At one of my OB check-ups last month, I was treated to a bottle of sugary fruit punch as part of the standard 1-hour glucose test.

After an hour, a tech drew my blood and I was on my way. I didn’t have any concerns about this test — where the blood sugar levels are measured to detect gestational diabetes.

That is, until I got word the next day that I didn’t pass. Yikes!

Panic was my first reaction. Have I been unhealthy? Am I hurting my baby? Will I have to stop eating sugar and fruit and carbs?

I wrote an article about gestational diabetes for Maryland Family magazine a few years ago, so I know the basics:
-It’s a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy.
-It can result in an overweight baby if not controlled through diet.
-Anyone can develop it, and it’s not necessarily reflective of a woman’s health, fitness or lifestyle.

However:
-Women with gestational diabetes are at higher risk for developing diabetes in the future.
-Babies born to women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

My OB office sent me to a lab for a follow-up 3-hour test, for which fasting is required. I went the very next morning, arriving 10 minutes before the lab even opened.

What followed was another bottle of sugar-yuck, and sitting around waiting for blood to be drawn each hour. A total of four needle pricks left my arms looking … colorful, shall we say. (Pale folk such as myself bruise easily.)

The waiting game continued over the weekend for my next set of results.

Like many-a-modern gal, I googled 3-hour glucose test to see what other pregnant women had to say. There were those who couldn’t keep the sugar formula down, those who didn’t want to take the test for fear of the results or for fear of boredom (just take a book, right?!), and those who offered “tricks” to pass. That seems ridiculous to me. The point isn’t to cheat the test, it’s to get an accurate and honest result. (And then act on those results, if necessary.)

When Monday rolled around, I was relieved to learn that I’d passed the 3-hour test and was in the clear. Different doctors have different standards when it comes to the glucose screening. Apparently mine uses a lower threshold when evaluating which patients should get the additional testing. And that’s fine with me. The worry was worse than the procedure itself.

My tips:
-Take a book and/or a laptop computer to stay occupied.
-Ask the person drawing your blood to alternate arms, so one of your arms doesn’t end up sore.
-Keep track of the time and remind the staff when it’s time for your next blood drawing. Apparently, there’s a slim window of time each hour for this to happen so the drawings are evenly spaced and don’t nullify the results.
-Pack a snack and a big bottle of water for AFTER the test. I was instructed not to eat or drink anything (including water) during my 3-hour test. So when it was over, I was glad I had food and water at the ready.