– Eating carbohydrates low on the glycemic index is important for maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Folding healthy carbs into your “six meals per day” plan may help you gain weight, but it’s important to keep an eye on your glucose levels. Adding a protein or fat each time you eat a carb may help increase caloric consumption without causing your sugar levels to spike.
whole grainsvegetablesberriesnutslegumesseeds
Some options include:
avocadoolive oilcanola oilnutsseedsfatty fish, like salmon and mackerel
Does gestational diabetes make it hard to gain weight?
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Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact [email protected], Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk for developing gestational diabetes, according to findings published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation, “The amount of gestational weight gain in the first trimester and before gestational diabetes screening did not change the risk of developing gestational diabetes,” Tai-Ho Hung, MD, PhD, director of maternal fetal medicine in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and colleagues wrote.
“Interestingly, women with gestational diabetes had significantly less gestational weight gain in the second trimester, after gestational diabetes screening and throughout gestation than women without gestational diabetes.” Source: Adobe Stock Researchers conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of women who underwent gestational diabetes screening and delivered after 28 weeks of gestation at Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from 2012 to 2016. Pregnant women were screened for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation with a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test with the exception of high-risk women, who underwent screening at the first prenatal visit.
Gestational diabetes was diagnosed if plasma glucose exceeded 92 mg/dL at fasting, 180 mg/dL after 1 hour and 153 mg/dL after 2 hours. Prepregnancy height and weight were used to calculate pregestational BMI. First trimester gestational weight gain was the difference between weight before pregnancy to 12 to 14 weeks of gestation.
Second trimester weight gain was the difference in weight from 12 to 14 weeks and 26 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. Gestational weight gain before diabetes screening was calculated as the difference between prepregnancy weight and weight at screening. Weight gain after screening was defined as the difference between weight at delivery and the weight at gestational diabetes screening.
- Excessive gestational weight gain was defined as weight gain above the 90th percentile of women in the same BMI category before pregnancy and during gestation, or based on gestational weight gain guidelines by the Institute of Medicine in 2009.
- Of 8,352 women included in the analysis, 1,129 developed gestational diabetes.
Women with gestational diabetes had a lower mean weight gain during the second trimester, after diabetes screening and during the entire pregnancy compared with women without gestational diabetes. There were no differences in weight gain during the first trimester and before gestational diabetes screening.
Women with a high prepregnancy BMI and gestational diabetes had a lower rate of excessive weight gain in the second trimester compared with women without gestational diabetes, with no difference in the other time points. No association was found between excessive gestational weight gain and the development of gestational diabetes in all trimesters.
There were still no associations observed when models were restricted only to women with excessive or adequate gestational weight gain. There was also no association found between increasing gestational weight gain and the development of gestational diabetes in trend analysis, regardless of prepregnancy BMI.
The researchers wrote that possible explanations for the findings are women who were at high risk for developing gestational diabetes were more likely to be educated about appropriate weight gain during pregnancy, and possible changes in the components of gestational weight gain such as the development of the fetus and placenta, expansion of maternal blood volume and extracellular fluid, enlargement of the gravid uterus and mammary glands, and increased maternal adipose tissue.
“Although women with excessive gestational weight gain are more susceptible to pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, our results indicate that excessive gestational weight gain is not a significant risk factor for gestational diabetes,” the researchers wrote.
“Further prospectively designed studies, particularly on Asian populations, and the use of International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria for gestational diabetes are needed to confirm our findings.” ADD TOPIC TO EMAIL ALERTS Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on,
We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact [email protected],
How much weight should I gain with gestational diabetes?
If you’re prepregnancy weight is underweight then gain 28-40 pounds. If you’re prepregnancy weight is normal then gain 25-35 pounds. If you’re prepregnancy weight is overweight then gain 15-25 pounds. If you’re prepregnancy weight is obese then gain 11-20 pounds.
What is the fastest way for a diabetic to gain weight?
Some foods can help you to gain weight without causing big rises in your blood glucose (sugar) levels. These include foods high in: Protein, such as meat, fish, chicken, legumes, eggs, nuts and full-cream dairy foods. Energy, such as margarine, avocado, nut butters, oil and salad dressing.
Is it normal to lose weight during pregnancy with gestational diabetes?
Does weight loss help gestational diabetes? – Losing weight during pregnancy is not recommended to help manage gestational diabetes and could be harmful, especially after the first trimester. Nausea and food aversions can sometimes lead to first trimester weight loss, which is common and usually not concerning.
But losing weight in the second or third trimester could mean that you are not taking in or passing along enough nutrients for your baby to grow at a healthy rate. What can help is working closely with your doctor to monitor weight gain as part of your treatment plan. Your doctor can help you understand what would be a healthy rate of weight gain for you based on your body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy.
This is an important part of your treatment plan, because excessive weight gain can increase your risk for complications and make conditions like diabetes more difficult to treat during and after pregnancy.
Does gestational diabetes get worse in third trimester?
Between 32 – 36 weeks are what we know to be the toughest time for gestational diabetes. It’s at around this point that we typically see insulin resistance worsen. You think you have your gestational diabetes diet sussed out and you can literally wake and eat the same breakfast you’ve been tolerating well for weeks on end and get crazy blood sugar levels?! 
What the heck is going on and what did you do wrong??? Firstly, you’ve done NOTHING wrong! This is to be expected and is completely normal and typical with gestational diabetes. To understand what’s going on, we need to understand a bit about gestational diabetes and how it works
Do you have to stop eating sugar if you have gestational diabetes?
A healthy diet for any health condition can include all foods with a few exceptions. If you have gestational diabetes, you should avoid foods or drinks with sugar because your blood sugars are already elevated. It’s also smart to reduce the amount of salt (sodium) in your diet to help control your blood pressure.
How many carbs a day should a pregnant woman eat with gestational diabetes?
Table 1 – Nutrition Recommendations for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
| Organization | General Recommendation for GDM | Carbohydrate-Specific Recommendations | Reference/Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics | Caloric intake should be calculated based on pre-pregnancy BMI and desirable weight gain; Caloric intake may be reduced by 30%, but not below 1600−1800 kcal/d; for women with diabetic nephropathy, protein may be lowered to 0.6−0.8 g/kg ideal body weight. | Carbohydrate intake should be limited to 35%–45% of total calories, with a minimum of 175 g CHO per day, distributed in three small-to-moderate sized meals and 2−4 snacks. | M. Hod et al./ International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 131 S3 (2015) S173–S211 |
| Endocrine Society | Medical nutrition therapy is recommended for all pregnant women with overt or gestational diabetes to help achieve and maintain desired glycemic control while providing essential nutrient requirements. | Carbohydrate should be limited to 35% to 45% of total calories, distributed in 3 small-to-moderate-sized meals and 2 to 4 snacks including an evening snack | Blumer I., Hadar E., Haddan DR., et al., Diabetes and Pregnancy: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endo Metab 2013:98:4227–4249. |
| American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists | Eat regular meals throughout the day; three meals and two–three snacks per day. Gain healthy amount of weight. | Complex CHO are recommended over simple CHO because they are digested more slowly, are less likely to produce significant postprandial hyperglycemia, and potentially reduce insulin resistance. | Obstetrics & Gynecology.131(2):e49–e64, FEBRUARY 2018 OI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002501 PMID: 29370047 Issn Print: 0029–7844 Publication Date: February 2018 |
| National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines | Advise women to eat a healthy diet during pregnancy, refer all women with gestational diabetes to a dietitian. | Foods with a low glycemic index should replace those with a high glycemic index. | NICE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guideline. Diabetes in pregnancy: Management from preconception to the postnatal period. Published: 25 February 2015 www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng3 |
| Diabetes Canada | Meal planning for women with GDM should emphasize a healthy diet during pregnancy. | Women should consume a minimum of 175 g/day of CHO, distributed over 3 moderate-sized meals and 2 or more snacks (1 of which should be at bedtime), replacing high-GI foods with low-GI ones. | Feig DS, Berger H., Donovan L., et al., Diabetes and Pregnancy. Diabetes Canada 2018. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada: Pharmacologic Glycemic Management of Type 2 Diabetes in Adults. Can J Diabetes 2018;42(Suppl 1):S255–S282. |
| American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics | A registered dietitian nutritionist (or international equivalent) should provide Medical Nutrition Therapy that includes an individual nutrition prescription and nutrition counseling for all women diagnosed with GDM. | All pregnant women should eat a minimum of 157 g CHO and 28 g fiber. The amount and type of CHO should be individualized based on nutrition assessment, treatment goals, blood glucose response and patient needs. Three meals and 2 or more snacks helps to distribute CHO intake and reduce postprandial blood glucose elevations. | Duarte Gardea et al., Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Gestational Diabetes Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guideline Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. September 2018 Volume 118, Issue 9, Pages 1719–1742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.03.014 |
| American Diabetes Association | The food plan should be based on a nutrition assessment with guidance from the Dietary Reference Intakes. | All pregnant women should eat a minimum of 175 g total CHO and 28 g fiber. For women with GDM, the amount and type of CHO will impact glucose levels, especially post-meal excursions. | American Diabetes Association.14. Management of Diabetes in Pregnancy: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.2019 Diabetes Care 2019;42(Suppl.1): S165–S172| https://doi.org/10.2337/dc19-S014 |
However, as commented in numerous publications, these dietary recommendations are limited by the lack of robust evidence. Randomized nutritional intervention trials that have evaluated dietary strategies focusing on CHO in women with or at risk of GDM have not shown consistent benefits on maternal or infant outcomes.
- The details of the studies, their dietary interventions and outcomes have been critically reviewed in other recent publications,
- Overall, it is widely viewed that these studies suffer from small sample size and thus are underpowered and observed benefits on LGA or other infant and maternal outcomes are not consistent across studies.
The most current Cochrane analysis did not show significant maternal and/or infant benefits; in contrast, Yamamoto et al. focused their primary analysis on maternal glycemic outcomes and concluded that interventions that improved maternal glycemic control would improve infant birthweight outcomes.
In agreement was another meta-analysis by Wan et al. who focused their meta-analysis on dietary intervention strategies to include all Chinese-language studies. Their conclusion was that CHO-modified diets were associated with improved glycemic control and infant birth outcomes in ethnic Chinese women with GDM.
Studies have evaluated nutritional interventions for preventing GDM Most have combined increasing physical activity with energy restriction through reducing on the quantity and/or changing the type of CHO to reduce or slow weight gain during early pregnancy.
- Studies and their findings are diverse.
- In the LIMIT trial over 2000 pregnant overweight and obese pregnant women were randomized before 20 weeks of gestation to standard of care or an intensive lifestyle arm including advice to reduce intake of refined CHO.
- Babies born to women in the intensive lifestyle intervention were significantly less likely to be LGA, have respiratory distress syndrome and had shorter hospital stays.
In the GI Baby 3 study of 139 women at high risk of GDM, those following low-GI diet advice required less insulin to maintain normoglycemia ( p = 0.007) compared to a group following a high-GI diet. Walsh et al., in the ROLO study, evaluated 800 women in their second half of pregnancy who were at high risk for GDM having previously delivered an infant weighting greater than 4 kg.
Pregnant women who were randomized to receive low-GI diet advice had significantly lower gestational weight gain and less maternal glucose intolerance compared to those following standard of care. However, the incidence of LGA infants was not reduced. The UPBEAT study randomized 1555 obese women to receive a standard of care or an intensive behavioral intervention to increase physical activity and improve diet quality with an emphasis on low-GI foods.
Despite improvements in gestational weight gain, the intervention was not associated with additional benefits. Most recently, Zhang et al., reviewed the effects of low-GI diets in all pregnant women, both those having healthy pregnancies, at risk for GDM, and those with GDM.
In a total of 11 trials involving 1985 women, low-GI diets significantly reduced fasting and two-hour postprandial glucose level. Pregnant women following low-GI diet advice had a higher risk of delivery of low for gestational age neonates; however, there were no significant benefits on maternal or newborn outcomes.
Taken together, a low-GI diet during early pregnancy can improve postprandial glucose and weight gain, at least in some studies. However, these interventions are not adequate to prevent GDM or to consistently reduce the incidence of LGA infants. Whether the type of CHO (low-GI or slowly digesting and low-GI) or additional factors are necessary to offset the rapidly changing and complex pathophysiology that occurs during pregnancy are unknown.
Additional insight into the role of CHO can be gained from observational studies that have investigated nutritional intakes and/or patterns before or during pregnancy and GDM; these studies show GDM is higher in those having higher intakes of meat and a lower intake of whole grain carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and fish.
These studies suggest that CHO along with other dietary components are likely involved. A high intake of saturated fat can interfere with insulin signaling, and they can also induce inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, both pathogenic factors in GDM.
Amino acids can act as substrates for hepatic glucose production and in hepatic lipotoxicity. Although CHO such as fructose found in fruit are lower GI, more slowly digesting CHO such as those found in whole grains can slow sugar absorption, reducing the demand on cells and insulin signaling mediators.
In addition, proper intake of micronutrients and polyunsaturated fats, including those derived from fish and seafood, have anti-inflammatory properties consistently associated with a reduced risk of GDM. Another key consideration in all intervention studies is the ability of the women to adopt the intervention.
How many carbs should you eat in a meal with gestational diabetes?
Steps to get started –
- Begin Counting Carbohydrates. To manage your blood sugar you will learn a technique called “carbohydrate (“carb”) counting”. This system helps you balance your meals and snacks throughout the day. Begin by reading the Nutrition Facts labels for “Total Carbohydrates”. Your target for will likely be 30-45 grams for meals and 15-30 grams for snacks. Details about Carbohydrate Counting.
- Eat smaller amounts of carbohydrates at each meal. Rather than eating a large amount of carbohydrate at a single meal, spread out your carbohydrates throughout the day. Eating carbohydrates directly affects your blood sugar level, so eating a smaller amount of carbohydrate at regular intervals through the day will help keep your blood sugar from rising too high after a meal
- Eat small, frequent meals and snacks. Eat about every 2 to 3 hours. Because you are eating fewer carbohydrates at your meals, you will needs to eat more frequently in order to meet your daily nutritional needs. Plan at least 3 meals and 3 snacks a day.
- Include protein at meals and snacks. You protein needs increase during your last trimester. Protein may help even out your blood glucose. It may also help you feel more satisfied throughout the day.
- Eat a very small breakfast, with a similar mid-morning snack about 2 hours later. Blood glucose levels tends to be higher in the morning. To offset this, your meal plan will probably include fewer carbs at breakfast than at lunch or dinner.
- Have a nighttime snack. It is good to eat a snack before you go to sleep to keep your blood sugar at a healthy level overnight. Some examples of healthy snacks include: a Greek yogurt, an apple with peanut butter or whole grain crackers with cheese.Choose high-fiber foods. Good sources include whole-grain breads and cereals, fresh and frozen vegetables, and beans. Fruits can also a good source of fiber — most plans include fruit in afternoon or evening meals and snacks.
- Watch out for sugar and concentrated sweets.
- Do not drink fruit juice. Plan to get your fruit servings later in the day (not at breakfast). Although fruits are a healthy source of carbohydrate, their carbs are easily absorbed and tend to raise blood glucose levels quickly.
- Avoid regular soft drinks, fruit juice and fruit drinks. High-carbohydrate drinks like these raise your blood glucose quickly.
- Limit desserts such as ice cream, pies, cakes, and cookies. These foods often have large amounts of added sugar, honey, or other sweeteners.
- Read labels carefully and check them for total carbohydrates per serving.
- Be careful about fat
- Consume lean protein foods, such as poultry and fish. Avoid high fat meats, lunch meat, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs.
- Remove all visible fat by removing the skin of poultry and trimming fat from meat.
- Bake, broil, steam, boil, or grill foods.
- Avoid frying. If you do fry foods, use nonstick pans, vegetable oil spray, or small amounts (1 to 2 teaspoons) of oil.
- Use skim or low-fat (1%) milk and dairy products.
- Limit or avoid adding extra fat, such as butter, margarine, sour cream, mayonnaise, avocados, cream, cream cheese, salad dressing, or nuts.
- Limit convenience foods. These are often higher in carbohydrate, fat, and sodium.
- Avoid instant noodles, canned soup, instant potatoes, frozen meals, and packaged foods.
Does insulin during pregnancy make you gain weight?
Discussion – Insulin is recommended as first-line treatment for hyperglycemia in GDM by the ADA and many other associations. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed the effect of insulin therapy on mothers with GDM and their fetus. Insulin therapy for about 12 weeks had a mild effect on maternal weight although it markedly increased BP.
To avoid confounding, a PSM method was applied and revealed that the effect of insulin on maternal BP persisted. Previous studies have evaluated the effects of insulin versus oral anti-diabetic drugs for treatment of GDM. Compared with oral anti-diabetic drugs, insulin has been associated with higher weight gain in GDM women,
Nonetheless in infants, no significant differences in risk of perinatal death, being born large-for-gestational age or serious neonatal outcomes have been reported. Insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia is largely attributed to obesity, a vital physiological character of GDM.
Although insulin therapy achieves effective glycemic control, it may aggravate hyperinsulinemia. Studies that have compared the effects on mothers with GDM and/or their fetus of insulin and lifestyle intervention showed no difference in weight gain between the two interventions. Our study retrospectively analyzed the effects of insulin therapy on maternal and neonatal outcomes and consistent with other studies found no difference in delivery mode, preterm delivery, or being born with macrosomia,
It is generally considered that insulin therapy may induce weight gain in diabetic patients, Physiological fluctuations in insulin play a critical role in the balance between energy storage and energy consumption. Insulin acts as an anabolic hormone to reduce lipolysis and protein catabolism and promote lipogenesis and protein formation.
- Studies in humans and mice have postulated that over-replacement of insulin in patients with diabetes produces a general anabolic effect that leads to increased fat accumulation and weight gain,
- Another mechanism proposed is that exogenous insulin first enters the peripheral tissues, such as adipose tissue and muscle tissue, resulting in increased fat synthesis.
This leads to a cluster of ectopic fat accumulation and insulin resistance. In our cohort study, the length of insulin treatment was only about 12 weeks in women with GDM. That didn’t lead to excessive weight gain in such women, however they had a higher BMI before delivery than those adopting lifestyle modifications alone.
The results hinted that short-term use of insulin results in a mild increase in weight, but if administered for longer than 12 weeks the adverse effect might be aggravated. Niromanesh et al. reported that pregnant women prescribed insulin therapy had higher BP and weight gain than those given metformin.
Our study showed that insulin therapy increased BP, and BP was positively associated with BMI and HOMA-IR. Wang F et al. demonstrated that insulin resistance or elevated fasting insulin concentration was independently associated with an exacerbated risk of hypertension in the general population.
Hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance may induce sodium reabsorption by the distal nephron segments, resulting in increased release of angiotensin II, the main effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system, and enhanced sympathetic activity, vascular resistance, and endothelial dysfunction, Ana et al.
aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which hyperinsulinemia increases BP during pregnancy using euglycemic hyperinsulinemia and normal pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats. The results demonstrated that sustained euglycemic hyperinsulinemia could raise blood pressure in pregnancy, independent of changes in glycemia.
Wang et al. reported similar results in Sprague-Dawley rat models in which hyperinsulinemia rather than insulin resistance played an important role in blood pressure elevation. The reduction of urinary sodium excretion also appeared to be an important mediator to link hyperinsulinemia and blood pressure.
Similar results were evident in our study. It is established that development of GDM shares the same risk factors as GH. To avoid bias, we matched variables that could affect BP prior to intervention (there was similar insulin resistance between two groups), and found no significant difference in glycemic control between the two groups although SBP and DBP remained higher in women prescribed insulin.
- The results also imply the effect of insulin of increasing BP independently of changes in glycemia and insulin resistance.
- Insulin is currently considered first-line therapy for glycemic control in pregnant women.
- Nonetheless it may not be the best option for GDM since it does not alter the pathophysiology.
New medicine needed to be developed or found which can improve the pathophysiology of GDM and be safety for mothers and fetus. There were some limitations of this study. All subjects were derived from one center and this may have led to biased results.
What makes gestational diabetes worse?
Being overweight or obese. Not being physically active. Having prediabetes. Having had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy.
Does gestational diabetes cause weight gain or weight loss?
Weight gain from gestational diabetes is common, but that didn’t make it any easier.
Can gestational diabetes cause the baby to be underweight?
How GDM Affects Babies – There are a number of complications that can result from gestational diabetes, some more serious for your baby than others:
- Placental insufficiency : Problems with the placenta and the transfer of oxygen and nutrients are not likely to occur in gestational diabetes, as these are usually only seen in pregestational diabetes. But, in rare cases, if gestational diabetes comes on early and is not controlled, placental issues can lead to a smaller-than-average baby and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).
- Macrosomia : Extra sugar in the pregnant parent’s blood passes to the child. It can lead to excessive growth and a larger-than-average baby.
- Delivery complications : Because of a baby’s larger size, injuries during childbirth such as the shoulders getting stuck (dystocia) in the birth canal, bleeding in the head (subdural hemorrhage), or low oxygen (hypoxia) can occur. The delivery may also require the use of forceps or a vacuum, and the chances of a C-section are much higher.
- Respiratory distress : In the weeks before a child is born, the lungs mature and produce something called surfactant. Surfactant coats the little sacs in the lungs and keeps them inflated when the baby breathes. If a baby is born early, their lungs may be immature and without enough surfactant. But, since diabetes also causes a decrease in the production of surfactant, even full-term babies can have breathing issues.
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) : The baby makes extra insulin to handle all the sugar that the parent passes to the baby during pregnancy. After birth, the supply of sugar is cut off, but the child still makes extra insulin. The additional insulin is too much so it brings their blood sugar levels down too low (known as hypoglycemia)
- Feeding problems : Prematurity, low blood sugar after birth, and difficulty breathing can make feedings more difficult.
- Jaundice : The breakdown of red blood cells creates bilirubin. When there is a lot of bilirubin or the body cannot get rid of it fast enough, the level of bilirubin in the blood increases, causing the skin and eyes to look yellow. In cases of GDM, babies may take longer to get the extra bilirubin out of their body if they are premature, larger than average, or have low blood sugar.
- Polycythemia : Sometimes a baby will be born with a high level of red blood cells as a result of a mom having diabetes. It can make the blood thick, and it can also contribute to breathing problems and jaundice.
- Long-term concerns : Along with the complications of prematurity or a birth injury, there is also a greater chance of developing diabetes and being overweight later in life.
Is it normal not to gain weight in third trimester?
Is it normal to lose weight at the end of pregnancy? – If you’re late in the third trimester, you may have reached the end of your pregnancy weight gain, Instead of going up, the numbers may stay the same or even dip slightly during these last few weeks before your baby’s arrival.
Does gestational diabetes get better later in pregnancy?
5 Tips for Women with Gestational Diabetes –
Eat Healthy Foods Eat healthy foods from a meal plan made for a person with diabetes. A dietitian can help you create a healthy meal plan. Learn more about diabetes meal planning, A dietitian can also help you learn how to control your blood sugar while you are pregnant. To find a registered dietician near you, please visit The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website,
Exercise Regularly Exercise is another way to keep blood sugar under control. It helps to balance food intake. After checking with your doctor, you can exercise regularly during and after pregnancy. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days a week. This could be brisk walking, swimming, or actively playing with children. Learn more about physical activity during pregnancy » Monitor Blood Sugar Often Because pregnancy causes the body’s need for energy to change, blood sugar levels can change very quickly. Check your blood sugar often, as directed by your doctor. Take Insulin, If Needed Sometimes a woman with gestational diabetes must take insulin. If insulin is ordered by your doctor, take it as directed in order to help keep blood sugar under control. Get Tested for Diabetes after Pregnancy Get tested for diabetes 6 to 12 weeks after your baby is born, and then every 1 to 3 years.For most women with gestational diabetes, the diabetes goes away soon after delivery. When it does not go away, the diabetes is called type 2 diabetes. Even if the diabetes does go away after the baby is born, half of all women who had gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes later. It’s important for a woman who has had gestational diabetes to continue to exercise and eat a healthy diet after pregnancy to prevent or delay getting type 2 diabetes. She should also remind her doctor to check her blood sugar every 1 to 3 years.
Women who had gestational diabetes or who develop prediabetes can also learn more about the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP), CDC-recognized lifestyle change programs. To find a CDC-recognized lifestyle change class near you, or join one of the online programs,