Please help, beyond myself with worry!

I can't help you with hyperglycaemia in early pregnancy, but I would like to try and reassure you in general terms. I was an elderly first time mother, I had no idea I was pregnant (assumed early menopause), so drank, smoked, danced, ate blue cheese, cleaned out the cat litter tray and no doubt did a hundred other things that the experts and books (the internet didn't exist then) said would result in all sorts of problems. To everyone's surprise, I gave birth to a healthy boy, with all the right bits in full working order. He is now in his mid twenties. What is done, is done. Just do your best from now on. Every mother to be worries, you are not alone.
Sally

Bunnyinlove said:

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice since I'm panicking and don't know what to do.

I'm 16 weeks pregnant and has been recently diagnosed with diabetes (random test 13.9). Since it's so early on, it must mean (I'm pretty sure it is so) undiagnosed type 2, especially because I was diagnosed with insulin resistance in the past.

I had a constant extreme hunger in my first trimester and was eating tons of carbs, white pasta, rice, chocolate, honey... It's my first pregnancy and it honestly had no clue about the effect of hyperglycaemia in the early pregnancy. Now I've read about the birth defects etc and I'm in absolute shock. I've got my specialist appointment next week, but meanwhile I bought a glucose tester and test many times a day, and found few ways to keep my sugars low (low carb diet and exercise work well for me). So I'm not as concerned about the rest of the pregnancy now, since it understand there will be a way of managing it one way or another. However I'm in extreme panic about the damage I could have done. Please can someone share any positive experience of having up diagnosed type 2 and having gone on to have a healthy baby.

Thank you in advance.

Click to expand...

Try not to worry, my levels were always sky high before I found out I was pregnant, my sister didnt find out until she was 5 months pregnant (we are both type 1).

We both had perfectly healthy little girls.

It will be a struggle as your requirements change throughout pregnancy but honestly, please dont worry yourself too much.

Are you sure its type 2 and not gestational diabetes ypu have? Either way, as long as you are well, your little one will be fine.

Hi bunnyinlove
welcome to the forum
This sounds as though you should speak to your midwife , GP , or DSN ( diabetic specialist nurse ) if you have one as soon as you can if only for some reassurance.
Don't be alone and panicking over something that may turn out to be nothing.

Bunnyinlove said:

The problem is I can't stop worrying, even though I try. I'll keep trying though..

Click to expand...

Worrying is a very common thing during pregnancy. I worried constantly through all of mine, about both likely and unlikely problems. You just do.

As for the diabetes, from memory the time high blood sugar is more likely to harm your baby is in the third trimester, so you've got time to cut out carbs, get your BG under control and give your baby a good start.

Best of luck,
Kate

Bunnyinlove said:

I think it's a type 2 (or at least IGT) as opposed to GD because it's started so early. From what I know, GD shows up in the 3rd trimester. If it's discovered early, they tend to treat it as undiagnosed diabetes from before :/

Click to expand...

Yes, my db was first diagnosed during pregnancy, and because it showed up early I did a GTT a month or so after the birth, passed with flying colours and became a member of the diabetic community

Incidentally, MODY is also often diagnosed during pregnancy, so it's worth asking to be checked for that, though in a stretched NHS budget you'll need to push, even if you have what they call "non obesity related T2" (I was almost sorry to give up a diagnosis that officially called me non-obese!)

Kate

Hi I was diagnosed with GD at 30weeks, I suspect I was an undiagnosed T2. My son is now 8 years old, he is perfect, so clever one of tallest in his year, his reading ability is awesome, he is going to be a Lego designer He is the centre of our world.

The human body is amazing, alcohol is exceptionally toxic to humans, but the body manages to protect babies for the effects of alcohol in their early weeks of development which is just as well as many women have no idea they are pregnant for first 5-6 weeks.

I know it isn't easy but try not to worry (talk to your midwife and insist on seeing specialist) - on the other hand - welcome to the world of being a mum - there is always something to worry about

I found out I was pregnant just 6 months after being diagnosed Type 1 (I was 18 upon diagnosis so a late one) and I had midwives and diabetic specialists screaming at me to get my BG into 'target'. My averages for the first few months were between 15.5 and 21.5, and I slowly brought them down, finally hitting between 5.5 and 8.5 averages around week 30. Although I was rather uncomfortable carrying a big baby when I'm 5'3 and only weighed 8st 11lbs delivering, I have a perfectly healthy little boy who's 7 months old. I was induced at 37+3 and apart from a sliding scale which I feel I was forced on to, I had a natural birth with no complications with me or my son. He was 8lbs 11oz and a little lump of a baby! We were kept in for 24 hours to monitor his blood sugar as newborns to any diabetic have an increased rick of Hypoglycemia at birth but all was well and we went home healthy. I'm pregnant again now and am facing similar problems with high sugars, and I'm hoping the labour and delivery goes as smoothly as possible again as every other diabetic I know, gestational or lifelong, has had some sort of assistance during the birth, be it forceps or C-Section. I was convinced that something would go wrong with my last pregnancy but I was one of the lucky ones, and I wish i'd known that it can go the way we want, even with diabetes thrown into the mix!

This post has been deleted as it was scaremongering.
To tell someone not to eat eat bread as it will have negative health repercussions for a mother and her unborn child is not helpful.