Hi Ladies,
I'm a Type 1 on an insulin pump and my husband and I are wanting to start a sweet little family of our own. I'm going through all the medical necessities to make sure I'm healthy (proper A1C and the like) and I know it will be quite difficult but possible. So I'm here to ask all you mommies about your pregnancy and birth stories to get a full picture of what this will look like. Also any tips and suggestions
Thanks,
LoveToHike
The most important thing you can do is start to work on getting your high A1C down. All the stories Type 1 women tell about pregnancy is that they need tight control. Do feel free to post questions on here asking for support and information in how to do that. I suggest you also join the pregnancy group on here for more specific advice and support. Here is the link: http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/ohbaby
Hi LoveToHike,
I am a mom. When I was pregnant there was no A1c testing, "control" was MIA - but that was before we had pumps or even mdi. My belly was huge because my baby was getting all of the nutrients I was consuming, so a short visit in the hospital to monitor and readjust the insulin dose and meet an endo who knew how to care for a pregnant T1. Keeping the bg in a managed range is way more important than trying to achieve a proper A1c. A T1 can get a normal A1c by having horrible control. Of course you will want to have your diabetes managed well but it does not have to be difficult. And yes, it is possible. Being pregnant was the beginning of gaining tight control in my life as a diabetic.
I did not have cravings, or morning sickness, or discomfort, or tiredness. I really had no troubles once the insulin regime was improved. I had an 8 - 5 job and rode a park and ride bus to get to work. Our bus was packed each day so many times I had to stand for the 45 minute ride. THAT was a bummer!
My kiddo decided to arrive early, and was delivered by c-section. Because she was premature she had to stay in the hospital for a short time, but that was okay since I was there too. My best tip is to tell you to keep your bg in the range you and your docs feel is safe and best for you. If you have a chance to find an OB who is experienced with pregnant diabetics that would be great. My own OB was recommended for a 'high risk' pregnancy and he was the one who then recommended the endo to help determine the insulin needs.
My kiddo has a kiddo now, and we are all healthy and happy. End of story :)
I think this interview of the TuDiabetes team might be helpful:
definitely join that group. tons of experienced mommies and mommies to be there!
thank you so much for this video link it's been a huge help :)
what a great story thank you for sharing :)
Joined it, thanks :)
Hi there! I’m a mama to four the last two while I was diabetic -sorta. With the third I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and went on to easily control with diet, but four months post partum I was diagnosed with type 1. Six months after diagnoses I became pregnant with #4 unexpectedly and luckily my a1c was about 5.9 then. I maintained about 5.4-5.6 for the remainder of my pregnancy. I gained about 25 lb, which was a bit high for me as I typically gain about 15 lbs during pregnancy. During the first two trimesters I had a hard time with lows and being hypo unaware. I got my pump at about 20 weeks and things leveled off nicely. Struggled at the very end with highs, but just kept a close watch on how certain foods made me spike. Lots of protein really helped. The pregnancy itself was pretty uneventful, I was overseen by a high risk group so there were a lot of ultrasounds and non stress tests. Birth was a bit complicated becaus of my past births. First ttwo were sections and third was a vbac. I wanted to vbac again and they were a little hesitant because typically they want a diabetic to deliver at 38 weeks. With a vbac you can’t induce so when 38 weeks came and went things got tense. I refused a repeat csection at 40 weeks as numbers were good and placenta and baby all looked good on ultrasound and at that point they told me baby was 8lbs. I had another ultrasound just days later that said he was up to 9lb 15oz. I was leary of that since ultrasound can be so off. At 40 weeks 4 days I went in for a non stress test that baby didnt pass so we decided to allow my water to be broken and go from there hoping labor would kick in. Luckily it did and three hours later my 10 lb baby was born during a very quick and fairly easy vaginal delivery. I was a little dissapointed because although I thought I had really brushed up on the hospitals post delivery rules they ended making him stay in a transition nursery for two hours even though he had excellent blood sugar numbers. I wish I had gotten more concrete answers on that at first because it was a big deal to be separated right away. Especially since ive known other diabetics who have delivered elsewhere and had in room care so baby could bond and nurse right away. We did nurse immediately though because it helps baby bring up blood sugar quickly just in case. Sorry if I skimmed over anything you need more details on. Just ask and I will do my best to answer!
Nikki thanks for the detailed answer. I'm so glad your little boy is just fine. I too want to nurse immediately but I'm concerned that my milk won't come in until later. I want to ask the hospital I plan to use if they will allow baby to stay and bond with me or if he'll be whisked away for observations. I want skin to skin A.S.A.P. but I know they might want to do a planned C-section as they do that most of the time with T1D. I'm hopeful that won't be the case. Were you put on any sort of bedrest and or were you able to still care for your other three the whole time? I work at a Day Care and am hoping that I don't have to stop until at least a month before my due date. I'm curious, how do you keep your blood sugars up during nursing... I've heard it causes them to crash. Thanks again for the answers :)
No never needed bedrest. Wasn’t fun chasing three other kids largely pregnant but I was able to do my best 
It is very true if you are uncontrolled that your milk may not fully come in. After my third before diagnosis I was at an 8.9 a1c and my milk supply with her was very low. After my fourth I was well controlled and had plenty of milk that came in on a normal time frame about day 3. He is still nursing at 18 months 
I was able to do immediate skin to skin, delayed cord clamping, and breastfeeding right away but I kinda had to be direct about wanting all of that. They initially said I had 20 minutes before they took him but I got about an hour probably because they checked his sugars often and they were holding fine. Yes it I hard to keep sugars up while nursing. It took a lot of readjusting my pump settings with my endo at first and remembering to bring my meter and a snack and water with me every time I nursed at first. It was actually great at the hospital because for diabetics they bring round the clock diabetic friendly snacks with the carbs pre listed. A csection isnt always necessary, I know many diabetics who delivery vaginal. It more depends on the doctor and I would interview several to find a good fit. Even my high risk doctors said as long as I maintained decent control, under 7 a1c although my endo wanted better than that, they didnt see a problem with going to term and going vaginal. Also if it does end up that you need a csection look into a family center or gentle csecrion it will give you an idea of how to phrase your desires for some of the things you listed as wanting to do in that setting. Ive known mamas who have breastfed in the or while getting closed up lol
YAY saw that doctor today and he gave us the green light to start our family. All prayers appreciated :)