Our team is uniquely qualified to work with you to manage your diabetes during your pregnancy.
Overview
M Health Fairview's team of diabetes education specialists includes dietitians, nurses and pharmacists all with a special interest and education in diabetes care. Our team is uniquely qualified to work with you to manage your diabetes during your pregnancy through diet and lifestyle adjustments, frequent monitoring of blood sugars, and medication management as needed. We will work closely with your OB team to ensure that we are all doing everything we can to keep you and your baby safe and well cared for!
Our diabetes education team offers visits in 30 clinics throughout the Twin Cities metro area and some virtual care, as well.
Our approach
We work as a team to manage gestational diabetes - you, your diabetes educator, your OB team and diabetes specialists (Endocrinologists), as needed. Together we can ensure that you feel confident, comfortable, and prepared for the ups and downs of diabetes during pregnancy and that you and your baby are well cared for throughout.
The Gestational Diabetes Education Program includes multiple opportunities to gain all the information you need to manage your diabetes during pregnancy:
Step 1 - your OB team has diagnosed you with gestational diabetes and has placed a referral to see our diabetes education team. They may have sent you to this website for resources. Feel free to start reading up!
Step 2 – within a week of your referral, attend a virtual group class to learn the basics of gestational diabetes management.
Classes are offered every week via Zoom Medical on Mondays at 12:30pm and Wednesdays at 9am.
Step 3 - attend an in-person one-on-one appointment within about a week of your virtual class with one of our diabetes educators at the location of your choice. This visit will include individualized guidance on healthy eating, a review of blood sugar results, discussion of medication and help to answer any other questions you may have.
A scheduler will be calling to get you enrolled in class and schedule your in person one-on-one appointment. If you have not heard from them within 2 days of your referral, or you would like to schedule as soon as possible, please call 651-232-5757 to schedule these appointments.
Step 4 - meet at least one more time with your diabetes educator, either in person or virtually 1-3 weeks after your in-person appointment, to review your blood sugar results and discuss after delivery care
Step 5 - determine a follow up plan with your diabetes educator - our program includes review of your blood sugars as determined by your diabetes educator, usually every 1-3 weeks, and the opportunity for you to have support and get questions answered until you go into labor.
Step 6 - Baby is born and you have graduated from our program!
It is recommended to have another glucose tolerance test 4-12 weeks after baby is born due to risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This can be discussed with your OB team as well as your diabetes educator, as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have been referred by your doctor or midwife to our program because you've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes - a type of diabetes that affects only pregnant people.
Our diabetes education team consists of dietitians, nurses, and pharmacists with special training to help you manage your diabetes during pregnancy. Your first visit is a virtual group class taught by one of our diabetes educators. After class, you will meet a diabetes educator in person who will follow up with you to help manage your blood sugars until your baby is born.
There are a lot of topics to cover when managing gestational diabetes, so we have created this program to be sure you get all the information you need. Most women have at least 3 visits and if insulin is needed may need up to twice weekly visits until they have their baby.
- The virtual class is 90 minutes.
- Follow up appointments are 30-60 minutes.
- As your pregnancy progresses, you can discuss with your diabetes educator how often you will need to follow-up and the possibility of using MyChart to message us with updates.
- Diabetes during pregnancy
- Risks of high blood sugar to baby and to you
- Guidelines for healthy eating to manage blood sugar in pregnancy
- How to check blood sugar
- How to keep records of blood sugar and what you eat and drink
- How to use insulin, if needed
- What to do after your baby is born
If blood sugar numbers are above goal, reach out to your diabetes educator to determine a plan. It is not uncommon for women to need an injectable medication called insulin during a pregnancy with gestational diabetes. This is the safest medication choice for both you and your baby and we will teach you how to use this safely and effectively.
MyChart is the best way to contact your diabetes educator between visits - send them a message directly to get answers to any questions you have. If you need to call us, call 651-232-5757 to get a message to our team.
If you are experiencing labor pain or complications with your pregnancy, call 911 or reach out to your OB directly.