I’ve been a Type 1 Diabetic for almost 13 Year (in June 2019), 25 years old (13 years old at diagnosis) an my husband an I just found out we are expecting our first baby in October 2019. We are super excited but I’m also terrified. I’m seeing a Special Risk OB while being pregnant an my first appointment is on Monday. I’m current on an insulin pump an have been for 6 years an I’m also on a CGM Dexcom. My A1C was tested 2 weeks before finding out we are pregnant an it was 5.8 (yay). I’m looking for any positive outcomes for mamas that where T1D an pregnant an any insight you can give me with going forward. Ex. Random highs, random lows, successful pregnancy outcomes?
There are plenty of type 1’s on this forum who had healthy babies and pregnancies some with great control and some back when diabetics barely ever tested their bg’s. Your a1c is fantastic, congratulations. There isn’t really any reason IMO why you shouldn’t have a healthy baby as long as you keep up the good work. I haven’t ever been pregnant so can’t help with the in and outs of BG variability but if you have a CGM it will make everything diabetes related easier to handle.
Good for you for the great A1C! I highly recommend a book called “Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes: Your Month-to-Month Guide to Blood Sugar Management”
by Ginger Vieira & Jennifer Smith CDE. Amazon Link here
Written by two Type 1 Diabetic moms who have had babies of their own.
I am a T1 about 5.5 weeks along w/ my first pregnancy. October is due month! I am 29 years old and was diagnosed w/ T1 at 4 years, so I have about 25 years of Diabetes behind me. I am thankful that my BGs have been very good! I am always aiming for the perfect 85, but my normal range is 70-100. For normal, healthy pregnant ladies, normal blood sugar is 60-120. I have gotten down to 57 and up to 180 once : ( right after I found out I was pregnant. But, my numbers are great MOST of the time!
I have not gotten hooked up with an OB yet, (I moved to the area recently and got married). But, I am going to do my best to have a natural birth at a birthing center - managing my own glucose levels for sure - there’s no way I’m giving that away during labor!! I have my first consultation w/ a midwife this Monday.
I would love to hear how your doing and to compare experiences with you!
So far, the main thing I’ve noticed is being extra hungry - I now need 2 eggs every morning fried w/ grass-fed gee and mushrooms, a slice of sprouted bread toast spread with coconut oil and a 1/2 cup of goat milk kefir, slice of cheese… Lol! PLUS my vitamins, probiotics, cod liver oil and now Psyllium Husk to keep my bowels moving…
Are you on a pump and cgm?
I am on the Medtronic 670G and Guardian Sensor 3 cgm - but only since October 2018.
I also recently found out that T1 moms need to be taking 2000 mcg of Folic Acid every day - not just the recommended 400! And if you have the MTHFR gene, you need to be taking the L-methylfolate kind so you body can absorb it. I have no idea if I have the gene. I get about 1000mcg of folic acid w/ my prenatal and b-complex, and 1000mcg of L-methylfolate.
I’m currently on the minimed pump an the dexcom g6. I’ve only been on the dexcom now since December but I love it so far! It really does help & I have my sensor warnings set better so I can do corrections before things get out of hand. For the most part my numbers have been good, I’m sure as things progress things will change an insulin will adjust. As far as eating, yes the first couple weeks when I first found out, I was eating every 2 hours. I haven’t had morning sickness thank goodness, just nausea throughout the day. Besides that I really try to eat every two hours usually fruits an veggies, if I can, it really does help with managing levels throughout the day.
Thank you for the recommendations on the books! I will looking those! My husband an I are very excited an it’s a rollercoaster of emotions. But I’m just praying for the best control I can have an a healthy baby in a couple months!
My son is now 30 yrs old. I was 38 when he was born and had been dx with type 1 29 yrs previously. He was perfect at 6 lbs 3 oz. I kept a very low A1c while pregnant without a GCM or pump.
What I would change is the number of ultra sounds that the medical team insisted on. During the last 2 months I had one a week. Then they also insisted that I be induced because they didn’t think diabetics should go up to their due date. This was a huge mistake, although eventually my son was born, by emergency C-section. Hopefully the past 30 yrs has changed they way women with type 1 are
handled by the medical profession.
I loved being pregnant and didn’t have any problems.
Congratulations on your pregnancy and thanks for this info—I’ve been looking for resources as I think about starting a family. Do you have a link for the folic acid reference?
Thank you! We are excited.
I found the requirements for folic acid for T1 pregnancies in the book I mentioned - “Pregnancy & Type 1 Diabetes…” and if you just do a Google search about the MTHFR defect, you’ll find the info about taking the correct folic acid. I also recommend this blog for lots of very helpful pregnancy info - https://www.mamanatural.com/best-prenatal-vitamins/
Best wishes!
