Just need to vent…I am 23 weeks pregnant and have officially entered the insulin resistance nightmare as of about a week and half ago. In the past 3 days my basal has been increased by 6 units and my mealtime insulin needs have skyrocketed! I am completely overwhelmed and am feeling like if this is what the next 3 months is like I may not make it without losing my mind haha. I am barely able to eat, taking a boatload of insulin, eating low carb, increasing my insulin daily, and my blood sugar is STILL skyhigh. I have almost had to go to the ER twice this past week for blood sugars in the high 200s that would NOT come down and did not come down until after many many corrections and 12+hours. I am scared to death because I know I am hurting my baby girl. Does this huge spike in insulin needs slow down or is this what the rest of my pregnancy will consist of? My insulin to carb ratio is about 1:3, I’m eating low carb, and I still always go to 200 after meals AHHH!!! I feel like I am starving my baby on top of having neverending high blood sugars.
Sounds like you are right on time!! I remember how stressful it is, but also know that it is completely normal.
I experienced the same thing around weeks 21-24. The increases in insulin resistance DID slow down for me. I was shocked by the amount of insulin that I needed and I saw higher numbers than any other point in the pregnancy.
Do your best, but don’t stress too much! Highs that don’t come down with many corrections sound like you need to increase your basals more. As long as you are checking your blood sugar very often, you should keep increasing your basal until things are under control.
Yeah I have continually increased my basals it’s crazy! Thanks for being so active on this forum even after you have delivered your precious bundle of joy Kristin! I hope the insulin resistance does slow down I cannot imagine doing this for 3 more months. So did you experience this for about 3 weeks and then it leveled out? Before pregnancy I was taking 2u Levemir a day I am now up to 20 units and continually increasing!
I’m 23 weeks too but not experiencing insulin resistance just yet. It’s good to hear from the rest of you though because it’s reassuring to know that other people have struggled and got through it. I’m dreading it but I guess I’ll just have to keep increasing those basals as long as it lasts!
It is scary, isn’t it?? I’m 29 weeks now and probably hit the insulin resistance point about a month ago. Have definitely been increasing all my basals, I:C ratios, and sensitivity since then. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s okay to increase sooner than I would have in the past (i.e. before this I might have waited 4-5 days before making changes, but now if I have highs 1-2 days in a row at the same time, I know I can go ahead and increase that basal!) According to the graphs I’ve seen, it’s not supposed to level out until week 36 (sorry!) but who knows, I’m sure it’s different for everyone. Personally at least I’ve seen that I can make more increases without worrying about lows. I seem to be more even, although I’m taking a lot more insulin. Good luck!! And don’t forget all of the things you are doing well to keep that baby healthy!
I kept climbing from week 20 until I delivered with my first. I’m 14 weeks with #2 and already feeling like it’s taking off.
Just keep repeating to yourself that you’re having a normal pregnancy side effect. Keep taking your insulin, don’t stop eating, and try not to freak with every high.
Are you timing your meal insulin with enough lead time? It can be helpful to wait to eat until you see your BG falling (even if that means taking your insulin 45min before the meal). I was 209 at lunch today and decided I would wait until my BG started dropping until I started to eat. Took 70 minutes! Finally, when I saw that I was 180 and headed straight down (I watched my CGM), I felt it was safe to start. I probably could have waited longer, but I was starving!
I had a huge jump in insulin needs at 14 weeks then it kind of leveled off until 21 weeks. I wait a MINIMUM of 20 minutes before eating. Before breakfast and dinner I usually wait 40-60 minutes.
Yes it sure does seem almost impossible to have a low these days! That factor and my CGM make me much more comfortable taking “too much” insulin and increasing aggresively instead of not taking enough.
Yup, that is quite normal.
cringes and…it gets worse. For me, it’s been a steady climb. I’m now 1:4 (use to be 1:12 pre-preg) and at 90 total units per day (use to be 30) and I’m 31 weeks now. It’s finally leveled out now in the past five days. For the first time since week 21, I’ve not had to increase basals/carbs ratios.
If you’re not, a good tip is to walk right after eating. It helps a lot!
Hang in there, this is the worst part of it (diabetes wise).
I increased my insulin from weeks 19-33, but the biggest jump for me was in weeks 21-24. After that there were less dramatic increases. As you can tell, we are all a bit different. The good thing is that our babies don’t care how much insulin we take 
So just keep increasing as needed!
I dont remember when it started for me, I’d have to go back through my journals to get a pinpoint, but it seems to me that it was right around week 23 or so for me too. My insulin needs skyrocketed throughout the remainder of pregnancy from that point forward. It didnt slow until week 36, which is normal.
Just remember: Insulin is not your enemy. It is a tool to keep your body “normal”. Take as much as you need to take. Do NOT starve yourself in order to limit your insulin needs. You and your baby need the carbs and calories to keep your body functioning and to keep hers growing. If you have to take a few more units at each meal, DON’T STRESS. Your body will return to normal after baby comes.
I was increasing my basals by 5 units every 2 days to keep my levels down. By the end of pregnancy, it was normal for me to take 30 units of Apidra. I was taking 135 units of Levemir twice per day- compared to before pregnancy when I was taking 35-45 units of Levemir twice per day. It was a HUGE increase. But my baby is six weeks now and I’m back down to 8-10 units Apidra per meal and 45 units Levemir twice per day.
To combat my stubborn highs (I had a few 300s that came out of nowhere during the third trimester) I took Metformin. Don’t know if that’s an option for you, but something to consider. It helped me a lot.
Your second paragraph should be emblazoned across the top of the Oh Baby group! Perfectly articulated, Marps.
Agreed!
Right on Marps
I completely understand how you feel as I am now 21 weeks into my own insulin resistance journey. Mine started more or less from conception so I’ve had a while to come to terms with it.
The main thing to remember is, as Marps said, insulin is your friend not your enemy. There is nothing wrong with taking extra insulin. There is no such thing as too much. You take what you need to keep your blood sugar under control.
I was on 1 unit insulin to 5 grams carb before pregnancy; from conception day that jumped to 1:2.5 and has stayed that way. I am told that I will probably need more insulin in the weeks to come. Well, bring it on.
Each of us is different. You were on a minuscule amount of insulin before, especially your basal. So the increase to the current level might feel like a steep slope to you, but it’s actually still a lot less than what many (non-pregnant) people take as basal. Just take what you need and don’t sweat about it.
I have also found that highs are much more stubborn now than pre-pregnancy. So I totally understand your frustration. I have found that the only way I can avoid highs, and also the only way I can meet the one hour post-prandial target, is to inject a little extra. That usually helps meet the 1 hour target - but also guarantees a hypo at the 2 or 3 hour mark. I don’t have a CGMS so I test like crazy and try to catch the hypo before it properly hits. So for example if I’m 120 one hour post meal, and 90 two hours post meal, I am absolutely guaranteed to go hypo at three hours. So at 90/2 hour post meal, I have 10g of carb and that usually helps stop the hypo. I am terrified of going high because it seems that anything above 190 just hangs around for hours and hours and corrections don’t do anything for two hours - only to sometimes kick in with terrifying vengeance later. Whereas it is much easier to keep on the lookout for hypos, and correcting a low is almost instantaneous. This does mean pitifully calloused fingers (somedays I can even feel it when using the keyboard) and of course, it means a lot more insulin.
Oh my gosh…I am freaking out!! I am only 5 weeks along and seem to be taking a lot more insulin than normal. I will take my dosage for my meals and my CGM wont budge. My BG begins climbing to 180-210 and stays for HOURS. I correct and correct. I just upped my basal setting and am thinking I am going to need to lower my I:C ration from 1:6 to 1:4 to start. I don’t go see my endo till 9/21. I go in for my second blood tests tomorrow morning. I’m hoping my Hcg and Progesterone are up. Did anyone have issues with their BS so early on?
Yes it is normal everyone is different some people struggle with highs the entire time while others have lows the first trimester followed by insulin resistance and highs. At this point I would say do not freak out, in a few weeks you may start hitting those lows and need to lower your insulin needs before raising them again, just take however much insulin you need and you will be fine. One thing that really helps with those highs that won’t budge is exercising after you take your correction bolus, even if it’s just a 10 minute walk. Exercise really helps your after meal spikes and insulin resistance. I have found it very helpful to increase my basals every few days even BEFORE I start seeing the highs and it helps stay on top of them and especially having a CGM (I do as well) I personally would rather take more insulin than I think I need and deal with a minor low than be stuck high for hours.
With my first pregnancy, my highs started in week 6 and I never got the lows. With this pregnancy (#2), I had a random week of lows last week in week 16, but otherwise, pretty quickly jumped to I:C ratios of 1:5 and 1:6 from the get-go.
Rather than ask if it’s normal, learn to ask, should I be concerned? I’m learning that no two pregnancies seem to be the same.
Just wanted to say THANKS for this post and all these responses... I am week 25, and going CRAZY. Gaaaaah.
I change my basals and carb ratios practically EVERY DAY, and my postprandials still suck. OK, they could be a lot worse -- I've only had one >200 in the past several weeks -- but they suck. I aim at <120 at 1 hour, and hardly every reach that goal anymore. I try to keep my morning fasting reading <100, and it takes constant vigilance. A basal adjustment that put me back down in the high 60's 2 days in a row has suddenly given me 90's again. So frustrating.
I don't low carb, and honestly don't see how I could -- pregnancy seems to have given me carb cravings and an overwhelming sweet tooth. I moderate, of course; I probably eat half the sweets that a non-D pregnant woman would eat... but the thought of not having a donut until delivery honestly makes me want to cry.
I am glad I am not alone.Whew! I am 26 weeks now and my insulin resistance started a few weeks ago. I am constantly changing my basals and carb ratios. Any advice on keeping BG's down and trying not to freak out knowing I may be hurting my baby would be much appreciated :)