Hi, so I joined this site when my husband and I were trying to conceive and haven't posted much, but have read many of the posts from you all. Well yesterday morning I found out that we are now expecting! It is a little unexpected because we had stopped trying, so while I am overjoyed and excited, I am really nervous because of how my blood sugars have been....They were really good while we were trying but now they haven't been in great control. I still jump to the 200s and have the lows as well (which I expected). I go to the OB/GYN this morning for verification and ultrasound and I made an appointment with my Endo. for Monday....any responses would be great! Thanks! - See more at: t1n-migration.10uplabs.com/.../great-news-a-little-scared.aspx
Congrulations!
If you take Lisinopril or any type of ACE inhibitor for your kidneys, make sure to tell your OB this morning because your doctor will want to take you off it until your baby is born.
Pregnancy it totally do-able as a type 1 diabetic mom. Tighten your control and test more often to prevent lows. Cheryl Alkon's book "Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes" is a great resource.
Haleigh,
Congratulations! It sounds like you're in the same boat my husband and I are in. We started trying in 2011 and just couldn't get pregnant. I had the best control of my diabetic life, but no baby. Then, this summer, I hit what one of my doctor's called "F-it mode." (Although he used the actual word). After A1cs of less than 6.5, I jumped up to 7.6. I just stopped trying because it wasn't happening. We had actually started the steps for infertility counseling/treatment. Around July I got serious again and I have since brought my A1c back down to 6.1. Good thing, too, because we recently found out we're pregnant with our first. Six weeks or so yesterday. It's very exciting, but I totally understand your fears. I've set my goals for about 80-110 most of the time, and up to 140 an hour after eating. Anything above that, and I freak out. I've had a couple of nights where I've had to get on the treadmill at 2 am to bring down a random 180. But my understanding is that as long as you bring it down quickly, and you don't have many numbers in that range, you and your little one will be just fine.
I have found that the more I check, the better my numbers, and consequently, the better my A1c. And that seems to be the number of greatest importance. I check about 10-15 times a day. (I leave test strips wherever I go).
It can seem impossible, but apparently it can be done! :) I'm excited to find someone who is about as far along as I am. Maybe we can share as we progress.
By the way, you may have already heard of it, but there is a book out there for type 1 pregnancy. It's called "Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes: Managing the Sweetness Within" by Cheryl Alkon. She writes in a very personable way, sense of humor and all. I have found the book very helpful, especially since she consults many other type 1 women about their pregnancy experiences. The author had a blog when she was pregnant. That's good, too.
thesweetnesswithin.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html
Best of luck, and check, check, check!
When pregnant I tested about 6 times a day and had a 5.1 A1c with no severe lows. Know it helps some people to test a lot but I don't think it's mandatory. What helped me was:
* Find an OB who you like and who respects your knowledge of your diabetes.
* Get in tight control now. Pregnancy is nothing compared to motherhood, especially the first month with a new baby. You actually have free time now, that will be hard to come by as a new mom. =)
* Aim for a non-diabetic blood sugar. For me that was a target sugar of 80, even 2 hours post meal. I'm sensitive to insulin though, so that may not work for everyone. Only have a low target if you can do so without having hypoglycemia and if your doctor approves.
* Eat the same breakfast everyday. It will help you spot days when insulin resistance increases. Pre-pregnancy I took about 40 u a day but by the end was taking about 100u of insulin per day.
* Carb count everything. I'd carb counted for over 10 years when I became pregnant and was surprised how inaccurate some of my carb guestimates were.
* Join an expectant moms exercise class in your 2nd or 3rd trimester, when you get your energy back. It helps with insulin resistance and is great to meet other moms-to-be.
* Know that genetically you have a fairly low probability of passing type 1 diabetes to your child. Knowing the actual liklihood removed a lot of my fears. www.diabetes.org/.../genetics-of-diabetes.html