The 9 questions to ask at your first gestational diabetes appointment

Print this, screenshot it, or just have it open on your phone. Most women leave the first appointment realising they forgot to ask the things that actually mattered.

Before anything else — nothing you ate caused this. Gestational diabetes is driven by hormones from the placenta that make your body resist its own insulin. It happens to women of every size and every diet.

What exactly are my targets?
Fasting, one hour after eating, two hours after eating. Write the numbers down — clinics differ, and every decision from here compares against these.
How many times a day should I test, and when exactly?
And is the one-hour timer from my first bite or from when I finish eating?
Who do I send my numbers to, and how often?
Ask for the preferred format. It changes how you should be recording them.
Can I see a dietitian, and how soon?
Ask directly. A referral is often available but not automatically offered.
What would make you consider medication, and what would that involve?
Knowing the threshold in advance takes the fear out of the conversation later.
How will my appointment schedule change from here?
Scans, monitoring, how often you'll be seen.
What symptoms should make me call you immediately?
Get this list explicitly, and save the after-hours number in your phone before you leave.
Does this change how or when I deliver?
Including whether your glucose will be monitored during labour, and whether the baby will be checked afterwards.
When should I book my postpartum glucose test, and who orders it?
Ask now. It falls due weeks after birth, when you'll have a newborn and no capacity to organise anything — and it's the most commonly missed step in the whole pathway.

One more thing worth knowing

If your fasting number stays stubborn no matter what you eat at night — that's extremely common, and it's physiology rather than a failure of willpower. Fasting glucose is mostly produced by your liver overnight. Bring the pattern to your provider rather than trying to out-diet it.

This list came from GlucoMum — a complete system for organising everything gestational diabetes asks you to track, so you walk into every appointment with clean data instead of a folded paper log.

See GlucoMum — $49

GlucoMum is a personal organisation and tracking tool. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your pregnancy and your health.