It's been a while since I've been on here, but wanted to check in again! I'm 33 wks and 5 days today! We had an ultrasound this morning and the baby is doing well. We got to see the little peanut practice breathing and stick his/her tongue out!! It was amazing!
My last A1C (about 2 wks ago) was 5.5 so I was pretty happy with that. My previous two A1C's were in the low 6's.
Anyway... I'm curious to know what other people experienced when they got closer to their due date and the baby's size. Our baby was measuring in the 50-55% range (not too big/not too small) up until today's appointment.... and now the ultrasound is calculating that the baby is at 76% (almost 6 lbs already!). So it seems as though the weight gain over the past ~4.5 weeks must be a lot more than average... Did other people experience this? If so, did it keep up until you delivered or did the weight gain kind of level off to the more normal range? I'm just nervous about how big the baby is going to get since he/she doubled their weigh in the last 33 days! Yikes! Let me know if you have any advice on how to keep the weight gain normal... My insulin requirements have gone up a lot in the last 2 months... so I'm sure that isn't helping either.
From what I understand, those measurements in utero are notoriously wrong, but doctors really "jump" on the numbers with diabetic Moms. It depends on the technician and has a large range of error. I have two non-diabetic friends who were forced to have c-sections b/c their babies measured big, and the babies were born at a normal weight. What's a better indication of it being a diabetes-related complication is apparently if the torso is measuring too big for the baby's body, not overall size. (Wish I could remember where I read that to send you the link!)
Also, the ability of the baby to come out safely is related to Mom's abdomen, not just baby's size. My son measured around 50th (born at 7 1/2 lbs) but still didn't come out straight and I ended up with a c-sec...
I've heard that lowering post meal numbers in the 3rd trimester, and getting highs down quickly, both help with baby's size.
I had horrible insulin resistance around where you are too. But, around 36 weeks, my insulin needs went down some. They kept me in the hospital overnight to be safe and make sure the placenta was okay. But, it turned out to just be a normal period in the diabetic pregnancy that doctors aren't as familiar with. I'm glad they kept me there and checked everything, but I've talked to other Moms w/ D since who also had a little less resistance at the very end...
Thanks for the reply Sarah! I'll ask my doctor about the torso measurement thing... I had heard that the u/s measurements can be way off, but hadn't really made the connection to me... so that makes me feel a little better. I had a friend who's baby was 2lbs smaller than the tech said it would be. I'll just stat diligent about post-meal numbers and getting my highs down as quick as possible. I have the CGM, so that really helps. Hopefully I'll see some of my insulin resistance decrease at 36 wks too! How many weeks were you when you delivered? My doctor is planning to induce at 39 weeks.
In my experience, in the 3 pregnancies that I have had, what they really focus on is the chest/head ratio... but due to mommy mind mush cannot tell you why :)
My first baby was in the 80th percentile pretty much the whole pregnancy and was bore at 35 weeks weighing 6 lbs 7ozs.
My second baby was always in the 90th percentile and was born at 38 weeks weighing 9 lbs!
This last baby (due in 5 weeks!) is tiny! Only in the 20th percentile all pregnancy, so I am super curious to see how they will tip the scale. Im not used to small babies, but my OB says it is likely because my sugars have been is really good control... so who know?!
How many weeks were you when you delivered? My doctor is planning to induce at 39 weeks.
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I was 38 weeks when the MFM induced. But, I saw another MFM recently about a possible 2nd preg, and he said 39 wks is more common now to induce w/ maternal D. (I think it's creeping later as control and care gets better.) My son had jaundice after birth, and the new MFM felt another week gives the liver more time to mature...