diabetes in pregnancy

[happymumtobe]

hello just wanted to know if there are any mums on here that is also a diabetic? i am in my 6th wk of pregnancy and i am also a diabetic would be intrested to meet and chat to other mums that are diabetic and pregnant or have been pregnant with diabetes.....thanx

yes, I am 9+2 and type II with insulin.

i inject insulin 4 times a day, which does become a bit of a drag i have been diabetic for around 4 yrs now. how are you finding it to cope with as well as being pregnant?

Well, I was controlling completely by diet until I became pregnant, so its all pretty new to me.

I also inject 4 times a day, but it doesn't bother me too much. Not as much as not being able to eat what I want when I want! I've been so careful about my diet that I have actually lost almost 5 pounds since I found out I was pregnant!

I think the bigger drag is having to call the diabetes clinic every friggin' day with my numbers! But I hate the telephone!

well i guess im lucky there as i just see doc at hospital during pregnancy....i had a habit of forgetting to take my insulin which caused me probs all the time as i got prone to getting abcess's so its a pain as i also have other children and sometimes get that busy that i just forget but i now make sure i dont as i know it wont help the pregnancy. i did have to do the telephone thing when first diagnosed 4 yrs ago but luckly it calmed down further on.
i had to ask the nurse if it was ok to still inject into tummy whilst pregnant and she advised it was ok and safe.

Is this your first pregnancy with diabetes? Because the one thing I am learning is your insulin needs change as you get further along.

yes tee its my first pregnancy with diabetes hun as i developed it 1 and a half yrs after my last pregnancy in 2002(6 soon) so im a bit nervous as its all complicated sometimes to understand. i do belive they have to change further on in the pregnancy well thats what i have heard anyway....but will know more i guess when i see my consultant at hospital.

Actually, you may find you need to change it right away. I was completely diet controlled until I was 6 weeks pregnant, and then my numbers went nuts and was put on insulin.

Also, you will find they want really really tight control when your pregnant (at least my docs do!). 3.5 - 5.5 fasting and under 8 after meals! Not too easy, really!

well my sugars have never been stable to be honest i am on insulin injections now my blood test was 8.2 this morning which is a miracle for me, i am really nervous as i have just been sent a email and apparently blood sugars to high can cause stillborn babies which is scary! but i guess all i can do is do my best to keep them down. is this ur first preganancy with diabetes?

Yes, its my first pregnancy full stop!

And yeah, they will be very strict with you on your levels. In the first trimester uncontrolled BG can also lead to birth defects.

hello ladies

I'm 3 weeks pregnant, already have ds who is 20 months

I got type 1 diabetes in 2004, completely out of the blue

have to rush to cooker now but will be back later to chat

xoxo

Hey mavornia welcome to the chat!

Hi - can I join in too. I developed gestational diabetes in pg2(2005) and managed to stay diet controlled (just) then had it again with pg 3 (2007) and had to go on insulin for the last 6 weeks or so. I've just found out I'm pg with No4 (think I'm due in June - waiting for an early dating scan) and really hope I don't get it again. Really interested in any stories of anyone who had it each pg but then went back to normal afterwards

I am T1 (29 years) and am not pregnant now but have two DSs. Some good info online is diabetes123.com and there are yahoo groups for diabetic pregnant women.
Any questions feel free to ask!

congratulations iris! and hello everyone else

although i'm only 3 weeks pregnant I've noticed i'm needing more insulin already - i'm sure i didn't increase my dose this early last time round

athough the recommended fasting range is 3.5-5.5, i always feel quite unwell when my level is around 4.5 so i try not to go below that - also worry about having more hypos if i keep it too low

i've found that porridge is the very best thing for me to have for breakfast - low gi and helps me keep a steady sugar level all morning

People are so different, mavornia, I find the exact opposite with porridge! I have to have cold high grain cereal and juice to make it to lunch without going low!

I agree that 3.5 - 5.5 is really tight. I was also feeling low at 4.5 at first, but my body seems to have adapted to it and now I only feel low if I drop below 3.5.

very jealous at your weight loss, tee!

haven't lost all of my weight gain from ds and worried i'll be told off at my checking in appointment...

I was already told off by my endo for my starting weight, mavornia. Yeah, that was less than fun. I was all, what the hell do you want me to do about it now, I'm pregnant!

I have actually stopped losing weight now, I've gained back one of the pounds I lost already.

o no, dreading checking in appointment now! I'll be sitting all shame-faced!

Hello, i just stumbled across this thread and am glad to see that there are some people in the same position as me. I am 28 weeks this Saturday but have been injecting insulin since 14 weeks after a GTT with a fasting of 8.2 and after the glucose drink being 14.9 It didnt really come as much of a shock as i have had GD in all three previous pregnancies and needed insulin in the last two. My consultant thinks i have been type 2 diabetic for a few years after the birth of my last child which was 11 years ago but just didnt know about it, have to admit its quite scary as he also said that he thinks that by the end of my pregnancy i will be virtually insulin resistant and be injecting what he called 'massive amounts' of insulin. The amounts go up every week usually and i am currently on 28/30/30/30 units of insulin 4 times a day. I dont know if this is alot but it seems it as those pens only seem to go up to about 60 units. Not sure really - would appreciate some advice from someone who injects insulin in pregnancy as i cant remember how much i used to have to 11 years ago but im sure it wasnt very much. Consultant wants me to be 5.5 one and a half hours after meals but i can never usually get lower than between 9 and 7, am also worried about the effect these really high sugar levels will have on the little boy im carrying but am trusting that regular scans and a C section (which has already been booked for Feb 6th, two weeks before my due date) will reduce the risk of stillbirth.

I know i will be diabetic when i have this baby but i am hoping that it wont be insulin dependent - also could do with losing quite alot of weight so hoping that if i tackle that it might help out with sugar levels post birth.

Congrats to all of you newly pregnant ladies :-) Like i said any advice would be gratefully received on how much is alot of insulin to inject as i have no idea if i am injecting normal' levels for this stage in pregnancy.

Rosieposey I am surprised at what he wants you to be post meals. I need to be under 8 1 hour after eating and 3.5-5.5 before eating. I think 5.5 after eating is very low, actually!

And Feb 6 is an excellent birthday. Mine is Feb 5!!!

Hi Tee Yes i thought so too - just checked my bloods diary and you are right its 5.5 before meals and less than 7.5 and hour and a half after meals! This is all a bit new to me and i get easily confuddled... but am grateful for someone to compare notes with - your birthday is 5 days after mine although i dont know just how much im going to be in the mood for celebrating usually by 37 weeks im thinking 'oh please get this baby out!' lol

Well, had an endo appointment today and they decided to scan me again, not that I objected! There has to be some advantage to being diabetic!

Good strong heartbeat, wiggling so bad he almost couldn't get a measurement! Now measuring at 9+1, whereas last scan had me at 10 weeks tomorrow, but the scan pic does say there is a margin for error of +/- 1 week.

I have my booking in and another scan in 3 weeks and should have a more definite due date then!

rosieposey its pretty new to me too, I've been diet controlled for the past 2 years and then my numbers went totally whacky just after I found out I was pregnant and the endo started me on insulin right away.

But my endo did give me a very good book to read that helped a lot with letting me know where my numbers should be and such. Its printed by the local hospital, so I don't know if you'll get the same or not!

Hi all, I developed Type1 diabetes whilst pregnant with dd 5 years ago. Had ds 2 years ago, went on insulin pump during that pregnancy - Am now 19 weeks with number 3.

Rosieposey, just wanted to say don't worry too much about the amounts of insulin you're on - you need what you need. I'm already on about 4 times my non-pregnant dose (in fact I had to double dose shortly after conception - I never need to do a pregnancy test!). I know from past experience this will plunge when the baby is born and with breast-feeding too I will be on about half usual dose for a week or two.

Also, since you are type 2, you may be able to try some of the tablets to increase your insulin sensitivity once you've had the baby.

Good luck to everyone!

Ah ok thats good to know :-) that was my main worry really because it seemed like i was on loads of insulin and it only keeps going up!

28 weeks this saturday and im having a cardiac scan for lo today - really hoping he is the size he is meant to be as want to keep him in there till the 6th of Feb, Im not sure though but i dont think that they increase in size significantly till the last few weeks anyway do they?

This is number 4 but this is the worst its ever been to be honest hence why its all so new to me - good to hear that most peoples insulin requirements go right down after the birth as i would hate it if i was injecting this much all the time forever - tablets i can cope with but im not too keen on these injections as there is so many of them.

that's wonderful, tee - i loved seeing ds all the time

rosie, I totally agree with dilbertina. I know it seems daunting when you have to inject what seems like massive quantities of insulin. I remember feeling scared and anxious about it with ds but this time i just think that's what it takes to keep me and the baby healthy. The dosage really does go right back down as soon as you have the baby