Gestational Diabetes / Glucose Testing...sugar during pregnancy
One-Hour Glucose Tolerance Test:
This test should be done between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. Take your order sheet to registration and they will send you to the lab. The lab technician will ask you to drink some syrup and wait for one hour. At the end of the hour the lab technician will draw your blood. Your blood will then be tested to determine how much sugar it still contains. If the results are high you will need to have a three-hour glucose tolerance test.
Three-Hour Glucose Tolerance Test:
This test is necessary only if the result of your one-hour test is high. The test is similar to the one-hour glucose tolerance test except that one tube of blood is drawn every hour for three hours after you drink the syrup. If the results of your three-hour test are high you will have to monitor your blood sugar levels at home for the remainder of your pregnancy.
Gestational Diabetes:
If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes you will need to monitor your blood sugar levels at home on a regular basis. It is important to keep your levels well maintained to prevent other problems during the pregnancy. High levels of sugar in the blood can result in a very large baby. You will also be sent to the labor and delivery unit for non-stress testing twice a week for the rest of your pregnancy.
Non-Stress Testing:
If you are told you need a non-stress test you should report to the maternity unit. For this test, two belts are placed around your abdomen. One belt monitors your baby's heart rate and the other belt checks for contractions. You will need to eat before coming to the maternity unit for this test, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple of hours.