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

How is everyone today? I've gotten my numbers so under control that I don't need to call the diabetes clinic unless they go up! Yeah me!

All good here Tee thanks - glad you got your numbers under control too

Consultant put my dosage on novarapid up again yesterday to 34 units for lunch/dinner and 34 lantus at bedtime ( only 30 for b/fast ) i asked him what would happen when i got up to the top of the pen and was injecting say 65 units but needed more and he said i would need to do two injections in that case Gosh i cant wait for this to all be done with as the more im injecting the more it seems to bruise and hurt ... am relying on what i was told though which is that the levels go right back down after delvery ... phew! only 10 weeks left

That's great, tee

my numbers are a bit up and down at the minute - and i'm in egypt at the minute, flying back to belfast on sat and traveling always makes levels a bit unsettled. hopefully by sunday i'll be bak on track

rosie, do you move the site of the injection? i usually inject novarapid into my tummy but move the site each time. lantus i inject into my hip but change sides each night - might help with the bruising. i don't know if arnica gel is safe in pregnancy but it always helps my skin recover form bruising more quickly

ah, i know it seems like loads of insulin but it's not for much longer - and much better to take lots of insulin and have good glucose control than the other way around

mavornia I didn't realize you were in Belfast. So am I.

it's a small world - we could be sitting in the Royal together in a few weeks

I was just thinking that!

Mavornia ill try my stomach tomorrow. I usually go for the tops of my legs for novarapid and my bum for the lantus i was using my hip too but it really started to hurt as i was pushing more fluid in so changed to my cheeks lol

Got one of those 4D scans booked for this weekend which im quite excited about ... didnt have them 11 years ago and im really looking forward to seeing what he looks like.

just bear in mind that the insulin can enter your body more quickly when you inject into the stomach so make sure you have food with/sraight after your injection

i would love to have one of those scans - i remember with ds we got a really clear view of his face at one of my regular scans and it was amazing

Hi there A quick question to you all - do your sugar levels always go haywire in early pg and do they ever settle or just get worse?

The reason I ask is that I felt I needed to start checking my sugar levels before my referral to the endocrinologist (don't know when it is yet but I was automatically passed to his care because I had GD in my last 2)and my sugar's starting to go a bit odd (first thing it was 5.8 then within normal range after breakfast, but pre lunch was 3.7) I had random lows that I didn't feel last time so this, in itself, is a bit worrying

I struggle to go more than 3 1/2 hrs without food and wonder if any of you have more than 3 meals to balance things out. Also, if so, how do you manage your insulin?

Sorry for so many questions but I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up on insulin again - and more than last time too, so I'm trying to get my head straight over things so I don't get my knickers in a twist thanks in advance

Hi Iris

yes, my sugars went nuts 6 weeks into my pregnancy and was put on insulin. I do eat 6 times a day, but only take insulin 4 times a day. I take novorapid breakfast, lunch and dinner and levemir long acting at bedtime.

Your breakfast, lunch and dinner insulin will also cover you for meals between then, as your dose should last about 4 - 5 hours. So I'm like this:

7:30a novorapid, eat breakfast (50 carbs)
10:30a snack (or what my DH calls my second breakfast!) (20 carbs)
1:00p novorapid, eat lunch (40 carbs)
4:00p snack (15 carbs)
7:00p novorapid, eat dinner (60 carbs)
10:00p snack (10 carbs)
11p bedtime and levemir, which last 20 - 24 hours.

Thanks Tee2072. I was put on insulin at the end of my last pg (only 2 units of novorapid at mealtimes) but it was as if my body just delayed insulin production as I got loads of

how do you calculate the carbs by the way? doesn't meat & veg/fruit count too? (sorry if that's a really stupid question

iris meat has no carbs in it at all. And the carbs in veg are matched with so much fibre that you don't need to count them. So pasta, rice, bread, fruit and sugar is what you count.

Tee I think its actually your night Insulin thats long lasting throught the day and covers up to 15g Carbs..

Hi ladies I am 14 weeks and YES my sugars were all over the show in the first part of my pregnancy - I just hope it hasnt affected the baby's heart.. have a scan on 16th so will know then.

good luck and lets share lots of helpful tips on how we can make this easier for ourselves..

Its so much harder when your a diabetic mum!

The 15gs is between meals btw!

sweetbroody not according to my diabetic educator. She told me that the long lasting is to imitate a regular, non-diabetics insulin, i.e. someone without diabetes always has insulin in their system. And then their bodies produce extra to process their food. And that extra is my before meals insulin, which lasts in your system 4 - 5 hours.

And also, sweetbroody, the only thing that will damage a baby is long, untreated high blood sugar. All over the place numbers shouldn't be a problem!

iris, sounds like you need a small snack or piece of fruit in between meals to stop you going low (fruits like apples amd plums that grow in temperate climates are better than tropical fruits like bananas, mango and grapes)

Hi, I've just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes so am in the process of trying to manage it through diet.

The last two days have been a nightmare. After breakfast yesterday I had a reading of 13.1 and I only managed to get it to acceptable levels at the bedtime reading. It has been the same story today, too. In fact, I've only had one "good" reading, the others have been too high, but fine before bed.

They suspect that I had this in my last pregnancy too, but it went undiagnosed.

Any tips, anyone? I'm seeing mu consultant next Friday and I'm speaking to the diabetes nurse on Monday with my readings. To be honest, I feel like I've restricted my food intake so much I'll end up weighing less at the end of my pregnancy than I did at the start!

You actually might, llareggub. I have actually lost almost 5 pounds since I became pregnant and my sugars went nuts.

Just remember to watch your carbs. I am sure they will give you carb counts on Monday. But with readings that high, they might want to put you right on insulin. That's what they did with me, after 2 years of controlling with diet, and truly it has not been that big of a deal. And it has meant that I can eat a bit better since the insulin works!!!

Tee - thanks for that - I think a chat with the consultant & dietician is called for.

llareggub - it's so hard isn't it. I was a nicely rounded 12/14 before my 2 boys - everything just hung off after and I struggled to get size 8 trousers to fit (a very unflattering look - no arse, boobs or anything) and this was because I was so desparate to stay diet controlled & ate virtually no bread/pasta etc - I think I understand things a little better now and hope to get some baby fat this time on insulin to see us through

Thanks, I had wondered if that might be the case. I've been very, very careful indeed so I know it isn't anything I've eaten. I can't help but feel guilty about this, like I've done something to cause it. I've felt very up and down all week since I was diagnosed.

Everyone just keep in mind that the baby needs carbs! You can do just as much harm to the baby by restricting carbs too much as you can having high blood sugar!!

You can eat well while diabetic, just eat sensibly!

Personally, I keep 20 carbs available every day for a cup of hot chocolate before bed!!!

iris66, I couldn't describe myself as a rounded 12/14...more like 18/20! I wonder what I'll be at the end though, I really think I've lost weight this week.

I do think cutting carbs down might be the answer. I was fine with a small portion of pasta but the equivalent portion of basmati rice was terrible. Yesterday I had 2 slices of granary bread for my sandwich and it gave me a reading of 10.1, but I suspect my slices were too thick. I'm rubbish at cutting bread.

Tee - wise words

llareggub - I had a problem with granary as it's often made with white flour - have you tried wholemeal (or rye/oat?)

just had steak + chips courtesy of DH with gorgeous glass of red wine (my birthday today ) will post my 1 1/2 hr reading later ( no pud- except a miniature green & blacks dark choc )so just hope it's ok!

I'm going to experiment with baking my own bread, I think. I've been fine with seeded wraps, so I think it is the portion size.

Sounds like a lovely meal!