Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a distinctive form of diabetes that first presents in pregnancy. While most women return to normoglycemia after delivery, they are predisposed to an accelerated development of type 2 diabetes. Current prevention strategies remain limited due to our incomplete understanding of the early underpinnings of progression. We therefore examined the protein profiles of women shortly after a GDM pregnancy (using a nested case-control study design within the Study of Women, Infant Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes After GDM Pregnancy) for a comprehensive mechanistic inquiry. At 6-9 weeks postpartum (baseline), differences between women who later developed diabetes (case group) and those who did not (control group) were detected. Notably, protein profiles comprised protease inhibitors, extracellular matrix components, and lipoprotein molecules involved in inflammation. We also identified co-expression networks of differentially altered triglycerides and protein involved in wound healing, highlighting the interplay between dyslipidemia and inflammation. Overall, our findings warrant earlier intervention than previously thought, as defects in postpartum wound healing after a GDM pregnancy, in association with dysmetabolism and insulin resistance, may accelerate type 2 diabetes progression.