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?

Hope everyone's enjoying the sun!

Went for my early scan today (7 weeks) and saw the heartbeat. Such a relief as with my first pregnancy I had a mmc and never even got as far as seeing a heartbeat. Long may this one continue!

Hope everyone's enjoying the sun!

Went for my early scan today (7 weeks) and saw the heartbeat. Such a relief as with my first pregnancy I had a mmc and never even got as far as seeing a heartbeat. Long may this one continue!

All went well at the heart scan, baby was very chilled out probably having a snooze and the doctor took the scan pictures very quickly. HBA1C down to 40 (from 42 at start of pregnancy), so diabetes team very happy as well.

Long may it continue......!

Great news on the healthy scan Snoodle!
And excellent hba1c! I had bloods done yesterday so keen to see if mine has come down too. Was 42 when last taken in April.

Although I'm only 7 weeks I'm already compiling a mental list of foods I will scoff with glee once I am no longer responsible for another person's healthy blood sugars. Pizza is first up

That's great news both of you - fantastic! Hba1c results looking good too...

Am struggling a bit with new insulin ratios now at 24 weeks. Feels like as soon as I've got it sorted once it changes again! Just had a blood sugar of 16 so feeling a bit stressed by it all. Somehow in my first pregnancy I hardly ever went above 10 and my hba1cs were around 33. Seems so bloody difficult this time!

Poor you Fiddle, it's so difficult when the rules are always changing. Don't worry about the high reading though, obviously it's horrible seeing a high number, but in the grand scheme of things it won't impact your hba1c. 33 sounds impossible- absolutely amazing that you had it last time, but don't be hard on yourself if you don't match it this time! My consultant was thrilled that I got 42, so to get 33 sounds nothing short of Olympian to me!

I need to pull my socks up tomorrow as today was a bit of a mess: having been pretty disciplined about avoiding treats for a few weeks I gave in and had a sausage roll and a slice of banana bread at the farmer's market, then had a faux good BG level one hour later, only to rise up and stay high for the next few hours in spite of multiple corrections. Anyway, no point beating myself up over it as I can't change those readings. Will just make sure I stay away from cake for the time being. Also managed to get to the evening without eating a single fresh fruit or vegetable, which I slightly made up for at dinner, but clearly far from ideal.

Am off to France this week with family. Good news is that said family members are pretty carb phobic, which should be helpful . However it's usually a real festival of wine, oysters and smelly cheese which I'll have to sit out this time. Mine's a Badoit!

To be fair Esker Badoit isn't bad - bit of lemon and ice you can pretend it's a G&T?! Wishful thinking I'd be a bit gutted about the cheese and oysters though.

And thanks - I know overall things are probably fine but high BGs make you feel like such a failure! And yes I was probably far too obsessive first time round, set the bar too high for myself and feel a bit crappy I can't match it. You're so good to keep a check on carbs, you've inspired me! I bet you'll get down to the 30s somewhere for your next hba1c...

I tend to eat too many carbs and try to keep up with the bolusing - but it does get a bit silly when you need 10 units for a bowl of cereal!

Glad to hear everyone is doing so well. Last pregnancy I managed to keep my hba1c around 36 for most of it which I was thrilled with. It was bloody hard work though. Before that it was usually in the low 40s.

Right now mine is...55. I'm quite ashamed to admit it as it is one of my highest ever. Working to bring it down now. Basically I have taken much worse care of myself ever since DS was born. Working full time and looking after someone else gave me little time or motivation to look after myself... Having said that 55 is not too bad and I know that my BG is fairly stable so not having lots of extreme highs and lows. Have already started testing more and being better at injecting before meals so am confident I can bring it down quickly. I used to do it quite easily in the past - just need to get back in the habit.

My main issue right now is morning sickness. Didn't have any issues last time round but I'm feeling terrible now!! I don't particularly want to eat anything and of course what I do fancy is bland and carby - toast, cereal etc. Had veg gratin for dinner tonight and a salad for lunch. Hypo at breakfast (after over zealous correction of dawn phenomenon) so had a pain au chocolat!! Hoping I can reel the carbs back in as this sickness - hopefully - fades.

Glad to hear of the positive scan news. I thought the fetal heart scan was so interesting as you watched the blood flow etc. I also remember DS doing star jumps during it! That afternoon I went and bought the first baby things I ever bought - some vests from Kath Kidston and a matching pram blanket. Aww.

Have my booking appointment tmrw. All I remember from last time is them asking DH to leave the room and then asking me whether he was beating me at home!!

Fiddle - cereal is terrible for me. even 'good' stuff with no sugar. At least 12 units for a bowl and then no hope of being under 7mmol after an hour ( or even two!!).

Poor you Nucky! Sickness and controlling BG is awful. Hope it gets better for you soon. I'm afraid I don't have much by way of useful advice to offer. When feeling icky I sometimes can't face drinking water so mix the tiniest bit of fruit juice (eg 1 centimetre) with a full glass of water and that seems to go down more easily without too much impact on blood sugar. It's great that you're avoiding the dreading spikes in each direction in any case!

Had booking appointment yesterday. It was actually a lovely experience!! The midwife had seen me several times through my last pregnancy (we didn't remember each other, but worked it out from my old notes!). They have changed the system somewhat now, so that she will be my dedicated 'diabetic midwife'. The last time, I remembered booking taking about 30 minutes - I was in there yesterday for nearly two hours. She was very thorough and explained absolutely everything the clinic will be doing. Very pleased and relieved to have a single point of contact (as well as the lovely diabetic nurses and nutritionist). Hba1c has already come done 1% point since a few weeks ago!

How lovely that you had a positive booking in experience MrsNucky! I don't have anything to compare with previous pregnancy, however I do feel that the midwifery and diabetic teams are well joined up at my hospital. I've got a dedicated diabetes midwife too so nice to think that she should have plenty of specialist expertise. Great work on reducing your HBA1c too!!

All is going well here in the South of France. Chugging away on my fizzy water and slice of lime 'cocktails' whilst family see away bottle after bottle of rosé . Still don't feel sick, for which I am very grateful, but there is time for that I suppose.

Got consultant appointment on the 25th and next midwife appointment on the 30th.

Hi all - I've been lurking for a while but finally decided to post as I'm a bit confused as to the care I'm receiving. I'm pregnant (7 weeks) with first DC and a Type 1 diabetic.

Last year I went to a pre-conception clinic at the hospital to meet Obstetrician and Endocrinologist and they were lovely and suggested I'd get a lot of support as a Type 1.

Last week had first consultant appointment (different Drs as the one I'd seen before was on holiday but his secretary set up the appointment for me) and they went through a few basic things that I already knew but didn't seem very interested in my blood sugar, which seemed strange. They then sent me off for blood tests and booked a midwife appointment for the following week, which I had yesterday. Midwife was not a diabetic midwife, said it was far too early to be seeing her and gave me a ton of utterly inappropriate advice (e.g. have some chocolate cake before bed and croissant and jam for breakfast - wtf?) I asked her for my blood test results from the previous week at which point she told me that they hadn't done my HBA1C which seemed crazy to me. I insisted I have an HBA1C blood test then and there, which she approved, and she said they'd call me next week with the results but said the next time I should see either the midwife or the Dr was after my 12 week scan.

This sounds unacceptable to me since all my research online suggests they should be monitoring my HBA1C really closely and I know it was on the high side to start with (I had it tested privately a few weeks before we conceived).

I plan to email the Dr's secretary on Monday to ask for another appointment but can anyone give any guidance as to who I should be seeing, how regularly and what they should be monitoring?

The Dr I saw last week also said they'd arrange for me to have a retinopathy screening but no one has contacted me about this yet, which I'm also very unhappy with (a friend of a friend who's Type 1 was left with some eye problems after her first pregnancy and is now not planning on having more kids). Sorry for long post - any help much appreciated.

Hi Sugar - that doesn't sound right at all, I'd definitely follow up with them. As the pre-conception clinic said you should be monitored regularly. Good HBA1Cs are vital especially in the first 12 weeks. Last preg I saw the Diabetes consultant or DSN every two weeks, and the specialist midwife / obs alternated every four weeks. This time because they knew me well and that my control was ok the diabetes team let me come every three to fours weeks at the start but as soon as I started finding things tricky (which they deduced by going through all my blood sugar readings downloaded from my pump with a fine-tooth comb) they got me back in every two weeks. Perhaps you can get an appt with the original consultant when they're back from holiday? Well done for pushing for an hba1c, how are your results usually?

Esker - that sounds lovely, despite missing out on the rose (hard though, I love south of France rose!). Glad you're not feeling sick - how many weeks are you now? I didn't really get too sick this time round but was awful with DD. Expecting a boy this time, so the old wives tale has proven true for me.

And well done MrsNucky on the HBA1C, that's great! 55 wasn't awful to start with but I know how anxious making those results can be. And how nice to have such a thorough booking in, makes you feel so well looked after doesn't it?

I've managed to get my BGs back down into range a bit better. Made myself be brave about my ratios of insulin to carbs and basel dose and just whacked up the insulin! It's worked - was so worried about going hypo all the time (which doesn't usually bother me but I just could get my head round needing so much insulin suddenly) but it's been fine. So I'm on about 40% more basel now and my ratio is approx 1 unit : 6-7 carbs at 25weeks. Somehow I don't remembering being so steep this early on last time - felt like that came later but at least my BGs are more like 5 and 6 than 10 and 11 all the time!

Hi Sugar, sorry to hear that the care you're getting has been so patchy. I'm outraged on your behalf at that ridiculous dietary 'advice'. Cake before bed wtf?!

Definitely insist on another consultant appointment ASAP. Perhaps in your email you could say something to the effect of: 'I understand, as the consultant said, that I'll need to be seen every fortnight' and perhaps also 'I'm anxious to discuss my blood test results with the doctor as I've not yet had the opportunity'- anything thing you do to get on record your concerns. That way if care continues to be patchy you'll be able to point out that you've been requesting specific support. Hopefully you won't have any issues though and they'll get their act together!

Fiddle, great work on getting your ratios sorted and bringing BGs down. I guess it's a constantly evolving project! So at 25 weeks when are you due?

I'm 8 weeks now. Saw a heartbeat at 7 weeks, which I'm thrilled about as I had a mmc last autumn and didn't event make it to heartbeat stage that time. Having said that, now I've seen a heartbeat I'm scared it will disappear
Going to have the harmony test in a couple of weeks so I'll get a coupe of scans with that so will be able to check on things! < control freak emoji >

Due 30 Nov, and they've said they'll try to get me to 38 weeks but because of pre-eclampsia last time it may end up being 37. So I'm reckoning something like 10 nov onwards for the actual date.

I had the harmony test last pregnancy - and I definitely found the extra scans reassuring! This time I had a viability scan then waited for the nhs 12w one - my risk factor ended up being quite low despite being an old gimmer so I didn't go for the harmony again (bit more skint this time round!)

Hope you get a response this week Sugar - good advise from Esker.

Thanks for the advice - I have contacted his secretary this morning and sent a follow up email detailing my concerns and asking for an appointment with him asap.

May I ask, how often are you seeing/did you see your consultant in the early weeks of pregnancy?

And can anyone explain what is the point of the midwife? (Even a diabetic midwife). I want a doctor in charge not a midwife given I'm Type 1 and at risk of lots of complications.

Sugar - Definitely push to see your consultant. Having said that... I know you'll feel as though you want to see a doctor all of the time, but it is really not necessary if you are well-controlled and everything is going well. At my hospital I am seen every two weeks. One fortnight I see the diabetic nurse and dietician from the diabetes specialist centre PLUS diabetic midwife. The other fortnight I see the obstetrician who leads on the diabetic pregnancy clinic.

To be perfectly frank, the specialist knowledge of the diabetes is much more likely to come from the diabetic nurse and midwife than from the obstetrician because while she runs this particular clinic, she is not (obviously) an endocrinologist. So she wants to look at my BG readings and monitor HbA1c, but would have much less in the way of practical advice on adjusting insulin to cope with pregnancy etc.

It sounds as though you haven't quite gotten into the right cadence yet with all the various people you need to see. Hopefully the doctor will be able to help you.... Have you established whether there is a diabetic pregnancy clinic / day? At my hospital it is known as the 'diaban' clinic.

THE most important thing you can be doing at this stage is keeping your blood glucose in check. Even if you see a consultant, there is nothing they can do to help you at such an early stage... and even throughout the pregnancy the most they can do is monitor you. Unfortunately, it is all down to us!!

Esker - I remember the last time round I read some very reassuring statistics. If you see a heartbeat at 7 weeks, the chances of the pregnancy continuing are dramatically increased. Of course it is not a guarantee, but I'm sure this little bean of yours will be a sticker!! When's your actual due date? I think we must be very close...

Fiddlesticks - good that you are heading in the right direction with the BG ranges. The irrational fear of hypos is a weird one, isn't it. I've just got tons of gluco tabs and other treatments on me most of the time so that I don't need to worry.

Meanwhile, I've managed to come out today without an testing strips with my meter. I finished the box this morning as I was leaving for work and just forgot to grab another. Silly me... Will need to head to boots at lunch and see what I can beg / borrow / steal...

Oh what a pain MrsNucky! Strips are so expensive when you have to buy them. Last pregnancy I had to buy a whole spare BG monitor with strips one day when I left mine at home (& was miles away)!

To be fair Sugar when it comes to the obstetrics care my appointments with the specialist midwife have always been more useful. The consultant obs are great but very brusque and matter of fact, whereas the midwife really spends time going through everything in detail. And they listen to the heartbeat etc which is always nice . Unless you're not happy with the midwife (providing you don't get chocolate cake recommendations again) and you're seen by one of the high risk specialist midwives I wouldn't be too worried.

User name fail... Tis me

Hello all. Hope you're surviving the heat! I have just staggered home after having lunch with my sister in central London. The tube was horrid. - I say 'staggered' as if I'm heavily pregnant but of course only around 8 weeks Nevertheless, I find myself getting quite out of breath going up and down stairs.

MrsNucky - my due date is 29th March. What is yours? Having said that, when I when for my early scan I was measuring slightly behind where I thought I was, so perhaps due date will change - although I understand that those early measurements aren't super reliable.

Sugarcoma Hope you've had some luck making an appointment!

Phew it is so hot today!! I put some natural yoghurt in an ice lolly mould this morning before I drove to work, and am now hugely enjoying a cold frozen yoghurt...the stress of trying to find the mould was worth it!

Had my 20 week scan and all is looking good. Should be allowed to go to 38 weeks says the obstrecian, but she isn't guaranteeing it. Baby will be born in early December!

Mrsnucky - oh the frustration of not having the strips when you need them. I have a silly habit of accidentally leaving them by my bedside and not packing them back in the case, then my CGM beeping at me all day as I haven't done the morning check it requires..... It has such an angry beep at me.

Sugarcoma - hope you had success getting your appointment. Where I am being looked after the midwives have zero knowledge of diabetes, but the diabetes consultant (obviously!) and obstrecian are very knowledgable and helpful.

Hello, just place marking. Tentative BFP today and yesterday. Might read all your posts properly and pop back later. First T1 pregnancy, on basal/bolus, not made any calls or appointments yet.