Sliding Scale in Labour

[Really Rachel]

I suffer from type 2 diabetes which appeared a year after I suffered from gestational diabetes with my 4th. I'm now 33wks pregnant with my 5th and I attended a clinic appointment yesterday with my consultant obstetrician. He didn't really give me much information but I heard him dictate a letter to my gp and he mentioned that they were planning for delivery at 39wks and that my blood sugars were to be monitored every 2hrs whilst in labour and I was to go on a sliding scale. I've never heard of a sliding scale before and I was wondering what it was

 

[wiflib]

If you give your consent after doing your research of the potential harm of induction verses the potential harm of uncontrolled blood sugar levels in pregnancy, a sliding scale is simply a means of keeping your blood sugars stable in labour. You will have a cannula placed into your hand/arm and to this will be attached a bag of fluid containing a fixed amount of glucose and insulin. Regular monitoring of your blood sugars during labour will indicate how much insulin, if any, you need to have administered.

Some trusts do not use this method, some only use it on diabetics on insulin.

wiflib

 

[Hellbunny]

I had this with my 2, it's basically a drip in your hand or arm with a balance of insulin and dextrose to keep your bloods between 4-7mmol, if it were to start heading up or down the midwife would adjust as necessary, you can decline it if you want, but it's important to keep bloods as steady as normal in labour to help prevent your baby's blood sugars from being low at birth.

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