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                After Your Baby is BornAfter 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.
A smiling mother and baby.You can take steps to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and help your child be healthy.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 weightMaking 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.        Last Reviewed May 2017
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                This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.
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