Gestational diabetes: Checking your blood sugar
Why monitor your blood sugar?
Monitoring your blood sugar level at home helps put your mind at ease by helping you:
- Know when your blood sugar is low. Most women who have gestational diabetes do not experience low blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar drops just below your safe level and you quickly eat something that contains sugar, your blood sugar will not drop to a level that is dangerous for you and your baby.
- Know when your blood sugar is high. Frequent high blood sugar levels may lead to high blood pressure, your baby growing too large to be delivered naturally, and your baby having low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) soon after birth.
- Know what your blood sugar level is before a meal. If you take insulin, you can use your results to determine how much insulin to take.
- Know how exercise affects your blood sugar. Exercise usually lowers your blood sugar level.
- Know what your blood sugar is when you are sick. Severe illness or stress usually causes higher-than-normal blood sugar levels.
- Know when the foods you eat or the amount of insulin you take (if you take insulin) need to be adjusted.
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| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: December 4, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Lois Jovanovic, MD - Endocrinology | |
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