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Can a bad hypo (and after-effects) harm baby? :(

-Artemis-

Well-Known Member
Messages
533
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Other
Hello... Last night I had a really bad drop in blood sugar at dinner time... I had 50g carbs, bolused some up front and some over the next 30 mins - and approx 45mins after eating my blood sugars just plummeted. It was as if I'd bolused but not eaten

My evening insulin/carb ratio is 1:15 so I only had a few units in me - but it took two tubes of glucose juice to stabilize it... Then as it was stabilizing I went into what I can only describe as 'convulsions' - it's like extreme shaking that I can't control. I've only experienced it three or four times ever - always with very rapid hypos that cause a lot of sugar to control... I'm not sure if it's the drop in blood sugar, or the counteracting glucose that causes it? My husband was with me (thank god) and he says I look like I'm having a fit, though I'm conscious at the time.

... Eventually all was fine - though did end up with a rebound high - which I managed to get back down again within about two hours.

I'm concerned today that the stress of all that may have impacted baby? I'm only 6weeks today and I must have had huge amounts of adrenaline going through my system during it all - not to mention then soaking the poor thing in glucose too
 
Hypos themselves won't harm the baby. As my doc just said to me, babies are very good parasites so they will get the needed glucose out of you no matter what you yourself are experiencing...
Regards stress, from what I recall from the pregnancy documentaries I've seen over the years only quite extended periods of high stress (with adrenaline and elevated cortisone levels) would be of worry.
And I think at 6 weeks the baby is only just starting to get anything from your blood stream anyway...? So your baby is fine, just try avoid the lows for your own sake (even tho the pregnancy hormones make it complicated at times) as they are horrible (and dangerous obviously if you fall!) x
 
Ah thank you @Pitsgate -- that's really reassuring

... Yes it was the stress / adrenaline that I was most worried about... Only because my body was shaking/convulsing sooooo badly for about 45mins afterwards - it was really awful - I can't imagine what that must feel like to such a small little thing

-- but I'm hoping the things that say that stress is bad for baby mean more like days / weeks...? It's reassuring to hear you think that it's extended periods of stress is what's worrisome too.

Does adrenaline hang around in your system afterwards..? I wonder if I can do anything to 'clear it out' of my system...?? I'm trying to have a super-chilled day to counteract yesterday! Thanks so much again for your reply x
 
@-Artemis- Don't panic {{hug}} You won't be the first or the last woman to have a nasty hypo in pregnancy. I'm sure baby is ok.

Look after yourself today. Rest if possible, keep hydrated, eat well - and test your blood sugar lots. You may also want to think about adjusting your ratio, if you believe that might have contributed to the low.

As @Pitsgate says, it's more the extended stress that can have an effect. After all, it'd be a lucky person who had no stress or anxiety on occasion during the whole 9 months of pregnancy.

I know it's not exactly the same, but at 6 wks I had some bleeding and was beside myself with stress. Really horrible. But everything turned out ok and my little boy is fine
 
Don't know if it'll have an de-toxing effect on your system but I think a super chilled out & relaxing day sounds like an excellent plan in any case x

Ps. I get the convulsions too (bit like an epileptic fit, tho I tend not to be conscious by that point) when I go low enough. I once asked about them and IIRC it's one of the central nervous system's symptoms of hypos which some people get.
 
Ah thank you @azure


--- I think I actually need to massively extend my evening bolus... As I had a similar (but much milder) thing happen the night before last too - it's like my evening meals aren't bothering to show up till a couple of hours later?? Weird as though my insulin to carb ratio has dropped a tiny bit, I've not changed the type of foods I'm eating or how I bolus for them - and breakfast/lunch time meals still behaving 'normally' post eating them... So goodness knows what's going on with dinner... It's like it's hiding somewhere for an hour or so...!

I'll try giving an extended bolus tonight and see if that helps... Just hope it then doesn't cause a spike... But I guess it's better to correct than go through that again.

Thanks again for the reassurance around stress - I can imagine how stressful that must have been! Good to know you're little one is fine
 
@-Artemis- The pregnancy hormones can slow digestion. Excuse this rubbishy non-scientific explanation, but they relax the muscles in the body. This includes the digestive system. So, although it can be a nuisance, it shows your body is making the right hormones

If you're going low then high (low but not hypo) that might be something to do with it, but it could be that your insulin needs are reducing a little further. For me, I changed from after breakfast being my highest BS time pre-pregnancy to sitting at work cramming my face with sweets and eating snacks without a bolus in order to keep my sugar up. It was like I'd suddenly been cured! Really weird. The evening meal could be your 'special time' for hypos.

Pregnancy hypos are very different from normal hypos. They can make no sense and it really is like not being diabetic sometimes.
 
@azure - hahahahahha - laughing at the use of my 'special time' --- it certainly felt very special...!


--- and again, really reassuring to know it's a sign my body is making the right hormones... Because I'm a little 'older' (39), plus it's taken us two years to conceive, I've started to hit the 'worrying about everything' phase... I've read/seen lots of other posts say similar so I totally know I'm not alone on this - but to say I really want next week to roll around (when I've an early pregnancy scan apt) is an understatement...! When they're sooooooo tiny it's so hard to tell if all is well (though I'm guessing I may have another 8 months of feeling this -- followed by another 40 years after that...!
)

You're so right about it not feeling like a normal hypo - it was so quick! I know some people get sudden drops regardless of being pregnant but because I tend to keep meals so I don't usually have much insulin on board, then I'm used to much 'gentler/slower' hypos... What makes me a little bit more nervous is that I'm only 6wks - so only *just* hitting the crazy insulin sensitive time I've read about I think? I'm guessing it may get much worse before it gets better...


-- still -- it will all be SO worth it...
 
@Pitsgate - ah that's interesting about central nervous system... It definitely didn't feel like it was in my control... My lovely husband was trying to talk to me and I couldn't even reply

Still - liking the relaxation plan to counteract it too
x
 
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