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Gestational diabetes: the tests, the targets, the care, and after the baby

For anyone just told they have gestational diabetes, anyone with a glucose test coming up in pregnancy, and anyone who had it before. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, and that managing it can help you and your baby stay healthy. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: what it is and what it can do to the baby and to you; the symptoms (usually none), the causes, and who is more likely to get it; the glucose challenge test and the glucose tolerance test, and what the numbers mean; managing it with an eating plan, activity, ketone checks, and insulin if needed; the daily blood glucose targets; and the test after the baby is born. It builds the words to say and the questions to ask, and prints a card for the fridge with a line for each number.

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This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor, nurse or midwife has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 18, 2026 on NIDDK’s Gestational Diabetes pages (NIH, all sections), last reviewed in May 2017, and their Spanish version, also May 2017; they say the same things. The cards also point to NIDDK’s Health Tips for Pregnant Women, Preventing Type 2 Diabetes and My Daily Blood Glucose Record. The numbers (24 to 28 weeks; 1 hour after the drink; 140 or more, and 200 or more; fasting at least 8 hours; every hour for 2 to 3 hours; two or more high results; ketones above a level such as 200; 30 minutes, 5 days a week; 95, 140 and 120 or less; 37 weeks; no later than 12 weeks after the baby is born, then every 3 years) are NIDDK’s, and NIDDK gives the glucose numbers without units. NIDDK writes “women” and “mother”; this page says “you”. Ours: 911 for trouble breathing, chest pain, a seizure, or fainting; calling your doctor or midwife now when something feels wrong with the pregnancy or the baby; never stopping or changing insulin or a prescribed medicine on your own; asking which test it is, whether to fast, and how long it takes; asking which units your meter shows and what your own targets are; asking when to check ketones; writing your numbers, targets and the date of the test after the baby on the card; saying when food costs or your schedule make the plan hard; that a higher chance is not a diagnosis and not your fault; 988 when it is too much; health centers when money is tight; and the order of the steps. What we left out: the names of the two diabetes pills NIDDK says are still being studied in pregnancy and of the medicine it mentions for after, brands and doses, the clinical trials section, the references, and NIDDK’s outside links. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.