Your health care provider will check your blood sugar level often, starting right after your baby is born. For most women, blood sugar levels go back to normal quickly after having their babies.

Six weeks² after your baby is born, you should have a blood test to find out whether your blood sugar level is back to normal. This test is similar to the one you took to find out whether or not you had gestational diabetes. Based on the results of the test, you will fall into one of three categories.

AFTER-PREGNANCY TEST CATEGORIES 2, 12
If your category is¡­	You should¡­
Normal	Get checked for diabetes every three years.
Impaired Glucose Tolerance	Get checked for diabetes every year. Talk to your health care provider about ways to lower your risk level for diabetes.
Diabetic	Work with your health care provider to set up a treatment plan for your diabetes.

The test also checks your risk for getting diabetes in the future. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 40 percent higher chance^2,3 than women who haven't had gestational diabetes of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Getting checked for diabetes is important because type 2 diabetes shows few symptoms. The only way to know for sure that you have type 2 diabetes is to have a blood test that reveals a higher-than-normal blood sugar level. You should also tell your health care provider right away if you notice any of these things:

• Being very thirsty
• Urinating often
• Feeling constantly or overly tired
• Losing weight quickly and/or without reason