How To Deal With Gestational Diabetes

Follow the diet your doctor gives you. It likely will consist largely of high-fiber fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes; simple sugars and carbohydrates will be limited. The goal of the diet is to maintain a normal blood-sugar level.

Exercise according to your obstetrician’s guidelines. Experts say daily walking and swimming are especially good workouts for pregnant women.

If diet and exercise don’t bring down your blood-sugar levels, your doctor may have you inject yourself with insulin or take an oral medication.

Keep on top of your condition by testing your blood sugar with a blood-glucose meter several times a day: When waking up in the morning; before each meal; and an hour or two after each meal. Call your doctor immediately if your blood-sugar level is high.

Return to your doctor six to 12 weeks after giving birth to have your blood sugar retested. For most women, their blood-sugar levels return to normal after they give birth.

Stick with your anti-diabetes diet and exercise plan so you won’t become part of the approximately 50 percent of women who develop type 2 diabetes within five years of having gestational diabetes.