I'm a bit new to this Website, but am hoping to get some good advice. Ihave been a T1 diabetic since I was 16, so about 18 yeards now. I am currently 34 and am almost 15 weeks pregnant with our first baby. Everything is going fine so far, but I am really starting to feel the stress of being pregnant with diabetes - and I'm still early on! I guess I am looking for any tips or experiences from people who are in teh same boat as me. I have plenty of friends who have had babies or are pregnant currently, but no one who also has diabetes, and I am feeling very alone in this right now. My husband is great, but since he is not actively going through it, he doesn't really know what to say or do. My OB is great and very knowledgable about diabetic pregnancy, but I feel like every time I go to see her, all we do is review my blood sugars, and if anything is over 120, I feel like a bad person. I test 7 - 10 times a day at this point, and have gone back to measuring my food so that I can more accurately determine my carb count for insulin (I am on a pump). I feel like I am doing all that I can to keep my blood sugars as close to 120 as possible, but am extremely nervous that I am still hurting the baby with anything higher. Does anyone have any advice or tips that can maybe keep my fears in check and help with the day-to-day stress? Is anyone else's doctor giving them different guidelines? I want to do the best I can to be sure we have a healthy baby, but I am also not perfect, and there are going to be days when my sugars just aren't great - and I feel like I am missing out on any of the fun parts of pregnancy with all this worrying and testing. I would love to talk to people in the same boat as me, make sure I'm not the only one out there who feels like they are floundering a bit...
I haven't been pregnant myself yet (but hoping to be in the next year or so), but I have gotten a lot of information and relief from reading a blog from a fellow T1 who is currently pregnant. Actually, she's having her baby tomorrow! Reading about her experiences has helped me be more comfortable with what I might expect to happen. The website is Six Until Me - here's a link. Hopefully someone else on here can provide some first-hand advice for you. :)
I'm currently 20 weeks pregnant and have been diabetic for 13 years. I totally understand the guilt you are feeling when your blood sugars run high or low and definitely feel it myself too. the good thing is that since you are testing so frequently you are fixing the problem quickly. My doctor reminded me that since I AM diabetic... I will not be perfect... I too am a perfectionist> and that those quick slips will not do harm to my baby as long as I remain on target and with a good A1c.
I am currently on the minimed paradigm and find it amazingly helpful. The CGM really makes it so that I can prevent highs or lows as I see them happening AND have learned how my body reacts to certain foods depending on time of day by watching all the data when I upload it. I would highly recommend checking this out if you are able to! Otherwise keep doing what you are doing and focus on feeling well.
My husband tries his best to understand the diabetes and I know he feels the weight of it occasionally, but I agree, they can never really know it like we do. neither do the doctors. If you ever want to talk more let me know! For now I'm focusing on eating healthily, exercising when I can and paying close attention to what my body needs. I wish you all the best and congratulations! (do you know what you're having btw?)
I like the way your doctor thinks - mine has been very specific about what I NEED to do, but less open-minded about what is actually possible. I know she knows that staying at 120 all day long for 9 months is just not something that can happen but sometimes I wish she would say that without me prompting it - it would make me feel better! But I know I can only do the best I can, and I keep the little one in my mind all the time, especially when there are moments when that big bag of sour patch kids at the grocery store is calling my name! I guess the other thing I am noticing, at least with my doctor, is that all of my appointments are centered around blood sugar discussion - with a little baby talk at the end, when we're leaving. I think next time I go, I am going to just straight out ask her "what would you be telling a person who is NOT diabetic right now?" because frankly, while I switched to this doctor because she does have so much experience with diabetic patients, I am not feeling like she is a little lacking in keeping the balance, and that doesn't help me with the stress and guilt at all!
I have an appointment wiht my Endo doc today, and I am going to ask about the CGM - I have heard really good things, and while there is a part of me that doesn't love the idea of wearing another "thing", it would be worth it, at least during pregnancy. it sounds like it can really be helpful! I am on the Omnipod, so I'm not sure what kind they have that works with that brand of pump. Were you on this before you got pregnant? Do you plan on keeping it afterward?
We don't know for sure what we are having yet, but they think it's a boy - I have another ultrasound next week, so we may be able to know then, although I'll only be 15 weeks, so it may still be too early. My husband is very excited about having a boy - I think he was starting to get nervous about having a girl and when she started dating already! :) do you know what you are having? Congrats to you as well!!
Yea my Endo is great. She's even told me I have to stop being such a "perfectionist" and accept that my body is going through a lot and that stress will make thiings unpredictable here and there. My A1c has remained between 6.2 and 5.2 since before pregnancy till now (20wks) and I'm just now noticing some need to change basal rates again. The Paradigm is great because of the graphs and all that help you analyze your needs and control when you upload it online. I thought about going on the omnipod but had already used the minimed pump way back in HS and was familiar with their style. I also was worried that the size of the pod would bug me on a day to day basis... how do you find it?
I went back on the pump while we were trying to get pregnant since I figured it would be best to get a handle on hormone free basal rate needs rather than trying to struggle against the system when pregnant. That was about 5 months before we succeeded. I am very happy with the paradigm but I don't know what omni offers as far as CGM's. Let me know if you find something out... the nice thing about mine is that the CGM and pump are one unit. There are two insertion sites, one with tubing for the insulin site and the other with a transmitter. Both lay fairly flat on your skin and once you get used to it you don't notice it much under clothing.
At this point I am used to the control I have with the pump and would probably stay on it for the majority of the time after I give birth... but I may take breaks here and there.. say for the beach or events where we dress up...etc. (Fashion rules all... just kidding).
I am actually facing a debate of my own regarding my preganacy care and wonder if you or anyone else have checked into using a midwife as a "high risk" patient. The nurse midwives at my local hospital are willing to take me on as a patient and have the dr on call consult if needed during labor. My endo would continue to manage my diabetes during pregnancy but the midwife would provide more of the support that it sounds like you are also looking for from your dr. Focus on you and your comfort with the process and the baby... and not just what may go wrong. Have you looked into this option? Do you plan on an epidural?
**I don't know what we're having but everyone is telling me its a boy. I'm secretly leaning towards girl but I don't want to get sucked in to either way of thinking. I'm happy to meet him/her when they arrive.
First and foremost, you are definitely not alone in your concern over high glucose readings during pregnancy. I am currently 35 weeks pregnant with my first child and have been T1 diabetic for 18 years. I'm currently 29 years old. I asked the doctor about high blood sugar readings right from the beginning and was told that when the sugar remains high for an extended period of time is when damage is done (this also causes bigger babies because too much sugar crosses the placenta). For some reason I have a recurring spike in blood sugar readings that occurs after I eat breakfast...I have been trying to pump about 45 min - an hour BEFORE eating and sometimes it helps, sometimes not so much (it always comes back down before lunch though, so I'm still working on figuring it out). My doctor suggested that I eat protein for breakfast (usually I have a bowl of cereal or another form of complex carb)...I was eating hard boiled eggs (minus the yoke - yuk) and yogurt for a little bit too and that seemed to help. Do not drive yourself crazy with one or two readings that are a little off...I would say if it were a recurring event...to adjust insulin rates according to how your doctor instructs you. If you have a CGM this will also help you maintain good control because you can tell if you're dropping or going up too high and can pump to correct this (after checking with a finger stick first of course to ensure accuracy of the CGM - sometimes mine is a little off and I always double check to make sure!) I test myself 7-10 times a day too and have been in really great control (actually the best control in my 18 years of being a T1). Most most recent A1c was 5.4 and my doctor told me I am doing a really good job...this is a big confidence booster!! It is definitely a lot of extra work, being diabetic and pregnant, but all the extra things we have to do are worth it in the end to have a healthy child!! :o) Do not feel badly...just do the best you can...and don't ever hesitate to contact your doctor with any concerns. Better to be safe than sorry!
As far as the guidelines I was given. I was told to have a fasting blood sugar reading of under 100 & a reading of under 120 - 2 hours after a meal.