Hi, I'm 5 weeks pregnant, T1 diabetic and really struggling with post meal spikes! Feel like I'm trying everything- higher ratio of insulin:carbs, injecting 30 prior to eating and still it's spiking!! Today went up to 14 after lunch! I had a MC 18 months ago and have been trying to get pregnant since so these readings are getting me really worried. Any ladies out there who have experienced similar readings and went on to have a healthy pregnancy?? Please help feel like I'm losing my mind...
Need advice
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JessP
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Hi! Firstly congrats on pregnancy! I had exactly the same problems in the first trimester but Am now 37 weeks and managed to get it sorted. I found I had to pretty much cut out carbs almost entirely and that seemed to do the job. Tough to do but really made a difference. I still had to bolus for protein intake but managed to avoid the spikes.
I've been unable to resist all carbs through pregnancy so my insulin ratios have gone from 1:10 pre-pregs and currently sitting at 1:1.5 which is mad!
Am sure you'll get there but if you want any advice about low carb meals let me know.
Good luck!
Jess x
I've been unable to resist all carbs through pregnancy so my insulin ratios have gone from 1:10 pre-pregs and currently sitting at 1:1.5 which is mad!
Am sure you'll get there but if you want any advice about low carb meals let me know.
Good luck!
Jess x
Congratulations!
I had high levels early on and upped my insulin (both basal and bolus). I low carb anyway but was stricter with it when having spikes which helped a lot.
I then started having more lows in the second trimester so reduced the insulin slightly but also allowed myself a few more carbs.
It's a moving target whilst pregnant. Just keep testing and do your best to keep your levels under control. Have you got a good diabetes team to talk to? You should be on 5mg folic acid which you get on prescription.
Good luck.
I had high levels early on and upped my insulin (both basal and bolus). I low carb anyway but was stricter with it when having spikes which helped a lot.
I then started having more lows in the second trimester so reduced the insulin slightly but also allowed myself a few more carbs.
It's a moving target whilst pregnant. Just keep testing and do your best to keep your levels under control. Have you got a good diabetes team to talk to? You should be on 5mg folic acid which you get on prescription.
Good luck.
Hi both, thanks for your advice. It helps to hear other people have been through this. I'm on the 5mg folic acid, have been taking it for nearly two years now 
feels like forever. Struggling to get an appointment with the diabetes nurse as she works part time, I'm hoping to hear back this week. Jess I would love to hear some meal ideas for low carbs I think it would help a lot. x
feels like forever. Struggling to get an appointment with the diabetes nurse as she works part time, I'm hoping to hear back this week. Jess I would love to hear some meal ideas for low carbs I think it would help a lot. x
vicjord
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Hi I'm type 2 so don't really understand ratios but i am on insulin twice a day. i know I've really got to get my numbers down before getting pregnant. Is cutting carbs safe in pregnancy i just thought you'd need a few for energy. I've already started lowering my carb intake, how low did you go?
Thanks
JessP
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Hi again,
I tend to do low carb eating anyway, eating a max of 20-30g carbs a day anyway so just made sure I was really strict on that in the first trimester. It's perfectly safe in pregnancy if part of a healthy diet otherwise and didn't seem to effect my energy levels (although these were in my boots anyway in the first trimester and coupled with awful nausea made eating anything tough).
Ciara things I found good to eat that are low carb:
Breakfast - eggs +/- bacon, avocado.
Lunch - salad with some cheese (had terrible cravings for cheddar cheese through most of this pregnancy), cold meats like ham or smoked mackerel etc. small amount of humous. Also soups are good but need to know what has gone in them as a lot of them have thickening agents which are high in carb.
dinner - meat or fish with salad or veggies. Was quite strict on which veg i had as some quite carb heavy (like parsnips/beans/corn)
snacks - nuts. also a small amount of popcorn is also only about 5-10g of carb depending on amount. Also had rice crackers with peanut butter (make sure it's the ones without any added sugars). One of my colleagues who is also type 1 eats dried seaweed which is very low carb as snacks.
The hardest thing I cut out was fruit, i love fruit but that's so high in carbs so can't take the risk.
I also found through amazon, the Atkins daily bread which only has 3-5g of carb per slice. This made breakfasts much more filling as had awful cravings for bread from 12 weeks onwards.
I would suggest having a look at the low carb forum on this website as this is useful. There are also loads of other websites out there for low carb meal ideas.
Hope that's helpful!
x
I tend to do low carb eating anyway, eating a max of 20-30g carbs a day anyway so just made sure I was really strict on that in the first trimester. It's perfectly safe in pregnancy if part of a healthy diet otherwise and didn't seem to effect my energy levels (although these were in my boots anyway in the first trimester and coupled with awful nausea made eating anything tough).
Ciara things I found good to eat that are low carb:
Breakfast - eggs +/- bacon, avocado.
Lunch - salad with some cheese (had terrible cravings for cheddar cheese through most of this pregnancy), cold meats like ham or smoked mackerel etc. small amount of humous. Also soups are good but need to know what has gone in them as a lot of them have thickening agents which are high in carb.
dinner - meat or fish with salad or veggies. Was quite strict on which veg i had as some quite carb heavy (like parsnips/beans/corn)
snacks - nuts. also a small amount of popcorn is also only about 5-10g of carb depending on amount. Also had rice crackers with peanut butter (make sure it's the ones without any added sugars). One of my colleagues who is also type 1 eats dried seaweed which is very low carb as snacks.
The hardest thing I cut out was fruit, i love fruit but that's so high in carbs so can't take the risk.
I also found through amazon, the Atkins daily bread which only has 3-5g of carb per slice. This made breakfasts much more filling as had awful cravings for bread from 12 weeks onwards.
I would suggest having a look at the low carb forum on this website as this is useful. There are also loads of other websites out there for low carb meal ideas.
Hope that's helpful!
x
Thanks for all the information Jess it's really helpful. I'll definitely get that bread as I really feel I need something more substantial for breakfast. Thanks again. x
I often have an omelette for breakfast which fills me up. I put whatever vegetables I have in it and cheese.
azure
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My blood sugars went up in the first trimester. I had to keep adjusting my insulin upwards. I'm on a pump and I altered both my basal rates and my boluses. My HbA1C is very good so I'm happy.
You could try gradually upping your insulin for meals maybe? It took me a while to get doses which worked. Are you spiking then having hypos or do your blood sugars just stay high?
You could try gradually upping your insulin for meals maybe? It took me a while to get doses which worked. Are you spiking then having hypos or do your blood sugars just stay high?
emmarw
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Hi Ciara
I'm 5 weeks too and I'm also getting the spikes. Really helps to cut out carbs, so I'm making soup a lot for lunch. Just chuck in any old veg that's in the fridge but avoid putting root veg like potatoes or too many carrots in, add some stock and then blend. There's loads of low carb sites with recipes in if you're up for a google!! It's a scary time isn't it......but very exciting!!!
Em
I'm 5 weeks too and I'm also getting the spikes. Really helps to cut out carbs, so I'm making soup a lot for lunch. Just chuck in any old veg that's in the fridge but avoid putting root veg like potatoes or too many carrots in, add some stock and then blend. There's loads of low carb sites with recipes in if you're up for a google!! It's a scary time isn't it......but very exciting!!!
Em
Hi Ciara,
I had the same thing, blood sugar spiking to 14/15 after eating a simple sandwich for lunch. What works for me is taking my insulin about 30 to 45 minutes before I start eating. My doctor seems to think my body just needs a little longer for the insulin to start working (compared to the average t1 diabetic).
My cgm now shows just a tiny spike after eating carbs for lunch. (No higher than 8 ) This might not work for you, but it helped me out a lot.
I had the same thing, blood sugar spiking to 14/15 after eating a simple sandwich for lunch. What works for me is taking my insulin about 30 to 45 minutes before I start eating. My doctor seems to think my body just needs a little longer for the insulin to start working (compared to the average t1 diabetic).
My cgm now shows just a tiny spike after eating carbs for lunch. (No higher than 8 ) This might not work for you, but it helped me out a lot.
Mrsass
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Hey hope you've managed to sort the spikes, I'm having major trouble with hypos (I'm 6weeks I just found out) going low about 4 times a day, I've not really spiked much as I eat fairly low carb anyway, the lower I am before a meal the better I find my reading 2 hours after my meal too hope your doing ok xx
hope your doing ok xx