My fiance and I somehow got on the topic of kids the other day. We discussed having our first one at 25 (3 years from now) My problem is I know I will have to work with my doctor for >1 years before I conceive. My worry is that I will only be able to have one. That’s why I want my first at 25 because I know the older you get, the harder it is to have kids, and then to throw type one diabetes in the mix. My mom’s friend had type 1 and she was one of those diabetics who was pretty much in perfect control and she was only able to have one. This scares me because I want atleast three. I was wondering if anyone had any advice or personal stories.
Actually the younger I was the harder it was. I was 16 and then at 17. I had gestational both times and developed T2 from it. My youngest is 3 and had him at a normal age. It was difficult but I knew better how to care for myself and what to expect. The pregnancy was easier too. But all my babies was big. 10lbs.1oz. and 9lbs.1oz. and 10lbs.15oz. Big babies, so be prepared for that. Plus I had toxemia with the first 2.
I’m in terrible control and really have no desire to get in control…yet but in a year I am going to start planning it so I’ll be ready, I have a feeling though that I’ll go back to not doing anything after. I want to be a mother and want to have as many kids as possible and i’m worried that I’ve screwed up too much. One stroke, two seizures, 23 cases of DKA and constant A1C’s of 12-17.
Oh my! Have you discussed children with your Dr.? Please make sure your at a place with your health where you can have children. When I had my last one I had everything under control. I lost 43 lbs and was off insulin. A few months later after having him I was back on it. Been fighting with it since. I am worried for you and your future baby.
I mentioned it to her before and she said we’d have to plan at least two years ahead. I’m on the pump for better control, but it doesn’t help when I don’t check my sugar, so now I’m being put on the CGMS. We’ll see how that goes I still have three years before I’ll be trying to conceive so I have no time. I’m just worried it’s too late and even if I do conceive, i’ll miscarry because of all the past problems
I’ve had compliance issues in the past, but I’ve been working with my doctor for the past year and have gotten my control to be picture perfect. Dropped my A1c from the 8s and 9s to 6.1 in a year and am now trying to conceive. I am completely confident that if I could do it, you can. But please make sure your A1c is down - for your sake and for the baby’s. Both my endo and my ob/gyn are confident that I will have a very healthy pregnancy, regardless of the past. I’m 29, by the way.
We have a group here called “Oh Baby” for those of us Type 1s who are trying, hope someday to try, or who have succeeded at pregnancy. Please come join it and read people’s responses there.
Also, Kerri at sixuntilme is a member here and a wonderful blogger who blogs about her struggles to come into range for pregnancy. You might check her site out.
As for feeling limited about the number of pregnancies you can have, I say stop worrying about that. MANY women here on TuDiabetes have had multiple healthy pregnancies and multiple healthy children. Your age is far less important than your readiness to care for your own health as the mother of a healthy infant. Best of luck!!!
Thank-you so much, both of you for your help. It’s one of those things that is always in the back of my head and I find myself freaking out about it. I only know one diabetic who had a baby and she’s the one I mentioned earlier and that scared me.
I found out I was pregnant on a whim. My husband and I had wanted children but thought we would have lots of trouble. I think all the stress from worrying only increased the difficulty. One day, I realized that I was having trouble keeping my bs normal or even remotely close. The endo couldn’t figure out what the problem was. We did all kinds of blood work without ever thinking about pregnancy. The scariest part was waiting to be certain the baby would survive in that first 6 weeks. An echo was done of her heart and no defects were found. I worked closely from that point on with the mds in high risk to keep my sugars as low as possible. It was a little frustrating to restrict so much but the dietician gave helpful ideas on how to adjust my diet at that time. We were told that they thought my daughter would be very small due to the fact that type 1 have decreased blood supply to the uterus ( or so they thought). I was blessed because at 34 weeks, I fell out of bed with a glucose in the teens. My daughter was brought into the world early but frankly, the docs won’t let you go too long anyways. I was blessed with one even though I thought I wanted three. She is healthy and a handful at 10 years. Unfortunately, due to some complications I could only have one. Sometimes, we get only what we can handle. Keep an open communication with your docs. I was 28 when I found out I was pregnant and I don’t believe that there is a ‘good’ time. Good luck and I pray that all goes well. Remember everyone is different. Thank Heavens!!
I have 2 of the most beautiful, healthy kids I could ever ask for. My little boy is 4 and my baby girl is 6 months. I was 30 when my first was born and I was 33 when my second was born. I could have more if I wanted to but one boy and one girl is perfect for me. I was healthier when I was pregnant than when not. You do need to get better control of your BS before you decide to have a baby and you need to be at a point in your life where you are ready to stay in better control. I say that because after you have babies, they need you and they need you to be healthy. Being a mom and diabetic at the same time is hard but definitely doable. Always think of your kids and what they need first. I didn’t have big babies really. My first was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and my second was 8 lbs. 5 oz. Pretty normal. Good luck and God bless.