In most cases, gestational diabetes resolves itself after birth.  Your blood sugar numbers will usually return to normal because the major source of the hormones that lead to gestational diabetes, the placenta, is gone.  Sometimes, however, blood sugar levels do not return to normal after pregnancy, so it is very important to continue monitoring after you have your baby.

A local health care provider told me that she has seen women whose numbers did not return to normal for up to a year, so sometimes it will eventually resolve itself, but without monitoring you have no way of knowing.  It is very tempting to want to splurge after the baby is born, and while a little more leeway usually won’t hurt anything, going crazy on carbs can really cause your blood sugar to get too high.

At a very minimum, if you do not wish to monitor with a blood sugar meter on a regular basis, you should at least be tested at your 6-week postpartum checkup to make sure your numbers are back down to where they should be.

Also, gestational diabetes results in as much as a 60 percent greater risk for type 2 diabetes, so you should be checked at around six months and then every three years to make sure your gestational diabetes does not develop into type 2.

Keeping tabs on your numbers right after delivery can help you maintain a healthier lifestyle while you wait for your numbers to return to normal.  Since type 2 diabetes can cause many health problems, staying aware of your blood sugar levels is important to long-term health.