Caring for the infant of a diabetic mother.

In the United States, approximately 100,000 infants are born to diabetic mothers each year. If diabetes in pregnancy is uncontrolled, the diversity of resulting health problems can have a profound effect on the embryo, the fetus, and the neonate. These infants are at risk for a multitude of physiologic, metabolic, and congenital complications such as macrosomia, asphyxia, respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, hyperbilirubinemia, polycythemia and hyperviscosity, cardiomegaly, and central nervous system disruption. Preconception control of glucose metabolism throughout the trajectory of a woman's pregnancy is a significant factor in decreasing the adverse impact of diabetes on the fetus and newborn. Meticulous attention to neonatal glucose levels, thorough physical examination, and precise diagnosis are prerequisites to appropriate care for the neonate.