Hi everyone,
I would love some input.
I am now about 7 weeks pregnant.
Last week my endo increased my insulin due to some high numbers.
But now this week, I am now getting major lows in the morning (hitting mid 50s nearly every day 2 hours after breakfast for the past few days). Lunch and dinner readings are generally ok (75 - 100 range). Fasting is also in the range of about 70 - 85, which is great. Good thing for Jelly beans and that I can usually tell when I’m low!
I am currently on 16 units of 70/30 in the mornings (reduced to 15 today). And 10 units of long acting overnight. I am going to divide the morning dose by 1/2 and replace the remaining 1/2 dose with the Long acting insulin to see what happens.
I read that this is normal in early pregnancy. How long does this usually last for?
Tomorrow I have a long walk morning (going tree planting up a mountain). I know that extended exercise reduces my blood sugar by a lot. I am a bit scared of something happening on the mountain. So, for safety’s sake I am considering just taking half the usual insulin in the morning and monitoring bs closely and eating (or not eating) to match the resulting bs. I would guess slightly high will be much safer than low in this situation.
Please share your experiences.
Congrats on the pregnancy!
I actually took less insulin thru my first and part of my second trimester than I took pre preg. I read a recent article (maybe in diabetes forecast) that says this is completely normal.
As for your walk, you will probably have to experiment a little to see what you will actually need as far as insulin and food. I always just carry my meter and several pack of dried fruit for lows.
Hi - I had a scare ( for first time in 22 years) where my husband had to call an ambulance with a bad low at 9 weeks. I became paranoid that my sudden and big decrease in insulin requirements meant that there was something wrong with the baby but thankfully not. I read, I think from Gary Schneider that insulin drops ALOT for a lot of women during week 9 and weeks 6-12 there are a lot of lows. He says that requirements shoot up at 16weeks and although I know this is different for every women I would have been so grateful to watch out for that sudden drop had my doctors told me and have a guideline to know what to expect. I found his insulin requirement chart during pregnancy in ’ balancing pregnancy with pre-existing diabetes’ by Cheryl Alkon. The chart was one if the best things about the book- maybe you could find it if you google it. Good luck! Ps I’m 14 weeks now and still low a lot
Your background insulin needs might decrease through out your entire pregnancy. That’s how it was for me. Now that I’m breastfeeding, my basal rates and overall insulin usage is the lowest its ever been.
Dee, thanks for the book praise!
–Cheryl Alkon
author, Balancing Pregnancy With Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby
www.cherylalkon.com/book.php