Hi all,
I am not currently pregnant or TTC but I am planning to within the next year or couple of years. I know a lot goes into planning, etc. and I am a planner at heart, so I wanted to know about lows. I know that your insulin requirements tend to be lower in the first months of pregnancy, but I wanted to know what you all have done who have been pregnant and had morning sickness that caused lows, or just had lows in general. Most of my fear is lows, because I have had times where I fight to keep my BG up, while not pregnant, so any tips and advice would be great!
I already check my BG a lot, so testing isn’t an issue. What are/were your go-tos for lows during sickness, or if you weren’t sick and had lows anyway, how did you ensure that you got your BG up and it stayed up? Thanks all!
Hey there! I had morning sickness from weeks 4-16. For me, personally, I got a prescription for Reglan from my doctor because I didn’t want to risk a serious low. I thought the benefits of NOT having a low that required assistance far outweighed any potential risks of taking the medication, and there aren’t any known risks. I think there’s a stigma against taking medication during pregnancy which makes women uncomfortable to do so… but I did my research on the risks (once again, no known risks of Reglan specifically) and decided it was right for me.
Otherwise, what you’ll want to do to prevent lows is adjust your insulin dosage. Lower your basal rates, and raise your carb ratios and correction factors so you are getting less insulin. Otherwise, if you are going low, just use something fast acting to treat it like glucose tablets because digestion is slowed during pregnancy and it can take longer to recover as a result. Resist the temptation to overdo your low treatments or you may just bounce back too high, which is frustrating! If you’ve got recurrent lows you can add protein/fat like peanut butter to help keep your sugars up and stable.
Also noteworthy… not everyone gets morning sickness… and not even every diabetic mama has lows in the first trimester. I had some, but not as much as I thought based on what I read. So, everyone is different. The only thing you can plan with certainty about pregnancy and birth is that it’s unpredictable! But so worth it. You’ll be great because you are well-informed. Good luck!
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Hello! It sounds like you are a planner like I am! I researched and worried for about 6 months before conception. I am currently 26 weeks along with our first child and my honest advice for you is to look into a CGM if possible because mine has been a lifesaver. I have the tandem tslim x2 pump and dexcom which I rely on a LOT to help me make daily/weekly insulin dosage changes. I got lots of lows the first 20 weeks and then all of a sudden they stopped when baby started getting bigger. Also not everyone gets morning sickness…I was nauseas from weeks 8-16 (horrible) but not vomiting. My OB told me to take vitamin b6 and unisom at night to help relieve it which helped a little… and eating crackers (which also helped keep lows up). Even now I make sure to have juice with me all the time just in case of a low. They say sometimes when you are pregnant you dont feel them as easily but I have still been feeling mine most of the time so it isn’t that way for everyone! Good luck! 
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Thanks so much! I would love to get a CGM but insurance won’t cover it. I test a lot already, but maybe there will be a way to get one, we will see! And yes, I’m very much a planner! 
