Dealing with low blood sugar when you have gestational diabetes

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Dealing with low blood sugar when you have gestational diabetes

Take the following steps to deal with low blood sugar:

• Go over the symptoms of low blood sugar so you can recognize them early. Keep these with you and have another copy posted in a convenient place so you and other people can check your symptoms whenever you think you may have low blood sugar.
• Check your blood sugar level using your blood sugar (glucose) meter. You may not always know that your blood sugar level is dropping.
• Drink fat-free milk or eat quick-sugar foods. If you drink of fat-free milk, it will raise your blood sugar level 25 mg/dL to 30 mg/dL. If fat-free milk is not available, eat some quick-sugar food, such as a tablespoon of sugar or a few pieces of hard candy, or drink ½ cup of fruit juice or soda pop. Liquids will raise your blood sugar faster than solid foods.
• Check your blood sugar level 10 to 15 minutes after you eat or drink something, because that is how long it will take for the sugar to get into your blood.
• Wait another 10 to 15 minutes and check your blood sugar again. If your blood sugar is still below 70 mg/dL, eat or drink something that contains sugar, such as milk.
• Eat a regular meal or a snack. When your blood sugar has returned to above 70 mg/dL, eat a regular meal or a snack.

If your blood sugar level remains below 70 mg/dL or you are getting more confused or sleepy, call 911 or other emergency services immediately. Follow the guidelines in emergency care for low blood sugar. If possible, have someone stay with you until your blood sugar is above 60 mg/dL or until emergency service arrives.

Credits

Last updated:	December 04, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Lois Jovanovic, MD - Endocrinology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC