Natural birth? Baby weights?

[Danielle91xx]

Hi all,
First time writing in here on the pregnancy forum. I am 7 weeks pregnant with my first. Have had type 1 diabetes for 13years. I am just wondering has any diabetics had any natural births? I know mostly we get induced and result in a c section im just curious. Also curious on baby's birth weights as i know we are known for bigger babies so is this always the case? Thank you in advance

 

[Inka]

Congratulations @Danielle91xx 🙂 I have 3 children and was only induced with one of them. None of them were C sections. They varied in weight between 6 and 8lbs.

 

[trophywench]

Well - speaking as just the parent or grandparent of the mothers in our family, none with D - what they try and do is to make sure you give birth when more than enough staff are available to take proper care of both you and little one - and you can be in natural labour for well over 24 hours sometimes, even with a second baby. With your first - nobody has a clue. Could you be a mum that retains the placentas? Nobody knows - one of our 2 daughters has had 4 babies and 4 times, she retained. With No 4 they didn't believe her it wasn't 100% out - so she had a haemorrhage in the middle of the night instead. hey ho. Anything at all might happen so especially if Covid is still about and surgical intervention and anaesthesia can't be provided at the drop of a hat exactly when you need it = it makes total sense to me, to have as many timely, planned deliveries as they can. That's all - though yes - it can be done - but in any case both the hospital and you will know by the time you both need to make the decision what good reasons there are for both, won't you?

 

[Inka]

Interestingly @Danielle91xx - or perhaps understandably from an evolutionary point of view - most spontaneous births happen at night. The most common time in the U.K. is 4am. So Maternity Units in hospitals are well-geared up for that and have excellent staffing around the clock, day and night.

Induction doesn’t guarantee a quicker birth in my experience. My 3rd birth was the induced one and took significantly longer than the other two births. Some people react quickly, some more slowly. They tend to start with a pessary to try to nudge mothers into natural labour first (because that’s preferable) and then move onto a drip if needed if you do have an induction.

Keeping tight control will greatly reduce the risk of a large baby. The main reason many women with Type 1 are induced is because our placentas tend to age a little faster than women without diabetes statistically (around 2 weeks faster). We also have an increased risk of stillbirth. So, inducing around 38+ weeks is usually recommended. You can see the NHS guidelines online and also ask your consultant.

C sections aren’t usually done except if necessary. This is because a natural birth is better for both mother and baby. My consultant explained that was due to the increased risk of lung problems with babies of diabetic mothers born by section.

So, no, a Type 1 pregnancy doesn’t mean you’ll have a large baby and a C section - you’re more likely to have a natural birth, although possibly induced.

What a Type 1 pregnancy does mean is extra care, extra scans, extra support and hopefully an excellent team behind you every step of the way : )