Babies Born to Obese Mothers with Sleep Apnea are at Increased Risk for Admission to the NICU.

We posted earlier this week about the link between gestational diabetes and OSA. Now we're looking at the affects of OSA on the newborn baby. A 2012 study showed that babies born to obese mothers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk for complications after birth.

The study tested 175 obese pregnant women at home using unattended home sleep testing. About 15% of the women had sleep apnea.

The results:

Just about every sleep disorder that afflicts humans is Youtube-worthy when it affects our dogs! (You have to watch the whole video, the last one's the best). The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of restless leg syndrome is my childhood lab sound asleep under the dining room table blissfully chasing rabbits in his sleep. But I know, all too well, that restless leg syndrome is not that funny or cute- especially during pregnancy.

A recent study of pregnant women showed that those with gestational diabetes were 7 times more likely to also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.

In August 2013, researchers conducted overnight polysomnography (a sleep study) on 45 women. 15 of the women were pregnant AND had gestational diabetes, 15 women were pregnant and did NOT have diabetes and 15 women were not pregnant and did NOT have diabetes.

The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinoloy & Metabolism:

75% of the pregnant women with gestational diabetes ALSO suffered from obstructive sleep apnea

This is the first post in a series about sleep disorders affecting women during pregnancy. We first published this post in the Summer of 2013.