• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Pregnant And Scared!

hisjen84

hisjen84

Well-Known Member
Messages
73
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi I am 5 weeks pregnant. I have just been to the pregnancy clinic to see a dietician and consultant. Before I left a consultant started telling me that because my hba1c was 11.8 at conception I need to think about having a termination because I’m extremely high risk of miscarriage, but that my baby will have an abnormality or die at birth. Can anyone give me any help with this are they just trying to scare me?
 
I really feel for you and it’s too serious an issue to give my opinion/advice
Think you should speak to more health professionals as the advice you have received so far seems over the top
Hope things work out for you x
 
Speak to you’re diabetic nurses at you’re local hospital.

They will be the best people to offer help and advice. They will certainly be able to help on you’re glucose levels. Try to stay positive....I know that’s easier said than done. The professional’s will know best.

Sorry I can’t offer any constructive advice. Please keep us posted tho xxxx
 
WOW cannot believe they have said that to you. As has been previously said you need to see you DSN. Get an appointment ASAP. And good luck with your pregnancy
 
Firstly huge congratulations! Secondly seek help from the diabetic pregnancy support team at your local hospital. There must be one, and they will know the score. They will help you get on track and get tight control.
 
Myself & hubby are trying for a baby. I went to my gp and told them this.
My gp referred immediately to the hospital, my glucose levels are really unstable. Firstly had my appointment within the month. In my first appointment it was decided I’d go on insulin, been on insulin ever since. Had appointments every two weeks, been advised I’ll probably need two doses of insulin daily....currently only on one dose.

The nurses tho have been so supportive and helpful far better than my gp. So get an appointment or referral asap. I’m sure you’ll then get all the support, help, advise etc that you’ll need. Try not to dwell on advice you’ve already received....does sound rather over the top, plus these doctors/consultants won’t be diabetes specialists so in that respect should have commented/advised accordingly.
 
All the people I know who were born disabled (including, my wife who has CP and earns more then I have ever) are glad that they were not terminated. For some reason many doctors think it is ok to "guilt trip" ladies into having abortions based on believing that none perfect baby has no value. (And many would do so if there was a test that showed a baby was very likely to have diabetes.)

The real risk of a severely disabled baby it's a lot lower then they making out, doctors by their very nature spend most of their time with the people who have had the worst outcome hence tend to remember them the most.

Therefore please find someone who you trust and who is not from the Medical Profession to help you talk though these issues and help you decide what is best for yourself. Also get hold of a continuous glucose monitor as soon as you can as they make it a lot easier to understand what is going on with your blood glucose.
 
hisjen84 said:
Hi I am 5 weeks pregnant. I have just been to the pregnancy clinic to see a dietician and consultant. Before I left a consultant started telling me that because my hba1c was 11.8 at conception I need to think about having a termination because I’m extremely high risk of miscarriage, but that my baby will have an abnormality or die at birth. Can anyone give me any help with this are they just trying to scare me?
Click to expand...

Hisjen - Sounds like you had a very difficult clinic appointment.

Nobody here can advise you on your risks or what you should do. We're not medical professionals. I can appreciat e your need to rerreach out to others who may have had a rough ride with pregnancy, but please try not to get too far ahead of things.

It sounds very much like you could do with some clarification, or furtherre discussion around what happened at the clinic. I'd suggest you call in the morning and request an urgent appointment.
 
hisjen84 said:
Hi I am 5 weeks pregnant. I have just been to the pregnancy clinic to see a dietician and consultant. Before I left a consultant started telling me that because my hba1c was 11.8 at conception I need to think about having a termination because I’m extremely high risk of miscarriage, but that my baby will have an abnormality or die at birth. Can anyone give me any help with this are they just trying to scare me?
Click to expand...

Sweetheart, I so feel for you I really do and I send you a big, big sisterly hug.

My own hba1c was 8.2 when I found out I was pregnant so not that far from your own and I was terrified as you must be especially after what the consultant said. Can I ask if he was a diabetic consultant or had any experience of diabetes in pregnancy? When I found out I obsessively checked the internet which obviously made me even more frightened, so perhaps not a good idea ... but I was lucky and the doctors and nurses were very supportive. I had been taking folic acid for a long time on the off chance the hospital allowed me to try for a baby... but they were great and they helped me get me hba1c down to 6.2 within two weeks. .. however it stayed always in the 6.5-7.3 range during the pregnancy so not perfect by any means. I did all the tests possible that they told me to do and had a healthy baby boy.

I would agree with all the other posters to get an appointment with the diabetic hospital team who deal with diabetes in pregnancy if this wasn’t one. You need a well trained team to help you with all that’s going to come next. All the decisions you make must be well informed through receiving the right treatment from your team. Fight to get it.

I wish you all the best. I really do... it’s so hard to be diabetic and being pregnant without perfect control happens to the best of us ... and it’s scary, very scary all sorts of things pass through your head I remember feeling so guilty. Your post took me straight back to those days ... diabetes makes life and especially pregnancy very difficult but you are strong as all us diabetics are and you will find the right people to help you decide what is best for you and your baby.

You are 5 weeks pregnant so you need to move fast to sort out your control as that is what you can do for you and your baby and the doctors should move mountains to help you. You need to do this as fast as you can and I’d advise you to get a Libre if you haven’t got one already, it will make such a difference to your blood glucose control. People on this forum have found them for 35 pounds from Superdrug.
I’m almost sure that pregnant women will get them free on the NHS.

As others have said we can’t help in any other way but be supportive as only your medical team will have the clinical info but we are here to be as supportive as we possibly can and be your diabetic family. xxx
I’m sending you my love and super best wishes. Xxx
 
Thank you all so much for your replies. I have been scared more by being told I will miscarry and if I don’t the baby will die in the womb or at birth. I didn’t expect to find myself on my own with 3 consultants saying I should terminate it doesn’t feel right to me. I have been to the hospital for 3 weeks now and still can’t get my blood sugars down. I explained my cousin was Mody also and glibenclamide is all that works for her in pregnancy and they just laughed. It’s all very frustrating. I have been told to make my decision and they will arrange it!!
 
Whatever the consultant might say, it is still your choice about what you wish to do AND for your diabetes control to still be a high priority.
I assume you were advised to start the combined mineral and vitamin supplements for pregnancy as baby needs iodine in particular from the beginning and the supplements help to do this as well as provide other 'goodies' needed now and later.
Best Wishes as you progress, whether that involves an insulin pump or whatever !!
 
Hi no I haven’t been advised to take this but I will look into buying some straight away thank you
 
Back
Top