Assessment of acid-base balance at birth in newborns from diabetic mothers

Newborns from diabetic mothers are more frequently born prematurely, large for the gestational age, with difficult respiratory adaptation and risk of RDS (respiratory distress syndrome) and, subsequently, exposed to a higher risk of perinatal distress, hypoxia, metabolic stress and hematologic alterations. Comparing the status at birth of 120 newborns from mothers with diabetes, with 120 controls from uncomplicated pregnancies, over a period of 4 years, in a specialized tertiary center, no significant differences in the immediate outcome of such newborns and similar incidence of hypoxia at birth were shown, as illustrated by the parameters of the acid-base balance (cord pH, BE and HCO3). However, there are significant differences in the route of delivery, with a predominance of C-section deliveries in the diabetic group (4 out of every 5 cases), which might be an important contribution to the relative good status of these newborns at birth. Although balanced at birth, the newborns from diabetic mothers need intensive monitoring and care in the subsequent hours after birth, for important risks such as hypoglycemic episodes.