Gestational diabetes: Monitoring blood glucose levels

Is your gestational diabetes management plan working?

• To measure your success at lowering your blood glucose level, you need to check your levels four or more times throughout the day with a small device called a blood glucose meter. There are several different makes and models. Your health care provider or diabetes educator will help you select a meter and teach you how to use it.
• Besides monitoring blood glucose levels, your health care provider will also ask you to check your urine for ketones.

Checking and recording blood glucose levels

It is important to check your blood glucose at consistent, regular times. For results to be most accurate, meals should be eaten in 30 minutes or less.

• Each day, check your blood glucose before you eat breakfast
• You also need to check it after the start of breakfast (meal one), lunch (meal two) and dinner (meal three).

Your health care provider or diabetes educator will tell you exactly when you should check your blood glucose and what your acceptable blood glucose ranges are.

Keep a written record of your blood glucose levels. Share the results at each prenatal visit.

Your health care provider may also ask that you call weekly to report your results. Be prepared to read your record over the phone. Also, be ready to discuss what you've eaten and when you've eaten.

Having an out-of-range reading

Ask your diabetics health care provider about when you should call the clinic with an out-of-range blood glucose reading.

If you have an out-of-range reading, try to determine whether you've eaten at an unusual time or chosen foods outside your meal plan. Call your diabetes educator or dietitian with questions. You may only need to make some simple changes to your meal plan.

If you have two or more out-of-range readings within one week, your health care provider may review your diet and exercise plan and may also investigate your need for insulin.

When to call your health care provider

Call if you have two or more unexplained out-of-range blood glucose level results.

Related Links

Worksheet: Checking and recording blood glucose levels (requires Adobe Reader)

Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose)

How food affects blood glucose levels

How stress affects blood glucose levels

How exercise affects blood glucose levels

Learning about ketones

First published: 11/27/2006
Last updated: 11/27/2006

Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts