreas is excreting more insulin in second half of pregnancy, but can’t keep up with the demand) Think of pregnancy as a stressor, and your pancreas isn’t able to keep up with the high demand in the second half of pregnancy
What if you already have diabetes going into pregnancy
The previous picture still holds true for type 1 and type 2 diabetics, where both may need to actually decrease their insulin in the first half of pregnancy, or may not even need it at all, however, they may need to increase their insulin injections in the second half of pregnancy
If a mom’s diabetes isn’t controlled, what can happen?
She can develop:
- High BPs
- Preeclampsia
- Eclampsia
- 2 times as likely to experience miscarriage
- Poly(hydramnios (excess amount of amniotic fluid, over 2000mLs) (remember that high blood sugars can cause polyuria, where there is excess peeing, so since mom has high blood sugars, so will the baby, so the baby will be urinating a lot in their sac creating more and more amniotic fluid) - this can lead to uterine distention, which can cause problems later on
- Ketoacidosis
- Retinopathy
- Increased risk of infections like UTIs (UTIs can quickly progress to phylo)
- Increased risk for developing future diabetes after birth
What are the effects of uncontrolled diabetes on babies 6
- Macrosomia (excessive birth weight due to high maternal levels of glucose)
- The baby can develop hyperinsulinemia, because only mom’s glucose crosses the placenta, they don’t get mom’s insulin (this is why we like to give pregnant diabetic mom’s insulin, because the insulin doesn’t impact the baby), so babies will actually produce their own insulin, but since they are getting an excessive amount of glucose from mom, they will be producing excessive amount of insulin, which can cause the baby to store glucose in fatty deposits around their chest and shoulder areas. (this increase in babies shoulder and chest can make for challenges during delivery).
- Increased risk for respiratory distress syndrome, because hyperinsulinemia can lead to a decrease in surfactant production
- Neural tube defects (diabetic moms will need to take an increased amount of folic acid compared to nondiabetic moms to prevent neural tube defects)
- After birth, babies will most likely have low blood sugars (this is due to baby’s pancreas being use to produce high levels of insulin due to mom’s high sugars, so it may take a while for baby’s pancreas to stop making so much insulin, so baby’s sugar may be low in the meantime) and possible jaundice (so be prepared for this)
- Increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life
When do we start screening for gestational diabetes? Why at this time and not sooner?
Usually at 24-28 weeks, only sooner if high risk.
From the previous slides, insulin needs are usually low in the first half of pregnancy, but increase in the second half, so there’s not really a point in testing in the first half
What is the 2 step glucose tolerance check (simply)
Mom drinks a sugary drink, she comes and checks her blood glucose after an hour, if that number is really high, then she has to come back in 3 hours later and if that number is high, then this can confirm gestational diabetes
What are risk factors for gestational diabetes 5
- Obesity
- Family hx of type 2
- Hx of previous gestational diabetes
- Hx of LGA infant (large infant, greater than 90th percentile for weight)
- Polycystic ovary disease
Should we increase the insulin mom receives after delivery?
No! It is likely that her insulin needs will decrease after delivery, so we will adjust accordingly
How can women manage gestational diabetes
- Many can manage through lifestyle and diet changes
- Increase folic acid intake to prevent neural defects
- Maintain euglycemia (tight glycemic control)
- Fasting less than 95 (check fasting in the morning)
- 120-135 post-prandial (after eating)
- A1C goal is 6 (8 or above shows poorly controlled diabetes)
- Insulin is drug of choice (bc it doesn’t cross to the baby)
- More frequent prenatal visits, especially towards the end of pregnancy were we do nst (non-stress tests) to look at the fetal HR
- Mom will have biophysical profiles done, where we do stress tests but also look at HR and ultrasound
- Might have an early delivery (especially if baby is getting large, etc)
Do we use metformin for diabetic moms
Only sometimes, it does cross the placenta, even though it is a category B, many providers will switch mom to insulin to error on the side of caution
So what additional things are we going to do for a baby whose mom has gestational diabetes
- Kick counts (at home)
- Biophysical profile (BPP)
- Femur length
- Abdominal/head circumference
- Nonstress test
- Contraction stress test
- Amnio for fetal lung maturity
- L/S ratio of 2:1 (tells us if baby has adequate surfactant)
What is included in a biophysical profile BPP? How do we keep track?
We give point values to each item so:
- Fetal HR can score up to 2
- Amniotic fluid can score up to 2
- Respiratory movements can score up to 2
- Muscle tone can score up to 2
- Movement of extremities can score up to 2
So there can be a total of 10 points. (a score of 8-10 is normal) (4 below mean deliver asap)
During delivery, where do we like our mom’s blood sugar to be
Between 80-110
When we hang insulin, what should we also have hanging just incase
Dextrose in case mom goes hypoglycemic
Once a baby is delivered from a mom with diabetes, what is our newborn management?
- All infants born from diabetic mothers, all LGAs and SGAs will be on glucose protocols
Glucose protocols: - Monitor sugars (protocol will tell you what to do depending on where baby’s sugar is at)
- Use heel stick
- Get babies to breast asap
- Check baby’s sugar 30 minutes after feeding
- Want babies eating every 2-3hrs
- Can’t let babies sleep for long periods of time, because they do need to feet regularly
- Protocol usually lasts 24-48hrs
Once a gestational diabetes mom has her baby, how might her diet change?
She will likely come off her diabetic diet and be placed on a regular diet
When will a gestational diabetic mom be screened after delivery for diabetes again
Usually 6-12 weeks and then annually, just because gestational diabetes increases their risk of developing type 2 later on
Is HTN deadly for moms?
Yes, it is the second leading cause of mortality for pregnant women
What is our definition of HTN
Systolic at or greater than 140
and/or
Diastolic at or greater than 90
Pt has to have a BP at or greater than 140/90 at least twice taken 4 hours apart
What are our 4 categories of HTN
- Chronic HTN
- Gestational HTN
- Preeclampsia/eclampsia
- Chronic HTN with superimposed preeclampsia
At how many weeks pregnant would we diagnosis a mom with chronic HTN
Before 20 weeks (so basically in her 1st trimester)
During pregnancy, is it normal to have our BP increase or decrease
It is actually normal to have our BP decrease, which is why HTN during pregnancy is weird
What needs to be present to diagnosis a woman with preeclampsia
- Have to have an increase in BP after 20 weeks
- Need to either have protein in urine or other s/s of preeclampsia like vision problems, liver problems and/or kidney problems
What is gestational hypertension
Where we have an increase in BP after 20 weeks, but we don’t have proteinuria
What are the s/s of preeclampsia
- Headache
- Visual disturbances
- Right upper quadrant pain due to hepatic ischemia
- Reduced urine output
- Low abd pain (which can be a sign of placenta abruption which is more common in women with preeclampsia)
- Pulmonary edema
- Peripheral edema
- Hyperreflexia
What is the pathophys of preeclampsia
- Vasoconstriction leading to HTN
- Platelet activation with intravascular coagulation
- Endothelial dysfunction, where fluid shifts out of the vascular system and into the interstitial space
- Maternal plasma volume contraction
What can preeclampsia lead to? both mom and baby 4, 3
Mom:
- Eclampsia, which is essentially a seizure
- Pulmonary edema
- Renal failure
- Stroke
Baby:
- Intrauterine growth resistance
- Placental abruption
- Still birth
What are risk factors for developing preeclampsia (a lot)
- Hx of preeclampsia
- First pregnancy or first pregnancy with a new paternal partner (something to do with dad’s antigens)
- Family hx of preeclampsia
- Pre-existing HTN
- Diabetes! (4x risk)
- Renal disease
- Obesity
- Connective tissue disease like lupus and RA
- Under 17 or over 35
- Multiples
How can we diagnosis if a mom has preeclampsia 4
- Look at CBC to see if we see any hemolysis (platelets less than 100,000)
- CMP to check for kidney and liver function
- Look for protein in urine, gold standard is to measure urine over 24hrs, where anything above 300mg for protein can be a sign of preeclampsia
- Checking fetus for any signs of growth restriction
What is the only way to stop preeclampsia
Deliver the baby
What if a mom comes in with elevated BP after 20 weeks
We want to determine what kind of HTN it is (gestational HTN or preeclampsia)
So we’ll do a 24hr urine collection to look for protein, if protein is over 300mg, then we know it’s preeclampsia and not just gestational HTN