type 1 and thinking about babies!

[jamie_lee88]

i'm a type 1 diabetic and have been since i was 6, i'm now 23. i've been with my partner 7years now and we've been talking about starting a family but i dont know how to go about it, i've asked my doctors advice and they were no help at all. so i was wondering if you lot could give me advice of how to prepare for pregnancy and birth! tips would also help for quick conception!

many thanks

 

[Levy]

What was your last HBa1C? Are your levels generally well controlled? That's the most important thing before conception. I think doctors would like your HBa1C to be around 6% ideally.

I have heard it will go slightly mental once you are pregnant though because of the hormones :shock:

 

[jamie_lee88]

i think my HBa1C was 10.6 i'm not quite sure it was ages ago i last had it taken, i can never seem to get it below 9 so i've no chance of getting it to 6%. my bloods are all normal they come between 4-13, with very few high.

 

[cugila]

There is a useful link to a DUK information page regarding getting Pregnant...........

If you have diabetes and are thinking of getting pregnant it is vital that you ask your diabetes care team for pregnancy planning advice. They will talk to you about all of the following items, but it is a good idea for you to know what tests and treatment to expect, and what you can do to get your pregnancy off to a healthy start.

The link :

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-dia ... _pregnant/

There is also a good Video too about Pre-conception care :

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-dia ... ion-video/

 

[Levy]

Might be worth seeing if you can get your HBa1C checked again so you have a recent one. If you say your bloods are between 4-13 then you should be a lot lower than 10.6 now!
Do you carb count and check your bloods regularly? Do you inject or use a pump at the moment?

 

[jamie_lee88]

thanks i'll have to check those links out.

i roughly carb count and test about 3 times a day but not everyday more would be better but i find it abit or a pain, and i inject i'm on lantus and novorapid, i'm sure my last HBa1C was took in november 2010 my next one should be due june but not 100%.

 

[sugar2]

Hi,

Yup, you need to improve your control...and you should be able to get help to do it. mention your plans at your next appointment, and get them to refer you to the diabetic midwife...who will be able to discuss it all with you.

I am assuming that you don't want to get pregnant today?! Please be aware, that this is as variable for T1 diabetics as for anyone else. I have 2 children, both conceived on teh first try...so do not rely on diabetes as contraception. I knwo you are keen, but it really is worth getting your control better...and for me anyway, the desire to have babies was a pretty big carrot to make me want to improve as well.

best of luck

 

[Levy]

Have you ever tried nutritional scales? I think it helps massively with the carb counting! Check this link out:

(Advertising link removed. Google Salter nutritional scales)

Those are the ones I have but I think you can buy them from Lloyds pharmacy as well for about 19 pounds. You put the food that you are having on the scales and put in the code that you can find in the little booklet that's provided. The scales will then calculate how many carbs are in your food, but also fat contents and calories and all that. They really do make carb counting a lot quicker and more accurate!

For the safety of the baby it is best to have your HBa1C as close to 6 as possible to avoid complications as both highs and lows can be bad for the foetus. You need to try and improve your control, and to be fair if you are really keen on having a child soon that should be a very good incentive (I know it's definitely my incentive and it's working well so far!)

 

[wizardinblack]

Yes if your trying to conceive you really need to have perfect BM'S & Hba1c's etc, also taking folic acid for 3 months before. Has anyone had difficulty conceivng due to diabetes?

 

[Elc1112]

Hi jamie Lee,

I am currently going through the same thing myself. The advice I was given was as follows:

1) make sure your HbA1c is within the target level; I have been advised to keep it below 6.5.
2) have you eyes checked. Pregnancy puts extra strains on your nerves so any existing eye problems etc need to be carefully monitored.
3) the first eight weeks are the most important. It is very important that you keep your levels well controlled during this time.

There's nothing stopping you having a healthy baby but it will require some hard work on your part. Best of luck with it all! X

 

[Lucie75]

I don't know if it's available at your local hospital but my hospital runs a pre-pregnancy clinic for diabetics to help you maintain excellent control. I found it invaluable and they gave me some great advice about testing and carb counting etc. My HBA1C was around the 7.2 mark when they gave me the go ahead to start trying for a baby. I think it took the best part of a year to become pregnant with my first, and with my second I got pregnant in the first month of trying.

Both babies were under 8lbs (one of which was induced at 40 weeks).

You will find that your control changes nearly on a daily basis once pregnant but your ante-natal clinic should keep a really close eye on things. At one point when I was going through a rough patch I was attending ante-natal every week but when things were fine it was once every two weeks. I felt very looked after!

Good luck!

 

[Snodger]

Both babies were under 8lbs (one of which was induced at 40 weeks).

...in diabetics this is a good thing. One of the problems of high blood sugar while you are pregnant is that the baby grows too big.
sorry if you already knew this.

 

[wizardinblack]

Silly question maybe but can you still inject your stomach when pregnant? My legs/bum take ages for the fast acting to work so what other options are there once you get quite big?

 

[the_anticarb]

Silly question maybe but can you still inject your stomach when pregnant? My legs/bum take ages for the fast acting to work so what other options are there once you get quite big?

Yes you can still inject in your stomach although I found i just couldn't. Completely irrational as I was told by the docs it would not harm the baby in any way but I just felt like I was stabbing the foetus!