Feeling overwhelmed

[carlylou2688]

I am type 1 and have been for 15 years and I found out that I am pregnant a couple of weeks ago after 3 and half long years of trying with problems along the way and a miscarriage last year so contacted the diabetes midwife and she arranged me a scan to see how far along I am which showed 6 weeks +4 and saw the little heartbeat flickering away which was wonderful and afterwards went and had a chat with the diabetes midwife about everything and came away with a mixture of feeling excited that things seem ok with baby so far (even though I know it's still very early days) but completely overwhelmed with the task ahead of such strict controls and feeling so worried that I am doing harm if my sugars are over the advised levels at any point. Is this normal to be feeling so overwhelmed?

 

[Patch13]

Congratulations on the pregnancy!

I certainly feel the same as you - really excited, but nervous and terrified what I am doing won't be enough to keep the baby safe and healthy. Can't wait till the next scan for the reassurance it will hopefully bring!

 

[jade88]

Hi carlylou I think every one of the ladies on here know exactly how your feeling! I'm guessing if you've been trying for a while your control is already pretty tight! The targets are strict but as my DSN had assured no one can achieve them all the time it's just a goal to aim for!
Congratulations on your wonderful news and keep us posted on your progress! xxx

 

[Cloe-1992]

Hey congratulations to you both on your pregnancies .

It's all very natural , it's hard enough being pregnant without added pressure of being a diabetic . So is an emotional roller coaster , my little boy is 4 months so have been through it all very recently .
It's such a worrying time to get your diabetes right for the sake of your baby , but aslong as your doing your best that's all they can ask of you . Do your best to keep your bms in target but remember your going to have the hypos and your also going to have the hypers we wouldn't be diabetics if we didn't , try to work out what and how much of something brings you up from a hypo and not to over do it to have the rebound , and remember with the highs it's the long period of highs that can cause damage , the odd spike that come back down within a reasonable amount of time are ok . It's hard because I wanted everything to be perfect and every bm within the targets , but it really is impossible to get every bm in target , keep track of your bms on a daily basis and just keep looking for patterns and tweaking where it needs to be changed .
I wish you both the best of luck throughout your pregnancy , is a hard journey but so worth all the work

cloe x

 

[azure]

Congratulations

Yes, it's totally normal to feel the pressure of keeping strict control. The best way I coped with it was to take one day at a time and just concentrate on getting everything as good as possible for that day. Then I did that day after day and the weeks soon flew by. Remember you can do correction doses if you're high (check with your team if you're not sure calculating them). If you test frequently you'll spot highs and lows in good time and be able to deal with them.

It's very hard work being pregnant and diabetic, but it's worth it. There are lots of ladies here to support you and we all know how hard it is. I used to worry before every scan, but everything was ok. Concentrate on keeping good control and looking after yourself. Rest, relax, eat well and keep hydrated

Keep us updated. And congratulations once again on your pregnancy

 

[carlylou2688]

Thank you for the replies and support. I think taking it one day at a time is very good advice. My last hba1c was 5.9 a couple of months ago so my sugars normally are fairly good. I will try and keep calm and not get too ahead of myself.

 

[azure]

5.9 is very good

It sounds like you're doing everything right, so don't panic - you've started off very well

 

[carlylou2688]

Got my 12 week scan tomorrow, can't believe how quickly it has come round but still struggling with feeling overwhelmed at times but keeping our fingers and toes crossed everything will be ok tomorrow and it will put my mind at ease a little bit.

 

[azure]

Good luck with the scan

I found the 12 week one absolute magic - the baby is so small at that stage but so perfectly formed. I found it very moving.

I know you're anxious - I was too - but relax and enjoy it. I'm sure it'll go well

 

[carlylou2688]

Scan went well and everything as it should be so very happy

 

[azure]

Great news

 

[K8tie_x]

5.9 is an amazing hba1c well done, I'm sure if you keep that up they will be so happy with you. My consultant said as long as you catch the highs and correct quickly it's not that much of a worry.
Pregnancy us overwhelming and you just think you've got your levels under control then you need to up all your doses again. My first pregnancy by the end I was on a 7:1 ratio from 2:1, it was a nightmare. I found keeling realky good records to spot what's going on helped and try and avoid sugary foods that make your blood spike, eventually I jyst ended up really limiting carbs as it was getting so hard to stay in targets x

 

[Peckham_mumtobe]

Hi CarlyLou,

This is my first post / reply! I read your post and felt compelled to respond. I am currently 23+4 weeks pregnant and type 1, and also felt totally overwhelmed with the task ahead. I didn't attend pre-conception and my pregnancy was not exactly planned but at age 34 felt it finally the right time to embark on this ship!

My initial HBA1c was 7.4, down to 6.1 4 weeks later and following that 5.6 consistently. having not really cared that much about the fact that I was diabetic, I went to being TOTALLY OBSESSED. it became all i thought about through the crippling fear that I would damage the baby. 8 week scan passed, 12 week scan also went swimmingly, but when I had my 22 week scan finally felt like we had passed a huge hurdle of worry. The anomaly scan at 20 or 22 weeks (depending on hospital) will put your mind at ease a tremendous amount I am sure. I had a scan from the cardiologist first followed by the sonographer and when everything reported as totally normal I felt like I could finally breathe out...

It is so hard to deal with a job / general life / normal issues anyway but then throw in diabetes! Next level! I can't say i'm 'enjoying my pregnancy' but focusing on how accomplished and rewarded I will feel having come through the other side... Lots of ladies on here are testament to that and I don't know what I would have done without their shared experiences. the first time I actually spoke with another pregnant diabetic in the waiting room at my fortnightly hospital visit (last week) was such a pleasant relief - to be able to actually ask questions and listen to others mutual worries! I wish my hospital (Kings College, London - excellent) would actually organise a group for this? might ask...

Hold tight, try not to stress about the odd high as long as you manage them and bring them down safely as soon as possible. keep flexing your doses as you need and your DSN (shout out to Helen at Kings - I love her) will be able to help spot the patterns that come with changing insulin needs.

I agree with Azure - 1 day at a time, try to to dwell on a high you had last week (I did, a lot!), it's impossible to keep within the ranges 100% of the time, they are a best case scenario but not always a rule.

I use the DAFNE app on my phone to record BG, Cps and insulin doses. this has been invaluable to me. I used it before, but it has been an even more useful tool during pregnancy.

Sorry for the long post, let us know how your pregnancy goes and MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Ellie x