I just got back from my new "high risk" OBGYN consultation appointment and I am feeling like I NEED some super support from my diabetic peeps. All of you who have gone before me, the ones who are going through it now, the ones who want to get pregnant.
I'm gonna be real honest here - I am still processing the information she gave me, along with all of the things we talked about, being that I am a "high risk" pregnancy. And I'm not gonna play this down, I knew that there would be some earth shattering information she would give me. I knew that she would potentially tell me things I would not want to hear but that I would expect because I am diabetic. But right now, I am feeling lost, disappointed, angry, hopeless, regretful, sad, bitter, overwhelmed, all in all - not like myself at all.
*I should be clear. I AM NOT PREGNANT. This was a PREpregnancy appointment. I, of course wanted to go and talk to a high risk pregnancy Dr and make sure all of my plumbing was working correctly and that things would be good to go or could be go to go in a couple of months.*
And the more I think about the appointment, the more I am hating diabetes. The more I am wanting to cry. The more I am wanting to shout to the sky and scream. And it's not like she told me anything real surprising. Of course there was the A1C's within 5 and stable, she told me to lose some weight, she told me to walk more briskly, take care of myself, eat well. She also told me that my baby might be born with a low birth weight because the placenta might not form properly, she told me that C section was not ideal because of infection afterward, she told me my baby might not get enough nutrients because of a poorly formed placenta and she told me that I would have to be ultra monitored, along with all of that other information we diabetics hear. And I don't slight the Dr for any of this information. People far and wide dream about having access to a Dr who is aware, willing, never mind there are people all of the world just wishing, for a Doctor.
But you know what? I was reminded AGAIN how this disease takes parts of my soul every day. How it affects me ALL DAY, every effing day. How MY LIFE is different and not just a little bit different A LOT different from the woman who lives next door and can get pregnant just by sitting on a lawn chair (not really); doesn't get any prenatal care and delivers 6 healthy babys, 3 of which she gave up for adoption because they were girls. Really?! Like why am I even thinking about the lady NEXT DOOR? There's a part of me that is so angry with people who all ready have baby's and don't have diabetes. And I feel like no one around me understands it, gets it. I actually had someone tell me the other day to just go for it, I was healthy enough. I had to tell them that I just played a healthy person in real life and that I was diabetic and it wasn't as easy as "just going for it."
I also feel like I am letting my husband down.
I feel so broken.
I need your stories. I need your truth. I need your success stories, your words of triumph. I need you all to tell me that it will be okay and that I can move forward AND GET PREGNANT. I NEED someone to tell me it's possible. And that with a little elbow grease and positive energy I can do it. I can be better then this disease.
I am on pregnancy number 2.
Pregnancy number 1, I went to pre-pregnancy counseling, was told the risks (nothing so nasty as what you were told), worked with my endo and CDE to bring my A1c below 6.5 (took a little over a year to come down to that), and then was given the green light. It took us 9 months to conceive, my A1c was 6.1% at conception, and my daughter is nearly 18mos old now and perfect. The pregnancy was a breeze. Yes, you have to go to more sonograms than other women. You might see your doctors more frequently than other women - but this is all to prevent those horror stories (that are NOT the norm). My daughter was born with normal blood sugar, just over 8 lbs, with no health problems whatsoever.
Thousands of women with diabetes have thousands of healthy babies every year. There is an awesome yahoo group you can join called positive diabetic pregnancies. Some of those women are on their third and fourth pregnancies.
C-sections are relatively common for us (I had one) and there is no more increased risk of infection for us than for any other women. C-sections and inductions are generally the norm because they like you to give birth by 38 or 39 weeks in many cases (if baby is trending large, if you’re showing signs of low amniotic fluid or poor placental health, if you’re at risk for pre-eclampsia, etc), but there are plenty of women who push for natural births and/or 40 weeks.
There is no one size fits all for any pregnancy. Don’t let them make you think that pregnancy with diabetes has only one outcome or pathway either. That’s BS.
Instead of focusing on all of that ridiculous scare-talk that doctor told you - worst case scenario after worst case scenario - focus on lowering your blood glucose targets into the pregnancy range (I was told 90-100 before meals, below 140 at 1 hour after, below 120 at 2 hours after, back to target by 3 hours). Work on testing more frequently, carb counting more precisely, taking your insulin long enough before you eat that you curb the post-meal 1 hour spikes, and putting a modest amount of exercise into your regimen (okay, so I never did that last part, but it’s good advice).
I hear ya sista!!! Its freaking hard to get sugars perfect. Last week someone told me to just not think about it.( in relation to higher birth defect rate, harder to manage sugars while preggers etc) LOL how is that possible when i test every 2 hours??? stupid people without diabetes have no idea. But we aren’t the first women who want babies and have diabetes. Think of all the women who have done it before us with diabetes. If they can, we can. Everything will happen at the right time…(btw i cried at my last endo appointment, i get where you are coming from. its ok to cry)( i sometimes hate pregnant women, especially if they have nothing wrong at all… not even heartburn, and they are whinning)
now i just need to find someone who will date me and not run from my diabetes…and hopefully have children with me…
chin up, everything will be ok.
Hi, after I read your story about going to a high risk OBGYN, I couldn´t help writing a couple a words in response to it. My diabetes doctor is type I diabetic. She has two healthy kids. One was born about two years ago (naturally, without a C-section). I chose her, because I am trying to get pregnant and need someone who got through it to tell me that I can do it myself. I’ve been working on my A1C and went down to 6.5% first, and then tried to use pump because everyone says it’s crucial for pregnancy. The pump did not work for me at all. I used it for 6 months, trying to cope with my highs and lows, but my A1C only got up to 7% 
I stopped using it and got back to injections. I tried Dexcom continuous monitor and absolutely love it! My A1C is 6.1 now, and I’m hoping to see it withing the range of 5 when I get the results next time. I just want to say, it’s possible. There’s a book by Cheryl Alkon: Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby.
http://www.amazon.com/Balancing-Pregnancy-Pre-Existing-Diabetes-Healthy/dp/1932603328
Try it. It has a lot of useful information.
I just wanted to say thank you! Thank you for writing what each of us (well I) have had run through my mind at least a zillion times. Thank you for putting it into words. Thank you for sharing with us.
I know that my story is not ideal, but today’s been a decent (emotional) day for me, so I figured I’d chime in…when we intitially tried to get pregnant I did the same as you, I tried to gather info in advance, I spoke to the Dr’s, I did all of that stuff. Eventually I did get pregnant and while I did also end up having a miscarriage and that sucks (not getting into that now though), I know that it is possible. I also know that it had nothing at all to do with my diabetes or anything I’d done or not done. It just wasn’t meant to be at that time. So now we’re trying again and I’m feeling all those things you described, all over again.
My point is that you can do this! You have taken all the right steps and you seem like you’re gearing up to be ready for this. You know the risks, you know the benefits, you’ve got a good team working with you AND you’re aware of what needs to happen re:your diabetes, in order to have the best experience possible. Just remember that so much of pregnancy and even just getting pregnant is completely out of our control and I think that is the part that sucks the most. Us diabetics, we tend to be control freaks of sorts bec we’ve always had to be, and non diabetics sometimes are able to take certain things for granted that we just can’t.
You’re in the right place for support here, so use us as your sounding board. It’s been helpful for me and I’m sure others too. I wish you all the very very best.
I’m sorry you are in a little diabetes rut…within the last year or so I have been in many as my husband and I went through the process of trying to get pregnant. It all started with trying to get the green light from the endo with a blood sugar level around 6 or below and once I actually got that I went off the pill only to realize I would just a few months later spend almost a year in the infertility clinic for PCOS and no ovulation. I could only think but to blame it on my diabetes, that it had to have something to do with that and the fact that my body overall seemed to hate me. Well after months and months, lots of long cries on my husband’s shoulder and many many a dollar spent at Kaiser, we finally are pregnant.
In the midst of the process the road seemed so dark, I didn’t know if there even was a light to be found at the end of the tunnel and all the while out of depression my blood sugars went downhill, my A1C went up. So then when we did finally get pregnant I was stressed because my A1C was 6.7% but in doing a lot of reading though that not ideal, there have been many healthy babies born of mom’s with higher levels than that. I was beating myself up about it for quite some time but realized that there was nothing I could do at this point, just had to start walking, monitoring, cutting carbs and within a month my level is now 5.6%!!
My husband was by my side as much as he could be through the process with a weepy wife every other day and I did often think I was letting him down. You CANT think that, your husband loves you for you and diabetes makes you who you are. He is there by your side for the long haul regardless of kids or not. My mind did often wander down the road of “what if we can’t have kids” and there are other options, but if I were to go back and coach myself I would say to me…don’t think that way until you have tried all that you can, don’t give up early, it can happen for you, you HAVE to think positive. So hard I know, easier said than done.
I don’t know if me telling you my long drawn out story is any help but I will say, we were dealt the diabetes card for a reason, it makes us stronger, makes us who we are, if we are having a bad day and need to have a short pity party for ourselves we should have it but then, chin up and move on, make it better, prove those doctors wrong that say negative things. I just have to tell myself over and over that it could be so much worse, there are so many horrible illnesses that people are faced with in this world and live with every day, ours actually isn’t so horrible!
I am still looking for great pages, support groups, articles that will reassure me in the fact this baby will be healthy and so many babies of diabetic moms are healthy. I know they are out there. I’m early in the game I know, 12 weeks in and I do worry every single day but I think every mom does. It is possible, you can do it, you will do it, just be patient, patience is super important in this game and all the patience will be good practice for when you do become a mom! Good Luck!
“I also feel like I am letting my husband down.”
Please please please try to let this one go.
I’m guessing you had diabetes before you met your husband? Or he’s at least been along for the ride with you on the diabetic journey, so he knows what he’s in for and the unfortunate risks and sides effect that may happen? Then he should be supportive of you no matter what.
This is a thought I had so much prior to getting pregnant. We both wanted kids, but my husband always wanted his own, as in, his own blood. I would get myself sick worrying about the possibilities that this may not happen for him, and that I would be letting him down in some way. Even though I was diabetic long before I met him and not shy about sharing the realities of the disease. I freaked about trying forever and never succeding and/or having huge complications, even though we weren’t at that point yet.
And you know what happened? I got pregnant by “accident” (with my husband, but we weren’t trying, just not being careful) and I’m now 31 weeks and everything is working out beautifully. My little boy is strong and healthy and continuing to grow inside of me. And my body is doing well and adjusting and keeping him healthy. All the hard work and extra appointments are totally worth it when I hear “you’re doing great, your baby is doing great”. And all of that has just helped me to continue to do what’s best for me and baby. To make the sacrifices, to be even more aware of what my body is doing and what affects the choices I make have. . . it’s a beautiful thing all around, and I only wish I could take back 90% of the stress I caused myself in over-thinking all the negative what-ifs.
It will happen for you too. And yes, diabetes will make your experience very different from most other women’s. But most other women’s experiences are totally different from one another anyway.
It’s good to know what the possibilities are. And your’e doing a wonderful thing by being so pro-active. Take pride in your foresight and good sense and try to not let the what-ifs get you down. I know it’s hard, and hearing all these cold, negative possibilities from a doctor doesn’t help. But hopefully hearing all the wonderful stories from the amazing women here will help. And one day you’ll be sharing your amazing story as well. However that story unravels.
I bought this book a few months ago - it is very helpful. I read through the 2nd trimester before even TTC.
Good luck!
My normal ob/gyn wasn’t supportive when I mentioned getting pregnant, my new endo & nurse practitioner were on board and set me up with with a maternal fetal specialist who was amazing. My A1c wasn’t perfect - but I also changed all my habits and when I saw the NP at the beginning of June she was like you are doing great, I can’t really help you - which was the first time I had ever heard anything like that.
So here I am today, officially pregnant - I know my A1c wasn’t where I really wanted (I am figuring upper 6’s - march & April weren’t so great), but honestly, I couldn’t wait any longer. I am a bit paranoid that I may have acted too soon, but I am praying all works out. I am continually talking to the little ball of cells, asking to please stay in there…
I know how frustrating it is to see other people who seem to get pregnant easily and don’t seem to “care” - I use that term loosely, but I had a friend who smoked throughout her 2nd pregnancy… I couldn’t help but give her the evil eye behind her back (no ill wishes, just mad looks) - here she is with a miracle growing inside her and she’s smoking, drinking pop, etc… Drove me nuts knowing how hard it will be and how careful I will be monitored and she didn’t seem to change her lifestyle at all…
I have had a lot people tell me to go for it - I had to remind them that it wasn’t that easy for me… I still don’t think they get it. I never told my mother-in-law we wanted kids, she was always asking “when?” I always played like it we didn’t want any for fear of letting her down if we couldn’t get pregnant. Now my fear is losing it or having complications because I did act too soon. What can I say, my hubby was looking good that night 
It is possible! I couldn’t believe the difference I had in my levels once I started taking my insulin in a timely manner (I know that sounds bad). I spent a month trying different breakfast foods and tweaking my dual wave bolus on the pump to make sure I took enough to not sky rocket at the 1 hr mark and not bottom out by the 2hr. I started testing even more than before - up to 12-14x a day. I learned to say no when sweets were brought into work, that was not easy. I have given up fries, not a bad thing, but sometimes they taste so good.
Once you get in that mindset, leave frustration behind, things will start to click… and it will happen!
Wishing you the best of luck!!!
I’m 38 and 21 weeks into my second pregnancy. Current A1C is 6.5 and everything looks good at the moment except the placenta is sitting on my cervix but I’m not going to stress about that until I hit 34 wks. My first pregnancy went very well considering I wasn’t trying to get pregnant and had an A1C of 8.6. I didn’t even have morning sickness! I delivered vaginally a very healthy 10lbs 11oz baby girl. Her size is quite within the norm in my family where all the babies born are robust and tall and I’m the only diabetic. The only issues I had was that I developed symptoms of pre-eclampsia at 40 wks and had to have my cervix ripened to stimulate labour without using pitocin. My placenta tore after delivery but that was because it caught on the muscle wall during delivery (could happen to anyone).
I just had my meeting with a new High Risk OB and she told me all the risks and all that good stuff but here is the reality. EVERY woman has risks, some have more than others because of age or family history or something else. When I was pregnant with my daughter I had to go to an antenatal clinic and was one of seven T1 diabetics all due to deliver within 4 months of each other. ALL of us has healthy babies, some deliveries were a bit rougher than others but most of us are now pregnant or have since had 2nd babies. On the other hand, I have perfectly healthy friends who have had still births or lost their babies shortly after birth. There are just some things that are beyond our control. The things you can control is monitoring your BG, making your corrections, watching what you eat and making the pre-pregnancy appointments like eyes and dentist, oh and a massage therapist (relaxation is good for your BG!).
Something to think about, do you remember what you were told of diabetic complications? Take a survey and see how many T1 have amputated legs or loss of vision or one of the other horrid complications we were warned about. We have more means of monitoring ourselves and obtaining better A1C than any other generation before us. They tell us the worse case scenario so that we’ll be scared and listen like good little diabetics so take what your OB said with a grain of salt. Do your best to maintain good BG, test often and eat well because those are the only things you can control. Good Luck.
Thanks so much for your post. I hear ya. Every word of it.
I got diagnosed T1 during a fertility workup. At age 38. 4 months after getting married. Then we took months off TTC to get my numbers under control. Then we started trying again in April. Nothing. I so wanted it to work out naturally – various doctors said that the undiagnosed, uncontrolled D itself might have been the problem – and I so, so, so didn’t want to medicalize my life any more.
But now we are indeed headed for ivf. Of course the fertility clinic won’t see me until I have an established relationship with the obgyn who would take care of me if I got gregnant. Which is the high-risk obgyn. So I had to get a referral from my endo to the high-risk guy, which delays the consult at the ivf clinic by another month, and who knows how long before they’ll actually do an ivf cycle. I will be 40 in November. I see my high risk obgyn on Aug 1 (1 hour away), and the clinic Aug 15 (2 hours away – I drive I will be doing almost daily once the ivf cycle starts.).
I have an A1c of fricking 5.0. I am fit and at optimal weight. I just quit alcohol and caffeine altogether. Every goddamn person I know either just had a baby or is pregnant. (OK, except for one friend also on the infertility bus.) NOT FAIR. It’s bad enough to start trying to have a baby at 38. Getting T1 in the middle of it??? Delaying things a year so that I may well never have a baby??? NOT FAIR. Adding to my risks for complications? NOT FAIR. I am very worried the high-risk obgyn will paint such a dire picture of what will happen to me if I get pregnant with twins that we will only be allowed to transfer 1 embryo. (In my age group, 3 is more typical.)
My husband is incredibly supportive. I keep joking that there was only a 3 month warranty, so he couldn’t return me to the wife store… But yes, I know what you mean about feeling broken and like you’re disappointing him. I do too.
Sorry, I know you wanted “success stories, your words of triumph. I need you all to tell me that it will be okay and that I can move forward AND GET PREGNANT. I NEED someone to tell me it’s possible. And that with a little elbow grease and positive energy I can do it. I can be better then this disease.” But that’s what I want too. I just want you to know that you’re not alone. Because it feels pretty lonely from where I’m standing, too.
Hugs to you hon. I was prediabetic before getting pregnant with my daughter than put on insulin at 6 weeks pregnancy because I was testing diabetic. I followed the diet, took my insulin, exercised & gave birth at 38 weeks to a perfectly healthy baby girl weighing 7lbs 2oz. It can be done & you will do it. They have to give you all the bad stuff. It’s part of their job to keep you informed.
I know that when I was pregnant I was given so much bad information, meaning scary, that I was an emotional basket case. So it’s a great thing you went before. I also know how upsetting it is & when people say, will you have another, I want to cry. Cry because I just want to be able to have a baby & a pregnancy & enjoy it. Not stress over numbers & food and my baby & my health the whole time. I just want to be able to enjoy the baby inside me like so many others do & take for granted.
My husband said to me last night he wants to try for another one soon. I know that this means I have a lot of work to do but part of being a parent is hard work. It can be done & it’s amazing how easy it is to stay focused & do what needs to be done for your children.
You will do it & you will have a healthy baby. It is work but it can be done.
I hope you’ve read all the posts and are feeling a little bit better about things. I’m almost 39 and 12.5 weeks pregnant with my FIRST. So, not only am I diabetic, I’m an old pregnant lady
I hear what you’re saying about being resentful of the women around you who seem to have it so “easy” when it comes to pregnancy and starting a family. I felt that way for years and years. It wasn’t just the diabetes, it was the difficulty I seemed to be having in getting pregnant. Then, I had a very nasty divorce a few years ago, though it was over for me, and I got even more sad and bitter. Then, I met someone new, had a whirlwind romance, got married, and less than two years later, we’re expecting. AND, add a vasectomy reversal to the mix.
It’s easy to get down about having a chronic disease. We all have experienced that roller coaster. It took me getting to a point in my life where I did my best to control it, rather than let it control me, that I found some peace. That’s not to say that I don’t get frustrated with high blood sugars for no reason, strings of low blood sugars interrupting my day, etc. But, at the end of the day, I know I can only control so much…that plenty happens related to the D that I cannot control, and I have to find peace about it, or else it will drive me crazy. I’m glad I figured that out prior to getting pregnant, or else I’d be a TOTAL basket case now. As opposed to a partial basket case (like, freaking out before every appointment that we won’t be able to hear a heartbeat…)
My A1c at conception was 6.0, 5.4 at 10 weeks. And, yes, I heard about the crazy post-prandial goals, and they TOTALLY freaked me out, even with relatively good control. I haven’t met them all. I’ve even had a few short-lived high 200s, but I still have increasingly tighter control. And while it’s work, it hasn’t been as difficult as I thought it would be. It’s hard to explain the motivation that comes from having a new life growing inside you.
We can all strive to be the “ideal” patient, and it’s good to have goals, but don’t let some image of “ideal pre-pregnancy me” get in the way of TTC, assuming your A1c’s are on target and you’re making healthy lifestyle choices. I am a teeny bit overweight (size 12) and not all that inclined to regular exercise. I do what I can, but I’ve discovered with the first trimester, and exercise I was doing (walking, gardening) is off the table because I’m so exhausted and fighting nausea. Totally worth it, but it’s the reality of the situation. I have only gained a pound in the first trimester so far, which is amazing since there is a definite baby bump. Both doctors are happy with that, and they’d like me to gain a few less pounds since I already had a few to spare.
That being said, it has been harder to control what I choose to put in my mouth than anything else so far being pregnany because when I’m not nauseous, the ravenous hunger is darn near overwhelming
Because I live in a small town, a “regular” OB is handling my pregnancy, and my GP is handling the diabetes. He’s T1 and on a pump as well, so I feel really, really good about my care. I know not everyone has this luxury, but I absolutely refuse to be referred to someone “high risk” unless the situation warrants it. I will be going to a high-risk clinic for a 3-d ultrasound at the end of August, but that should (hopefully) be a one-time referral.
Like others have said, there are a lot of horror stories out there about diabetic pregnancies, but for those of us who work hard to be healthy and pay very close attention to our blood sugars, those stories are the exception rather than the rule. We all have to keep in mind that those of us on these boards, in support groups, etc are already paying A LOT more attention to taking care of ourselves than a lot of diabetics out there. You are already SO Incredibly Proactive and Motivated!
And, yes, you can definitely do it…whenever you feel prepared and healthy enough to take the plunge!
Hugs and more hugs to all of you! My story resonates very loudly with all of these (more so for some- 37 yr old; first IVF program; horrific divorce 3 years ago; new life and new found ‘health’ since). Feeling broken was a part of life for such a long while, that I never thought it could feel this good to feel ‘healthy’ again… now there is the anxiety of TTC, and all of the ‘what if’s’ that follow along. I am not ashamed to say that I shed tears reading these posts as they have given me a little nudge to feel better about the things that I CAN control and not to stress to much about the things that I can’t (and that’ll increase the A1c… We have a fabulous team in place, with a CDE who is T1 on pump therapy with 3 kids of her own, an endo I have been seeing for 25 plus YEARS, a repro guy with a bedside manner and good success rates and so those people who think that we shouldn’t or can’t can suck eggs. WE believe that we can, and we have a team of people who are in the know standing firm behind us! So there! Thoughts and best wishes to all, and thanks for the motivation!
Rachel
What a great diabetic community we have! Every reply is heart warming and thank-you for being brutally honest.
I'm sure all of us have had those thoughts (or still might) at one point or another.
There is a ton of helpful posts in this group. Also, if you are looking for some good blogs to read, I've listed a few at the bottom. I know they helped me through the journey of getting my bod/mind ready for pregnancy. I'm currently 26 weeks now and everything is going amazing.
Keep positive and best of luck
(I hope it's cool to list blogs by the way)
- six until me a great blog. Kerri had a baby last year, so look back in her archives for inspiration
- A sweet journey to motherhood
- Full of Sweetness : My blog covering the "D" pregnancy
- Managing the sweetness within
1st, I want to THANK everyone who came out to share their story with me. I can’t even begin to explain how much it helped.
After I had a little pity party (in which I cried for a couple of hours on and off), talked to my husband, poured my heart out to a good friend, cried my heart out to another good friend and then ate supper (had amazingly awesome BS which is weird because of the stress. I probably burned a bunch of calories from all the crying ha ha) cried again and then had a pep talk from a really good friend. I felt so much better.
The great thing for me was that AFTER I got the pep talk, the responses started coming in from this posting. Which just solidified the pep talk. Plus, everyone is diabetic. I don’t have to say “it,” you ALL GET IT. It’s like a secret code. A club of sorts. Which was why I needed you so much. Thanks again for being so generous with your words and time. And honesty, insert dreamy sigh, your honesty and well wishing. <3
A couple of the points brought up made SO MUCH SENSE to me. Some of them touched my heart, others made me believe in the magic power of my spirit and my resolve. That I can climb the mountain and win and that we will get the ultimate prize - healthy happy babies.
It is SO TRUE that daily I (we) fight the misnomers that are out there about diabetes, the fear mongering, the ridiculous stereotypes, the ignorance and although sometimes it feels like it’s never ending, we always prevail.
Because if we are going to get real, I walk/run 5lm everyday. I ride my bike. I eat healthy (too healthy some say). I am diligent on my #'s and make corrections when necessary. I am a compliant diabetic. And the reason I went to the Dr was so I could be prepared, so I could fight those dragons and again be successful. I HAVE a healthy life. I have a happy life. Sure I may be “high risk” but it doesn’t mean that I can’t minimize those risks by being aware of what the challenges may be. We do what we know and when we know better we do better.
In the end, my husband and I came to the conclusion that we were going to do our own battling over here. We were going to start a baby book journal; in which we right down our feelings and thoughts to our unconceived babies. We are also going to start a hope-baby-chest. That we are going to fill with little items as we come upon them that we imagine for them. We are going to talk in the present, we are going to share positive thoughts and ideas pertaining to the baby’s. Basically we are going to dream out-loud to manifest our wishes. In the mean time I am going to lose the weight the Dr wants me to lose, I am revamping our meal plan (to become ultra healthy) and we are incorporating more activity into our life to keep endorphins high, good feelings going and lets be honest here… make healthier people over here. We are not going to share our hopes of getting pregnant with anyone just yet, we feel like we should be more prepared and to be honest, we want to live in the moment of having an experience together and dreaming big before, ultimately other people come in (the ignorant) and say the stupid D comments that always come out.
Interestingly enough, I have shared my thoughts and inspiration (that all of you gave me) with a couple of my friends and they are going to join us along on this journey. The healthy part, not the conceiving part. ha ha ha
All in all, solutions have been found to fight the D-demons.
I really can’t thank you enough. You really did hold me up when I thought I didn’t have anymore more strength and you reminded me that what ever I want I can have. <3 <3
Hugs and best wishes. This whole thread has made me tear up, too. Go get 'em, girl!
Thanks, super_sally. I keep telling myself that I’m doing everything I can. Congratulations on your pregnancy!! I’m crossing fingers and knocking wood that everything goes well this time.
Why ivf? Well… the first fertility doc said to go straight to ivf without passing go. I’ve since moved, and have to see a different one, and I don’t know what he’ll say. There’s no obvious problem except a borderline sperm count and a fibroid (husband and me, respectively, though I guess that’s obvious… lol).
It’s more just a) my age, at which apparently IUI is less successful, and – big one – b) our insurance actually covers 90% of the costs of ivf, up to a lifetime cap. (And the meds don’t count against the cap, because my prescription drug coverage is administered by a different company.) Now, it was a pain finding a place that would actually TAKE said insurance (annoyingly, if I was on the other plan my employer offers, it would have been much less trouble – but I can’t switch plans until October). If we were going to be $12-15,000 out of pocket, I’m sure we would try several rounds of IUI!! As it is, I think it’s going to be more like $1500. So, yeah, that’s a huge reason to skip straight to ivf.
+1 on the book!
I had a baby with Type One ten years ago. It was fine. Just fine. She beautiful and healthy and everything worked out.
I actually got pregnant accidentally so I didn’t even have time to prepare as well as you’re preparing. I just buckled down, kept my sugars under 120 as much as I could and did everything I could to keep myself healthy. I won’t lie - parts were not fun. Toward the end I was at the Dr. 4 times a week for monitoring. I had twice as much amniotic fluid as I was supposed to (polyhydramnia) which made me feel like a walking hot tub and meant there was a risk that the cord would wrap around her neck. I also had a C-section 2 weeks early because my daughter was BIG (9.6 lbs).
Here are the perks - LOTS more sonograms! That was the best part. All my friends were jealous. I also got tons of extra attention in the hospital.
Doctors have to tell you everything. Even the really bad stuff. You can do it.