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33+5 insulin requirements dropping!!

Tweety88

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Help!

I’m 33+5 today and over the past few days my insulin requirements have dropped quite dramatically! I’ve basically had no basal on for a day. I’ve dropped my carb ratio and still it’s dropping!

I’m in hospital to be monitored as I write this! Baby seems happy on the monitor! What could be causing this!! Really worried!!!
 
They delivered my daughter at 34 weeks on this basis alone, even though they never found a problem with the placenta or baby on any of the scans.
At 32 weeks my insulin requirements dropped and kept falling. By 33.5 weeks they were back to pre pregnancy levels. With my son they'd kept increasing until the point of delivery. With my daughter it was as though I'd delivered her and my insulin requirements just dropped even though I was still pregnant.

Once I was at 34 weeks they decided that although they couldn't detect an issue it wasn't worth the risk and she was safer to be delivered than not. I have since read of this happening - the drop in requirements - and baby being delivered at 38 weeks and there being no issue but most hospitals I believe will deliver the baby based on a drop in insulin requirements alone as it can indicate an issue with the placenta failing.
What have your diabetes team said?
 
Thank you so so much for your reply!

Was everything ok with your son?

Sugars seem to have stabilised a bit today, I have a nasal rate at least which I couldn’t tolerate yesterday! Although I am sat in bed so a lot less active!

Baby is happy on the monitor every ctg has been good! Growth scan last week said baby was around 6lb! I also had a scan yesterday which showed cord and placenta are good, so it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s going on!

I saw my consultant this morning and I have just received my first steroid injection, and will get another one tomorrow! Plan is to deliver early next week I will be 34+4, if my bloods settle they will possibly let me go the extra week, but I think it’s pretty likely delivery will be next Monday/Tuesday!
 
My son was my first pregnancy which went as expected, my second pregnancy was with my daughter which is when my insulin requirements dropped.

We had a lot of scans to show the blood and oxygen flow etc and everything looked fine but I think they just think at around 34 weeks it's safer to deliver. I had the steroids but my daughter did require some help with her breathing and had a short stay in NICU. I think she was actually more like 33+4 going but my dates though and an extra week or so makes a lot of difference so hopefully your baby wouldn't need that. We were in transitional care for a further fortnight, mostly because I was trying to breast feed. They said if I'd formula fed we'd have gone home sooner. My daughter had an ng tube for feeding for maybe for first week.
Some 35 weekers go home basically straight away though and even some 34 weekers don't need much intervention. It seems to really vary.

Hope all goes ok.
 
Thanks so much for sharing your story! We spoke to the neonatal team manager today who was absolutely amazing! He answered all our questions and really put our minds at ease!

It’s almost made me feel a little better that it’s me that’s ‘unwell’ and not baby! I’m pretty sure my dates are right! So baby will be almost 35 weeks which I’m happier about! I’ll update his post and let you know what’s happening x x x
 
Hey !
My son is 1 next week and was born at 35 weeks ..... I posted a similar thread last year whilst v worried !
He was born at 6 lb do not bad at all! He was in special care for one week although it felt like months and months that’s pretty good really .....
My sugars were crazy and just going low day and night and I was passing out most of the day ... again our scan showed no placenta issues etc ... but not worth the risk .... so out he came

He’s doing brilliantly and Iv just found out am pregnant again so am busy preparing for the blood sugar nightmares again

Congrats and good luck xxx
 
Thank you both so much for your replies.

Congratulations Tilly_S! I had a smooth run with my first pregnancy, so hoping you can have that second time round!

That’s so reassuring to know that your little boy is doing well. I’m currently 34 weeks and have been admitted to get steroids! (That’s one way to raise the blood sugars!!) I am being allowed home this weekend, providing everything looks settled after the steroids but to keep a VERY close eye on my sugars and to return at the slightest sign of them dropping! I will have a repeat Doppler scan on Monday. If my requirements are still dropping or aren’t back to what they were it will be a c section on Tuesday next week. If they return to how they were before the drop it will be a day-by-day case I will be back at hospital for twice daily ctg monitoring, but the absolute latest I will deliver is less than 2 weeks away at 35+5! X
 
I had my little girl at 30 weeks. She will be one in June. She was in SCBU/NICU for a little while but she’s doing well.
Try not to worry, it’s best to get baby out, they will thrive outside of the womb, rather than take any risks.
Keep us updated.
Good luck with it all, I’m sure baby will do just fine x
 
I can’t tell you how good it is to read all your posts on here. So reassuring. When I had my son 3yrs ago, I was prepped for my blood sugar rising & increased insulin requirements - it never did, in fact my insulin requirements steadily slid backwards throughout the entire pregnancy until he was delivered at 35wks. I am currently 19 wks pregnant & exactly the same thing has happened again & my current basal rate is about a third of what I normally take outside of pregnancy & due to increased hypos, I am having to review my pump basal rate downwards every 5-6 days.

Like you say, it involves a lot more scans when this happens because it doesn’t make sense under current understandings of pregnancy & Diabetes. But I am so glad that our medical teams perform those extra checks, just to be sure.

It sounds like you have an exciting time ahead of you Tweety88- wishing you all the very best. And I completely agree with Scarlet10- best to get the baby out when the medical teams are not too sure exactly what is going on....this was the reason they decided to deliver my son & I was so grateful to see him safely in the care of the SCBU & no longer having to wonder about what effect my plummeting blood sugars were having on him.

Will keep an eye out for your updates.
 
Hope you are still feeling reassured Tweety88! My 3 T1 pregnancies ended at 34+5 37 and 35 weeks respecitvely All did well and although its less natural having this kind of medicalised pregnancy I did feel I got lots of extra scans etc. and was always first on the c section list for the deliveries! Looking after yourself and not just the baby will be the hardest thing once the drama of the next few weeks is over. xxxx
 
Thank you for your responses- my insulin requirements seem to have come back up!

I’m on twice daily ctgs and twice weekly cord dopplers!

Baby still could come next week, but I’m glad I will be over 35 weeks - almost 36 and I’m glad I will be so closely monitored! To be honest I’d prefer if she didn’t push me too far! X
 
Update!!!

She’s here!!! She was born yesterday at 34+6 weighing a MASSIVE 8lb 6oz!! My placenta was described as starting to crumble and ‘iffy’ even though it was huge, it was starting to deteriorate! So it was a good job the decision was made to get her out!! I’ve no idea why she was so huge, my Hba1c wasn’t over 5.8% this pregnancy my control was so tight! By the important this is she is here and healthy!
thank you all for your support
 
Ahhhh congratulations @Tweety88!! One of each, how amazing for you


Hope you and the little (or not so!!) little one are doing well and she won’t have to stay in very long! xxx
 
Lovely news@Tweety88! Congratulations! All safe & sound!. Thank you for updating. xxx
 
Wow and what lovely news. If we assume a 4oz gain for every week of pregnancy then she could have been in double figures at full term. I guess that placenta was very efficient until the 'crumbliness' set in....
 

Hiya

This happened to me at about 35/36 weeks and they ended up bringing my induction forwards a week. Had my appointment on the Friday and was induced on the Monday.

Congratulations on your delivery! Good luck! X
 
Fab news congratulations xx
I’m so glad baby is here safe and your ok. What a fantastic weight.
Well done you xx
 
Bit late with the congratulations but huge well done to you. So please for you!
 
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