Many women with gestational diabetes have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies because they follow the treatment plan that their health care providers set up for them.

This booklet gives you general guidelines for how to stay healthy with gestational diabetes. Your health care provider can build a treatment program to meet your specific needs. Remember that the most important person in the treatment plan is YOU. You are the one who will be doing the work to keep yourself healthy. Make sure you feel comfortable asking questions and talking to your health care provider about any worries that you have.

One of the most important things you can do to help ensure a healthy pregnancy is to make regular health care appointments and keep them. In this way, your health care provider can catch any problems before they become major health issues.


A general treatment plan to control gestational diabetes may include these items:

• Knowing your blood sugar (also called glucose) level and keeping it under control
• Eating a healthy diet, as outlined by your health care provider
• Getting regular, moderate physical activity
• Maintaining a healthy weight gain
• Keeping daily records of your diet, physical activity, and glucose levels
• Taking insulin and/or other medications as prescribed

• Test your urine for ketones, if needed
• Have your blood pressure checked as indicated