I recently got engaged and am getting married in six months! I am so excited!!
I was diagnosed with T1D a year and a half ago. I have been working really hard this year in particular to get my BG better. Currently my A1C is 6.4! I am very proud
On a side note, my whole life my menstrual cycles have been irregular (like 4 a year!). But, I have ALWAYS wanted to have kids and cannot wait to get pregnant! I am scared I am going to have problems because of this
I was hoping anyone else out there can give advice on what they first did when they wanted to have kids? My endo said get my A1C under 6.0, that seems crazy!! How many doctors do you have to see? How often??
I’m in a similar position as I have only been married for about a year and a half and am trying to get ready for a pregnancy.
There seems to be some debate about A1cs during pregnancy, at least between my doctors. My OB told me it should be under 6.0, and just like you I figured he was nuts. The doctor I see for diabetes told me my A1c should be under 7.0, which I think is attainable with some hard work. He told me that obviously the lower the better, but there is very little increased risk of birth defects with an A1c in the 6.0-6.9 range as opposed to the 5.0-5.9 range. Risks start rising more in the 7.0 range, some people are lucky enough to have a healthy baby in that range or higher.
My OB did tell me that diabetic patients do not have that many more appointments than a non-D pregnancy, but I can’t speak from experience on that one as of yet.
Welcome to the site and congrats on your engagement! I had my first baby 16 months ago, so I am going to give you a little insight into my personal experience. (All pre/pregnancies are different)
I was trying to get my a1c into baby range for 4 years! I wish I was 6.4 at conception but that didn’t happen for me. Although during the 1st trimester I got down to 6.1 very quickly. All doctors have different pregnancy guidelines. My endo said below 7.0 and my OB said 6.0 or lower which felt completely impossible until I actually became pregnant. I was so frustrated with them and the in range numbers that it was literally driving me crazy. Which probably didn’t help my pre-preg numbers!! I did have an out of range a1c but, I had a very healthy pregnancy and baby so it all worked out for me. The beginning was extremely stressful and I was so worried about my higher a1c but, I calmed down once all the tests were coming out fine. I stayed in the 6 range the entire pregnancy until the last month. I went up to 7 because of horrible insulin resistance. Which is completely expected during that time. I ended up on triple the amount of insulin I normally was on.
My OB had me go in to see him every two weeks until week 30 and then I was there once a week for a couple of weeks and then 2x per week at week 32 till 39. The twice per week was for NST - Non-stress test AKA fetal monitoring. I saw my endo 1x per month but, had to email my blood sugars every week. I saw my dietician every month for three months and then that started becoming a was a waste of my time LOL, so I stopped.
I made an eye doctor appt. in between also.
The 2x per week started to drive me crazy at the end because I was uncomfortable and tired of going at that point but, It cleared my head of anything because I knew exactly what was happening. They gave me a lot of 3D sonogram photos so that was cool. I liked seeing what my son was going to look like ahead of time. The last sono I had before he was born ended up looking exactly like him! He had the fattest cheeks ever! Like a little chubbsy ubbsy. The tech told me he was going to be really cute LOL Which he was LOL
The other thing I liked about so many appointments was that you really get to know your doctor and if they have more than one doctor in the practice. I felt completely comfortable with all 4 of the OB docs in the office and that helps when you go to the hospital because you arent’ going to be surprised with a doctor you don’t know if yours isn’t on call.
I hope I helped a little let me know if you have questions!
@KSmerk12
Thanks for your response! It is reassuring to hear other’s stories. As hard as I have worked to get my A1C down, I know it is going to be very challenging to get it below 6! But my fiance it very encouraging and we are both so unsure about what would happen if my A1C was high, so we want to make sure we know everything that could happen.
@Gina
I have heard similar stories as to yours, where we have to go to the doctors more often than someone not diabetic. And I agree; it seems like it would be more comforting knowing everything is okay. I have read so much online what high blood sugars can do to babies while you are pregnant, but it seems like on this blog, I have read more success stories. Which is awesome!! Thanks for your reply
@sobanion2 Congratulations on your engagement! How exciting!
To be honest, I have long cycles - although not so irregular. I have hypothyroidism and I find that if my thyroid is off (too high or too low) that my cycles are more irregular, and a LOT longer. I had a 65 day cycle in one instance where my thyroid was too low mostly because I wasn’t taking my pill everyday which was totally my bad obviously Normally my cycle runs about 42 days. My actual period is only like 4 days as well. I am not sure if anyone else has found this, but naturally it does make TTC a little more challenging.
Sorry to focus in on that part of your message - huge props to you as well for your A1C that’s fab!
Congratulations on your engagement and marriage Stephanie! What an exciting time.
You should be super proud of your 6.4 A1c. Most endos would be doing backflips over you. My concern with A1c is that it’s an average. When you are pregnant it’s important to focus less on an average and more on having the healthiest numbers possible while avoiding lows below 60.
My husband and I didn’t plan to have kids. I’d seen Steele Magnolia’s and didn’t want to pass diabetes on to my kids. I was so misinformed! Thankfully we had an “unexpected blessing” and I learned that it was completely possible to have a health pregnancy as a woman with type 1 diabetes.
When I conceived my A1c was around a 7.0 with rare lows. But I quickly dropped to a 5.1 with no lows below 60. I didn’t do anything drastic, but just tested more and paid close attention to my carb counts. It was easy to do because I was so excited about my little baby-to-be.
It felt good to finally the diabetic that my doctor dreamed of. =) During pregnancy my endo recommended an OBGYN and asked him for updates on my health so I wouldn’t have too many appointments. Because my health and diabetes were good, I saw the OBGYN every other month until the final trimester, when it switched to monthly, and then bi-weekly at the end (if I remember correctly). My son was born at a normal weight with a normal blood sugar and is now 8 and does not have diabetes.
If you’re trying to get pregnant it’s important to let your doctor know so you can go off ACE inhibitors that you might take for kidney protection. As a woman with diabetes your pregnancy is considered high risk, no matter how well controlled your diabetes is and no matter how healthy you are. You will likely be pressured to be induced and deliver you baby early and are more likely to have a cesarean. Knowing this in advance can help you talk it over with your doctor so you can make informed decisions about what is best for you and your child.
Congratulations again on this exciting time in your life. I know you didn’t ask for marriage advice too, but always be quick to say you are sorry and quick to forgive your husband. And appreciate each other and the little family you make. Take care.
