Help for first time Mummy

[SophieB]

Hello,

My name is Sophie and I have recently joined this group. I am 17 weeks pregnant with my first child. I am absolutely worried to pieces and almost feel like im falling into depression.
I have attended a ante-natal diabetic clinic twice a week. My latest HBA1c was 8.4

I cant sleep as I am constantly worrying that I have made a massive mistake by getting pregnant with Type 1 diabetes. All I can see and hear are horror stories. I haven't read one happy story. I am getting told by people at work and friends that having diabetes and being pregnant is like oil and water they just don't go.

I have been made aware of all the possibilities regarding labour and after birth with the baby getting taken into special care to monitor its sugars to having a big baby...

Can anyone please make me feel better by telling me a "nice story" surely they are not that uncommon????

I feel lost, alone and very scared. My partner has been great but I still feel like I'm paddling up a river by myself...

Hospital visits have now turned into "test the hamster" 5 people all sat around a table trying to advise me on what my blood sugars should be...and when they aren't I go into panic!!!

Any advise or help or anything would be really appreciated

Sophie

 

[Northerner]

Hi Sophie, welcome to the forum 🙂 Congratulations on your pregnancy! I can't offer any personal experiences (I'm a bloke), but I can tell you that over the 6 years that this forum has been running I have read many, many stories of successful pregnancies, and those wonderful babies are now rapidly growing toddlers who are healthy in every way, so please don't focus on the horror stories that people have been telling you. There is so much more known and so much more good help available these days, that those stories largely belong to the past now. Yes, it is more difficult to balance your diabetes when pregnant, but it IS possible.

Hopefully, some of our Type 1 mums will be around soon to share their experiences, but do have a browse of our Pregnancy section to see some of the things that have been discussed here in the past.

 

[SophieB]

Thank you...I have read a few posts on here and finally I have come across a positive story!!

I feel like a complete novice although ive been diabetic for 20 years...

 

[smile4loubie]

Hello,

My name is Sophie and I have recently joined this group. I am 17 weeks pregnant with my first child. I am absolutely worried to pieces and almost feel like im falling into depression.
I have attended a ante-natal diabetic clinic twice a week. My latest HBA1c was 8.4

I cant sleep as I am constantly worrying that I have made a massive mistake by getting pregnant with Type 1 diabetes. All I can see and hear are horror stories. I haven't read one happy story. I am getting told by people at work and friends that having diabetes and being pregnant is like oil and water they just don't go.

I have been made aware of all the possibilities regarding labour and after birth with the baby getting taken into special care to monitor its sugars to having a big baby...

Can anyone please make me feel better by telling me a "nice story" surely they are not that uncommon????

I feel lost, alone and very scared. My partner has been great but I still feel like I'm paddling up a river by myself...

Hospital visits have now turned into "test the hamster" 5 people all sat around a table trying to advise me on what my blood sugars should be...and when they aren't I go into panic!!!

Any advise or help or anything would be really appreciated

Sophie

Hi Sophie

Don't panic. I've had 2 babies since being diabetic and although they did go to scbu it was only for a few hours and then they were back with me 🙂 my eldest is a happy healthy 3 yr old girl and my youngest is a happy healthy 3 month old boy. Neither were overly big though they were early. My daughter was born at 36+5 and weighed 6lb 7oz and my son was born at 36+2 weighing 6lb 6oz. Both came early due to a drop in my insulin requirements later in pregnancy which can be a sign the placenta is struggling. I look at it as thankful we can tell this by our blood sugars as pregnant woman without diabetes can't tell if the placenta is struggling. As long as your bloods are under control you should be fine. The odd higher blood sugar isn't a problem it's prolonged high readings you need to worry about.
Years ago diabetes and pregnancy was almost frowned upon due to the risks it carries but that's not the case anymore. Your hospital will be keeping a close eye on you and hopefully answer your questions that we can't answer.
There is a Facebook group called The Sugar Mummy that is just for diabetic pregnant ladies which might give you help.and support a but quicker than here though this forum is fantastic.

 

[SophieB]

Hi smilie4loubie. Thank you for taking the time to reply to me...its not easy this pregnancy diabetic malarkey...I keep seeing posters of pregnant mums holding their bumps and smiling ear to ear and compare myself to that and think wow...I wish I could be that happy!!
I think maybe I came into this a bit naive...
Did they take your baby straight away as soon as you gave birth?
They have made me aware that I will be induced 2 weeks before it is due...So i have accepted that. All I want is my baby to be healthy and happy thats all, I dont care if I end up in a mess on the floor I just want my baby to be ok...
Can you offer any advice on how to keep calm? As I literally feel like bursting into tears every 5 minutes. How did you cope? Thanks again for your message I really appreciate it

I have just requested to join The Sugar Mummy 😱
Sophie

 

[jane]

I had a son over 30 years ago. He is healthly plays cricket and went to university. Things with diabetic care has improved a lot in the last 30 years. So please do not worry to much.

 

[SophieB]

Thank you Jane

 

[smile4loubie]

Hi smilie4loubie. Thank you for taking the time to reply to me...its not easy this pregnancy diabetic malarkey...I keep seeing posters of pregnant mums holding their bumps and smiling ear to ear and compare myself to that and think wow...I wish I could be that happy!!
I think maybe I came into this a bit naive...
Did they take your baby straight away as soon as you gave birth?
They have made me aware that I will be induced 2 weeks before it is due...So i have accepted that. All I want is my baby to be healthy and happy thats all, I dont care if I end up in a mess on the floor I just want my baby to be ok...
Can you offer any advice on how to keep calm? As I literally feel like bursting into tears every 5 minutes. How did you cope? Thanks again for your message I really appreciate it

I have just requested to join The Sugar Mummy 😱
Sophie

Hormones would t help the tears lol. Deep breathes when you start to panic and tell yourself there are far more positive stories now than negative.
Nope they weren't rushed away. My daughter was with me 8 hours and my son was 4. Both were precautionary as their breathing was a bit rattly but were fine x

 

[Catwoman76]

Hi SophieB, it can be a worrying and an anxious time when you have a chronic lifelong condition. But, 14 years ago I had my daughter at 42 1/2 yrs old and she has grown up into a happy and a healthy wonderful teen(well most of the time 🙄lol) and it was and still is, my best diabetes moment. Just try to enjoy your pregnancy and keep testing as your Insulin requirements will be variable. You have an exciting and a wonderful time ahead, so try to enjoy it as much as possible. There maybe a few blips along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing, even for all the money in the world. Good luck and wishing you all the very best. Take care x

 

[SophieB]

Thank you Catwoman76. Its really nice to hear someone who has done it and come out the other side. Your message has made me feel alot better so thank you for taking the time Sophie

 

[grainger]

Hey - happy story for you.
I had my first baby last year - he's a healthy cheeky little chappy and although labour didn't go as planned (saying that I'm not sure many people's do, diabetic or not!) my little boy was in my arms immediately after birth .
Try not to panic, hospital is there to help you through this and look after you. Just try to keep your blood sugars in range, and forgive yourself if it's not perfect all the time!
Be kind to yourself. Wish you luck!

 

[Cleo]

Hello Sophie and welcome to the forum 🙂

Sharing a positive story with you…..my son has just turned 1 and is an absolute delight (I'm very biased, I know!). He's perfectly healthy and is no different to any other child who's mum is not a type 1. He's met all his milestones and he's thriving.

Yes type 1 and pregnancy are a great deal of hard work, I remember finding it all very relentless, there were never any breaks - but with tight monitoring / control you can have a perfectly healthy baby.

I don't know what your friends and work colleguaes know about type 1 and pregnancy but I can tell you that what they're saying is non sense. You need to focus on the positives - take one day at a time, and try to get your BGs as close to possible within range. All you can do is to do your best.

In terms of having 5 people at the hops. telling you different things - don't worry, I experienced this as well. Unfortunately type 1 and pregnancy is NOT a science and therefore, you need to work out what works best for you. I remember having plenty of discussions with my endocrinologist where we had differing views, in the end she'd agree with me because she knew that the theory is different from the practice.

There's a book I read before I fell pregnant which I found very helpful, you may want to look it up: Cheryl Alkon "Balancing Pregnancy with pre existing Diabetes - healthy mom, healthy baby". its basically a collection of anecdotal stories by type 1 women who've been through pregnancy.

I was induced at 38+1 , and my son 2.53 kg (tiny!- how very undiabetic lol). He was taken to NICU, but again, please try not to focus on that. At the end of the day the reason they're taken away is because they need medical attention, and thats exactly what they get. A type 1 pregnancy is a very medicalized process and therefore, delivery / labour inevitably are as well. honestly, in the grand scheme of things it wont matter that your baby *might* need to be taken away.

I hope thats helpful, please try not to stress - you won't gain anything by stressing. Try to focus on the now and the future, don't worry about the past. Take one day at a time and do your best, thats all that you can do. Keep testing and make sure you get yourself a nice hand cream for your poor fingers 🙂
x

 

[Cleo]

PS - there's a nice diabetic group on baby centre that you may want to join x

 

[trophywench]

Well - I've never been preg myself diabetic or not - so the only pregnancies I have read about were on the two forums.

Several things seem to be common - first trimester - you need more insulin, second trimester you need a bit less and third - OMG you seem to need more every day! - quite a lot of girls land up needing 3 times as much as they did pre-preg. Then as has been said if it suddenly drops off towards the end - get thee to the maternity ward - i's a sign the placenta is failing so thery'll whip you in and whip the baby out. Now - non diabetics can have their placentas fail - but with NO symptoms so it can be a lot more touch and go - so you have a positive advantage, don't you!!

To stop the inevitable 2 hour spike after eating, nearly all the ladies I know of, have taken 'more than enough' bolus well in front of eating - and then snacked 2 and a bit hours later to stop the resultant hypo. Sounds batty, but needs must when the diabetes drives.

At the 20 week scan, about 90% of the mums have been met with sharp intakes of breath by the person doing the scan, and told their babies are in front of here they should be and will be big. 16 weeks later they deliver 6.5lb to 7-ish lb babies. Potty.

Finally - we have come a long LONG way since before the War when there were rarely live births to diabetic mothers. Thanks to the pioneering work done at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in the 1950s - diabetic pregnancies should now have no worse outcomes than non diabetic ones - and that's been the over-riding impression I've received over the last 10 years.

Worrying?

Can you honestly tell me that NON diabetic mums to be don't worry?

How do you know they don't? - they DO!!!! If they say otherwise then they are lying !

 

[newbs]

I have 2 beautiful daughters, aged 10 and 5. The pregnancies were hard-going, diabetes wise, with all the appointments, scans and concerns, but it was well worth it as both my girls were healthy (and both weighed 8lb 3oz) and neither had to go to SCBU. I had pre-eclampsia with my first but a really good, and fairly quick labour and birth. I was fine during pregnancy with my second but had to have an emergency caesarean, not because I was diabetic though.

As long as you do your best to control your sugars and be as healthy as you can be during pregnancy, things will hopefully be fine. It sounds like you are doing this anyway. Good luck with the rest of your journey to motherhood. 🙂

 

[Ellie Jones]

It has changed since I had my 3....

My oldest I wasn't diabetic, but my other two I was....

There were aspects of the care that probably were easier, as only had to cope with the two injections a day, but the carb regime was pretty horrendous, as they prescribed your carb amounts, and you ate a set amount of carbs at set times, 3 snacks and 3 meals per day.....

Blood testing was before a meal, then 2 hours afterwards, but these were painful affairs as no nice finger prickers with ultra fine lancets, but a flat blade similar to the old fashioned razor blade with a spike at one end.. This used to slash your finger rather than pricked it😱

But I got through both pregnancies, yes both my two went into SCBU, my son was for almost a fortnight, but my daughter only a couple of days, back in those days you were kept in hospital for around 12 days before going home even with a dream of a pregnancy...

My 3 are all adults now, all healthy none are diabetic, and my youngest daughter is due to have her second baby at the end of July...

Yes my 3 where rather large babies, but considering that my oldest was 10lb 10 oz and I wasn't diabetic with her, then I think I was just distend to have large babies...

 

[Maryanne29]

Hi Sophie
I had my daughter 29 years ago after being T1 for over 25 years. She weighed 9lbs 12 ozs at birth so was bigger than 'average' but it was a natural birth with a four hour labour. She is a happy, healthy adult now with no health issues whatsoever and there were no problems with my diabetes - I just took good care but not obsessively so.
It can be a worrying time - even if you don't have diabetes - but your docs will take good care of you and your baby.
🙂🙂🙂

 

[Holly007]

Please keep us updated with your progress, i recently went to a pre-conception clinic and feel now how you felt then and i don't have a little one and its scared me! I know how rubbish they can make you feel. I'm glad you seem to have found some support and happy stories and hope your medical team also give you the support your need to carry and deliver a healthy little one xx

 

[SophieB]

Update at 29 weeks - HBA1c and all

Hello everyone.

Just wanted to give you all a update. Im now at 29 weeks and 5 days by HBA1c is 7.0. Im going through Novorapid like nobody's business....and sometimes I have to wait 2 hours even if I want to eat a low carb meal to get my readings "within target" Baby seems to be ok....I have alot of fluid around the baby which is normal for a type 1... It is measuring higher than other babies but they cant tell me if this is down to the diabetes or whether its just plain simple genetics! 😱

Ive lost weight throughout the whole pregnancy.

Ive found that eating LOW GI foods have really helped my bloods although I do get pretty hungry

As all first time mummys I am extremely worried about the what ifs and the things that hospital have to go through with a "high risk" pregnancy but feel now that no matter how much I work at it and get my bloods as close to perfect as the team want I may have a larger baby anyway...

Having groups like this and people who share stories has helped me no end...

Thanks

SophieB

 

[trophywench]

Sophie - great to hear from you and that you're doing well!

A lot of T1 mums are told their babies are high on the Richter scale of what size they ought to be and will be born big - and go on to have perfectly formed, small and medium babes once they pop out - so do try not to get too stressed. OTOH they can also tell you they are huge when you aren't diabetic and when they are born they measure 24 inches long and have to have 2yo babygros and carry on growing till they are over 6ft with size 11 feet when they go to senior school! Luckily both those I know the history of, are boys LOL

I was forever having to machine elastic into the waistband's of Tim's trousers and if the legs were long enough the waists were far too wide. Once the legs were halfway up his shins, the waists and bum usually fit him nicely!