Starting a family

Hello @t1d08, Congratulations on your approaching nuptials.
As a mere male I relate the advice from my reading: iodine is needed from conception and throughout pregnancy for the unborn's brain development. (Wikipedia - iodine). So the taking of appropriate pregnancy/breast feeding supplements whilst trying for conception is recommended by some authorities.
Most health authorities also mention general advice about avoiding handling of raw meat, particularly pet meat and certain fermented and processed products like some types of cheese etc.
There is information on the Home page about recommended BSLS ranges in pregnancy and best time to test BSLs after food (60 minutes). I leave the specifics to those experienced in the matter !!

Hi,

16 years ago I was in the same predicament. Our local hospital had a specialised Diabetic unit that covered the preganancy. I was never advised on optimal ac1 before conceiving. Would just advise to keep as near as possible ideal level. Just make sure you have your folic acid a few months before.

Very luckily I have had two successful albeit two very different pregnancies. The first I get having low blood sugars without any warning and was prevented from driving from about month3 of the pregnancy! Apart from this all went well and had a healthy 8lb 10 1/2 oz daughter. Be warned babies are larger. The second, no issues with low blood sugars and basically felt sick for 9 months and hardly ate. Didnt help kept being advised to stop eating as baby was getting big! in The end had a 10lb boy - to be honest he hasnt stopped eating since he was born
I was giving a lot of advice and in the end just worked around keeping my blood sugars as normal as possible. All advice given I seem to be the opposite but it was all fine.

Good luck and wish you all the best for your forthcoming nuptials

kitedoc said:

Hello @t1d08, Congratulations on your approaching nuptials.
As a mere male I relate the advice from my reading: iodine is needed from conception and throughout pregnancy for the unborn's brain development. (Wikipedia - iodine). So the taking of appropriate pregnancy/breast feeding supplements whilst trying for conception is recommended by some authorities.
Most health authorities also mention general advice about avoiding handling of raw meat, particularly pet meat and certain fermented and processed products like some types of cheese etc.
There is information on the Home page about recommended BSLS ranges in pregnancy and best time to test BSLs after food (60 minutes). I leave the specifics to those experienced in the matter !!

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Congratulations to you both on your forthcoming marriage. I have had diabetes type 1 since being 4 years old. I remember asking the very same questions when my husband and I wanted to start having a family. I was told firstly to get your diabetes under control, I also started taking a tablet folic acid, which I think everyone is advised to take now. It helps build the bones etc. Once pregnant, which happened quite quickly with all mine. Then we had regular check ups to make sure our sugar levels were ok. Where I lived it was the diabetes clinic at the then Birmingham Maternity Hospital and our diabetes doctor from our hospital would also attend. We all got to know each other well. I must admit that a few hypos during the pregnancy, but I felt so well. I had 3 sons and an unplanned daughter, all healthy.

I am a type 1 and recently had a baby. As soon as you want to start a family, tell the diabetes centre.

I got put into a pre-conception clinic and also got put on an insulin pump and high dose folic acid (this is only available on prescription). This greatly helped get my control really tight. The clinic liked my hba1c to be between 5 and 6.

Be prepared to note down all your pre-pregnancy insulin details as your blood sugars will go absolutely all over the place during and after. I had a textbook diabetic pregnancy. Also note all the insulin changes throughout pregnancy because if you decide to have another baby, you can just change things easier.

I did feel quite lonely as the diabetes antenatal clinic only had me as a type 1. The other ladies had gestational.

I gave up drinking any caffeinated drinks as I found in the first trimester I had to drink a lot of coke just to keep my blood sugars at normal while working closely with the team to reduce all of my insulin requirements. I also became insulin resistant from the second trimester onwards and developed dawn phenomenon which was picked up by the cgm.

Throughout the pregnancy, you will be put on low dose aspirin to prevent high blood pressure. You will also get loads of scans of your baby so I wouldn't bother going to a private clinic for a scan as I had 6 and it was amazing to see them at every stage.

My hospital doesn't let diabetic mums get to full term as having diabetes ages the placenta quickly. They also prefer you to have your baby in hospital rather than at home or at a midwife led unit. They also don't like you having a water birth. I was induced at 38 weeks and had a very healthy 8lb 12oz baby.

During Labour, you must keep your blood sugars below 7.8. If you have 2 readings above this, they are required to take control of your diabetes off you. Also be prepared to be told "We don't like your sort in here, you frighten us".

Finally, just follow the nhs advice on things that you can and can't have. I found I stuck to the same foods that kept my blood sugars even.

P.S. I developed pica syndrome towards the end of pregnancy. This is where you want to eat things that have no nutritional value. For me it was wanting to eat rubble and lick plastered walls.

Hi t1d08. Hope the wedding goes well! I’d been a type 1 for 27 years by the time my husband and I considered having children. I switched to an insulin pump to get used to management of my diabetes. 9 months later I started on the folic acid, and 4 months on from then I stopped my contraception. I also reviewed my diet prior to trying for a baby and switched to a very low carb regime to prevent an excessively large baby - as you’ll be aware this is very common for diabetic women.

The low carb diet packed with every vegetable you can think of was easy to manage with my pump. I conceived almost immediately and 8 months later had a healthy boy 5lb 12 oz - I had an emergency caesarean due to complications related to my epilepsy (I couldn’t take my medication for this during my pregnancy and it took its toll in the last few weeks seizure wise).

I was very lucky in terms of morning sickness, cravings etc - I don’t recall these, which may be in part to the ultra healthy diet my body had already got accustomed to, but that’s just speculation in my part.

The added bonus from my revised “superfood and no wheat or high GI stuff low carb” diet was that any pregnancy weight gain fell off almost immediately without effort, and my son has always loved salad and vegetables which was a real bonus when it came to weaning! 13 years later my son’sa strapping 13 year old as tall as I am - and I’m still running on excellent hbA1C figures in a size 6/8 dress size. Don’t overfret about your diabetes - I never had any extra assistance or advice and I thin that good nutrition and careful management of your blood glucose as I did are key to a healthy problem free pregnancy. Good luck!

Mutley said:

Congratulations to you both on your forthcoming marriage. I have had diabetes type 1 since being 4 years old. I remember asking the very same questions when my husband and I wanted to start having a family. I was told firstly to get your diabetes under control, I also started taking a tablet folic acid, which I think everyone is advised to take now. It helps build the bones etc. Once pregnant, which happened quite quickly with all mine. Then we had regular check ups to make sure our sugar levels were ok. Where I lived it was the diabetes clinic at the then Birmingham Maternity Hospital and our diabetes doctor from our hospital would also attend. We all got to know each other well. I must admit that a few hypos during the pregnancy, but I felt so well. I had 3 sons and an unplanned daughter, all healthy.

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Hi @Mutley, from my reading I think folic acid has to do with preventing anaemia and malformations and it is Vitamin D which is for bones.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and as a diabetic it is a really good idea to start preparing for your pregnancy in advance, since we are regarded as 'higher risk' than non-diabetics. This is what I was advised and what I did 9 years ago when I had my son:
- start taking 5mg folic acid, you can get this on the NHS. Also, start taking a really good quality prenatal multivitamin. Ask your doctor to check your Vitamin D levels and take a supplement if it is low.
- The doctors advised that my HbA1c should be below 7, and of course the lower the better. I would suggest you start closely monitoring your BS levels and keep a diary if you can, and continue this whilst pregnant. Pregnancy can really mess your levels around and so the closer eye you have on it the easier it will be for you and your doctor to manage it. Usually insulin requirements rise during the pregnancy, I was ok the first semester but by the end was taking almost double my usual doses. And, as soon as I had my son, my insulin requirements dropped back down again to pre-pregancy doses.
- Try to eat a really healthy diet, low carb, lots of fresh vegetables, healthy fats and good quality protein. Oily fish 3 times per week (salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies) as these are low in mercury. Don't eat tuna. Try to avoid processed junk food. And, take all the usual precautions pregnant ladies are advised such as well cooked food etc.
- When my son was born he was in the intensive care unit for 3 days while his BS sorted themselves out. He isn't diabetic, but as my BS were not as low as a normal person (even though they were well controlled) they were still higher than normal, which meant his pancreas was producing more insulin to deal with any higher sugars. So, once he was born his pancreas had to adjust to produce a normal amount of insulin.
Best of luck, I hope all goes well for you during this exciting time. X