Hello Amanda. Lukas came at 35 weeks. I did have a c-section but it was because he was beech, not because of diabetes. If you keep your bg’s in good control, you very well can have a natural birth. Of course if your bg’s aren’t in good control there’s a number of things that can happen but as long as you take care of yourself there should be no problems.
Thank you Traicy,
So far so good,I’m a couple days away from 30 weeks and I just got my HgA1C back and it was 6.6%. I am not swollen, have no side effects, and my blood pressure is right on target!!! Now if only, it will just stay like that!!!
That’s terrific! I also hope all continues to go well for you and your LO. 
Thanks to you and all the other diabetic moms for posting on your experiences. It’s really helpful for those of us on our first pregnancies, and earlier (I’m nearly 21 weeks).
Hi Amanda~ I had my baby girl 7yrs ago. She was born 3 months premature and thank God, today she is happy, healthy and with no side effects of the premature birth. She’s a pistol and bright. She’s a 1st degree Lvl 2 Black Belt in TaeKwonDo, she just finished the 1st grade amd she recently got signed by a model/acting agency. My home for her forst 3 months of life was the NICU, but we gave her so much love, touch, prayers and talks that we believe that and God made her a fighter and strong enough to pull through and be the once again fighter and strong person she is today! I had preclampsia and had an emergency c-section. Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck =)
Barbara
hi Barb! Wow, it sounds like you created a real miracle! Thank you for your reply and sharing your story with me
Quick question for you, do you remember how long you were in hospital for after you had the c-section? I am just curious, as they say you normally are in there for 4 days after, but being a type 1, I expect they may want you in there longer.
Thanks,
Amanda
Amanda~ I had other complications that came up…non-diabetic, but I was in there for 7-10 days. How far along are you? how are you feeling?
Barbara
Hi again,
I am a couple days away from 31 weeks, and so far I feel great! I am having an amazing pregnancy and I just hope that it stays that way. I am still very active, and I have had absolutely no side effects! I am just hoping that there won’t be payback for when the labour comes
I have been told by my dr. that she wants me to go natural if I can, but if I haven’t gone into labor by the time I’m 38 weeks, I will be induced. Either way, I am keeping my fingers crossed that I won’t have any complications!
you are lucky so far!! i am almost 37 weeks and the ankle swelling started 2 weeks ago. Did your dr say anything about the a1c? Mine went from 5.9 to 6.4 and they werent happy about that, but i haven’t had any other complications. My dr is going to induce in a week or 2 and i am strongly against a c section unless its an emergency.
Hi Emily,
Wow, not much longer for you, is this your first? My dr. has not said anything about my A1C…I started going to a pre-natal diabetes clinic back in July of 2009 and at that time my A1C was 8.0%. In Canada they say your A1C should be under 7.0% before trying to conceive. When I became pregnant I was 7.1% and my Dr. didnt seem to be too worried, although she said shed like to see it in the lo 6s. I have now been able to stay in the 6s for the last few months, and everytime I am there, they tell me to keep up the good work, and that Im doing great! I have suffered from a lot of hypos and have remained off work because of it but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! I have heard many opinions on the whole A1C and I really dont know who to believe…I just keep testing lots and adjusting my pump when needs be! Good luck with your labour, and please keep me posted on how everything goes. My Dr. says if I havenèt gone into labour by 38 weeks that I will be induced…I am hoping that doesnt happen but as long as I have a healthy baby in the end, I guess thats all that matters!
Keep in touch,
Amanda
I had my daughter at 35 weeks and 5 days. I started out with contractions and proceeded with a vaginal delivery … till she got stuck! 
After being 10 cm dialated and in labor for a few hours (hard labor) they prepped the OR for the c section. She was born via c section and came out a whopping 7 lbs 12 ounces. Imagine if I went full term???
I have been meaning to write a follow up on here regarding my diabetes control during pregnancy. I learned a lot from the hospital staff during my 6 day stay. You can teach an old dog new tricks … I just wish I was taught some of these things prior to getting pregnant. I am so lucky that my daughter was born healthy and happy … my A1cs during pregnancy were between 6.2 and 6.6 - the highest being during the first 9 weeks when my insulin needs changed and I was not sure how to adjust to it. Had I known the carb/ratio formulas then, perhaps I could have had those 5. something A1cs that I hear many of you talking about. The hospital could not allow me to take my own insulin and they even monitored all blood sugars with their machine. I fought them to gain control at first, but it was a fight I could not win. Turns out … it was the best thing in the world to let them control it for me. They got my blood sugars down to non-diabetic levels during that period of time and since I have been home and counting carbs I am doing so much better. I also have the breast feeding … which is making my blood sugars crash all the time. I lost 18 lbs in the past 11 days (since giving birth) and can’t wait to have my next A1C done!
I think most people are against surgery…I can tell you for certain that I didn’t want a c-section at any cost, but my daughter was stuck and couldn’t last any longer so they had to get her out, which they did with a c-section (this was after a 36 hour labor). My doc, (plus the second opinion I asked for), the nurse, and doula all agreed I needed one. So i got one. End of story.
Before that end, I was in labor for a long time, and not dilating that well, so they suggested an epidural and I said okay. It was only after that that I dilated well and was able to push.
My neighbor has two kids, and delivered each of them in very quickly…within a couple of hours of getting to the hospital after only about 15 minutes of pushing. I can tell you that for her to have gone that long without an epidural is one thing, but others of us have very long labors, and being able to withstand the pain for longer is different.
I would suggest that any woman going into child birth keep an open mind. Nice to have a plan in mind, but know that can change and you might end up needing something you didn’t anticipate. No one can say in advance what their labor will be like, and people have different needs based on different types of labor. Too many women end up feeling like “failures” b/c their birth does not go according to plan. I did, and I am now sorry I spent the first few days of my daughter’s like obsessing about how the birth went. My mind should have been on her. I let my disappointment go, but wish I had done so sooner
Agreed. It is a good idea to ask your doctor and your hospital about c-section rates. The hospital I gave birth at had a c-section rate of 12%. My doctor had a c-section rate closer to 25%. When I asked about the discrepancy he explained that as a MFM, his rate was higher due to the nature of the high risk mothers he sees (all of his practice is high risk).
Having a c-section was not fun, but it also was not the disaster I made it out to be in my head. FYI, c-sections rates tend to be lower among women using doulas. I had one during my labor and she was great.
Hi Amanda-
I was induced when I was 39 weeks. It didn’t take, so we went home and were told to call my ob the following day. We did, we came in for a NST, everything looked good, he gave us the weekend to try to have her come out on her own accord. She didn’t so we had a second induction on monday of my 40th week. The second induction went better than the 1st but still not well enough. I ended up with a C-section which I recovered from nicely. I was concerned about infection so the Dr put me back together with Dermabond. Basically superglue for medical purposes. If you end up having a c-section then you might want to ask for that instead of stitches or staples.
Wow, when I read this I am shocked by how differently doctors handle Type 1’s. Mine NEVER would have let me go that long, even though I had great control. He also said if the induction didn;t work (which it did, but I still ended up with a c-section) he wouldn’t send me home. He was so worried about stillbirths in diabetic patients. Both times I was induced at 36weeks, which made the first few weeks at home tough. Now I kind of wonder what things would have been like had Igone to another doctor. Oh well, ca la vie. I guess all that matters is that everyone is okay now.
I have type 1 and I had twins last year. They were born 4 weeks early which is standard for twin pregnancies without diabetes. I had two babies who each weighed almost 6 pounds each! Had I had only one, my doctor would have let me go until any preeclampsia issues arose. I did have a c-section because of preeclampsia but I think I got it earlier than normal due to the strain of carrying two (and not being very big or tall to begin with!)
Whoa, you have my admiration! Twins and Type 1! I can’t imagine. I had so much insulin resistance when I was pregnant and they said it would have been twice as bad if I has twins. congrats on your healthy babies.