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Pregnant and blood sugars all over really worried

Isobelgr93

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I’m 29 and early pregnant with my first child I managed to get my hba1c to 46 before conceiving but now I’m pregnant I’m only 7 weeks and my blood sugars never been so bad so up and down I’m really worried I’m going to cause serious harm to the baby and not sure if I can cope I feel so anxious and hopeless my diabetic nurse has just told me to eat small meals often to keep stable no carbs really but on a night I’m having hypos for hours then really high readings has anyone got any advice
 
Hello @Isobelgr93

Firstly congratulations, particularly after all the hard work you've done to get to this point.

I was gestational with my daughter, so didn't have t1 prior to pregnancy, I don't know at which point the tide turned but I was diagnosed at 23 weeks and the rest of my pregnancy was on insulin, my best advice is to not panic, getting anxious doesn't do you or baby any good, there's alot going on with your body and hormones and the swinging levels will only be made worse if you're stressing too. If you can keep a paper diary and record your levels/insulin taken/carbs eaten it will help to give you a better perspective in regards to seeing some patterns. As your body changes so does your insulin needs so recording information is good if you're feeling out of control with your levels.

What insulins are you taking, do you use a Libre ?
 
Hello @Isobelgr93

Firstly congratulations, particularly after all the hard work you've done to get to this point.

I was gestational with my daughter, so didn't have t1 prior to pregnancy, I don't know at which point the tide turned but I was diagnosed at 23 weeks and the rest of my pregnancy was on insulin, my best advice is to not panic, getting anxious doesn't do you or baby any good, there's alot going on with your body and hormones and the swinging levels will only be made worse if you're stressing too. If you can keep a paper diary and record your levels/insulin taken/carbs eaten it will help to give you a better perspective in regards to seeing some patterns. As your body changes so does your insulin needs so recording information is good if you're feeling out of control with your levels.

What insulins are you taking, do you use a Libre ?
I take novorapid and levemir and have a Dexcom I’ve started writing down and I’m gunna maybe go back to basics a bit with what I eat try have the same thing so can see if my ratios are correct still
 
Hi
Me and my sister have 100 years of type 1 between us and she had a son about 25 years ago.
She had all sorts of level trouble to begin with but it settled down eventually.
Unfortunately she doesnt come on here but her son is 25 with no signs of diabetes and my son is 23 again with no signs.
When our respective boys were growing up we were worried we might pass it on but thankfully we didnt.

We are both in our 50s and in good shape.

Not much practical help i know but i just wanted you to know the future is bright.....

I wish you all the luck in the world

Tony
 
I take novorapid and levemir and have a Dexcom I’ve started writing down and I’m gunna maybe go back to basics a bit with what I eat try have the same thing so can see if my ratios are correct still

That's a good plan, at least tracking it manually will help you to see things more clearly, I also use the Dexcom and the Clarity app which again is useful as the Clarity data helps you nail patterns too, don't feel disheartened though pregnancy is a brief period so enjoying this time is important. Might not be in your game plan but your DSN can support you getting access to a pump which will help you in adjusting your basal ratios if you find there are certain times of the day that control is eluding you, showing them your diary will support this.
 
Congratulations! When I had my daughter 15yrs ago I was lucky enough to be on an insulin pump but was still blood testing, when I was first pregnant my hba1 was the best it had ever been but I was what I called ' bouncing off hypos ' seemed to spend my life treating hypos and I can also say it did her no harm whatsoever, she is a bright healthy young lady now. Things tend to settle down after the first couple of months and then towards the end of pregnancy you tend to need higher insulin needs but we are all different, its an interesting journey but one most definitely worth going on. Definitely see if you could get a pump if you feel it might be for you and you have some decent support to get you going, it will give you more control of some things. Good luck
 
Hello, well done getting your a1c to 46! Your insulin needs are going to change frequently, and sometimes you need less in the first trimester, but sounds like you may be needing more if you're seeing trends of highs, it's all so individual so you do what your body needs. First off, you could try pre-bolusing at least 20 minutes before eating. In 2nd and 3rd trimester I'm pre-bolusing 1h before eating in the morning as I'm so insulin resistant at this time. In first trimester you might need to pre-bolus 20 mins/30mins or longer. You could time how long it takes your BG to trend down after bolusing at different times of day to see what works for you. The other thing is getting your basal right. I went from 0.5u per hour in first trimester to 2u p/h at certain points in the day. Every few days, I was upping between 0.05 to 0.1u between certain hours until my BG levelled out in my target range. I also regularly upped my insulin to carb ratios after tracking what my BG was 1-2h after eating. Going for a walk also really helps to speed up insulin activation and is so great for avoiding spikes second only to the right pre-bolus timing.
As you're having lows at night and highs in the day, it sounds like you might be on MDI?
 
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