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Thinking about pregnancy T2

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Moon.Star8

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I am a T2 and thinking about a baby this year but it all seems so scary! My current hba1c is 46 down from 106 from Jan 22. I’ve lost 5stone but have 2 more to go before I am happier with body weight. I just read so much about the 12 weeks before folic acid toe reduce risks and I feel like that’s ok but how do I know when I want to try for a baby if that makes sense.

Also do all T2 have insulin during pregnancy i think that’s 1 of the things what I am scared of the most like taking too much or not enough and then having a baby that might have problems caused by me and my T2. I don’t know whether I have read too much but it’s all mega scary to think about and to be honest it’s putting me off.

I’m not asking for medical advice or anything just would like to know of some experiences.
 
Hi @Moon.Star8 Don’t be scared - pregnancy with diabetes is extra work, but you can still enjoy it. The good thing is that we get extra checks, scans and appointments, which is a real reassurance.

You’ve made an incredible reduction in your HbA1C and weight - well done! You’re clearly focussed and prepared to work hard, so that’s really positive for a pregnancy 🙂

With the high dose folic acid, you have to take it at least 3 months before you conceive, but you don’t need to conceive exactly 3 months after you start it. Some ladies take 6 or more months. You just start taking it and avoid conceiving until you’ve been on it for 3 months eg if you wanted to start trying in June, you’d start taking the folic acid end of Feb/beginning of March, but if you then didn’t actually conceive until November that would be fine.

Most hospitals have pre-conception clinics. Speak to your diabetes nurse or hospital and ask to be referred. You’ll then get support and advice.

Pregnancy itself causes insulin resistance which increases a lot in the last half of pregnancy. That’s why Type 2s often need insulin as a bit of extra help. The injections are far less scary than you’re probably imagining. You use a ‘pen’ and it has tiny, very fine needles. You might also be given a Libre so you can keep an eye on your blood sugars. These have alarms to alert you to Highs or Lows.

@merrymunky is one Type 2 who springs to mind (I’m Type 1 and have 3 children) but there have been others here too - probably all busy with their babies/children now.
 
I know it all sounds scary but you'll get a lot of support. I'm type 2 and have a 4 year old little boy now who made it all worth while!

Theres more planning involved so take the folic acid 3 months before and work at hitting the pregnancy pre and post meal targets. I had a preconception meeting with my hospital which helped and when I became pregnant they were so helpful.

I was on metformin which increased up to 4 tablets and then moved onto insulin. I was terrified but they explained everything and once you've done it a few times it's a lot less scary. You get used to how much insulin is needed for certain meals but you won't get it perfect and as the pregnancy progresses the amount you need increases.

I had to record all my doses and results and email it to the team at the hospital weekly and they would email back or call if they wanted anything increased.

You have a few extra scans and will likely be under the care of a consultant. We were booked for a 38 week induction but due to preeclampsia he came at 36 weeks.

You've done amazingly well already x
 
Moon.Star8 said:
I am a T2 and thinking about a baby this year but it all seems so scary! My current hba1c is 46 down from 106 from Jan 22. I’ve lost 5stone but have 2 more to go before I am happier with body weight. I just read so much about the 12 weeks before folic acid toe reduce risks and I feel like that’s ok but how do I know when I want to try for a baby if that makes sense.

Also do all T2 have insulin during pregnancy i think that’s 1 of the things what I am scared of the most like taking too much or not enough and then having a baby that might have problems caused by me and my T2. I don’t know whether I have read too much but it’s all mega scary to think about and to be honest it’s putting me off.

I’m not asking for medical advice or anything just would like to know of some experiences.
Click to expand...
Sorry it’s taken me forever to get here to reply!

I am type 2 diabetic and about to have my second full term baby! (You can go back and search my pregnancy posts but in a nutshell my type 2 diagnosis came about in the months after losing our first son at 16 weeks pregnant. I had no idea I was diabetic when we conceived him and during the labour it was discovered that my levels were high. A follow up hba1c 12 weeks after confirmed the diagnosis).

On diagnosis I was assigned a consultant who deals with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy care at the diabetic clinic at the hospital. I’ve been seeing him through my subsequent pregnancies and he’s awesome! It was recommended that my hba1c should be 48 or below before conceiving. I spent months sorting my diet out and with metformin/exercise I managed to lose 3.5 stone and get my hba1c from 75 on diagnosis to 47 in a matter of months.
Mince I was pregnant with my daughter (she’s 3 in May) I was out onto insulin and it is the same again in this pregnancy. I have insulatard slow release insulting overnight and then novorapid for daily use at mealtimes etc. It’s far less scary than it sounds. I have had a fair few typos where I’ve taken too much insulin but they are harness to the baby, especially if you intervene and get your glucose back up. It just makes you feel a bit rubbish for a while but within minutes or correcting all is fine again. My levels have been very well controlled through these two insulin dependent pregnancies. My daughter was born fit and healthy and this baby boy seems to be doing very well too. I’ve had regular diabetic clinic appointments and extra growth scans. Our maternity unit is very good at monitoring me through pregnancy and ensuring everything is ticking along smoothly.

I wish you all the very best and please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have about the intricacies of pregnancy with diabetes.
 
Hi everyone, I have a telephone appointment tomorrow with my doctor to discuss starting to think about pregnancy. It might seem silly but I’m nervous I feel like I don’t know what to ask or expect? Will I be referred to a hospital as I know some of you have mentioned pre conception clinics. This is a huge step for me as I’ve been soo nervous to even think about pregnancy because of everything I’ve read that could happen as a diabetic mother- I shouldn’t have googled!

I was just wondering if anyone could shed like on what the timeline or process was re starting the possible journey with folic acid and what initial tests they may do if any?

Thanks ❤️
 
That’s exciting news @Moon.Star8 🙂 Don’t be too nervous. I can’t stress enough how much support you’ll get and how much things have changed even in the last 10 years in care for pregnant women with diabetes x

You’ll probably have an HbA1C and maybe all your usual diabetic tests if you haven’t had them done recently. You might also have a blood test to check you’re not anaemic or deficient in vitamins. You’ll be prescribed high dose folic acid, which you need to take for a minimum of 3 months before trying to conceive. Unless told different, you can start taking the folic acid right away. It won’t hurt if you take it for more months than three. Not everyone conceives quickly!

I’m guessing you’ll be referred to a pre-conception clinic, but you could ask and ask where it will be. They’ll also check things like blood pressure. It’s nothing to worry about - just general health checks 🙂 Being under a diabetes hospital team is great. Such expertise and very reassuring.
 
Inka said:
That’s exciting news @Moon.Star8 🙂 Don’t be too nervous. I can’t stress enough how much support you’ll get and how much things have changed even in the last 10 years in care for pregnant women with diabetes x

You’ll probably have an HbA1C and maybe all your usual diabetic tests if you haven’t had them done recently. You might also have a blood test to check you’re not anaemic or deficient in vitamins. You’ll be prescribed high dose folic acid, which you need to take for a minimum of 3 months before trying to conceive. Unless told different, you can start taking the folic acid right away. It won’t hurt if you take it for more months than three. Not everyone conceives quickly!

I’m guessing you’ll be referred to a pre-conception clinic, but you could ask and ask where it will be. They’ll also check things like blood pressure. It’s nothing to worry about - just general health checks 🙂 Being under a diabetes hospital team is great. Such expertise and very reassuring.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for your reply.

That’s what I kind of expected would happen so that good to hear! I’m also a little nervous about the hb1ac as I did one with superdrug to check where I’m at and it came back at 54. I’m only on 1 metformin and I was on 2 at Xmas when I had my last hb1ac and that came back at 46. So I will just take to try not to see it as a failure and restart again- coming back from a 2 week cruise for our honeymoon will for sure will not have helped but I can’t sit around feeling guilty but I’m working hard again to get as low into the 40s as I can.

I was wondering if they would wait for the hb1ac before the folic acid was prescribed- we were hoping to start trying around end of sept
 
I can’t say for sure @Moon.Star8 but there’d be no problem with them prescribing the high dose folic acid now as you’d have to wait 3 months anyway and in that time your HbA1C might have come down. That Superdrug test might not be accurate and it’s only slightly up anyway. I’m sure you can get it down again 🙂
 
You are absolutely right! Thanks for replying- I feel much happier about the chat tomorrow! 🙂
 
An update from todays appt/ I’ve been given folic acid straight away and I’ve been asked to go in for height weight all the D tests which is normally my annual review. I’ve also been referred to the pre conception clinic so that’s a start!
 
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