Gestational Diabetes: Giving Yourself Insulin Shots
Introduction
If you have
gestational diabetes and you have not been able to
keep your blood sugar levels within a target range by changing the way you eat
and by exercising, you may need
insulin shots.
Key points
- Taking insulin can help prevent high blood
sugar. High blood sugar can lead to problems for you and your
baby.
- Insulin is given as a shot into the fatty tissue just under
the skin. In pregnant women, insulin usually is given in the upper arm or
thigh.
- At first, you may feel nervous about giving yourself insulin
shots. But after a little while, it will become a routine part of your day. It
is not hard to learn how to do. And any sting you might feel will not last
long. More than 500,000 people in the United States do this every day. You can,
too.
- Make sure that you:
- Have the right dose of insulin,
especially if you are giving two types of insulin in the same
syringe.
- Practice how to give your shot.
- Store the
insulin properly so that each dose will work well.
Insulin comes in small glass bottles (vials) and cartridges. Each type of
container is sealed with a rubber lid. One vial or cartridge contains many
doses. To remove a dose of insulin from:
-
A vial: You will use an
insulin syringe to get the insulin and to give yourself a shot.
-
A cartridge: You will use a pen-shaped device
called an insulin pen. The cartridge fits inside the pen and the dose of
insulin is set with a dial on the outside of the pen. The pen (with the
cartridge inside) is used to give the medicine. There are disposable and
reusable insulin pens. Each pen works slightly differently.
Note: If you are using an
insulin pen, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about how to use the pen
correctly. Giving insulin with these pens is not covered in this
information.
To give an insulin shot, the needle (attached to the
syringe) is inserted through the skin. The medicine is pushed from the syringe
into fatty tissue just below the skin. In pregnant women, insulin usually is
given in the upper arm or thigh.
Your doctor may have you take two
types of insulin at the same time. Most types of insulin that are prescribed to
be taken at the same time can be mixed together in the same syringe.
Test Your Knowledge
To withdraw a single dose of insulin from a vial, I
need to use a syringe.
-
True
This answer is correct.
To withdraw a single dose of insulin from a
vial, you do need to use a syringe.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
To withdraw a single dose of insulin from a
vial, you do need to use a syringe.
-
To give a shot of insulin, the needle of the syringe
is inserted into the skin, and the medicine is pushed into the fatty tissue
just under the skin.
-
True
This answer is correct.
To give an shot of insulin, the needle of the
syringe is inserted into the skin and the medicine is pushed into the fatty
tissue just under the skin.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
To give an shot of insulin, the needle of the
syringe is inserted into the skin and the medicine is pushed into the fatty
tissue just under the skin.
-
Continue to Why?
Normally, insulin is made by the
pancreas. Insulin helps sugar (glucose) enter cells,
where it is used for energy. It helps our bodies store extra sugar in muscles,
fat, and liver cells. Later, that sugar can be released if it is needed.
Without insulin, the body cannot use sugar, causing the blood sugar level to
get too high.
If you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy, your
pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin. If regular
exercise and changing the way you eat do not keep your blood sugar level within
a target range, you may need to take insulin. Keeping your blood sugar level within a target range prevents
complications for you, for your developing baby (such as growing too large for
normal delivery), and for your baby after birth (such as low blood sugar
levels).
People who have
type 1 diabetes and some people who have
type 2 diabetes also need to take insulin.
Test Your Knowledge
Your body does not provide enough insulin to meet your
needs if you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
-
True
This answer is correct.
Your body does not provide enough insulin to meet your
needs if you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy. If changing the way
you eat and getting regular exercise do not keep your blood sugar levels within
a target range for you and your baby, you may need to take insulin.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
Your body does not provide enough insulin to
meet your needs if you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy. If changing
the way you eat and getting regular exercise do not keep your blood sugar
levels within a target range for you and your baby, you may need to take
insulin.
-
Insulin shots help keep your blood sugar level within
a target range, preventing problems for you and your baby.
-
True
This answer is correct.
Insulin shots help keep your blood sugar level within
a target range, preventing problems for you and your baby. High blood sugar
levels during pregnancy can lead to high blood pressure for you. It can also
cause your developing baby to grow too large to be delivered vaginally and can cause
the baby to have problems with low blood sugar after delivery.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
Insulin shots help keep your blood sugar level within
a target range, preventing problems for you and your baby. High blood sugar
levels during pregnancy can lead to high blood pressure for you. It can also
cause your developing baby to grow too large to be delivered vaginally and can cause
the baby to have problems with low blood sugar after delivery.
-
Continue to How?
Your doctor
will help you learn to prepare and give yourself insulin shots. Here are some
simple steps to help you learn how to do it.
Get ready
To get ready to give an insulin shot,
follow these steps:
- Gather your supplies. You will need an
insulin syringe, your bottle of insulin, and an alcohol wipe or a cotton ball
dipped in alcohol. Most people keep their supplies in a bag or kit so they can
carry the supplies with them wherever they go.
- Check the
insulin bottle label, expiration date, and contents.
When you use an insulin bottle for the first time, write the date on the
bottle. On the 30th day after opening it, throw the bottle away. Insulin may
not work as well after 30 days.
- Wash your hands with soap and
running water. Dry them thoroughly.
Prepare the shot
Your preparation will depend on
whether you are giving one type of insulin or mixing two types of
insulin.
Prepare the site
Before giving your shot, take the
time you need to do the following:
- Choose the place. See a
diagram of shot areas for guidance. If you give your shots in different places on
your body each day, use the same site at the same time of
day.
- Clean the area. If you use alcohol to clean the skin before
you give the shot, let it dry.
- Relax your muscles in the area of
the shot.
Give the shot
Follow these steps for giving an
insulin shot:
- Slightly pinch a fold of skin between your
fingers and thumb of one hand.
- Hold the syringe like a pencil close
to the site, keeping your fingers off the plunger. Usually the syringe is at a
90-degree angle to the skin site. If you are thin, you may need to insert the
needle at a 45-degree angle. This will prevent the insulin from being injected
into muscle, causing it to be absorbed more quickly.
- Quickly push
the needle all the way into the pinched-up area.
- Push the plunger
of the syringe all the way in so the insulin goes into the fatty
tissue.
- Remove the needle slowly at the same angle that you
inserted it. If you bleed a little, apply pressure over the area using your
finger, a cotton ball, or piece of gauze. Do not rub the area.
- Replace the
cover over the needle. Although syringe manufacturers do not recommend it, some
people reuse their syringes until the needle becomes dull or bent. If you plan
to reuse your syringe, see
precautions when reusing syringes.
Clean up and storage
After giving your
shot:
-
Store your insulin properly so that
each dose from the bottle will work well.
- Do not throw your used
syringe, needle, or lancet in a trash can. You can dispose of it in a metal
container that either has a lid that screws on or a lid that you tape down
tightly. You also can buy special containers for disposing of used needles and
syringes. Talk with your local trash disposal agency or your doctor about how
to get rid of the container.
Other suggestions for success and safety
To help you be safe and successful in giving your
insulin shots:
- Teach someone else to give your insulin shots.
Have that person give you a shot from time to time so they will know how to do
it in case of an emergency.
- Do not mix other medicine with insulin
without your doctor's instruction. If you are taking two types of insulin, ask
your doctor or pharmacist whether they can be mixed in the same
syringe.
- Never share syringes with another person. Diseases, such as
HIV or infection of the liver (hepatitis), can be transferred through blood.
Test Your Knowledge
The first step in preparing insulin from a bottle is
to roll the bottle gently between your hands.
-
True
This answer is correct.
The first step in preparing insulin from a
bottle is to roll the bottle gently between your hands. This will warm the
insulin if you have been keeping the bottle in the refrigerator. Roll a bottle
of cloudy insulin until the white powder has dissolved.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
The first step in preparing insulin from a
bottle is to roll the bottle gently between your hands. This will warm the
insulin if you have been keeping the bottle in the refrigerator. Roll a bottle
of cloudy insulin until the white powder has dissolved.
-
When you are preparing a cloudy and a clear insulin to
give a mixed dose, which do you put into the syringe first?
-
Cloudy insulin
This answer is incorrect.
When you are preparing a cloudy and a clear
insulin to give a mixed dose, you put the clear insulin
into the syringe first.
-
Clear insulin
This answer is correct.
When you are preparing a cloudy and a clear
insulin to give a mixed dose, you put the clear insulin
into the syringe first.
-
Continue to Where?
Now that you have read this
information, you are ready to start preparing and giving insulin shots.
Talk with your doctor or diabetes specialist
If you have questions about this information,
take it with you when you visit your doctor or diabetes specialist.
More information about the different types of diabetes
can be found in these topics:
Return to topic:
Credits
|
By
|
Healthwise Staff |
|
Primary Medical Reviewer
|
Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine |
|
Specialist Medical Reviewer
|
Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator |
|
Last Revised
|
November 3, 2011 |
Last Revised:
November 3, 2011