Ok ladies, I need your support and advice now...I talked to my Endo a month or so ago about getting pregnant and reminded him of my past, and he said as long as I got my A1C down below a 7 I'd be good. Now today my husband and I went to my OBGYN and he had the complete opposite to say. He was very pessimistic about me getting pregnant. He is a great doctor and I know he sides more on the cautious side. He said he sees what happens to pregnant women with T1 diabetes and he also sees what happens to T1's that didn't take care of themselves. He made me think about how me getting pregnant and the more I try to have the sooner the onset of dialysis can come, blindness, and many other complications. It freaks me out!! I don't want to die, or lose my eye sight, or be dependent upon a machine to live. BUUTTTT I WANT A BABY OR TWO!!! I see that there are plenty of women who have normal pregnancies and babies. But what am I NOT seeing??? I don't like being told I can't do something, but I also know I did this to myself. I am so depressed. I'm lost. I don't know what I should do!!?
I would say don't live in fear and look at all of the negatives. If there is something you really want in life, sometimes it is worth the risk. I don't think having a baby will push you over the edge into blindness or dialysis. I am almost 26 weeks now, and I am just so happy and grateful that I have been given the chance to have a healthy baby girl. So far, she has developed perfectly normally. Granted, there have been some rough times for me- I went to the eye doctor yesterday and after years of having my retinopathy under control, my left eye has swollen and my right eye has blood in it. I am also spilling a ton of protein and my blood pressure is pretty high. When I feel the little baby kicking away in there, it is such a great feeling and it is all worth it. None of that bothers me anymore because my main concern is the health of the baby, and if you become a mother you will feel the same way too. Some people might have lots of problems and some people might have none, you just will never know until you try. If you don't give it a shot, you will always wonder what you are missing out on and to me it has been the greatest thing ever to happen to me.
Calm down and don't panic. That is just the opinion of 1 doctor. There can certainly be complications with diabetic pregnancies, but it sounds to me like he is just overreacting a touch. When I was 7 weeks pregnant I had my A1C done and it returned at 6.8 My endo would like to see me just a tad lower, but she was still comfortable with this number. When I later went to my first OB appt. the doctor totally freaked me out and almost made me cry! He looked at my numbers and said they weren't ideal and then proceeded to tell me how my highs could cause birth defects or even sudden death to the fetus. I was completely devastated and felt horrible about myself at that point. And then he saw the Omnipod on my arm and was like "What's that?" I replied by saying it was an insulin pump. Funny enough he had a million questions for ME. Does it test your blood for you? Do you take it off? Ect. Ect. He told me had had delivered babies from diabetic moms before, but it was obvious to me he had never worked with a mom on an insulin pump. I am currently 11 weeks and have switched to another OB practice. My new doctor made me feel much more comfortable. He would also like to see my A1C just a touch lower, but at least he didn't make me feel like a horrible person like I'm intentionally trying to cause a miscarriage.
My health has not always been the best either. My A1C 6 months ago (before I was on the pump) was 9.7 I have retina damage in one of my eyes. I sometimes have neuropathy in my hands. With the lows, sometimes I notice it, and other times I don't feel like I'm low until I'm dangerously low. But 6 months ago my hubby and I started talking about starting a family and so we went to my endo to discuss it. They encouraged pump therapy and I started on the OmniPod. It did help a ton! I should have done it sooner! My A1C improved a lot!!! I started really checking my numbers. Honestly, (ashamed to say this!) I used to would check maybe 3 or 4 times a day. Now I check like 8 times a day! I log/record everything! I stay in touch with my diabetes nurse literally every 2-3 days via email or phone. And I eat healthier! There are some foods that cause me to spike even with insulin and although it's hard to say no, I have learned to do it! It is a LOT of work to really stay healthy, but it can be done. You have to be persistant and not get slack with taking care of your health. I would advise to get your A1C in a very healthy range for at least 3 months (preferably 6) before trying to conceive. Anything under 7 is "acceptable" but your doctors will probably want you to be closer to 6. That's hard for me. I tend to keep my numbers just a touch high (maybe low 100's) because I typically don't feel when I'm going low so I have this fear of getting my A1C lower. But the closer you can get your A1C to a "non-diabetic level" the healthier your pregnancy will be. Good luck, and really don't let yourself get down and discouraged! You can do this!
I agree, calm down and don't panic. I have had type 1 for almost 16 years now and did not take care of myself during my college days at all. Up until after college my A1C's were always around 10-12. I am 16 weeks pregnant now and don't have any complications and the baby is healthy, didn't have any complications before I got pregnant. You just have to realize that some doctors don't know that much about Type 1 Diabetes. Just because they are doctors doesn't mean they know everything about every disease. They only go by what the protocol is and may not be up to date on how people are living with Diabetes these days. I'm not dissing doctors (my mom is a doctor) but some just don't know how different each person is with diabetes. If I were you I would focus on what your endocrinologist thinks especially if they have experience with other pregnant women. My A1C was at 7.1 a couple of months before I got pregnant and my endo was ok with it but wanted to see it lower so I was diligent and got it lower and now I am at 5.9. The only thing you can do is take as best care of yourself and the baby as possible. And believe me when you have a little one growing in your tummy it is motivation enough to keep your blood sugars in check.
It seems like he doesn't have faith in you, and that makes me uncomfortable. The one thing that stuck with me was my OB said, "you will be amazed at how good you are at being a diabetic, when its not just for you any more."
I understand the warnings, but there is no reason for a type 1 to not have children, medicine has come a long way. It isn't easy, and it takes a lot of work, and A LOT of doctor visits tomake sure everything is okay, but with tight control, and careful monitoring you will be fine.
I am 24 weeks pregnant with baby #1, and this is after blood tests to see if I had Schmidt's Syndrome. We were unsure if I could even have children, Ididn't have a period for 2 years, and one day I just didn't feel quite right, and sure enough I was pregnant. I would say, do not let anyone talk you out of being a part of such a miracle, as long as it is safe.
I had a very similar reaction from my OB when I went to visit him. My circumstances were different though: My pregnancy was a complete surprise. I became pregnant on my birth control (never missed a pill, still baffled on that one!) and I didn't find out about my pregnancy until I was a little over a month along. During this time, I had fair control of my diabetes, but not the control needed for a pregnancy. I was considering all my options while frantically doing research about type one diabetics and pregnancy. I scheduled my first OB appt, and he started with all the bloodwork and such, but he wasn't subtle when he said that in his personal opinion, I could not get myself into good enough control to maintain a healthy pregnancy (as I have also had many problems in the past with my control). I don't think I have ever cried as hard as I did when I got back in my car after the appt. My confusion over any decision I had to make simply mulitplied the more I thought about it. To make a long story short, after finding out my A1c was 6.8 and my bloodwork and ultrasound looked great, I was comfortable with my choice to keep my baby. I tried as hard as I ever have to keep tight control of my sugars and I won't try to sugarcoat my pregnancy- it was very, very hard. It was a challenging task, but I rose to the meet the tide and beared it well, even though I did break down many times and wondered whether I was doing the right thing, with all the risks involved. But today I look at my daughter and I realize that all the mixed feelings, nervousness, and panic was all worth it. I was induced 3 days before my due date, and was able to deliver vaginally (yes!!). She was 7 pounds 4 ounces, and she got a 7 on the APGAR test right after birth and 5 minutes later she got an 8. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome to all of my worry. And she was/is a perfect little girl. The only issue that came up was that she has a cleft palate (which was most likely due to my lack of prenatal vitamins in the beginning of my pregnancy, not due to my diabetes) and she is a healthy and thriving 7 month old now. Anyway, the point of my rant here is that you can do whatever you put your mind to, as long as you have the determination to make it work. Your doctor expressed his concern, but the choice is still up to you and your partner. And even though your pregnancy may seem like a long road of obstacles, it will all be worth it when you see your little baby. I can assure you of that :) Good luck!
I seriously don't know what I would do without this site and all the support and life stories you ladies have given me! I can't remember her name but the reply stating that her doctor told her the same thing and all the confusion she faced, I am totally relating to right now. I think about it every day, and every time I see that my blood sugar is high, I ask myself- am I making the right decision to go through with this? Dr put me on prenatal vitamins and is doing some blood work on the 25th in preparation for pregnancy. I'm trying to get my blood sugars down so my A1C goes down now so I'm ready months before we acctually "try". I keep asking myself, are you prepared for a possible miscarriage (at whatever amount of weeks)? Am I ready to face battles with my vision? Do I realize that this could put me in need of dialysis at a younger age? Am I prepared & emotionally strong enough to deal with a child who has health issues (at whatever level)? I feel like I'm prepared, but I worry that I'm making a selfish decision.
I've been thinking about going to see another OB that one of my pregnant T1 friends sees and hear what they say. The more I think about it, I feel like my Dr doesn't believe/ want to hear about the girls that do actually have a normal pregnancy. His pessimistic attitude is the biggest thing that makes me doubt myself. As of now, I'm going to give pregnancy a try. I just pray I have family support and the support of my OB.
Thank you again ladies for all of your support and stories! It means the world to me. : )
My OB was telling me that most T1's have to have c-section and they schedule it earlier than due date. Were you told why that is? I want to have a chance to have a natural birth, but I think this battle is the least of my worries right now. Lol. And when you say it was hard, what was hard about it? What do I have to prepare for?
A lot of T1's tend to have bigger babies because if the mom has high blood sugars the baby gets extra sugar and ends up converting that into fat. So if the baby is too big for a vaginal delivery (usually its the shoulders that won't fit through the birth canal) then they get a c-section or an early delivery.
Or, on the other hand they can be a little small. My A1C was 5.4 so I am not running high, but I am spilling such an incredible amount of protein that that can prevent some of the nutrients from the placenta from getting to the baby, so they are watching her to make sure she does not get too small. Ahh, so many things to worry about! I am going to the high risk ob today for an ultrasound, so hopefully everything is going well!
Oh my gosh Kelly, that's so scary! Will you quit spilling protein after the pregnancy? And what exactly is happening when you spill protein? It's because your kidneys aren't able to clean all the toxins out correctly, correct? What happens if the baby is getting to small?? Oh my goodness I'm paranoid and I'm not even the one carrying her. Lol.
Oh I just got back from the high risk ob a few minutes ago with great news. In the last 3 weeks she had a major growth spurt apparently, instead of the 38th percentile she is now 69th, at 2 pounds 5 ounces. The ob was completely shocked she is doing so well. That is what is more important to me anyway, as a mother to be I am much more concerned about the baby than myself. Prior to pregnancy I was spilling a good amount of protein but the medicine I was taking to control that cannot be taken while pregnant, so the combination of not taking it and the stress of pregnancy has made it much worse. If you were not having that complication already, it shouldn't be a problem for you so don't worry yourself about things that haven't even happened yet! =) So after pregnancy, I will still be spilling protein but hopefully at a more moderate level. I guess the potential hazard it is to the baby is the placenta can break down at an earlier time than it is supposed to, which is why he said I will be lucky to make it to 37 weeks. I am 26 weeks so not much longer to go, and I think I can hold on till then! Somehow the protein stops as much blood, oxygen and nutrients from getting to the baby but he said in my case he is very surprised it has not affected her as much as one would think. It is always nice to hear good news, especially after such a gloomy endocrinologist appointment on Wednesday. The doctor said I am doing a great job and doing all that I can do, so I have to just try not to stress out about things I cannot change. You shouldn't worry yourself too much either, it is impossible to predict from the outset how things will turn out, you just have to monitor yourself constantly and the rest will just fall in place. You can do it!
That is what my OB, and endo said too. The large baby risk is more for out of control diabetes, and you see really large babies more often in T2's and in women with gestational diabetes. Now we are watching closely to make sure the baby is growing properly, and if the placenta is still in tact. The doctors say that the placenta sometimes dies before it is time, and sometimes babies of mothers with T1 don't gain their weight as well. This is why I will not go past 38 weeks, the risk of the placenta dying is too great. The also said if they see problems they would induce as early as 35 weeks, but with close monitoring we will do what is best. As of right now, we are going to have a natural delivery, and my doctors are all for that. The only thing that would keep me from that would be if there was something, like high blood pressure, that would put my health or the health of the baby in jeopardy. We are past a lot of the scary stuff now, we made it past 14 weeks (before that is prime miscarriage time), the kidneys have formed normal and so has the heart, and their does not appear to be any other abnormalities. Now, after 28 weeks we will have an ultrasound every week, to monitor everything and to ensure that the placenta is okay and the baby is growing.
I think you have to trust yourself too. Now that I am pregnant, I don't think I have ever been in better health.
Nikki--
It sounds like you really want to be a mommy, and I know that you will do what it takes, so relax, trust yourself, and find a more positive doctor. Pregnant women do not need that kind of negativity. Good luck, you will be great!