Any pregnant Type 1 diabetics?

[dieciocho]

Hi,
I'm looking for other pregnant Type 1 diabetics in London, just to have someone to keep in contact with and share advice/horror stories/support each other etc.
I don't actually know anyone at all with Type 1, despite having had it myself since 1989

Hi all,

Had my 24 wk scan today and all fine apart from they said the baby was measuring in the 95th percentile. They don't seem worried but I'm now panicking that my baby is too big? I have only put on a stone and my glucose control is good, my hba1c is 6.1 so am feeling a little disappointed that baby is on the large side according to their charts? Has anyone else experienced this and can anyone explain what 95th percentile actually means? They told me they would measure baby again in 4 weeks and see where they are on the chart and as I said, they didn't seem that worried but I am!

X

Which bits were 95th centile? If it's femur length, head circ etc then it's nothing to do with diabetes, just a bigger-than-average baby. If it's stomach circ then it could be to do with diabetes - I got told the best way to avoid this is basically to never have an after-meal spike of more than 8mmol. Easier said than done...

If head circ, femur length and stomach circ are all on a similar centile then there shouldn't be a problem, there's unlikely to be a problem anyway but it might just need monitoring which it sounds like they're doing anyway. Also bear in mind that u/s scans are notoriously inaccurate for fetal measurements really.

BonaDea I felt fine and they weren't bothered I didn't feel like my levels were high at all (hasn't tested at that point). My nurse thinks I might be having hypos in the early hours do got to do the 2am tests!

newbie agree with Rue, look on your charts and see where all the plots are mind are all average at the moment. Your baby could have just had a growth spurt and it will have levelled off at next scan. Also they can be quite far out with their measurements. I really wouldn't worry

Newbie don't worry! My DS's stomach was literally off the centile charts by a mile! My HBA1C was around 5.5 throughout. That post meal spike thing is really interesting Rue. Noone mentioned that to me but I think if they had I would have quite happily throttled them - talk about achieving the impossible! Funnily enough last pregnancy I'd spike massively post meal before crashing right down so I wonder if that was the problem considering my overall levels were great. Will be interesting to see this time what happens as HBA1C not as low I don't think but less spikes.

spotty - could well be. I know when I've had high readings, I tend to feel really groggy.

Mylittlepuds - my diabetes team has basically told me that avoiding spikes and crashes is THE key thing they look for in achieving "tight" control throughout pregnancy. That's why I eat probably less than average amounts of carb per day and tend to inject quite a long time before eating, so that the insulin is already working its magic by the time I get anything in my gob. The targets that I've been set are 8mmol within an hour after eating, and between 4-6 before the next meal. It is very very difficult (or as you say bloody impossible!) if you are eating 'standard' amounts of carbs because basically to get that low you have to have waaay to much fast acting insulin with your food. The only other way around it is to plan in a snack about 1-2 hours after eating to counter that inevitable hypo!

puds - I also need to ask you about the Navigator which I'm now proudly sporting on my lower tummy! What a nightmare I had with it last night. When I was doing the finger prick tests, the freestyle blood glucose meter seems to be giving me readings 1-2 mmol (whole mmols, not .1 or .2!) LOWER than my regular blood glucose meter (an Aviva Accu Chek which I like/trust).

So, that meant that when I was trying to calibrate the Navigator it kept saying I was hypo and that it couldn't calibrate. The alarms also woke me several times in the night saying I was 3.1 or 3.2 whereas my own meter was saying I was in the mid-4s. The fact that the blood glucose meter is so off whack makes me think that now the CGM will be calibrated incorrectly too.

Then this morning, as I was in the car it was telling me I was under 5mmol (which is below the legal driving limit) but when I checked on my other meter I was actually 6.7 or something!

Any top tips or similar experiences please?

Well BonaDea I'm actually quite annoyed that no one told me last time! I would say in that regard my control has been much better this time and not as high and low. Overall higher yes but not such dramatic peaks and troughs. Will be so interesting to see how the little mite's tummy fares this time. I was obsessed with HBA1C as that's what the consultant kept saying was THE most important thing. I can remember him saying that they 'still don't know' what the effects of swings were. I feel more relaxed now knowing things haven't been quite as turbulent!

Right. Navigator. When things are going swimmingly with it, no probs with calibration etc it's so fantastic. BUT it sounds like you have had annoying set up on your first time, which has happened to me a few times. Being 1mmol out isn't too bad but ideally it's normally 0.5 out, due to the 10 min time lag. When your arrow is vertical you should find this to be the case.

This morning what might have happened is you've had brekkie and it's obviously 'going up'. You prob would have found that 10 mins on your Navigator would have said 6.7 too.

Now when I first got mine I was very much using both my BG metre and Navigator. What my nurse told me to do was put your trust in the Navigator and don't test unless you are feeling hypo. The Navigator's strength is that it tells you when you're on the way down, so you can correct things with a glucose tab or two before you get to treating hypos. I find it most helpful not at meal times or even after meals - but I those hours where you're not really doing much. You don't need to test as the Nav has you 'covered'.

Is it calibrated now?

Hi puds - it does seems weird that hba1c was the sole focus given by the consultant. It is obviously very important, but as you've said if the hba1c is an average and you're swinging about between high and low you can get a 'false' idea of what is going on. Actually, this was one of my main drivers for splashing out on CGM so I can see those peaks and troughs and try to deal with them. Glad you're feeling more 'steady' this time, and it will be interesting to see whether this baby is a different size!

Re your / your mw's advice: sounds very sensible, and I think you're right, I just have to trust the navigator and stop faffing about with my old meter, the freestyle strips AND the navigator itself.

DH and I slept in this morning because we had such a bad night with the thing beeping at me all night, having to get up to treat a 'hypo' (by this time just wanted to get the thing calibrated whether or not it was 'correct'), going to the loo etc. So, we were both shockingly late for work

The 6.7 thing is still bothering me though - I've given up on breakfasts completely as I just CANNOT seem to tolerate anything to eat at all until around 11am (my bg shoots up and won't come down without HUGE correction doses). So, I've been surviving on water and decaf tea/ coffee until about this time of day. Have just had by 12 units of novo I need to cover my tiddly little bowl of cereal, and just waiting for the navigator to confirm I'm on my way down before tucking in.

Thanks for your advice. I'm so glad we all have this thread!

Oh bless you!!!

You can't bloody go without breakfast! You must be starving. I totally sympathise though as prior to my current weird insulin sensitivity I was injecting scary amounts of insulin to cover a piece of toast and then crashing. The same as you actually 12 for a piddly bowl of porridge.

When this was happening I turned to eggs for breakfast! Eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomato - and maybe a few beans.

I really do sympathise with the breakfast thing. It's so frustrating.

I'm glad too

Can't remember if I mentioned - had a tiny bit of bleeding yesterday, had a scan and baby fine at 11 weeks! Was so concerned after strange crash in insulin requirement. X

Bona just to give you some reassurance I'm about to go in a hot bath which always makes me hypo so did a finger prick test on the Nav. It's currently saying I'm 5.9 and my BG test reading was 5.4. I'd say that was pretty typical when you're 'steady'. It is great for what you're wanting it for in terms of understanding peaks and troughs.

Great news about the scan . I had a little bleeding around the 7 weeks mark and was so worried, so it was lovely to see the little blob on screen (at 7 weeks it was just a blob attached to another blog / yolk sac!). Yesterday would have been great, though, to see those little arms and legs waving about.

What is your actual due date? I'm 3 April, so assuming I'd be induced maybe the 3rd week in March...

Hi

Think it was stomach that they measured. I haven't really had post meal spikes so hopefully next scan baby will measure okay although they did say not to worry as measurements were still ok, just on the higher side. I test about 2 hrs and honestly feel like crying sometimes as seems whatever I do, it's never good enough. Does stress affect growth as I work for myself and work is manic which isn't helping either?

Thanks for ur replies!

X

Hi Bona - end of April so will be induced mid April.

Newbie In all honesty stress can affect the baby (low birth weight from what I've read so it doesn't look like you've a problem there!). But I really think it's stress stress not just stress if that makes sense. I felt the same when pregnant with DS1 - and similar to you work was stressful too - but he was fine. It's full on diagnosed anxiety and stress that can impact I think. The type of stuff that requires ADs, so honestly don't worry. Hope that helps :)

Also very jealous of your lack of spikes after meals! That seriously is great. Most diabetics struggle to ever get a handle on those.

That is really amazing. So, when you test 1 hour after starting to eat, what kind of a number would you expect to see?

Sorry to hear about bleeds; I had one too at 10 weeks and nearly cried. Scary stuff.
I'm 5 months today!

I discovered a problem last night with trying "new" foods/recipes - I had a meal that I'd never had before, tested 2 or 3 times before bed and everything looked fine.
I was 10.8 when I got up this morning - only knows what it had been doing for the 7 hours I was in bed.
From now on I will only eat foods I know, so that I know how my body/blood will react.

Wow, BonaDea, does that mean that you inject a whole hour before you eat? Do you ever go hypo before you eat?

I agree: HbA1C is a ridiculous measure of our well-being and control.

Hi

Thanks for your comments, made me feel much better. About 1hr after my meals, I'm between 5 and 7. That said, occasionally I can be at 4 so reducing my novo rapid now. 1st trimester I was low all the time and have found in my 2nd trimester I've needed to go up.

I'm just testing every 2hrs to keep a close eye....the joys:)

X

We've now started buying things...oh dear.
We went to an NCT sale at the weekend and got a whole bag of clothes, but spent less than £5; amazing.
I had to rummage through boxes of vests etc to find enough non-gender-specific stuff, but it was ok in the end. I narrowly avoided drowning in all the pink frilly rubbish!

Now I just have to stop myself from thinking I've gone and jinxed everything...

Ugh. Diabetes is so frustrating and relentless sometimes. My levels were hovering around 10 all evening last night despite three separate correction doses. At times like that I just want to scream!!

Over the last couple of nights I've woken to check where I'm at at about 3am - and it's been about 7.8. In that scenario would you ladies correct or leave it? I've been leaving it then feeling guilty...

I'd correct it, but I'm pumping so corrections are very easy. When I was injecting I'd probably have left it.

I would leave 7.8 too, if you want to correct maybe take 1 or 2 units and re test in an hour but only if you really want to correct. So frustrating sometimes isn't it! I just had chicken soup for lunch which was homemade and BG is 9.2......grrrr! x

I would leave 7.8 too, if you want to correct maybe take 1 or 2 units and re test in an hour but only if you really want to correct. So frustrating sometimes isn't it! I just had chicken soup for lunch which was homemade and BG is 9.2......am normally fine after meals too but they did the same yesterday so must be something in the soup my BG doesn't agree with.......grrr!

I'd leave 7.8 at that time of night. Unless...you suffer from serious Dawn Phenomenon (as I do), which would mean that by the time I got up at 7am, my blood sugar would be more like 10

Thanks ladies. I've had a fun day of over correcting hypos today. Arrrgghhh! Newbie I reckon you're making all us v jealous with your levels. They sound fab! I'd be chuffed with 9.2 an hour and a half after eating. Wild be just right for me as I find if I do hit the 7.8 I'm certain to hypo. And then I end up over correcting. Anyone else find if they hit target hypos are a problem?

Would be not wild be! Nothing about me is bloody wild nowadays - except my levels of course..