Need support (pregnant)

[SarahMMS88]

Hi everyone. I just joined this forum, although I have been a type 1 diabetic for over 20 years (I’m currently 30). I just (as in last night) found out I’m pregnant and I’m freaking out. My husband and I wanted to have a baby soon and I was at the beginning of lowering my a1C to conceive and have a safe pregnancy. I lowered my a1C a bit, but it’s still at 8% (64). I can’t stop crying, thinking about the harm I’m doing to this poor baby and praying that he/she sticks with me. My glucose has been getting high in the middle of the night and it won’t come down. Every morning I wake up feeling like a failure, after checking my Libre. I just wanted to know if you guys have been through pregnancy with not-so-perfect a1Cs. It would really help me with my guilt. I’ve been reading Ginger Vieira’s book on pregnancy and T1D and it made me feel so bad to see that my a1C should have been below 6% prior to pregnancy. On top of that, I found out a couple of months ago that I have retinopathy, very early stages though. Things aren’t looking up. Any words of wisdom would help tremendously.

 

[EllieM]

I’ve been reading Ginger Vieira’s book on pregnancy and T1D and it made me feel so bad to see that my a1C should have been below 6% prior to pregnancy.

Interesting to see how as decades go by recommended hba1cs for pregnancy get lower and lower. I'm a T1, with two healthy T1 pregnancies, born of a T1 mother, who had me before glucometers were available, and I can guarantee that neither she or I had an hba1C below 6 when our children were conceived/gestated. (I was 8 years old when I was diagnosed T1 and had my first child at 30, so much the same as you.)

Look, 8 isn't an ideal hba1c to get pregnant on, but your team will have seen worse. The most important thing to do is to get straight in touch with your team and follow their recommendations. If you google hba1c pregancy and 8 you'll get lots of stories of people with higher hba1cs and good pregnancy results. Yes, higher hba1cs lead to higher risks of birth defects, but you have to remember that non diabetics also have risks of birth defects and your hba1c just pushes your risk up a bit, it doesn't automatically mean your baby is doomed or that if things do go wrong that it because of your hba1c rather than some other reason.

On top of that, I found out a couple of months ago that I have retinopathy, very early stages though.

I've had on again off again background retinopathy for decades. It's not needed treatment and comes and goes as my hba1c goes up and down. Again, it's not ideal but it's not something to panic over. One of the good things about modern diabetic care is that retinopathy gets monitored carefully so that action can be taken before it turns into something worse.

The libre is an awesome piece of technology (though it can be inaccurate so I wouldn't necessarily believe those overnight readings without doing an overnight test to back them up.) If it had been available twenty five years ago I would probably have attached a transmitter and gone for child number 3 (I lost hypo awareness during pregnancy which was an utter pain.)

Congratulations on your pregnancy. T1 diabetics have been having successful pregnancies for decades and before hba1c tests or glucometers were available to tell them whether they are running too high. Like all pregnant women, diabetic and non-diabetic, you run a risk that all does not go well, particularly in the first 3 months. Your diabetic antenatal team will help you manage the diabetic aspect of the pregnancy, talk to them asap to get yourself in the system. (I expect you'll need to start popping the folic acid, if you're not doing so already.)

Good luck.

 

[Shazza98]

Hi I have been type 1 diabetic for 8 years and I am currently 9 weeks pregnant. I feel exactly like you - although I had worked really hard to get my HBA1C down to 6.9, when I saw the diabetes nurse last week she says this is still a bit high. I have been given targets of 5.3 before meals and 7.8 an hour after meals. I feel like this is unachievable as I find I'm often hypo before meals and I'm never 7.8 after a meal (I'm currently trying to change my insulin and carb counting ratios which I'm finding impossible!) I've been feeling really low and guilty too but the way I see it I am doing everything I can to ensure my baby is healthy and I will do this all the way through my pregnancy - anything outside of that is out of my control. So far everything is looking like it's going ok and I'm trying to start enjoying being pregnant instead of stressing about my sugar levels - this is definitely easier said than done!! Good luck to you and your little one x

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @SarahMMS88 and welcome

My pregnancy story is very different to yours however I can fully appreciate where you are mentally and to just try to encourage you to stop stressing so much, please call up your DSN today and get some support, they will help you, but please try to enjoy what should be an amazing time in your life to enjoy your pregnancy, from knowledge Ginger used a pump during her pregnancy so her control was pretty tight, also background retinopathy comes and goes, i've had it twice now as it picks up on very subtle changes so don't stress about this. If your not eating late and going high during the night then you will need to review your basal ratios but get some guidance from your team, in the meantime you can set an alarm to wake you during the night when this is happening to do a correction with novorapid, sorry I don't know much about your management, insulin taken, etc etc hence contact your team, but with some support it will improve - best wishes J x

 

[jenni34]

Hi my HBAC1 was 59 unplanned pregnancy not ideal but with diabetes your not going to have normal levels as our bodies don't work the same . Provided you try and lower it see how the libre works try cutting certain things out your diet I found by making little changes such as having a low carb breakfast or lunch such as eggs or Greek yogurt with a bit of fruit gave me better numbers .

If you can get Dsn to help and maybe refer to dietician jus to help gain better control.

But don't beat yourself up about it important to get those levels down keep taking your folic acid .And don't stress yourself out .

 

[Dark Horse]

I found out a couple of months ago that I have retinopathy, very early stages though.

You should be given extra eye screening in pregnancy:-

Pregnant women require photographic screening that is more frequent than annual screening. This should be provided in the surveillance clinic, unless they develop referable diabetic retinopathy when they should be referred to the HES. Pregnant women with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes should be offered digital photography to national standards at (or soon after) their first antenatal clinic visit and again at 28 weeks’ gestation. If background diabetic retinopathy is found to be present, an additional screen should be performed at 16-20 weeks. and for at least 6 months postpartum.
https://assets.publishing.service.g...urveillance_Pathways_V1_3_24Oct12_SSG__4_.pdf​

 

[SallyRit]

Hi I have been type 1 diabetic for 8 years and I am currently 9 weeks pregnant. I feel exactly like you - although I had worked really hard to get my HBA1C down to 6.9, when I saw the diabetes nurse last week she says this is still a bit high. I have been given targets of 5.3 before meals and 7.8 an hour after meals. I feel like this is unachievable as I find I'm often hypo before meals and I'm never 7.8 after a meal (I'm currently trying to change my insulin and carb counting ratios which I'm finding impossible!) I've been feeling really low and guilty too but the way I see it I am doing everything I can to ensure my baby is healthy and I will do this all the way through my pregnancy - anything outside of that is out of my control. So far everything is looking like it's going ok and I'm trying to start enjoying being pregnant instead of stressing about my sugar levels - this is definitely easier said than done!! Good luck to you and your little one x

Shazza98 have your diabetes ante natal team not advised on carb ratios? The team I see always look through my diary and often adjust the ratios if I'm running high/low?

 

[SarahMMS88]

I totally forgot about this thread. Just wanted to update you guys. I suffered a miscarriage at 7 weeks and it was devastating. But then I thought that maybe that was for the best, since now I have better control over my glucose and it's been improving everyday. The pregnancy was a much needed wake up call. So, hopefully, I'll soon be able to have a safer, calmer, pregnancy the next time. Thank you all for your comments and support, I REALLY appreciate it.

 

[Resurgam]

I do feel that the early discovery of pregnancy these days is not a good thing when it does not come with the information that so many of the pregnancies will not progress. It was always advised that couples did not announce a 'happy event' until three months, or even later - just in case....
Please do not feel that you were directly responsible. You know now that you are able to conceive, so there is every possibility that in time, and with luck you will have a family, and your better control will be good for your own well being every day of your life from now on.