April 9, 2000
Gestational Diabetes
Question from Beaumont, Texas, USA:
I am currently 34 1/2 weeks pregnant and was just diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I start my new diet today. I notice a lot of people test fasting and 2 hours after meals, but my dietitian said I was to test fasting, and 1 hour post meals. Also, it seems they expect my levels to be lower than what I have read elsewhere — below 90 fasting, and below 120 at 1 hour after meals. Any idea why this is? Also, should I start seeing these numbers right away, or does it take a few days for you to start seeing good numbers? The dietitian said if 2 or 3 numbers in a week were high then I may have to use insulin, but she didn’t say if this started with my first reading or not.
Answer:
My approach is to try and achieve a fasting blood sugar less than 105 mg/dl (preferably 70-90 mg/dl) and a 1 hour post meal blood sugar less than 130 mg/dl or 2 hour post meal less than 120 mg/dl. A few days may be required to see any benefits of the diet.
OWJ
