# Day 164: Gestational diabetes, on one page

> Twenty-three weeks and three days. Before the glucose test, one calm page: what gestational diabetes is, when you're tested, and how most women manage it.

- Series: Your sixth month of pregnancy, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-6), day 164 of 280, 23 weeks + 3 days
- Your baby this week: about the size of a large mango; around 28.9 cm from head to heel
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-6/day-164
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 164: Gestational diabetes, on one page." Last reviewed October 22, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-6/day-164

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Twenty-three weeks and three days. The glucose test is a few weeks off. Today you write one page about the thing it looks for, so the word stops sounding bigger than it is.

## Your baby

Around 28.9cm long from head to heel, about the size of a large mango, with limbs now in proportion ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-23/)). Your baby is practising breathing and developing sleep and wake patterns ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-23/)).

## Your body

Gestational diabetes can develop during pregnancy in women who didn't already have diabetes. It usually develops around the 24th week and often causes no symptoms, which is why testing matters ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html)). The risk factors include having had it before, a previous baby weighing over 9 pounds, being overweight, a family history of type 2 diabetes, and PCOS ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html)).

If it's found, most women control their blood sugar with a healthy meal plan; some also need insulin ([OWH](https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/pregnancy-complications)). It matters because babies of mothers with gestational diabetes tend to be larger, which raises the chance of a birth injury or a C-section ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000896.htm)). Blood sugar often returns to normal after delivery ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000896.htm)), but about half of women who had gestational diabetes later develop type 2 diabetes ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html)), so follow-up continues for years afterwards ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000896.htm)).

## Try today

### The gestational-diabetes page

- **Time:** 10 minutes

1. At the top of a page, write what it is in one line: high blood sugar that starts in pregnancy, usually around 24 weeks, often with no symptoms ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000896.htm); [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html)).
2. Underneath, write when you'll be tested: typically between 24 and 28 weeks ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html)), plus your own date once you have it.
3. Then write how it's usually handled: most women manage with a meal plan, some need insulin ([OWH](https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/pregnancy-complications)). If you're diagnosed, ask your care team for help with meal planning ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007430.htm)).
4. At the bottom, one question for your provider. Keep the page with your appointment notes.

**Make it work:** One page, not a research project. If you find yourself reading forums at midnight, close them and look at your page instead.

## Watch for

- **Normal:** indigestion and heartburn, on this stage's symptom list ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-21/)). **Seek urgent care** for burning chest pain with squeezing or pressure, or vomit that is bloody or looks like coffee grounds ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003114.htm)).
- **Normal:** tiredness that sleep or a nap helps ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-21/)). **Call your provider** for overwhelming tiredness; it's on the CDC's urgent warning list ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).
- **Normal:** feeling hot ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-21/)). **Call your provider** for a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).

## For you

One thing not to do, whatever you've read: don't try to lose weight while you're pregnant. The CDC says some weight gain is needed for a healthy baby, and to ask your doctor how much to gain ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html)).

If you're the partner: if a diagnosis comes, a meal plan is easier for a household than for one person. Eat what she eats.

## Sources

- NHS. "Week 23." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-23/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Gestational Diabetes." Diabetes. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html
- Office on Women's Health. "Pregnancy complications." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/pregnancy-complications
- MedlinePlus. "Gestational diabetes." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000896.htm
- MedlinePlus. "Gestational diabetes diet." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007430.htm
- NHS. "Week 21." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-21/
- MedlinePlus. "Heartburn." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003114.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Urgent Maternal Warning Signs and Symptoms." HEAR HER campaign, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html