Hello! I am new to the online diabetic community. I am 27 years old just recently found out that I am 7 weeks pregnant. I have been diabetic since age 9, and my sugars were never under control until about 3 years ago when I started the insulin pump. Since then, my a1c has been around 7.2. However, I am so nervous, because my a1c is 8.2 this time and it is definitely higher than they want. I do have a CGM, but i’m already insulin resistant, so it’s very difficult to keep my sugars in the 70-120 range. I’m having to change my diet to low carb and low fat. My biggest concern is for birth defects and still birth. Is there anyone with a similar story that can give me some comfort about my situation? I am also wondering if there are any suggested meals for T1D while pregnant, and what worked for you. Thanks so much!
There used to be a group for this http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/ohbaby
A shame it doesn’t exist now…
Never being pregnant, I cannot give you any personal advice, and the medical situation is so complicated, I’d be scared to give any medical advice. I can only suggest having a great support team of endos, diabetic educators, and OB/GYN with diabetes experience.
Information comforts me, so if I may just give a little:
Here is the kind of advice your doctors are looking at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/14767058.2013.864631?scroll=top&needAccess=true
According to article, highest risks are:
- Macrosomia due to hyperglycemia (27–62% of T1D pregnancies)
- Pre-eclampsia due to high blood pressure (10-20%)
- HELLP syndrome due to high blood pressure or hypoglycemic episodes
- Hypoglycemia in first trimester (19-44%)
- DKA (1-3%)
The official recommendation is under 6% a1c, but other research shows you shouldn’t worry too much under 7%: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/12/2612#F1
And 7.1-7.8% are risky, but only 1.4-1.6x more risky than <7%, where adverse outcomes happened 12% of the time.
Also note that your A1c will fluctuate more quickly during pregnancy (you make more red blood cells and they die quicker), and your insulin requirements will change. Which may be why you jumped so quickly from 7.2 to 8.2. The good news is you can lower your a1c just as quickly!
Hi Welcome. I found have had 2 diabetic pregnancies. I found low carb very helpful. I did low carb, but not low fat. I had to eat plenty of protein and healthy fat to get enough calories. I had to test a lot and take lots of insulin. My 2 daughters were healthy and the pregnancies were pretty uneventful diabetes wise. Ask questions. Quite a few ladies here have been through this.