Am Type 1 Diabetic Planning on Pregnancy Soon - Advice from Other Diabetic Moms?

Hi,
I too have Type 1 and hypothyroidism. I had been a diabetic for 33 years before having my daughter. You are doing the right thing by working closely with your endo. I had the tightest control when I was pregnant, and was borderline obsessive about keeping that control. My best bit of advice to you is to get that control and make certain that you keep it once the baby is born, something I wish I had done. I became so involved with my newborn, that I often neglected my own care. Another bit of advice is to prepare yourself and your husband for the possibility of additional tests due to your diabetes and hypothyriodism. I had to have weekly sonograms and stress tests along with frequent blood tests. My insulin doses changed a lot and my synthroid dose was incresed. It can be stressful to have to take so many tests, however keep in mind the end result...a happy, healthy baby for you and your husband. The very best of luck to you!

I was diagnosed with type one diabetes in my 20s. I have two healthy little boys. I will say that the pregnancies were hard on me because with all the changes your body goes through, it WILL throw your sugar all out of whack and you will need to make so many adjustments to your insulin intake. I was advised to test my sugar up to 8 times a day. Also, if you will be seeing a high risk OB (which you likely WILL be), they will most likely have you call in your blood sugars once a week. You will also be advised to keep a journal of how much insulin was taken and what was eaten, especially in case of spikes in your sugar or extreme lows. I can say that I had alot of extreme lows during the last few months of pregnancy both times. It was explained that the baby "eats up" so much of the sugar in your body to grow that I needed to cut down on my insulin and eat a little more to compensate. You will want your endocronologist and your OB to work very closely with one another during your pregnancy. Mine would fax info back and forth to one another almost weekly. Your baby may have a period of low blood sugar immediately following birth, but because your OB knows your situation, it will be monitored very closely. You will also likely have several ultrasounds to make sure that the baby isn't getting too big. Your OB may also suggest doing an amniocentesis to see if the baby has good vital organ maturity (I know they check the lungs but I can't remember what else they check maturity of). Some people are on the fence about whether or not the amnio is a good idea or not, but I was fine about having it done. The point of this is to find out if your baby is ok to be born a bit earlier because they tend to get so big towards the end of pregnancy.

All in all, neither of my pregnancies were "horrible ordeals", just had to be extra careful about all things diabetes related. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to message me anytime during your pregnancy. Best of luck to you in conceiving!!!

Good luck! It sounds like you're so well prepared and educated on everything leading-up this pregnancy.

Having spent a lot of time in the world of diabetes (working for companies who develop insulin and other treatments), it's rare to find someone as engaged and accountable for you.

I used to work with a girl who has had type 1 since age 10. She's now in her mid 30's with 3 kids. The last pregnancy was really hard on her kidneys, so that was it for her.

In addition to your endocrinologist, I'd only also suggest working with a Dietician to accommodate your changing caloric/metabolic needs. I'm guessing you'll have to check your glucose levels more times/day - especially if your glycemic awareness isn't as acute as it has been in the past (common in people with long-term type 1 diabetes).

Usually, pregnancy affords an extra 300 calories/day to accommodate the needs of the growing fetus. It will be interesting to see if they recommend dual or square wave boluses with your pump.

Good luck! I hope you're able to conceive easily and have a safe, healthy pregnancy.

I certainly understand where you're coming from. I'm 35 and have had diabetes for 27 years. I spent much of my youth assuming that I probably couldn't have kids, or at least, that it wasn't a good idea. Thankfully, all that has changed, these days, and my husband and I now have a beautiful little girl who will turn four, next month. As for preparation, the best things I can advise are: get your A1c below 6.0 well before you conceive and throughout your pregnancy, and start taking both prenatal and extra, preferably prescription levels of folic acid, now. I was a nervous wreck throughout my pregnancy, but then, I'm a bit of a neurotic, anyway. What I can tell you is that I was probably the healthiest I've ever been during that time, she was delivered naturally, she was and is perfectly healthy - thank you, God, and I nursed her for 16 months. My biggest struggle was hypoglycemic episodes throughout the pregnancy and especially while nursing, but knowing all the health benefits of nursing and the statistically decreased chance of her developing diabetes, I had to.

It sounds like you're off to a great start, and if you have any specific questions feel free to ask. My husband and I really want another one, but I worry about "pushing" my body for a second, especially with the added "risk factor" of being over 35, so I'd love to see you succeed. God bless!

M.

hi
I do not have type1 diabetes, but i had gestational diabetes, and a thyroid problem. I delivered my baby 8mos ago and everything was fine, I must say that you have to controll your number to under 120. My doctor sent me to a class and it made a tremendous difference of food to avoid and eat during pregnancy. At first i did not take it seriously, because I was not a diabetic but then i started having issues and was told that I will have to go on bed rest if I did not take care of my condition, plus being over 35 made me start taking care of my self. good luck