There’s no such thing as so many questions.
SB2015 and trophywench make excellent points. Sometimes Lantus can sting as it enters the body and the injection will prick a bit as well.
Mention to the hospital team that the Lantus stings and ask about Levemir as an alternative. As SB2015 says, you can numb the site with an ice product. We used carb free ice pops which are available from all good supermarkets (and probably a few bad ones) and give it to your daughter as a treat afterwards. There is no guarantee, of course, but it may be that by the time you have your baby, your daughter will be more used to injections and won’t battle you as much. For now, it’s about patience (lots of it) and using techniques with your daughter to persuade her that injections are not such a big deal. Don’t be afraid to use a little bribery, an extra bedtime story or her favourite drink, for example. Try making it as little a deal as possible, something that is simply part of mealtime. Easier said than done, I know, but ultimately, that’s the way it has to be.
By all means ask about the pump. A note of caution, though. Pumps aren’t usually given out this early after diagnosis. It is important you know how to work out insulin doses etc by yourself without the help of technology, just in case it fails. No harm in asking the question, though. An exception is sometimes made if deemed medically necessary. My son’s numbers were somewhat erratic at night, so he was given a pump fairly soon after diagnosis to control them.
As parents, we often forget to look after ourselves as we are so focused on our children. However, we are no good to our child if we are ill, so you need to make sure you eat properly, especially with your pregnancy. We kept doing what we had done previously; we made a meal plan for the week and bought what we needed for those meals. That way, you know what you are eating and it can save money, too, as you are not ‘topping up’ the cupboard. Always a bonus! We ate as a family as much as possible and had the same food. Do that if you can as it will help you eat properly. Have you been introduced to the delights of carb counting yet? A useful book to buy is Carbs and Cals. There is an app for it, too. It not only has carbs for given weights of food, but pictures of the food on the plate as well, so you can have an idea of the what is on your daughter’s plate. That said, a set of scales is a good investment. My wife found it quite frustrating at first due to the meals she liked to make, which usually involved some improvisation on her part, and the occasional ‘shove it all in the pan together’ style of cooking. After diagnosis, we had to be a bit more orthodox in order to carb count accurately. Does your daughter eat anything you give her?
Leaving a type 1 child at school/nursery is a scary prospect. Your hospital team should visit the nursery before your daughter starts and train some of then staff. I wrote a thread on the ‘Diabetes in School’ board which gives some advice. You can find it at
https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/threads/useful-information.75117/ There is also a good section on the Diabetes UK website dedicated to schools, which you may find useful when the time comes. It’s at
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Your-child-and-diabetes/Schools Before your daughter starts nursery, arrange to have a chat with them to discuss her needs and clarify anything you or the staff are concerned about.
I’ve been made aware of a social group near you. It’s a Facebook group called ‘Type 1 Birmingham meet ups’. The page is at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/985812614844821/
The book SB2015 mentioned is this one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Type-Diabe...8&qid=1547673505&sr=1-1&keywords=ragnar+hanas
I hope I’ve answered your questions properly. Please ask more questions if you need/want to
As @Bronco Billy has said, it is a lot to have to cope with for any parent, but particularly when you are pregnant. Hopefully, you have a good team supporting your daughter's diabetes and you shouldn't hesitate to contact them should you have any concerns. It is a very steep learning curve, but it will become clearer and easier in time. I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas, which is an excellent reference guide to all aspects of living with Type 1, very accessible and well-written. It will help you with many of your queries and concerns, and perhaps also prompt questions and your understanding of things when talking to her diabetes team 🙂 In addition, if you use Facebook, there is an excellent support group called 'Parents of Children With Type 1 Diabetes In The UK' - you may be able to find other parents in your local area which will make you feel less isolated.
