my husband and I have just learned that we are pregnant. I have been a type 1 for 13 years and my last A1c was 7.5 which was up from the last two of 7.1 and 6.5. I take A LOT of medicine icluding dieretics, blood pressure, thyroid, cholesterol..... Both my husband and I are a bit scared and surprised (basically full of many emotions)! He more so due to the fact that all he can think about is something happening to me or being in a situation of choosing who lives me or our baby!.... My concerns are more about how to help him, and what I can expect our pregnancy to be like??? I am on an insulin pump and currently check BG 6x a day at min.
The thought of "high risk" is in fact causing the fear in my husband. I wish I could help him see how many women are high risk pregnancies!
I am very excited (directly followed by scaryness) and REALLY looking forward to others thoughts, storys from their pregnancies, or anything to help calm my crazy nerves right now!!
Make sure your endo knows you're pregnant. He/She will probably want to see you as soon as possible. Most of the developmental problems occur in the early part of the pregnancy so you'll have to get your sugars in check now. Since your on the pump already perhaps going on the CGM would be a good idea? I don't know ask your doctor.
During my pregnancy my endo was more important to me than my ob/gyn only because I had had a close relationship for a number of years with him and his staff. So I was comfortable and confident in them. Once I was pregnant I started seeing a high risk ob. I didn't know him and he didn't know me so he worked with my endo throughout the pregnancy.
I had absolutely no complications and my son was born healthy and remains healthy. I, in general, am a very healthy person. Low blood pressure, low chloresterol, no thyroid problems, etc... So you will be at higher risk than I. I also had my A1C lower than 6 prior to conceiving and kept it in the low 5's during the pregnancy. I became extremely insulin resistant. Normally I take about 20 units of insulin a day and at the end of the pregnancy I was taking 100 units.
I didn't particularily like being pregnant and as the pregnancy progressed I became super uncomfortable (but this is typical of pregnancy in general). During the entire pregnancy I had 28 sonograms. In the last trimester, I had to go 2x a week to check the baby's heartbeat, growth, and the amount of amino fluid (I actually liked going to these visits). I also remember going to the eye doctor, I think, 3x during the entire pregnancy.
Thanks so much!!! I am already in the process of getting my cgm! I had already spoken to all my dr.'s so mediciations have already been switched around. So far it sounds like i'll be in for plenty of sonograms as well, and the apt to check heartbeat, growth, and amino fluid.
Low, Low Carbs. I drank a lot of milk which was very unlike me but I actually craved it. I ate hard boiled eggs each morning (which I never do). I didn't eat anything with Equal or Splenda, etc... Which was super difficult especially because I was big on the yogurt. But the stuff is too contraversal that I figured for the pregnancy I would give it up. (I still try to steer away from it & I will not let my son touch it). So that meant, I drank a lot of water (a lot - almost 2 gals a day), seltzer water, decaf tea, etc... I ate raisins, prunes, high fiber breads (I needed the extra help - if you know what I mean. Especially in the beginning). My choice of food was pretty routine and somewhat boring but I was focusing on nutrition more than taste. I would had the carbs all figured out and eat very close to the same time everyday in an attempt to keep my sugars as perfect as possible.
In the beginning of the pregnancy I remember being hungry all the time. I didn't experience morning sickness but if I didn't eat every few hours I would feel nauseus, acidic. As the pregnancy progressed I was eating 3 substanial meals with snacks in between. So I was definitely eating for two. I never kept track of how many calories or carbs I was taking in. I do know that by the end of the pregnancy I was taking over 100 units of insulin a day (via pump). Normally I take 15-20 units. You'll become super resistant especially when the baby really starts to grow - 5th month and on. Then right after delivery the doctors resumed my basal rates from before I was pregnant for the first 24 hours and even then I had a hard time keeping my blood sugar up. The hormones really do affect on your sugars and the postpartum lows were more surprising then anything else.
I did gain a lot of weight (50lbs) and I retained a lot of water. My feet were so swollen that if I took off my flip flops it would take a few hours for the strap marks to disappear. But thank god one week after delivery I was down 32lbs. My father said he never saw anyone "deflate" like me. But that was all the water retention plus my son was 9lbs.