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

Scared Type 2

CassandraGreensmith

CassandraGreensmith

Member
Messages
5
Location
Leicester, UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, I am 8 weeks 1 day pregnant today with twins, had an early scan last Friday which showed 2 strong heartbeats and both babies measuring exactly 11mm and they each have their own sac so less high risk so I was told. Anyway, my history is that I had 4 consecutive miscarriages a long time ago, one being a missed miscarriage, at the time I was not aware I had diabetes, however when I got pregnant for the 5th time the hospital got me in for checks and found out I was diabetic, I was put on insulin, 5g folic acid and low dose aspirin immediately and had a healthy daughter who is now nearly 5. I then never got my monthly cycle back after she was born and was diagnosed with PCOS but not really told anything about it. Anyway recently went on a trial diet where I only ate 800 cals a day and all of this was fresh, nutritional and very low carb, I came off insulin after a week with blood sugar levels staying around 6-7 mmol. 6 weeks later I found out I was pregnant and was advised to come off he diet and take insulin as required which I have done. At first my blood glucose levels were perfect and I was taking some insulin but now sickness has kicked in and I don't fancy anything but carbs, if I eat them blood sugars soar and I can take loads of insulin and it takes ages to bring them down. Sorry for the long post, I am just scared to death that I'm going to miscarry again and I need help with what to eat! Thanks
 
Hi Cassandra :)

Twins! Congratulations :)

Sorry for all the questions but do you have Type 2 diabetes? Do you count carbs and adjust your insulin accordingly? What insulin do you take and when?

I can understand why you're worried after those miscarriages, but it sounds like they were before your diabetes was picked up. The fact you had a healthy daughter is a positive thing :) You sound like you're doing everything you can.
 
Thank you!

I'm type 2 diabetic but I've been on insulin since the day I was diagnosed, I'm on Levemir split dose and then novorapid with meals, as well as metformin 3 x a day. I don't count carbs because I've never known how to work it out, not sure if you can with type 2?
 
Yes, you can count carbs with Type 2 :) I see that you're on Metformin too, so your body is probably more resistant to insulin than mine (I have Type 1).

I think you should speak to your nurse or consultant about counting carbs as that shoukd help you keep your blood sugar in range. The insulin you'd adjust, once you knew what you were doing, is the fast acting insulin you have before each meal. As an example, something like a veggie lentil lasagne would have a lot more carbs than, say, a salmon steak with salad and a slice of bread. If you just had the same dose of insulin for each meal, your blood sugar two hours after would probably be very different. If you count carbs you can raise or lower your insulin dose with the aim of having a good result two hours after that meal.

I guess your team have spoken to you about the levels you're aiming at for pregnancy?

Do you see a dietician? They might be able to help with carb counting, and also recommend a good daily total of carbs that would be suitable for you as an individual.

I'm hoping some Pregnant Type 2s on insulin will respond too.
 
Hi Cassandra,

I am very similar to you, had 2 missed miscarriages, around 6 weeks 4 years ago( Nov '11 and Jan '12). Which lead to Diabetes type 2 diagnosis (May 2012). I have been with a pre-conception clinic since Jan 2014, I was just on metformin twice a day but my HbA1C levels very high. I finally got the referral from my GP after a frustrating time since my diagnosis to the Pre-conception clinic. My treatment then was changed to long acting insulin and Victoza. My HbA1C went from 80 to 54 6 months. I needed to keep my HbA1C under 55 for 6 months and January this year I was told to come off Victoza and in 6 weeks we could conceive naturally.

We are now 17 weeks + 2 days pregnant! Cant believe it! We had the 12 week scan in August and all was as it should be. Phew! Measured perfectly, heartbeat, very wiggly and active baby! The lead up to the 12 week scan was really tough, I was so anxious and worried, with my Diabetic Antenatal clinic I have a counsellor and that has really helped.
Once the scan was done and the pictures were so clear, I have been a lot more positive. But now its the lead up to the 20 week scan and getting very worried again!.

I have kept my glucose levels in target, hard work!! I am now taking quick acting insulin aswell at breakfast, lunch and tea, aswell as long acting and metformin at Breakfast and tea. Finished the 5g folic acid now, on 75g aspirin and vitamin D supplements.

I eat 30gcarbs at breakfast, 50gcarbs lunch and tea. 10-20gcarb snacks mid-day, mid-afternoon and supper (the snacks are not every day- just depends). I eat very healthily and do lots of exercise, Zumba, Aqua-aerobics, walking and swimming.
The carbs I count are in the starchy carbs- wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, sweet potatoes, potatoes etc and fruit/yoghurt/other sweet items. I had an amazing team at the pre-conception clinic who helped me with all this. I love porridge now for my breakfast, porridge is amazing Low GI and it really fills me up. I fill up on homemade vegi soups. I put lentils and beans in spag bol, chilli, curries, lasagne, cottage pies etc. I put spinach in all those aswell with onion, carrot and celery. I love cooking so it helps. I cook lots of traditional recipes but with no refined sugar but natural occurring sweet ingredients. Handful of nuts a day. All sorts of other food hints and tips.

Anyway so lovely not to be the only one in all this! Its hard work and very stressful, so reading these shared experiences really helps

Georgie XX
 
Thanks for replying Georgie, it is very comforting to know I'm not alone.

It's such a worrisome time isn't it. I can't tolerate any carbs for breakfast at all, even though I never fancy my omelette or anything low carb I just have to force it down! I've been replacing pasta with carrot and courgette spaghetti and rice with cauliflower rice which seems to help but I crave crispy roast potatoes and bread and chocolate so bad, it is so hard to resist. I find lunches hard because I normally eat salad but it makes me gag at the minute.

I have another scan on Tuesday so just hoping and praying my babies are doing well x
 
CassandraGreensmith said:
Thanks for replying Georgie, it is very comforting to know I'm not alone.

It's such a worrisome time isn't it. I can't tolerate any carbs for breakfast at all, even though I never fancy my omelette or anything low carb I just have to force it down! I've been replacing pasta with carrot and courgette spaghetti and rice with cauliflower rice which seems to help but I crave crispy roast potatoes and bread and chocolate so bad, it is so hard to resist. I find lunches hard because I normally eat salad but it makes me gag at the minute.

I have another scan on Tuesday so just hoping and praying my babies are doing well x
Click to expand...

Congratulations on your pregnancy Cassandra, and double trouble at that!

I'm not insulin dependent, and never have been, but I have learned to carb count, in my journey to controlling my condition and managing what and how I eat. I appreciate that at the beginning it seems like a big, black art and all very mysterious, but seriously, it isn't. It takes a bit of getting used to, and finding robust nutritional data to work with, and also record keeping, so that you can refer bcak and learn from your successes and mistakes in your counts. They happen, but it's rarely the end of the world (notwithstanding your desire for really tight control in your pregnancy).

From memory, I seem to recall @CollieBoy has a great link for an online carb counting course you might find useful, as a starter for 10. But, there are so many insulin dependent members on here who have gone down this learning track and feel the benefit of matching their medication with their diet, rather than eating to keep up with the medication.

CollieBoy's story is an interesting one, if I recall correctly, in that he started his diabetes journey using insulin, but he has managed over a period of time to get off it and a few other medications too. Of course, he hasn't had to handle the pregnancy issues, but it's a great message to understand that heavy medication isn't necessarily forever.

If CollieBoy isn't able to respond, for whatever reason, you could start another thread, asking for assistance to learn how to carb count. I'm sure people would be keen to help.

@CollieBoy - I'm sorry to tag you. I tried to look on your profile, where I recalled the online course link appearing, but you've gone all "man of mystery" and hidden your profile these days. Thanks in anticipation.
 
Back
Top