Hey! I’ve recently found out that I’m 7 weeks pregnant. Super excited about it; we’ve been trying for years! My endo switched me from lantus to levemir. I used to take 1 unit of humalog for 10 grams of carbs but got switched to 1:8.
My Endo’s office called me this evening and told me that my numbers are still too high for pregnancy…and I know I have some highs, but when she told me to take even more insulin I got discouraged. I thought my numbers were pretty good. My mornings are high, so I might need to stick to low carb breakfasts or something. I dunno, any tips would be SO appreciated! Thank you!!
Hi congratulations. In birth my pregnancies i had to eat no carb breakfasts, and still bolus for protein. Insulin: carb ratios, can change quickly. Don’t be scared to do corrections - with appropriate monitoring.
You can do this. Please ask away any questions… many of us may be able to share our experiences.
Thank you so much! I check my sugars a lot and try to correct the highs as best as possible. I know I got this! I’ll definitely start with low/no carb breakfasts and see if that helps!
Hey, congrats! I’m in the same boat as you. Been trying to get control of because we are also trying to get pregnant. It’s tough. I can share what’s worked for me so far. Looks like you are going high in the mornings, and I found that if I started my morning high that the rest of my day was shot. Lately I’ve been sticking to eating eggs in the morning and it seems to do the trick. It’s so boring, but at least I know I won’t go high. I make an egg salad with light mayo which helps me stay full longer and add a little Lawry’s salt for flavor. A lot of people’s sugars naturally go up in the morning as well, mine do, so my doctor set my pump up so that I get more basal insulin from 6 AM-11 AM. Sounds like you are injecting insulin, you might want to consider a pump and a CGM. The CGM is absolutely a life changer and the pump help you control the amount of basal insulin you get at different times of the day.
I’m still struggling to find carbs that don’t spike my sugar. I’ve been experimenting and I’ve found that if I eat 1/2 a cup of Far East brand couscous and I bolus 20 minutes before eating that my sugars don’t spike. I also noticed that they don’t spike if I eat 1/2 cup of quinoa and bolus 20 minutes before eating. But everyone is different, that’s just what’s worked for me.
Thank you!! Yes, I inject insulin. It’s all I can afford. I pay $100 for five pens of insulin. I have no idea if my insurance is just crappy or what, but the cost of getting a pump & cgm are sooo high for me. Or at least from what I’ve researched. I’ll have to ask my endo about it. I’m definitely mostly interested in the cgm. I’ve always wanted one and I bet it would be sooo helpful during pregnancy! I will also for sure be trying to stick to eggs or something low carb for the mornings! Seems to do the trick for a lot of people. My oatmeal will just have to become my lunch. lol…thanks for all the tips!!
Between a pump and a CGM, I’d invest in the CGM. It’s the best way to know what’s going on between all those meter readings. I used to have a CGM but didn’t start wearing it regularly until I got a new/different one in January. Just knowing what my bg was doing regularly contributed to an A1C drop of 8.2 to 6.6 in 3 months!
Are you pre-bolusing at meals? You might want to try that…bolus first and then wait 30 minutes to eat your breakfast. See if that helps with the spikes. What did you do different yesterday for breakfast than the previous days? You didn’t spike as high yesterday.
Aww yay, congrats to you too!! I wish I could remember what I ate yesterday morning! I actually think it was a cheese danish. haha I must have just taken a good amount of insulin for it and didn’t spike as much as the previous days. I had been eating oatmeal which lead to those 300’s, so I think I’m gonna avoid oats in the morning. I gotta see how much it would be for me to get a CGM!! I usually take my insulin just a minute or so before I eat…but perhaps I should give it more time than that.
Definitely bolus and then wait to eat. Because I have the luxury of the CGM, I’ve been taking a number of liberties to make sure my bg stays within lower ranges: I bolus, wait if I remember or have patience to do so, and also start a temporary basal of 150-200% depending on the type of food. Once I see my bg drop to the 90s, I turn off the temp basal and then look to have a small snack (since I usually still have active insulin).
I am clearly not a doctor, but I’d over bolus, wait, and then carefully check for and treat any lows that result from the over bolusing. It’s been working ok for me…we’ll see if the doctor yells at me. No hypos that I couldn’t treat. Of course, I have a pump and a CGM, so I can do quicker interventions than you can on just MDI and a meter.
The benefit of the Dexcom CGM is that many people are able to use the sensor site multiple times before replacing it, which makes each one more affordable. I’m able to get two weeks out of each one before they start falling off my skin, but other people have left them in for much longer.
Hi, Congratulations!! I am now 12 weeks. I usually eat musli and yoghurt for breakfast but for the first few weeks i had to eat eggs for breakfast/no breakfast (due to morning sickness) as the musli would make my blood sugar spike. During the day was difficult as well. I use MDI (levemir novorapid) and found for those first few weeks I had to increase my insulin allot. Don’t be afraid to do so. By about week 10 though my levels evened out and have had to reduce back to what I was on before I became pregnant! Everyone is different though, things can change daily too!
Congratulations! I was looking through some old tudiabetes interviews and came across several on “diabetes and pregnancy”. Just thought I would share in case there is anything helpful! Here is one where there happened to be some questions from a woman who was 9 weeks…
I haven’t read all the replies yet, so forgive me if this has been mentioned. It looks like you may be over correcting some lows, causing high spikes. This is very easy to do! Do you know how many carbs raise you bg by a certain amount? For example, for me, 6 carbs raises me about 50 points. This means if my sugar is 50, I only a little bit to bring it into range.
I’m not entirely certain, but I pretty much stick to 15 grams to bring me out of a low. Sometimes I need more, sometimes 15 grams is a little too much. I don’t think I go high after a low from over correcting the lows, though. The high sugars around 10 am are from what I had for breakfast.
Congratulations! Although I have not been pregnant in over 30 years, I can attest to the fact that one can have normal, healthy babies even with diabetes… and we have come miles in the treatment of D1 since the 80’s! But babies are babies, so please know that you probably will be changing your dosages often for the next seven months. Don’t get discouraged. This is normal. As the baby grows, he/she will made different demands on your body, so you and your endo will be the ones to make the adjustments. Just be diligent with testing and keep in close contact with your endo. You will be fine, but what works one month may need some adjustment the next. As your body changes and your baby grows, your hormones and your insulin requirements will fluctuate. Go with the flow and EXPECT that changing doses are normal and part of the process.
Awesome, congrats!! I’ve been getting my sugars controlled a little better, but it’s still pretty difficult. I’ve also been feeling very tired and sick. Haven’t thrown up yet but I’m always sooo nauseous and it sucks lol…obviously gonna be totally worth it, just hoping I’m somewhat back to feeling week when I get into my second trimester! how far along are ya?
Thanks! Congrats to you too
I’m only 5 weeks along, so you’re ahead of me. I’m exhausted, but no nausea yet. That must be so hard to manage!
I’m meeting with an endo who specializes in diabetes in pregnancy on Monday. I’m nervous because my numbers have not been 100% in range. It’s not easy! I’m trying not to feel guilty all the time, but it’s definitely hard. Have your doctors given you any good advice?
