Diabetes and Pregnancy
If you are a woman with diabetes, you still can have a healthy baby. You need to take extra care before and during your pregnancy. Learn how to get ready for a healthy pregnancy.
If you are a woman with diabetes, you still can have a healthy baby. Talk with your doctor about whether it is safe for you to become pregnant. Ask your doctor what you need to do before you get pregnant, how to prevent pregnancy while you are getting your blood sugar under control, and how to keep your blood sugar under tight control both before and during your pregnancy. If you find that you are pregnant before your blood sugar in control, the best way to care for your baby is to start now to control your blood sugar. Talk with your doctor to learn how.
Controlling your diabetes before and during your pregnancy will help prevent such problems as birth defects, prematurity, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
5 things you can do to help…
1. Plan your pregnancy and get your body ready before you get pregnant
- See your doctor before you plan to get pregnant and as often as recommended during your pregnancy. You might have to take medicines or change your current medicines, including those you take for diabetes.
- Control your blood sugar before and during pregnancy to reduce your chance of having a baby with a birth defect.
- Work with your doctor to prevent problems or catch them early (i.e., preeclampsia [pre-e-clamp-sea-ah]), or to prevent existing problems from worsening (i.e., kidney, eye, or heart disease).
2. Eat healthy foods and stay active
- Work with a dietitian or diabetes educator to develop a diabetes meal plan for yourself. Learn what and how to eat to keep your blood sugar in control.
- Stay active to help keep your blood sugar in control. Exercise regularly—before, during, and after pregnancy. Moderate exercise, such as walking briskly, 2 hours and 30 minutes per week (i.e. 15 minutes twice a day, 5 days a week) is a good goal if your doctor is okay with it.
3. Take your medicines
- Follow your doctor's advice.
- Take your medicines as directed, including insulin (in-suh-lin) if ordered by your doctor.
4. Monitor your blood sugar often
- Be aware that your blood sugar can change very quickly, becoming too high or too low. What you eat, how physically active you are, and your growing baby will change your blood sugar many times during the day.
- Check your blood sugar often— as directed by your doctor and any time you have symptoms.
- Know what blood sugar levels mean. Learn how to adjust what and when you eat; how physically active you are; and, if prescribed, how much insulin to take depending on your blood sugar tests.
5. Control and treat low blood sugar right away
- Check your blood sugar right away if you have symptoms.
- Treat low blood sugar quickly. Always carry with you a quick source of sugar, like hard candy or glucose tablets.
- Wear a medical alert diabetes bracelet.
Blood Sugar Levels
Even if you have kept your blood sugar in good control before you get pregnant, it can be harder to keep control during pregnancy. But, it's important to do your best! The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says you should try to keep your blood sugar above 70 mg/dL and below these levels:
ACOG Recommendations | The Levels My Doctor Recommends | |
Before meals | 95 mg/dL or lower | |
1 hour after eating | 130 mg/dL or lower | |
2 hours after eating | 120 mg/dL or lower |
Blood Sugar is measured in milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL)
Your doctor might recommend different blood sugar levels. Ask your doctor to write in the chart above the levels you should have.
View and print brochure containing blood sugar levels chart >> [PDF 1.30MB]
High Blood Sugar
Your blood sugar is high when the numbers are 130 mg/dL or higher. High blood sugar can:
- Make you thirsty
- Cause headaches
- Make you go to the bathroom often to urinate (pee)
- Make it hard to pay attention
- Blur your vision
- Make you feel weak or tired
- Cause yeast infections
Low Blood Sugar
Your blood sugar is low when the numbers are 70 mg/dL or less. Low blood sugar is also called hypoglycemia (hi-poh-gli-see-me-ah). Low blood sugar can:
- Make you feel hungry
- Make you sweat
- Cause headaches
- Cause weakness
- Make you feel dizzy or shaky
- Make you feel anxious or cranky
- Cause you to feel confused
- Make your heart feel like it's beating too fast
- Make you look pale
If you notice any of these signs or symptoms, check your blood sugar. If it is low, eat or drink a source of quick sugar— like 5-6 pieces of hard candy, 3-4 glucose tablets, or 6 ounces of fruit juice or soft drink (not diet). Check your blood sugar again in 15 minutes. If it's not better, eat or drink a source of quick sugar again. When you feel better, have a protein snack like cheese and crackers or half a peanut butter sandwich. Talk with your doctor if you have two or more low blood sugars in one week.
More Information
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