Type 1 diabetes, pregnancy and weight gain

#1

Hi there,

I have a question that I am hoping someone can answer on here...I have done research online and have been unsuccesful in finding my answer. I am trying to find out if the extra insulin my body is now requiring due to my pregnancy and hormones will cause me to gain weight. I have been lucky so far and have only gained weight in my belly, which is expected, but in the last week or two, I am now taking double the insulin for each meal that I eat, as my sugars are running higher now and it has me a little worried..I know that generally, the more insulin you give yourself the more you will tend to gain weight, because you are making up for what you are eating, but my eating habits have not changed, it's just my hormones...does anybody know?

Thanks!

#2

You’re supposed to gain weight while pregnant… “they” say 25-30lbs is normal, but I gained 50+lbs with my first two but lost the weight afterwards relatively easily, within just a few months of nursing (I gained less than half that with my third - not sure why, I didn’t do anything differently).

If you aren’t eating excessively I wouldn’t worry much about it… I’m convinced that the body will gain what it needs to… considering how fast I dropped weight while nursing, if I hadn’t gained that extra I would have not been able to sustain myself or my babies after.

#3

You should gain weight with your pregnancy, and insulin could add to that, but your increased insulin requirement is from the hormones. Estrogen and insulin do not like each other and the increased estrogen production during pregnancy increases the insulin requirements.

I gained 60 lbs with my 1st pregnancy, 40 with my 2nd and around 30 with my 3rd. I wouldn’t worry much about weight gain, unless you’re really gaining a ton of weight in a short amount of time. I had pre-eclampsia with my 1st pregnancy, hence the big weight gain. Being on bed rest for 10 weeks didn’t help at all.

#4

Hi Amanda,

It’s definitely hormones and it’s definitely normal to gain weight during pregnancy. Whatever you do, take as much insulin as necessary to keep your sugars in range and don’t worry about the weight gain. At some point during my pregnancy, I had to start adjusting my insulin almost on a daily basis. At the very end, I was taking three times my normal amount of insulin! I gained 35 pounds, which was normal, and which I lost. That was my second pregnancy. My first pregnancy was before I had type 1 diabetes and I gained 40 pounds (which I also lost). As I’m sure you know, the important thing is to keep your sugars in the range recommended by your doctor (usually lower than the usual range) so that your baby / body / placenta all stay healthy. Good luck and best wishes!!

-Beth

#5

Thank you ladies for all of your answers, it’s much appreciated! I do know that I will be continuing to gain weight, hey, I am pregnant, LOL!!! I was just trying to figure out if the extra insulin I am taking because of my hormones alone causes “extra” weight gain more than say a non-diabetic.