Type 1 Diabetes Pregnancy Support Thread

[MrsNuckyThompson]

Wow - with a catchy title like that, who could resist? I was part of a lovely supportive thread like this one during my last pregnancy which was nearly 4 years ago now. I'm currently around 6 weeks pregnant with my 2nd DC. DS is 3.4

Anyone want to join me?

Quick update from me.

Had 28 week growth scan yesterday. All ok with the baby, though measuring slightly large at 30 weeks and so is the placenta due to a little excess fluid. Didn't have this with DS but think it is reflective of the struggles I've been having with dawn phenomenon and fasting highs.

On that front the DSN and nutritionist have been so sympathetic. They basically assured me that there's not a huge amount I can do about it as it is hormonal and I'm otherwise well controlled. They talked about starting me on metformin for insulin resistance or even going on a pump but for now we're continuing to watch and wait.

Obstetrician was happy enough. They've said we can decide section/ induction (via Cook balloon) at around 37 weeks. If cervix is at all favourable they'll try induction. But if it is not (as was the case last time) we'll go for section. I feel it is a bit more certain now!!

Hi all again! Had my 1st hospital check today, seen the diabetic consultant. My HbA1c was 60 last time (pre pregnancy clinic on 6th Dec) so they advised me to lower this. I've been noting my sugars every hour and think I've got them nailed this last week. Sugars never above 9/10 and usually sitting around 4. Think I'm now within target recommended. The consultant has booked me in for a scan in 2 weeks and I'll have a midwife check then along with the diabetic and obstetic consultants as well/
I am currently 4 weeks pregnant (first day of last period 5th Dec).
Could I ask how you all got around having to have so much time off work?! I know everyone will suspect things when I'm at the hospital every fortnight. Did you tell people early or how did you get around the appointments?
Thanks again for your help!

I have different ratios for each meal x

Also to add Re ratios, yes I am 1u:10g for lunch and overnight, 1u:8g breakfast and dinner.

Hi Hope My work are really good, I don't have an office job I'm out a lot in the community so it's not too bad for me at the moment keeping appointments quiet. Sounds like your doing well with your sugars. I'm not seeing anyone till next weds but I have been trying hard to get very tight control. I'm having a few hypos and it's been really hard not overtreating them but sugar levels have been ok.

That's good Nut - my consultant today said its really likely to get hypos, more so from 13 weeks onwards. I agree, it's so hard not over treating them x

Morning all. I've put my Lantus up and was 5.1 this morning, hurrah!

For those who are newer I've only been on insulin for 8-9 months now, was only diagnosed a year ago so it's a very new experience for me. Obviously being pregnant is a different kettle of fish but I feel like I need different ratios for work days, evenings, days 'off' when I'm running about doing loads of stuff and pre exercise ones!

Hello all - haven't posted for a while as haven't had much news but have been lurking. Hi and congrats to all the newbies!

I think I had my 28 week growth scan on the same day as you MrsNucky - mine is showing the baby is on the bigger side too, especially his tummy, which I feel terribly guilty about as sugars were terrible over Christmas and New Year's. The endo and obs don't seem too worried at the moment though and said it's just something they'll have to keep an eye on.

My insulin requirements are crazy high at the moment and going up every day plus the diabetes nurse has warned me to expect an even bigger spike this week. The thing that helps the most is waiting 20-40 minutes between bolusing (I'm on a pump) and eating but sometimes I'm so hungry that once I've decided what I'm going to eat it's impossible to wait that long.

Other than the ongoing sugar battles my whole body has suddenly felt like it's under siege this week - bad back pain, no stamina/energy, and pregnancy brain haze!

Morning all
I'm only around 6 weeks but insulin has gone up already, I guess due to hormones. I have been trying to cut back on carbs not drastic but just watching how much due to insulin requirements going up at this early stage. Last night we went out to cinema and had a pizza. I give myself the suggested dose but I was wary as it was high but then it does have lots of carbs. Anyway sugars kept dropping and I couldn't get them up, as soon as I treated an hypo it dropped again. After few hours of this it was bedtime. Went to bed on 6 but woke this morning on 19 I guess all the lucozade finally caught up. Obviously I have given myself more insulin to get it down asap. Oh the joys of type one and pregnancy has already well and truly kicked in.
I hope everyone else is ok and have good numbers and are feeling well.

Nutcase I had something almost exactly the same when I was around 8 weeks - went to cinema, had pizza at Pizza Express beforehand. Used their nutritional guide to bolus and then started having a bad hypo during the movie so had to leave the cinema and go to the supermarket next door to drink tons of juice - every time sugars would come up again a bit and then plummet. Ended up vomiting the next morning because of all the juice and, from what I recall, sugars were a bit high. Have been really careful with pizza since then!

Pizza is just weird though! Loads of carbs so needs loads of insulin but loads of fat too that delays the absorption. I don't bother attempting it in a restaurant but at home make the cauliflower or fathead ones which I agree aren't real pizza but pretty good nonetheless.

Thanks for the replies ladies.. I think pizza will be off my list for a while. I have felt awful today all today. Roll on bedtime lol.

For pizza there is an easy 'fix'. You are meant to take 2/3 of your bolus at the time, then the next 1/3 of it about 2 hours later. That helps to deal with the fact that all the fat in the pizza delays the absorption of the massive amount of carbs. You're welcome!!

sugarcoma - my baby's tummy was also the culprit this time. With my DS it was his head which was 98th percentile, this time it is the tummy. They've said tummy much more closely linked to diabetes. Remember tho the most important thing is it keeps tracking on the same centile and doesn't rise steeply. He / she might just be a chubber!

Hi all,
I've been reading the Nice guidelines and also this thread. I see lots you you have had early (viability?) Scans. I'm just over 8 weeks and have had my first joint antenatal appointment where I heard the midwife mention about booking for this scan but the obstetrician (I think) said no and to wait for the 12 week scan. Does this sound right? I'm now worried I'm going to get to 12 weeks and the pregnancy not be 'viable' :s

Hi Chloe - I think it is very normal to have an early scan in many high risk pregnancies including diabetes. It is a viability scan but is also for reassurance.

I'd call them and quote NICE at them and see what happens.

But realistically I think the chance of your pregnancy not being viable is about the same as anyone else's. Our chances of mmc are not hugely different from anyone else's (complications come later!). So I'd try to get the scan but not worry overly if you don't get it.

Ha love the chubber comment MrsNucky I've been feeling quite guilty but about it but can't see that a bigger tummy affects much other than potential delivery? At least I'm hoping that's right.

Chloe I wasn't offered a viability scan and didn't realise I could ask for one so did it privately at around 7/8 weeks. I had it done at the Fetal Medicine Clinic in London and it cost around 100 pounds so don't know i that's a less stressful option for you that trying to pursue the doctors.

sugar - everyone loves a chubby baby!! They said to me that tummy is indicative of potentially elevated maternal sugars as a opposed to if baby was measuring long or with a big head. However I don't think there is anything particularly scary about that unless measuring weeks and weeks big or if the baby suddenly stars piling on more and more weight in that area! The main thing is that they are keeping a close eye... You're right - it just affects mode of delivery and potentially could indicate that the baby will have hypos after delivery if used to pumping out excess insulin. DS didn't have this, btw!!

esker - any update from you about little Francis??

Just to add in for any pizza lovers :-)

I am on the pump, had half a 12inch pizza tonight with a handful of chips.
I bolused for 120g of carbs (a combo bolus with 30% up front and the remaining 70% over 2 hours).
Before meal:5.3
1 hour after start of meal I was 6.0, 2 hours 6.1
I'm so glad it;s worked as I have been craving a spicy mince pizza since I conceived haha

Haha I had pizza last night! Very unusual for me but split bolus worked fine.

Thanks MrsNucky that's what I figured.

All this talk of pizza has given me a craving so have bought some frozen for dinner tomorrow night >.

Well what an eventful morning!
Hubby woke me sugar was low so I had lucozade, breakfast and off to work I went. While in the house (social worker) I could feel my sugar quickly dropping. The family obviously weren't aware I am t1d. I had lucozade on me but they panicked and while I was drinking my drink phoned my work and an ambulance. I managed to cancel the ambulance as it was just a hypo but to the family they thought something serious was wrong. My colleagues arrived and one of them drove me home.
So im busy ordering flowers to send to the family and colleagues. I got hospital tomorrow but I know it's pregnancy causing sudden quick drops but no-one else is aware of this. My boss will probably call me in tomorrow after the hospital but I don't want to say anything about pregnancy yet. Anyway how are you all? How's the sugar levels?

That sounds scary Nutcase. Does your husband know how to use glucagon? Glad you've got an appointment tomorrow.

I've had antenatal clinic today. It was fine if a bit boring! Things are changing gradually, and I'm responding to the changes and whilst everyone is nice and I'm very grateful for the care we receive it just seems a bit overkill sometimes? Have had a chocolate biscuit to celebrate though. Professor was pleased with me and have growth scans booked for 28 and 36 weeks.

Oh good news Teainbed. I know what you mean about overkill. Yes hubby knows how to use glucagon, thankfully not needed to use it and I hope it will stay that way. Well done on a positive appointment.

Evening all! Great news that you've had your 28 week growth scans Nucky and Sugarcoma. I'm jealous as I never got to go to mine... although I guess I get to see how Francis is growing before my eyes, and how his weight changes each day. Hope you are feeling well.

I'm feeling so much better and able to move around now. Life is very busy as I have to fit in pumping milk 8 x per day, as well as being at the hospital. We have a routine whereby we aim to get to hospital for around 10am every day, then I pump and we try to catch the ward round at 11am. Francis is doing well and is stable, but there have been lot of issues cropping up over the past week... won't go into full details, but he's had a lung infection, there's a heart murmur (very common in preemies, but still scary), and a virus. At one point last week I felt like there was something new going on every day. It was so overwhelming and there have been a lot of tears (but I guess I'm full of hormones too). Anyway, all of these things piling up mean that they haven't yet been able to give him another try coming off the ventilator. That feels stressful as coming off ventilation is the first major step to make, and I feel frustrated about the wait - but of course it's all for valid reasons.

BUT there are also lots of things to be very thankful for: his little digestive system seems to function very well. He is now on 'full feeds', meaning he gets all his nutrition from breast milk and doesn't need IV top ups any more. Also, we've been able to take him out for cuddles (me three times and my husband twice), which is so wonderful for us and also, developmentally, for him. It's quite a palaver as he's hooked up to so many things and it takes 2 nurses to manoeuvre getting him out and putting him back in again! So lovely to hold him close though rather than seeing him through the incubator.

Diabetes wise, I am eating tons and taking way less insulin. I mess up quite often as I'm not thinking about carbs very carefully, but I've managed to avoid the crashing hypos that I've heard can come with breastfeeding. And when I do go high, it tends to be a max of 10, as opposed to when I was pregnant and the wrong dose could shoot me up into the teens quick as a flash. The one thing I'm really no good at now is staying on a level over night. When pregnant, I'd go to sleep on one number, and wake up either the same number or a couple lower. Now, I can go to sleep on a 4.5 and wake up on a 7 for no reason, which is irritating. However I totally appreciate that that is nothing compared to the struggles faced by many in pregnancy! I think I might be having hypos in the night, as sometimes when I wake for pumping I'm pretty sweaty Or maybe I decreased my basal by too much... will tinker around with that.

Often when I sit by the incubator looking at Francis I think of those of you who were my due date buddies and I'm just in wonder at the life that is going on inside. I can't believe I'm seeing my baby at 27, 28, 29 weeks, when I'm really not supposed to be seeing him yet. Trust me, your babies by this point are looking super cute. I hope they all behave better than Francis and stick around for respectable delivery dates!

Great to hear your update Esker! It was always going to be like this with a 27 weeker but you sound really positive and like you're in a good routine.