Role of the nurse practitioner in diabetes and pregnancy management.

Preexisting maternal diabetes and gestational diabetes (GDM) create challenges for health care providers to avoid complications for both mother and infant. Poor control of preexisting diabetes during the first trimester of pregnancy predisposes the infant to major congenital anomalies. Infants born to mothers with GDM are at increased risk for macrosomia as well as other perinatal morbidity and mortality. This article discusses the role of the NP in diagnosing, managing, and treating pregnant women with preexisting and gestational diabetes.