AUTHOR=Byström Magdalena , Liu Anthony , Quinton Ann Elizabeth , Champion Bernard Linton , Mann Kristy , Peek Michael , Nanan Ralph Kay Heinrich 

TITLE=Gestational Diabetes Independently Increases Birth Length and Augments the Effects of Maternal BMI on Birth Weight: A Retrospective Cohort Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2014

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2014.00112

DOI=10.3389/fped.2014.00112

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Objective To investigate the effect of the interaction between gestational diabetes (GDM) and maternal body mass index (BMI) on the individual neonatal growth parameters.
Design Retrospective cohort study
Setting A tertiary maternity service in Sydney, Australia, between 2005 and 2009.
Population A cohort of 8859 women.
Methods Generalized linear models.
Main Outcome Measures	Neonatal growth parameters, represented by z-scores for infant birth weight, birth length and head circumference in GDM and non-GDM groups. 
Results Only GDM alone  had an independent and positive effect on birth length (p=0.02) but not on birth weight or head circumference. In addition, in pregnancies complicated with GDM, the association between maternal weight and birth weight was significantly stronger (p<0.001). In combination, GDM and maternal BMI significantly affected z-score differences between birth weight and birth length (p<0.001), in that underweight mothers had babies which were lighter relative to their length and inversely obese mothers had babies which were heavier relative to their length. 
Conclusions GDM independently influences birth length and increases the association between maternal BMI and birth weight. In accordance with the hypothesis of the fetal origins of health and disease, the pronounced effects of GDM on fetal growth patterns demonstrated in this study are likely to influence long-term health outcomes in children.