Hey all. I’ve been talking with my husband lately and we are really excited to start trying to get pregnant soon. We both agree that it’s something we feel we’re ready for. I’ve been wearing my CGM for a month now and working really hard to manage by carb intake and balance that with exercise. And I’ve definitely seen an improvement! My glucose readings are better than they’ve ever been.
I usually come on here and read all of the stories and it makes me feel so much better about it all. That me having a healthy baby is actually possible. But then I go on websites like ADA and read their pregnancy section. . and I get that sick feeling in my stomach all over again. I am trying really hard to lower my a1c. It’s been so high for so long (I’m still fairly young so I’m still recovering from my neglectful adolescent years). But I’m scared to go get it tested now and see what it is. I’m afraid it’ll still be high even though I’ve been managing quite well for a month. I just know that a1c is the green light and if it isn’t low enough. .
I’m also terrified of high blood sugars. Maybe it’s all the “birth defects,” and “miscarriage,” and “unhealthy baby,” conversations talking. . but I feel like that if I get pregnant and my blood sugar goes above 200 ONCE during my pregnancy something terrible is going to happen. I feel like that’s an overreaction but I honestly don’t know. During pregnancy has your blood sugar gone above 200? Did it stay there for an hour or so? (I have problems getting mine to come down sometimes. Sometimes it takes an hour or two before it’ll start declining). Was your baby healthy? Did you have any serious complications?
I just want to be a mother so badly and I’m terrified of being the reason my child has problems. Thanks for the advice and help!
I was the exact same way. Any time I went to an appointment, I would look up whatever they told me and freak out. Being T1D and pregnant was extremely challenging, my A1C was never as low as they wanted, I had a big baby and an excess of fluid and had to have a C section. But she is PERFECT! She had to be in the NICU the entire time in the hospital, which was the hardest part, but in all they were just being extra cautious. If you’re doing your best that’s all you can do. I had highs over 200, even if I ate no carbs it still happened. Good luck to you, I wish you the best!
Thank you. I cannot tell you how much relief that gives me. I’m trying my hardest and I’m going to keep trying my hardest. And you’re right, that’s all I can do. Thank you!
of course! i was desperate for someone to tell me they had a story similar to mine and it worked out. Feel free to reach out if needed, I’d love to be of any help if possible!
It is absolutely possible for you to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. It takes a lot of work but you will be motivated to stick with it. I had a healthy boy 18m ago and am 13weeks now expecting a girl. A few highs here and there aren’t going to cause problems, it’s repeated and longer term exposure that are a problem. My son was measuring big, thought he was going to be 10lbs but was actually 8lb 3 oz. Had a c-section because he was in distress but had no issues after his birth. His blood sugar was a little low and we had to give him formula but it came right up and he had no trouble nursing afterwards. No NICU time at all. You will have a TON of appts with your OB, Endo, and perinatologist (high risk ob) to keep a close eye on things. You can do it!
Thank you so much Chelsea! Congratulations K Thomps! That’s so exciting. I’m glad to hear that things are going well! I guess that’s one of my concerns. I don’t have a great network of doctors in my area so I’m terrified of hearing the horror stories that my childhood endo. spun me. Fear tactics don’t work on me. Well, they work. They just don’t motivate me. But thank you! I’m feeling a lot better after hearing from y’all.
Hi Becca,
I have had T1D for over 30 years now and I have a healthy 5 month old son. If you ever have any questions feel free to contact me. I love helping others that have to deal with the same things that I do! My son was 6 pounds 10oz and his blood sugar was fine at birth, he needed no interventions and aside from being induced at 39 weeks we had a natural birth. I too had some highs, the best advice I got was “even thought you’re pregnant you still have diabetes so there will be ups and downs.” It sounds silly but it brought me so much peace. The other thing I did to avoid highs was to set my high alert on my dexcom at 120 so that I could catch it going up before it got too high. My childhood endo scared me from a young age too but it is possible to have a healthy baby. My son has brought so much joy, I can’t even express it. I was worried about highs as well before conception but I dealt with more lows for the majority of my pregnancy so that was a surprise to me. Good luck with everything!
Of course everyone is different and every pregnancy is different, but I have difficult-to-control diabetes and had a healthy baby girl after a healthy pregnancy one year ago (just had her first birthday!) My A1C came down to 7.6 at conception and stayed under 8 during pregnancy, but that was a huge feat for me - any day on a normal non-pregnant day can range from 40-350 readings, though of course I try to control the “roller coaster” and eat low-carb, exercise, etc. etc. Its just not easy, and pregnancy was challenging for bs management but otherwise healthy throughout and she was fine. I’ve had similar “advice” from doctors in the past about how awful it could be, but I found a decent team to get me through pregnancy and they were real about their concerns but ultimately supportive that I was moving forward and trying my best.
Good luck to you! Another great resource would by “Six before Me” blog - she’s had two babies with T1D and was a great resource during my pregnancy!