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Diabetes In Pregnancy
Monitoring Blood Sugar
The level of sugar in your blood is affected by:
- Your diet
- Your activity level
- The insulin in your body
- Stress
Checking your blood sugar is very motivating. It gives you immediate feedback and lets you fine-tune your routine accordingly. It also lets your doctor adjust your treatment, if necessary.
How Is Self (Or Home) Blood Glucose Monitoring Done?
Self-monitoring your
- Lancets to prick your skin, or a spring-loaded finger-sticking device
- Chemically treated test strips and color chart to compare the color on the test
- Glucose meter to read the test strip and give a numerical result (One system on the market requires a smaller blood sample than most, which permits testing from multiple sites. This may be less painful than testing at the fingertip.)
- A log book
The more often you monitor, the more precisely you can control your blood sugar.
If you don’t take insulin, test your blood sugar:
- When you wake up
- One to two hours after meals
If you take insulin, test your blood sugar:
- One hour before and one hour after meals
- Before bed
- About 3 a.m.
Nice To Know: Ask about renting a glucose meter, instead of buying one, if you have |
What Should Blood Sugar Levels Be During Pregnancy?
Talk to your doctor about the target ranges that meet your needs. Goals may be a little higher in the first trimester.
Time Measured |
Normal levels during pregnancy |
Goal |
before eating |
60-90 mg/dl |
60-105 mg/dl |
one hour after eating |
less than 120 mg/dl |
110-130 mg/dl |
two hours after eating |
less than 120 mg/dl |
90-120 mg/dl |
Contact your doctor if you have two consecutive glucose readings greater than 200 mg/dl
What Other Tests Are Needed?
Besides blood testing, you may be asked to check your urine for
Ketones cross the
- Don’t skip meals or snacks.
- Have a bedtime snack that contains carbohydrates and protein, such as cheese and crackers.
- Don’t go more than five hours without eating.
How To Information: Test your urine for ketones first thing every morning and any time your blood sugar goes over 240 mg/dl. Chemically treated strips of paper change color when dipped in urine that contains ketones. |