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HbA1c and Pregnancy

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EmmaW78

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My husband and I really want to start a family but me being diabetic is causing us problems. I'm Type 1 and have been since 1981. My control has never been good and I've struggled a lot over the years. I've been working REALLY hard over the last 6 months to bring my HbA1c down. My last test was on Friday and I received the result today - it's now 8.1. Are there any diabetics out there who have conceived on a higher HbA1c? Was everything ok? We're both tired of waiting and a result of 7 seems a long way off at the moment. The specialist nurse has told me today to not even consider trying, until my blood result has improved.

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Hi

I have 1 son now 3 and my hba1c was 7 before conception and went lower during it (highest was 6.2). I found it was much easier to keep it under control while pregnant because the knowledge that high blood sugars would damage the baby was a major incentive. However, if you cant get the level down below 8 to start with, perhaps you should consider a different regime. What are you at the moment? I use a mixture of low carb diet and 3 injections a day which works for me. Of course you can never predict factors like stress which can make factors swing but being sure you can manage decent control (5-7 before meals and 7-9 post meals) the majority of the time should balance out the stress of hypos and hypers.

Good luck!
 
Hi , Iv'e just found out I am pregnant . Last HbA1c was 10 :( I did have good control before with last results before that at 7.2 but have had a lot of stress in the last year which resulted in my blood sugars going pretty much out of control, as I admit I got a bit lazy with testing as I was feeling so down . It wasn't planned but is a very much wanted baby, I have had better control since finding out as it's given me the kick up the bum I needed to take more care as it''s not just my health at stake now . I am 6 weeks gone at the moment and the doctor is refering me to a specialist and the midwife I don't know if things are going to be ok :(, I'm hoping and praying they will be, I can't say I'm not worried, in fact I'm terrified after reading what I have on the internet but I know all I can do is do the best I can as I can't turn the clock back. I will let you know how it goes
 
Sorry I took a while to get back, I waited a whole month before I got my first appointment to see anyone and a few days after that appointment I started bleeding I was in a great deal of pain but the doctor wouldn't even come out to see me, just told me to take paracetomol, even though I could hardly catch my breath as it hurt so much, shortly after I miscarried and was left to put my baby in a plastic tub to take to the hospital the next day and to have a scan to make sure eveything had been delivered :( . My blood sugars had been bouncing all over the place and I really feel let down by the care I recieved or should I say didn't recieve. I have now been put on Metformin as well as my usual insulin, so far this seems to have stabalised my blood sugars and stopped them bouncing so high and low, I'm hoping this will carry on working so me and hubby can try again sometime this year when I have better readings.I just wish they had helped me more when I needed it instead of all rushing around now it's too late. I spent weeks waiting to see anyone and when I lost the baby eveyone wanted to see me :( , Like I said before it wasn't a planned pregnancy but a very much wanted baby and this has left me so scared to try again, but next time I want everything as perfect as it can be to give us the best chance of having a healthy baby. It was the most awful upsetting expeirence and one I never want to repeat, If you are going to try you should ask about going to a pre conception clinic , I know now they have one where I live, which I didn't know about before but then if your team is anything like mine then it seems the only way to find these things out is to look, and find out for yourself.
 
Oh Stabatha!
I just read your last thread and i almost cried! U poor thing that is one of the most disgusting things I have heard, how can they call themswelves care givers???
I hope you and your husband are both doing ok and that you will try again although I understand how much the idea may seem terrifing! I wish you both well and my heart really did go out to you both. My husband and I would like to start trying for our own family but I vannot get any sort of control (keep getting told it's my carb counting ability - not the insulin!!) but I definately will not be trying until i can get sonething resembling control your post has re affirmed that to me.
I am truly sorry to hear of your horrific treatment but hopefully next time will be better for you both
xxxxxxx
 
Thanks Mindii, I hope you can get some help with your control before trying, as believe me , the pain of loosing a baby is far more than the pain of wanting one. I still feel so angry at them and am kicking myself all the time for not pestering for a appointment sooner, as afterwards I found out from the NICE guidelines that diabetics should be seen as soon as they have a positive result, which was obviously not heeded in my case. My minds still all over the place at the moment blaming myself for not insisting and kicking up a fuss on being seen sooner, and blaming them as they should have known better and helped me, I don't know if the outcome would have been any different if i had been seen earlier but as it is I just feel that I let my baby down, which is stupid I know, as I did try my best to look after myself. When I went to the consultant he put me on metformin and said it may level things out he just handed me the prescription with the words dont get pregnant or you will keep loosing them and I will see you in 3 months. I just sat there gobsmacked, I thought I have just lost my baby and you sit there so hard looking tell me that ,and dont even explain why or how I can make it right. I said to him I am 39 I haven't got time on my side and I need help to get perfect control asap as it isn't going to happen overnight, he just smirked and said ok I will make you an appointment with the diabetic nurse. I really dont know if thats going to help but I will try as anything is worth a go if it sorts me out. It's mostly my morning readings that are high as it seems my liver just loves chucking out that glucose while I sleep I could go to bed perfect at 5.5 and then wake at 23.2 or higher and I wasn't hypoing in the night as I stayed awake a few nights testing every 2 hours and it started rising about 4am, My levimer dose went from 10 units to 40 but it still didn't make much differnce to the morning readings (tried doing it mornings and evenings and splitting the dose ) , the metformin seems to have stopped my after meals levels flying up so high as I would go very high after eating then drop really low 3 to 4 hours after, so taking extra insulin with meals was out of the question, also my morning levels have improved too but are still too high at the moment but at least they are under 15 so far and not in the 20s . My bg was never high for long as I was constantly correcting it while pregnant as I didnt have much of a choice as being that high for a period of time just wasn't acceptable so ended up doing up to 9 injections a day but obviously I need to get it under control without having to correct as that isn't ideal either, just need to control the bouncing around but is easier said than done but hopefully I will get there soon as theres no way I am trying again until it's right and even then I will be the biggest pain in the rear they have ever come across, as I will insist on being seen straight away and get the care me and my baby are entitled to. Good luck to you too I hope eveything works out for you, it's not easy I know but as long as you have done all you can to get things right before getting pregnant then you have more chance of a succesful pregnancy and it will be worth it :) xxxx
 
Hey Stabatha,
I feel absolutely awful for you! That consultant sounds like a total jack ass!! Hopefully your DSN will give more suitable advice and poss take a look at your insulin as 9 injections are not good!!! but i understand the will do anything to make it safe for a little one!
I have the coil in just now but my hubby thinks that wee should get it out and just start trying! before i went to get help (thought i was being finally responsible) my Hba1c was at 8.4 - that was a year ago. it is now up to 9.1( soooo not happy) my control is going now where fast! well except up! I got my insulin changed to try to stop the night time hypo's but now I just take them through the day! then I was told i wasn't carb counting properly and getting my ratio's wrong(???) so i've been keeping a diary with evertything i eat or drink the weight of it and how much insulin i take to show that no this is not the reason. I'm taking ma mum up to the hosp with me to kick ass. I'm fed up with not being listened to or worse being palmed off with people saying stupid things like you've still got loads of time and hang in there it will work out! I'm bloddy trying hard like you but getting no where! chin up i suppose eh? look after yourself and let me know how you go??
mindii
 
I know how you feel ! I call my consultant Mr take more Levimer :) as thats all he ever told me , thats why I ended up on 40 units , my mum who is also type 1 diabetic went loopy saying he is mad, just wish I could earn his money doing that ! I am back to 4 injections a day now as It doesn't matter so much if i am a bit high, I just increase my Novo at next meal. It's just so frustrating when they don't listen to you :( . When I had perfect control at the begining they moaned saying I was risking hypos and now they moan it's too high and think It's something I am doing wrong even though I am doing the same and eating the same as when it was perfect. I did go to my doctor to have a moan about the consultant saying all I wanted was a bit of advice and a reason why I was bouncing but they just stick together, and he said "well he did advise you didnt he?" , I said well I was expecting a little more than I got and he replied that " well sometimes we just don't know why." I am sorry but I thought it was their job to know why and if they don't know to make the effort to find out why, but then It's not their organs being damaged or their wives loosing their babies if it was I am sure they would sit up and make more of an effort :( please try and push them, I am going to, at the end of the day we have a right to be seen and treated and to have the chance of having healthy children, I am not going to give up that dream because of their laziness, they are paid good money to do a job and thats what they should do, I hope your mum tells them whats what and you get the help you deserve and are entitled to, It's no good people saying you have plenty of time as time stands still for no-one and you don't want to keep waiting until it is too late, I have kept my mouth shut far too long and just gone along with what they say but I am angry now and I wont stop asking questions till I get more answers and get the treatment I need :) . Got appointment at end of next week so see what happens then :) let me know how you get on xxx
 
will do chicken,
hope you get the answers and advice that make your dream possible! It's weird isn't it how it just hits you the "need" to have your own child? will let you know what my DSN says hopefully going to see her on thursday. let me know how you're next appointment goes - i'm rooting for you guys!! :D
 
Went to see the nurse, she agrees it's my liver chucking out the extra glucose at night as it starts to rise about 3-4 am and said to give the metformin a little bit longer to work properly, she has booked me in for a carb counting course even though I'm pretty good already with my carb counting, but willl go anyway as she said if nothing else works then maybe we should think about a pump, so I will go just to show willing because if i try everything they ask of me then I may just get the pump which I think may help, I will try anything to get this sorted and have pretty much tried everything else. Also my readings in the morning were pretty much the same (very high) whether I was taking 20 units levimer or 40 units and as there is such a big difference in dose and no change in my BGs she says I may be insulin resistant though I react very well to the Novo so I dont know what to think about that one :? Oh well got another appointment next month so will just see what happens next.
 
Hi
It almost feels like a game you need to play to get the attention that you need from these people doesn't it? :? I am totally in the same boat as you as far as this goes, feels like jumping through a lot of hoops only to be told to jump some more! I took ma mum in with me the other day as I thought if I went alone I would actually become violent if the DSN palmed me off again! So mother dearest asked about the pump and we were told it would be too expensive to fund our selves - still no clue as to figures yet! and that there were 18 people in my area waiting for one and there was no funding for the actual pumps!! weird!! She says there wil be a 18 mnth waiting list to get one!! Thankfully I'm ging to see the consultant in a couple of weeks so we'll see what he and the Diabetic specialist at the pre conception clinic say! (THE DSN has told me if my levels remain around 8 then i can go ahead and try coz' this might be normal for me - gotta say not too encouraged!) Anyway good luck as always thinking of you
A
 
Hi ladies,

Sorry to hijack your post but i i've been reading you convo about hba1c and also insulin pump with regards to both topics 1) I've been a type 1 diabetic since i was 11 (now 22) and i struggled getting my hba1c's below 7.4% during my pregnancy and found the nhs useless with regards to helping me.....I ended up having a stillbirth in May this year too my 34week old Son Mason Cain, we later found out that it was due to blood clots in my placenta which is normally due to high bp, but the doctors say it was because i'm a diabetic mum.
Apparently nothing to do with my blood sugars but just the fact there is a relation between stillbirth and diabetic mums which to date has still not been looked into as why this happens.
I would advise if your going to have a baby to try your hardest to get your hba1c low as possible and if you feel an insulin pump would help then demand one.
Since losing my Son my hba1c has come down to 6.4 which is perfect to try again and i've been given the all clear.
I think this time i'm going to demand an insulin pump as it helps control your sugars better.
The cost of an insulin pump is around £4000 hence why alot of doctors don't like giving them to patients.
Luckily i'm now under 3 different doctors, two in obs and one in diabetic care, we've got a plan in place for my care and hope it'll give us the baby we want.
I wish you all the luck in the world with your future pregnancies and hope you have healthy babies

Jenna
xx
 
Hi Jenna, you have had me in tears :( it was bad enough losing my baby at 3 months into the pregnancy let alone losing one so far into it as you did, I really am so sorry for your loss :(. Something in me is really reluctant to try again because as much as we want one, I really don't think I could cope with losing one so far along in the pregnancy, and lets face it they won't give us the help we need until we have already lost them, which is then too late, it really is a case of do I try and maybe face the pain of losing another baby or just give up and have the pain of wanting one, I really don't know what to do :( I'm just fed up hearing all this cr*p that diabetes doesn't have to ruin your life and stop you doing what you want cause it sure as hell is ruining mine and stopping me getting what I want , and a lot of others I have got to know.
I have asked time and time again for a pump but they just don't listen or the rare times they do , at the next appointment it is never mentioned and convieniently forgotten about, the DN did mention one at my last appoinment but I am expecting the same as usual that it wont get mentioned again next time i go but I will ask. I have everything I could possibly need here for a baby except of course the baby itself , It's all packed away, but I'm seriously just thinking of selling the lot and giving up, I have lost my fighting mood at the moment just haven't got the energy to fight anymore, I keep losing :( I just can't take it anymore it's like banging your head against a brick wall with these people they just don't understand the pain of losing a child if they did they would help more and take it more seriously :(. I have now been put onto Lantus instead of the Levemir and it has stopped the bouncing big time but my BGs are still too high to try for a baby anyway at the moment so I dont know what our next step will be ,as like I said, at the moment I just can't decide and am too messed up in the head to know what I want to do, but I think I would only be brave enough to try again if I am given a pump which I doubt will ever happen but when we do decide I will let you know , big hugs to you and my thoughts are with you and your little angel mason I hope next time goes well for you and you get the healthy little one you desire xxx
 
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