Has anyone had their first pregnancy at 39 years old with type 1 diabetes? My husband and I both have some very serious reservations about getting pregnant and just starting to really research. We are also very open to adoption. Any insight would be great! Thank you!
Golly, I'm 39 and feel like I'm too old to go through another pregnancy!
From a diabetes standpoint, the only concern is that someone with diabetes is more likely to have a child with downs syndrom. Since the rate of having a child with downs syndrome increases each year after the mother is 35, there is a fair chance that your child could have it.
It's possible your child could be perfectly healthy. But at your age I think it's important to assess if you are at a place in your life where you could raise a child with special needs if your son or daughter had them.
Having said all of that, motherhood is a wonderful, exhasting, frustrating, amazing thing. I don't think it matters if the child is biologicially yours or not... it is a blessing to raise a child. Remember that when you're running on 2 hours of sleep or having a battle of wills with a 2-year-old at the grocery store. =)
I gave birth to my first, Trevor at the age of 40. Probably, (though i am not positive) I am the oldest type 1 diabetic on this site. I am now 41. I was diagnosed in 1980 at the age of 8. Trevor is brilliant! Please don't let anyone scare you into thinking you cannot have a baby. You can! I am one of the few type 1 diabetics who has refused to be on a pump and I had no problems, other than pre eclampsia, this happens in many first pregnancies to young and older non-diabetic moms. It is often said to be caused by a lack of vitamin D from not enough sunlight. I live in the cold northeast and did not get much sun during the winter months.
My blood pressure went back to normal about a month after delivery. While I was pregnant it was suggested I go for genetic counseling and I refused to. I had met 7 women in the healthcare field, nurses, receptionists, doctors, who all gave birth at age 40 or older and their children turned out fine. You will be a wonderful mother! My youngest brother is adopted and he has brought a lot of joy into my life. There a lot of great sites on being an older mom. You are still very young :-)
I just had a very healthy pregnancy. Baby was born Nov. 5. I am 37 and became pregnant at 36. All I can tell you is that I did have a lot of reservations and what if's at first, At times I did stress out in the beginning when I was going through the testing. but, I said to myself whatever happens happens and I would love the baby regardless. My blood work came back as if I were 20 years old and they didn't even recommend an amnio or any other tests after that. Of course besides the standard testing.
Complications can happen even with women that don't have diabetes. During my entire pregnancy I literally talked myself into a laid back attitude, which is completely unlike me. I am normally a very stressed out person. It was almost as though I was having an outer body experience for 9 months LOL
What I can tell you is that the more research you do the more you are going to get worried. I say you just let nature take its course. There are ways to know certain things ahead of time to prepare you. I would say talk to your doctor first and if he feels you are healthy enough at your age, go for it. Don't let horror stories scare you. Many people your age with type 1 have perfectly healthy babies and pregnancies. Good Luck!
Thank you for the thoughtful feedback. I need to get my A1C at a better spot but I'm very fortunate that I don't have any complications and HDL, blood pressure, etc.... all are very good. Gina, I have to agree with you. I think there is one thing to be educated and then another to be paranoid. I am too a stressed person but luckily we have fantastic medical professionals in our area and the means to get the best care. Thank you again all for your feedback. I'm so happy I found this group!!
Mlibby,
Just to let you know my a1c at conception was 8.9. I don't really recommend you being that high! But, during my pregnancy i was in the 6's the entire time even with insulin resistance. If you h ave a team that you trust it HELPS TREMENDOUSLY. I didn't even have a high risk OB, my regular OB took care of me as well as my diabetes team. I was in the OB every two weeks till week 30 then every week 1x and at 32 weeks I was in the OB 2x per week till I gave birth. Toward the end he sent me to the hospital a couple of times because he thought my blood pressure was getting too high and another time for fetal monitoring because the baby wasn't moving as much as he usually was. Turned out he was just sleeping!
My baby was big though, (10 pounds 13 oz) I am not sure if that was because I was higher in the beginning months or just genetic. My husband was 9 pounds, his sister 10 and father was 13, me 8.
As far as diabetes care, I saw my team every month and emailed them every week with my numbers. It was A LOT of work but completely worth it!!
I got pregnant at 39 and turned The Big 4-0 one month after my daughter was born. She was born at 7# 3.2 oz, so don';t let the medical professionals tell you that we all have BIG babies (and I'm also a healthcare professional!) Good luck!
Hi--coming late to this thread but I had my first kid at 37 and my second at 40, and I was dx with type 1 in 1977. My kids are now 5 and 2 and they are quite healthy, as were my pregnancies. It's certainly possible to have children at these ages with diabetes! You may find that you have to deal with infertility (which is not related to diabetes, just age), and if you are open to prenatal testing, you can find out all kinds of things about the fetus quite early on.
I am the author of Balancing Pregnancy With Pre-Existing Diabetes; Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby, and I write that while conceiving with a high A1c (just as conceiving at an older age) raises the risks of health problems, it doesn't guarantee them. But at 39, don't wait any longer than necessary--find out all the actual risks involved (from a high-risk OB and an endocrinologist who specializes in pregnancy, if possible), along with a genetic counselor if you are willing to do genetic testing, to get the full picture.
(I also blogged extensively about my first pregnancy, and less so about my second, at Managing the Sweetness Within)
Also, I know of at least two women with type 1 who adopted children, though both did it several years ago (and one was older than 40 when she was matched with her daughter) so that is a possiblity, too.
Good luck with everything!
Cheryl Alkon
www.CherylAlkon.com/book.php
Hi mlibby,
I am 39 years old and 8 weeks pregnant. My endo informed us that he did not recommended me to become pregnant but it happened. I was really scared when I found out, but things happen for a reason. So right now just taking better care about myself and positive thinking all the time. I will keep you posted how my pregnancy is going.
Hope this helps!!!
Hi,
I know you posted this about six months ago, but I think of your question often, and I'd like to respond to you privately. I've "friended" you (is that the right term for T1 Nation?) so I will send you a note when okayed to do so. Hope you are well and doing your research!
Hello everyone! I am 30 but my husband is 40. I am always glad to hear about older parents since my husband will be an older dad whenever we conceive! :) Mona, what did you decide MLibby?
I'm also very interested in this topic! I'm 36 and we're in month five of trying...nothing yet...well, next week I'll know if round five was successful. :)
Hey everyone! :) How is everyone doing? :) MLibby did you decide to go ahead and try? Ann any good news? :)
I am 34 and will be trying for my second soon. I too am nervous but with a good A1c, the odds are in our favor. Down syndrome can happen at any age so we are just going to have faith in God that this is the plan for our family and hold on tight... I am scared but I was of my first pregnancy and she turned out beautiful!!!!
Hope everyone has a good holiday season!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Does anyone have any news to share? I don’t. This is my first cycle of taking Clomid 50mg. I do blood work this week. I have been testing my ovulation with the digital ovulation predictor. No smiley face yet. We shall see if the 50mg Clomid worked, or if the doc will need to up the dose!