The action plan

Your diabetes health care team will help you establish your target blood sugar range. Then you'll come up with your diabetes treatment plan together, which will likely include:

• Checking your blood sugar often. Frequent blood sugar monitoring can help you prevent low blood sugar and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Managing your blood sugar is the best way to promote a healthy pregnancy and prevent diabetes complications. Ask your doctor if continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) might be a better option for tracking your blood sugar throughout your pregnancy.
• Reviewing your medications with your doctor. Your health care provider will discuss the best medications for your diabetes and any other conditions you have during your pregnancy. While some diabetes medications are safe to use in pregnancy, others have not been well studied. Discuss your medications with your health care provider before stopping or continuing to take them. If you also have high blood pressure, some medications — such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors — aren't considered safe in pregnancy.
• Adding medication during pregnancy. Beginning in the second trimester, low-dose aspirin is recommended to reduce the risk of preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication associated with high blood pressure.

• Being flexible. If you're taking insulin, you'll need to adjust your dosage depending on your blood sugar levels, what you eat, whether you're vomiting and various other factors. The stage of your pregnancy affects your insulin needs, too.

  In the beginning of your pregnancy, you'll likely need less insulin than usual. But during the last three months of pregnancy, hormones made by the placenta to help the baby grow can block the effect of insulin in your body. As a result, you might need more insulin than usual to counteract that resistance.

• Preparing for an emergency. If you don't already have glucagon on hand, ask your doctor for a prescription. Glucagon is a hormone that can quickly raise your blood sugar level if it dips dangerously low.
• Eating a healthy diet. Your diabetes diet probably includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Although you can eat the same foods during pregnancy, your health care provider or registered dietitian might suggest changes to your meal plan to help you avoid problems with low blood sugar or high blood sugar. It's also important to take prenatal vitamins containing folic acid.
• Managing weight gain. Talk with your health care provider about how much weight gain is appropriate during pregnancy. This will vary depending on your pre-pregnancy weight.

• Including physical activity in your daily routine. Get your health care provider's OK to exercise, then choose activities you enjoy. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week.

  If you haven't been active for a while, start slowly. Check your blood sugar before and after any activity, especially if you take insulin. You might need to eat a snack. Or have your health care provider adjust your medication before exercising to help prevent low blood sugar.

• Scheduling regular prenatal checkups. Your health care provider might recommend extra clinic appointments and prenatal screening tests to monitor your baby's growth and development.

Remember, your health care team is there to help you manage your blood sugar level and prevent complications. If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask for help.