After Your Baby is Born

After I have my baby, how can I find out whether I have diabetes?

You should get tested for diabetes no later than 12 weeks after your baby is born. If your blood glucose is still high, you may have type 2 diabetes. Even if your blood glucose is normal, you still have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. Therefore, you should be tested for diabetes every 3 years.

How can I prevent or delay type 2 diabetes later in life?

You can do a lot to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Here are steps you should take if you had gestational diabetes:

• Be more active and make healthy food choices to get back to a healthy weight.
• Breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding gives your baby the right balance of nutrients and helps you burn calories.
• If your test results show that you could get diabetes and you are overweight, ask your doctor about what changes you can make to lose weight and for help in making them. Your doctor may recommend that you take medicine such as metformin to help prevent type 2 diabetes.

Learn more about preventing type 2 diabetes.

How can I help my child be healthy?

You can help your child be healthy by showing him or her how to make healthy lifestyle choices, including

• being physically active
• limiting time watching TV, playing video games, or using a mobile device or computer
• making healthy food choices
• staying at a healthy weight

Making healthy choices helps the whole family and may protect your child from developing obesity or diabetes later in life.

Learn more about helping your child develop healthy habits.