T2 - Pregnant & Overwhelmed

[BuntyBoo]

Hi everyone,

I’m so glad to have found a place of community here because I’m really struggling.

My story is complicated but it still brings me here to being recently diagnosed with T2 Diabetes. I wasn’t told I was pre-diabetic (although I now know the Drs did have this info) until was told a year and a bit ago that; because I was already on Metformin for my PCOS, my HbA1C levels were just on the cusp of a T2 diagnosis but, without the Metformin, they were confident I would fall into the T2 category so they were going to treat me as being Diabetic. Fast forward to last month and, by some beautiful miracle, we found out we’re expecting our little rainbow baby in February of 2026. Since then everything seems to have gone into a bit of a T2 whirlwind. I’m under the care of a specialist Antenatal Diabetes and Endo Team and have the most wonderful midwives and consultants who specialise in this area. It turns out my Diabetes was wildly out of control and so I’ve been but on the Freestyle Libre 2 Plus sensor and both long and fast acting insulin. They’re all very supportive and I’m very grateful that you get access to treatment so quickly when pregnant.

At the moment though I’m really struggling mentally. I feel very overwhelmed suddenly having to inject myself five times a day, even though I know it’s to help, constantly looking at my Libre app to monitor what’s going on, and reading food labels like it’s a new hobby. I feel like the biggest failure to our little one who’s reliant on my broken body to grow theirs, and so guilty my poor Husband is worrying about me so much which is taking some focus off of the joy of our little miracle. I have underlying medical conditions anyway and I’m just finding myself so embarrassed, feeling like such a failure, and being totally overwhelmed.

After finding out we were pregnant I was given loads of literature and had some conversations, which were delivered very kindly, but shocked me with the “with T2 Diabetes the risk of stillbirth doubles … the risk of miscarriage is much higher … here’s a whole list of things that could be wrong with your baby”. I knew my body wasn’t in the best condition but I’m here now and I wish I’d had that information prior to baby, which all Drs from my GP to Gynaecologist etc, knew we were trying for, rather than it being a case of being full of joy for baby and then being told how likely they are to die because of my body.

Does anyone else have positive stories about pregnancy and T2 Diabetes or being a Mum and managing T2 etc? I would find that really comforting if anybody is able to share … at this point I’d just like to feel less alone in this journey (I do have a wonderful support network but no one with T2 who understands).

Thanks to anybody who’s read this far … have a lovely day!

 

[rebrascora]

Hello and welcome.

Many congratulations on your happy news! But so sorry to hear you are feel so overwhelmed and guilt ridden. There is a huge learning curve with using insulin and I am so pleased that you have a really supportive team but we are here on the forum too whenever you need us to clarify anything that you might have forgotten or not understand or if you make a mistake.... like inject the wrong insulin at the wrong time.... many of us have done that on occasion, so we can talk you through what worked for us although most of us probably haven't started on insulin during pregnancy and indeed I was menopausal when I was diagnosed, so I can't offer any personal experience with regard to pregnancy. We do have a member @merrymunky who rarely posts these days probably because she has her hands full running around after two gorgeous children, who posted quite a bit about her experiences of pregnancy with Type 2 diabetes a few years ago now. I will see if I can find her posts and link to them here.

 

[rebrascora]

Here we go...... this is the thread I was looking for complete with gorgeous baby pics at the end....

Thread 'Pregnant again following 2 losses.'

Sep 21, 2019

Hi all,

Well my joy at falling pregnant in August was short lived with the loss of our much wanted rainbow baby at 6 weeks.

I’m back and now approaching 5 weeks pregnant having fallen on the first cycle post miscarriage. It’s incredible really. Tried so hard for over ten years with nothing then three times in a year I’ve fallen pregnant at the ripe old age of 39.

I’m not out of the woods here and know it could all crash down at any given moment. However my tests have been progressing nicely and today got a 2-3 weeks on a digi which I didn’t get at all with our last. I never progressed...

• merrymunky
• Replies: 172
• Forum: Pregnancy

She subsequently had a second successful pregnancy, but I don't have time to look for that thread right now.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @BuntyBoo 🙂 Congratulations on your pregnancy. It’s completely normal to be worried and stressed when pregnant, and diabetes just adds to the worries. But, the good news is you’ll be getting excellent care - more checks, more scans than pregnant women without diabetes - and great care up to and after delivery. Try to frame this positively. Your team and you are all working to support your baby. I’m Type 1 but I’ve had three pregnancies with diabetes and three healthy children, and the care was excellent.

Insulin must be a big shock for you and it does take a while to get used to, but try to see it like a job. Do your tasks (injecting, checking blood sugar, etc) just like it was a job. I found this stopped me worrying about things so much. It became more automatic.

Yes, things can go wrong in a diabetic pregnancy, but they can go wrong in any pregnancy. Most times they don’t. Remember, the majority of women deliver a healthy baby 🙂

 

[Drummer]

@BuntyBoo You have every chance - and so has your baby.
You seem to have good support so do trust that things will go as well as possible.

Do let people know how you are feeling, continue to get all the information and advice possible, but it was never your fault.
I wish you all the best.

 

[Ieva DUK]

Hi @BuntyBoo and welcome. I’m so glad you found the forum and took the time to share your story with us. And huge congratulations on your pregnancy - such a special moment after everything you've been through.
It’s completely understandable that you’re feeling overwhelmed right now - managing a new diabetes diagnosis is tough enough on its own, never mind while navigating pregnancy and everything that brings. You're absolutely not alone in feeling like this. Many people here have felt like they’re “failing” at some point, but please know that taking all these steps, even when they feel hard or scary, is actually the opposite. You’re showing such strength and care for your little one already. That’s not failure - that’s love in action.
The steep learning curve of insulin, sensors, and food tracking can feel all-consuming at first. It will settle. Many people have found that, after the first few weeks or months, things that once felt overwhelming began to feel more manageable, even second nature. Let yourself take it one day at a time - you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to keep going.
I’m so glad you’re being well looked after medically, and it sounds like you have a wonderfully caring team around you. And now you have the forum too - a group who truly gets what it’s like to live with diabetes. If you ever need to ask something, rant, or even just share a small win, everyone's here for you.
There are lots of positive stories of women with diabetes who’ve gone on to have healthy pregnancies and happy little ones - you’re already giving your baby a beautiful start by doing all that you can. You’re not alone, and you’re absolutely not failing.
Take care and keep reaching out - we’re cheering you on.

 

[Chelseagirl]

Firstly, congratulations!
I’ve got three lads, 42, 40, and 37. I had gestational diabetes with every pregnancy. All three were delivered early, (36, 37, and 36 weeks respectively) and the last one was C section but for placenta praevia which had nothing to do with diabetes. I was treated with diet for first, Metformin for second and insulin for third. Bearing in mind how old they are now, the understanding of gestational diabetes has vastly improved nowadays. It was a shock when I was told first time around, half expecting it second, and the third, my GP gave me a blood testing kit at the very beginning and I could see that it was going that way immediately. I am now a T2 on insulin as it went away within 48 hours of giving birth but returned when the youngest was 3. This doesn’t always happen btw!
Just trying to give you a good news story really.