Pregnancy with Type 1
 

My husband and I have recently decided to have a baby. I'm trying to get my glucose levels under control before I get pregnant. I'm actually impressed with myself for how good my blood sugars have been lately. I'm trying to get my insurance to approve me for the CGM pump but we'll see if that happens. Honestly it doesn't sit well with me that what my doctor wants for me is all in the hands of my insurance company. I guess my question is...for the type 1 moms out there, what are the chances of having a healthy baby and a safe pregnancy?

you'll be fine!
 

I had T1 diabetes for 14 years before discovering my surprise pregnancy. I was in decent control before hand, but obviously not the ideal situation. However, I immediately upped my game, testing 10 times a day or more. Additionally, I did get approved for the CGM (pregnancy is a great persuader for the insurance company), which kept me in much better control. I actually hated the pump and avoided it for years, but decided upon my doc's advice on the MiniMed Paradigm pump w/CGM. I also was monitored by a high-risk ob specializing in diabetes.

My son just turned 3 last month. He is a healthy, happy child. Born c-section 8 lbs 9 oz. I only had mild preclampsia during the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I also gained 50 lbs (but lost it in the same amount of time it took to gain). It's harder now to control my BG, but that's because an active toddler can distract from your own needs. But I'm working on striking a balance.

All the work during the pregnancy (tests, labs, tons of appointments and ultrasounds) was beyond worth it. But as long as you keep your eyes on the goal, I'm sure you'll handle it without (too much) complaining. I know all the monitoring was for my health and the health of my son.

Good luck! Definitely ask your ob/gyn for a recommendation of a high-risk ob, even before you become pregnant for a consult. Maybe that doc can give you an idea of a game plan and how to manage your expectations.

Hello,

I too am on the baby track. You can do it just check with your doctor first and get your A1c sees close to 6.0 as possible the development of the baby is very important with the first three months.

Being diabetic is automatically going to put you with a high risk doctor but make sure that you get the absolute best care. Seeing baby clothes or even my girlfriends babies motivates me even more it's not about me during the pregnancy it's about having a happy healthy child and giving that gift to them. I hope this helps take care Teresa

Thank you both for your reply. I love this app because it helps me be optimistic that I can do this and have a healthy baby by hearing all of your success stories. I really hope I can get approved for the CGM and at this time, mimimed is running my insurance to see if I'll be covered. My doctor also said pregnancy will help the approval so my fingers are crossed. Injections tend to make my blood sugar bounce around so I know I'd have a tough time keeping it under control. I know my husband and I have a tough road ahead of us but I'm under great medical care. I just need to stay positive and be strict with myself. I guess its just normal to be scared.

I am T1 and I have 3 kids. I was diagnosed when I was 7, and had my first baby when I was 20. None of my babies were over 8lbs. I was induced, but if I could do it again, I would refuse the induction and see if I could go naturally. I was healthy and my blood glucose was great.
I was seen by a high risk team and an endo team. I have 3 happy, healthy children, ages 9, 4, and 2. I'm almost 30 and I'm trying to lose some weight. Just found paleo/low carb and believe it's the healthiest way to eat, especially for a diabetic mother. Good luck!

I am 29 and have been T1 for 16 years. I have 2 kids, 5years and 7 months and both pregnancies were difficult, but worth it. I was surprised with how many appointments I had, but was happy that I had a lot of ultrasounds. My A1C was usually around 7 the entire pregnancy - and I had to work hard for that! Post pregnancy was quite an adjustment too - my numbers were greatly affected by the hormones, so I am still in that battle! My babies were both healthy and under 8lbs - if your willing to do the work and stay focused, then you absolutely can have healthy pregnancies and babies! Good luck! Enjoy the ride!

Thank you for the encouragement. My husband and I are trying and I'm starting on the pump July 3rd. My doctors gave me the green light so I have that excited yet nervous feeling. I'm so happy to hear all the success stories from other pregnant mothers. Thanks again for sharing your story. I know now that this this is possible for us :)

Hey ladies!

I know this post was done a few months ago but I am also a T1 trying to get ready to have a successful pregnancy. I actually had no idea that my A1C should be around 6, so that's really good to know. I am nowhere near there and have a dr appt next month to get checked out and hopefully get some guidance so we can start trying in January!

I am terrified that my pregnancy will not go smoothly but I think I will be so completely motivated to stay under control to avoid any complications.

I have had type 1 diabetes for 27 years! Five months ago I just had my third child.

It is a very difficult process , time consuming and tight control, but totally worth it!

You are automatically a high risk and most likely you will have a bigger baby. Depending in control and you history and body, you could very well have a very healthy baby.

All 3 of mine were 8-9 pound babies and 2 were briefly in nicu. I did NOT have a c section, but it was a possibility for sure. They all were induced early. With my first I was hypertension and pre eclampsia , but had zero problems with the other 2.

It is best to start healthy with a low A1 C. The tighter control and healthier you are that much better . It really is a lot of work and about five times the amount of doc visits, but completely doable.

My diabetes was the best control when I was pregnant!

Good steady bs are the key. I have a 5yr old. When I was pregnant I was 22 & had type 1 for 12yrs at that time. Healthy pregnancy gained 60 lbs. at 38wks my dr insisted an induction was best. I didn't want it but thought it was best. The dr tried twice to induce labor at 38 wks & 38.4wks but both failed. My cervix wasn't ready. Then labor came on at 39wks on its own. Labor was 38hrs long and cervix was only at 5cm. 10cm you're ready to push. Docs wouldn't feed me during labor to keep a steady bs, I was tired & so I had a csection. My son was healthy weighing 6lbs 10oz. He's had no health issues. I healed great after the c section. Ive always maintained an A1c of 6.0. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't be induced. I might have also snuck a snack or two here n there. Lol. It was impossible to not eat for 38 hours and have strength and energy for labor.

I was 21 and a planned pregnancy w type 1 diabetes. My a1c averaged 7 while pregnant and I delivered at 40 weeks (induced) and she was 7 lbs 2 oz. I actually lost 20 lbs during the whole pregnancy. She is healthy 8 year old now. I did it without the pump, just the basic h&n. it wasnt easy but it's attainable. Good luck.

Reading all your post make me really strong. I was diagnostic when i was 15 and the first thing my dr said was u might not be able to have kids & after that I was so scared. Now I'm 28 and my dream is to have a baby! :) take care....

yuck, I hate it when people assume that women with T1 can't have kids! I had a fellow student nurse say that to me when she saw me checking my BG in class "aww that's so sad, you can't have kids!" I told her she might want to educate herself a little more on the subject if her goal is to be a competent nurse. that just angered me so much!

no babies here, but this thread is helpful. I'm sort of in the beginning stages of just thinking about it - want to see how low I can get my A1c now (currently at 7.6%) and then maybe in 3-5 years I'll consider having a kid. (only been married a year - want to enjoy my husband first)

I am T1 for 25 yrs. I have 4 children ages 1yr-5yrs. Manage the best you can. Your baby will inspire you to do that. PS: high risk doctors are wonderful, but most do not understand the unpredictability of T1. Trust your endo to tell you if your bs's are under enough control! Best of luck!

Hi I'm T1 diabetic for almost 18 years. I recently found out that I'm pregnant. I need help. I have been monitoring my glucose levels very closely checking before and after meals monitoring my carbs but yet I still find my glucose levels to be on the higher side especially in the morning. I'm terrified of this and don't know what I need to do. My drs are giving me an appointment at the end of this month and I really don't want to out my child's life in jeopardy due to this. So whoever went through a pregnancy pls help me an tell me how you managed your levels and what did you do. Thank you Naz

congrats on the pregnancy!

question - was this planned? if not, you might want to talk to your Dr about what your last A1c was like. typically, women with T1 need to have a below 7% A1c BEFORE getting pregnant. I don't want to scare you, but you're 4x more likely to have birth defects if you have an A1c higher than 7%. (that's what my Endocrinologist says anyway, and my Ob/Gyn agrees). it has to do with the developing brain and spine of the fetus - here's an article I found

http://www.news-medical.net/news/201...aby-Study.aspx

as for the morning highs, your hormones are probably screwy because of the pregnancy, but it could still be something called Dawn Phenomenon - are you familiar with it? you need to talk to your Dr about this before adjusting your insulin. I would honestly try to see someone ASAP, not wait 2 weeks, if you can.

you're definitely a candidate for an insulin pump - I would look into it since it gives you way more flexibility with hour by hour basal rates - helps for when you're too nauseous to eat, or when you need to adjust your basal rate because your hormones are raging.

good luck!! wishing you a healthy/happy pregnancy and baby!