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?

It's an antibody called GAD. There's a few antibodies that they check and that one was positive for me.

Oh thanks, my antibodies were negative but c peptide on the low side

Snoodlebery if you're still about do you mind me asking where you got your Dexcom from? And how much it was? Was having a look last night at prices but there are so many options and would be interested in what one you went for in the end.

Hello teainbed

I got mine direct through Advanced Therapeutics who were the sole distributors last year. You now go direct to Dexcom UK and buy from them, at cheaper prices than before. They have a page on their website with the costs - basically you buy a 'starter pack' that has a receiver (looks like a small phone, and receives the readings if you keep it within approx 8m of your transmitter), a transmitter which is the little chip like thing that sits in the sensor that you insert into you.

I went with the G4 as it is much cheaper than the G5, but effectively you have the same product that gives you an indication of your blood sugar reading continuously. The G5 connects to an app on your phone, the G4 connects only to the receiver.

The bit you need to buy regularly is the replacement sensors. I can easily stretch the life of a sensor out to 25+ days, especially if I wear it in my arm rather than tummy.

Happy to answer anymore questions you might have! Was a life changing bit of kit for me.

Right. Off to clinic this morning. Plenty of work and reading material with me for the inevitable long waits. It's a bit funny being there in the early stages of pregnancy as everyone else has a visible bump and I'm 10 weeks. (Having said that I definitely have a pot belly going on).

Does anyone else have a 'most problematic meal'? Mine is always breakfast. Just can't seem to get it right and always either way too high one hour after OR crashing into hypos a couple of hours after due to overshooting. I think it is compounded by the fact that my morning activity rates really vary- sometimes I'm running around all over school trying to sort stuff out, and sometimes I'm just at my desk.
Anyway- any recommendations welcome for breakfast ideas. I usually have Greek yogurt, a small banana and some nuts.

Breakfast was my difficult meal too. Managed to just about control it by injecting early, waiting for the first sign that my blood sugars were dipping on my CGM, then eating. Boiled egg and a natural yoghurt with a few raspberries seemed to work okay, but then on other days that just would either send me sky rocketing or dipping. At one point I think I went about four weeks eating exactly the same food for breakfast, then I got very bored of it!

Thanks snoodleberry I'll have a look at that.

Esker I felt the same, bit of a fraud with a flat tummy in the antenatal clinic!

I am much newer to diabetes than you all so probably not much use in terms of advice about breakfasts. But I eat eggs, bacon or sausage sometimes, Greek yoghurt with some berries or mixed seeds or something a non breakfast item like a salad with ham or cheese. I've made some nice low carb porridge also a very small bowl of normal porridge oats has been ok too. I also made bread with spelt flour and nuts and seeds and a small piece of that seems to be ok, I don't know the exact GI of it but as bread goes it's probably amongst the slower releasers of carbs.

Hello sorry to derail the breakfast combo (I usually have white toast with eggs or smoked salmon if that helps) but can I ask whether anyone has had their retinopathy exam yet? My understanding was you're meant to have it at the beginning of pregnancy and then a few times throughout but I'm at 10 weeks and despite me badgering I have not been booked in for it yet and it's incredibly irritating. Just wondering what other people's situation with that was?

Yes I had at the first appointment. They said they'd do them every trimester.

My problem one is definitely dinner! Usually bit too tired and with a big variation on what/when I eat... With the others I mostly manage injecting well in advance (massively important with porridge breakfast for me) which seems to make it all much smoother.

Eyes: Every trimester or thereabouts here too. Mine are stable but lasered to smitherines, so I go there quite often anyway - first one in this pregnancy will be at 16 weeks. When did you have your last check sugarcoma?
I think the changes tend to occur towards end of 2nd trimester or in the 3rd, but obviously it's very individual how the eyes react.
Hope you get your appointment fixed soon - very annoying that your endo team isn't on it (gp might be of use? Depends on your trust's system I guess).

Hello all,

I've got 1st eye screening appointment at end of 1st trimester next Thursday.

Have now made it to11.3! Had scan on Thursday and saw the little one moving around- such a relief!

Diabetes clinic was good- I got in and out way faster than expected... However the doctor was not happy about my ups and downs (lots of hypos- multiple times each day), so they have asked me to come back next week. I felt a bit chastened as I've always been quite 'good' as a patient and usually get a pat on the head about how well controlled I am (inveterate teacher's pet), but this time I felt like I'd been put in the naughty group! They were perfectly nice, it's just I hadn't expected to have to go more frequently than fortnightly. They didn't like my system of recording BG/ carbs etc (to be fair it was on an app which wasn't that easy to read), so I've promised to record everything their way.

Main thing is that I need to stop correcting high readings 1 hour post meal. I've been correcting if, say, BG is 10 one hour post meal, but they pointed out that the bolus is still working away so the correction leads to hypos. Perfectly logical so not sure why I hadn't registered that myself

Anyhow, onwards and upwards.

Thanks for all the comments re the eye scan. Have now got one booked for next week through GP!

It's just that type of thing that makes me v mistrustful of the NHS. I feel like you have to be so on top of your own care otherwise you slip through the net, but given this is my first pregnancy I don't necessarily know all the things/checks I need to be doing. Sigh.

That's great to hear Esker.

What was the fix for your hypos then? To not correct clearly but how to avoid the high after your meal??

I'm very nauseous but no vomiting thankfully. In an ideal world if be nibbling ginger biscuits or something but will have to make do with sugar free polo mints and water!

Hi tea ! Sorry about your nausea... hope it eases up soon. It must be so hard managing blood sugars with sickness. I'm extremely grateful that I haven't (yet) had to contend with that.

I haven't exactly found a cure for the hypos. However, it's definitely been a valuable exercise monitoring everything more thoroughly. I think the post-meal spike is best avoided by injecting well before a meal (eg 20 mins), as recommended by dietician and previous posters.

I'm still having weird lows though: [Boring alert - do not read on unless you want to know my life story from yesterday]. Yesterday the only bolus I took the entire day was 5 units with brunch (bagel) at 10.50. Over 3 hours later I have a minor hypo... surely the bolus has stopped working by this point? Not a major problem though. Later in the afternoon with BG of 4.6 I have a snack of about 2CPs and no insulin at all - still manage to be 4.6 again 2 hours later. More confusing was dinner/night. Had a low carb dinner (1 CP approx) and took no bolus at all as pre meal I was 4.5. After meal I was 5.9 - great! Bed time, about an hour later I was 6.7 - fine. Then fasting BG at 6am was 3.9. I guess I may need to reduce my basal at night... but I'm only on 4 units!

So it continues. The registrar who wasn't happy with my paltry recording last week will rue the day he met me. My diary is now full of observations, queries and general WTFs. There is plenty of data to keep him busy

Well done on the extensive recording Esker - hope they can give you some useful suggestions thanks to it!
I've been on the pump for 4 years and it's made keeping data very easy, but still remember very clearly the previous 2 decades and the hassle of manual records (6 monthly appointment with maybe 10 readings in the book, half of which I probably made up on the way there...).
On the hypos which are really constant here too at the moment: I had a look at what "Think like a pancreas" says about pregnancy and it was interesting, tho doesn't offer any advice...

Yes I saw that graph in that book too! So looks like what your experience is typical.

I actually find it quite interesting reading about other people's food and routines!

I would like to know why I ate the same thing 3 times at the weekend with the same bolus, once it was perfect and no spike, once it was a bit high (8) and once it ended in a hypo! There's just no pattern sometimes.

Thanks for the pics Ripley. Exactly what I'm experiencing. I'm shocked at how drastically the insulin requirements rise towards the end of pregnancy- I knew they would increase but didn't appreciate how much.

Anyhow, the upshot of more meticulous recording has been more stable control... So I guess I should have been doing that from the start oh well, to all things a season.

I'm jealous of the women on the antenatal club thread that I'm on who all (except the poor ones being sick) seem to be enjoying pizza, pasta, garlic bread and ice cream every second of the day. Meanwhile I'm stressing out over whether to take bolus or not with my plain Greek yogurt

Had viability scan this morning, saw sac, yolk and tiny embryo with a flickering heartbeat! So lovely to see. Next antenatal clinic is next week and then community midwife for booking.

Despite good BG's I feel really thirsty, has anyone had that before?

Wonderful news tea! So happy for you! Hope clinic goes well too.

No major thirst, although I generally drink a lot and am super paranoid about getting dehydrated. ( although now back at work after summer hols I keep forgetting to drink enough water).

Thumbs up on the good scan!

I've got my 12 week one this afternoon and am getting increasingly nervous about it. And this morning out of pure stupidity and carelessness my levels went up to 17.4 .
Not had those numbers in this pregnancy before (few 13's but nothing higher). With my first one I had several 20's in the beginning and it was all totally fine, but it's hard not to get anxious.
Blah. 3 months + 9 months of totally level 5.0 is just not possible, these blibs happen...
I think thirst is just one of the pregnancy things? You need more than usual due to making extra blood and stuff...

Hello everyone and welcome to any newbies! I've been away on holiday the last week, and we had awful internet hence no check-ins.

Esker - was your eye scan today? I had mine today (this is starting to get spooky). On those corrections - I agree, you can't correct after an hour, and this is part of the reason why these targets are so damn hard. I think the ONLY realistic way to stay within them is to go lower carb. Even having 20-30g I think it is super difficult to be back down to 7.8 after an hour, because as we all know Novorapid has a 2-3 hour profile... Maybe start injecting a bit earlier than you are as well? I know what you mean about feeling funny about them being concerned. I wasn't used to it at all as I always considered myself a star diabetes pupil, but since having DC1 and as I've mentioned before, I've definitely neglected myself a bit more, and am not used to getting 'advice'. I feel like screaming at them: I know what I'm supposed to be doing better than you, I just don't have the bloody time or energy! I don't, though, I just smile sweetly and say thanks!

Ripley - it happens, and we can't always prevent it. Very good luck with your scan today!! How exciting!

I have my 12 week scan on Monday and really looking forward to it. I strangely feel quite anxious as well. I don't think I really felt any of this with my last pregnancy - got pregnant so easily and everything went very smoothly. This time round we tried for nearly 18 months and I'm so desperate for everything to work out!

I was at clinic on Tuesday and they've mentioned trialling me with a pump after my pregnancy. Really to deal with dawn phenomenon which is my worst enemy and always has been. I manage to control everything very well during the day, go to bed at a good level then either a) have tons of basal and end up hypoing at 2am; OR b) having the 'right' amount of basal, have a good reading at 2-3am, but then start steadily rising from 5am onwards to 8, 9 or some days 10+ . Very depressing start to the day! They've basically said that because the rest of my control is good and because I'm able to course correct quickly, they wouldn't suggest going on to a pump at this point.. too difficult to get it set up with hormonal and insulin requirement changes all over the place. But good to know it is a possibility for afterwards.

12+2 and all looking good . Phew. Are we on same days Esker? Very active little one, hopping around non stop. Maybe that was the 17.4...

Pump for me was life changing MrsNucky (nighttime hypos vs daytime highs). Hba1c dropped from 9 to 7 in a matter of months - bit quick but couldn't help it. Requires work of course but after the level of testing during pregnancy it'll be a breeze...

Ripley by dates I am 12+2 today as well!! Scan on Monday and think I might get put back a few days!! Believe Esker is very close too.

Great your little one was jumping up and down for the camera today. So lovely to see!

'Issue' I have is my HbA1C has always been pretty stable. 7 at the highest, 5s and 6s when I'm making more effort. Never been troubled by too many hypos either... So was never considered a pump candidate before. But I think they're basically admitting that DP is almost impossible to sort out without a pump! If I do go down this path I'll be asking for some tips for sure!!

Wonderful news on your scan Ripley! Isn't it amazing to see so much movement? Love it!

I am also 12+2 today (well if you still consider today Thursday although now past midnight). This is on the basis on my scan on Monday when they said 11+6. What a coincidence that us three are all on the same day!! And yes MrsNucky my eye scan was today as well.

Had clinic today and my diary was better received than last week. Reducing morning basal to 2 units to clamp down on afternoon hypos.

Lovely to hear about all your scans. Makes it all very real doesn't it?!

So what do you eat then? I'm looking for ideas!

This morning I've had Greek yoghurt and granola for breakfast, salad with mozzarella for lunch and not sure what's for tea, whatever DH cooks as he'll be home first. My work snacks are nuts, cherry tomatoes, Babybels and occasional oatcakes.

Vices are takeaways (not often) but I love a curry. I've not be on insulin for long but I still not worked out how to manage a restaurant meal or takeaway properly.