Diabetes I and II Should I become pregnant if my diabetes is not under control?

DIABETES I AND II

While some pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy, there are other women who already suffer from diabetes mellitus I or II before becoming pregnant. Women that suffer from diabetes are generally considered high risk obstetrical patients. However, because of medical advances and proper prenatal care, most diabetic patients that follow their doctors orders will have succesfful pregnancies with little or no complications. Although pregnancy does not bring on retinal or kidney damage for diabetic mothers, it can cause pre-existing damage to become worse.

Many doctors do not recommend getting pregnant unless your blood glucose levels have been properly controlled for 3-6 months. Because high blood sugar levels and ketones do pass through the placenta, the risks of birth defects in the baby is increased when the mother has diabetes. It is during the first six weeks of pregnancy that the vital organs begin to form in a fetus. Many women do not know they are pregnant during this time. In order to prevent birth defects to the baby's developing syste, it is crucial that diabetic women keep their blood glucose levels in control. If you are trying to conceive or there is a possibility that you could get pregnant, take a hold of your diabetes to avoid serious birth defects. More than likely you will have to measure your blood sugar levels periodically throughout the day and some women may need insulin injections. Always report any questionable numbers to your caregiver. Following a healthy diet and getting proper amounts of exercise are important. Your healthcare provider may wish to see you more often during your pregnancy to monitor your blood sugar levels and check the development and health of the baby. Because pregnancy can cause retinal (eye) and kidney problems to become worse in a diabetic patient, it is important to follow your caregivers directions and get proper evaluations and treatments.

If a diabetic woman does not have a good control on her blood glucose levels early on in the pregnancy, there is a greater chance of miscarriage. In the later weeks of pregnancy, the chances of having a stillbirth are increased with poor blood sugar control. A diabetic mother has a better chance of developing preeclampsia during her pregnancy as well, which could lead to early delivery. Diabetic mothers are more likely to deliver extremely large babies because of the extra amounts of sugar that are in their blood. With large babies, the chances of delivering via cesarean section are also increased. This is because the baby is simply too large to pass through the birth canal and the risk of injury is high.

After delivery, mothers with diabetes should be monitored closely. Diabetic mothers will experience the same type of changes after the birth of their baby, but their blood sugar levels can vary. Many diabetics will find that they do not need insulin injections directly following delivery. However, most diabetics will notice that their insulin requirements will be back to normal within 48 hours of delivery. It is important to respond to these needs and continue taking care of yourself. Insulin requirements may also be lower if you are breastfeeding, but you will need to monitor your levels closely to make sure your levels are correct.

Because the baby depends on the mother for nutrition, the baby will receive the extra sugar that is produced as well. The fetus' pancreas will respond to the extra sugar and make increased amounts of insulin. After delivery, babies that are born to diabetic mothers have a difficult time decreasing the amount of insulin their bodies produce. Newborns are likely to experience breathing difficulties, low levels of calcium, jaundice and heart problems. There is also a greater chance of the child developing diabetes in their lifetime.

Comments: Diabetes I and II

Comments 1 to 24 of about 196.
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jenner - 8 hours ago.
lanybug - my insulin needs went up like crazy all through my pregnancy, my highest was 270 units of NPH at night, and as much as 80 units of rapid at meals (3x a day). It goes up at around 25 weeks, stays there, and then goes up AGAIN at around 31 weeks. Then later in pregnancy it goes down quickly. I am at 40 weeks right now (going in on Friday for a c-section) and my nighttime NPH dropped to 190 from 270 in a week. It didn't make a difference on what I ate, when I ate or anything, I stuck to the diet perfectly and I still had to keep upping my insulin. No big deal, if that's what I needed to do to keep baby and I healthy, then that's what I did! I can't WAIT to have this baby, the dr told me today to being my bag to my appointment tomorrow, she might send me straight in!! I'm soooo excited!!

lanybug - 2 days ago.
I know how everyone feels about uping your insulin in 26 weeks. Latly I have been doing that. My doctor told me to up it by 4 units around this time. I am so scared to but it has been working. Also I am suppoce to eat every 4 hours and I find I get a fatigue feeling around 2 hours. I check my sugars and they are fine. So I eat something and it goes away. I think the baby is hungry or something. Does anyone else have that problem?

elizabeth25 - 2 days ago.
my doc said sugars become hard to handle at 27/28 weeks, mine did, but i've been on insulin since i was diagnosed, so i manage on my own. I think that if your high sugars are making you sick, you should go to the doctor immediately, i know when it happens to me they need to give me potassium

kellya - 2 days ago.
I am still throwing up and have put it down to morning sickness, or heartburn, depending on what I have eaten, although I do feel that if I have too much sugar, I throw up.

2ndxmommy!! - 2 days ago.
I am 27 wks pregnant and I have been Diabetic before pregnancy but um.. they just recently put me on insulin doing 18 units at bedtime...Well I just checked my sugar and honey it was 281 Im soooo worried I took my meds today also but Ive been throwing up today could that be why my sugar is HIGH!!??

Happy in CO - 2 days ago.

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ams2777 - 7 days ago.
I had my 20 wk ultrasound yesterday. It was wonderful. It is a little girl. The tech is pretty sure. She is 11 oz now. The tech said everything looks great. I have been so worried about the baby's development due to the diabetes. The are still increasing my moring fast acting to help with my levels after breakfast. Yesterday they said my fluid looked measured low but not too low. Have to drink more water or it could have been just the position she was in. I have the echo ultrasound in two weeks. They will recheck fluid and make sure she is still a girl. I am so happy right now.

lanybug - 8 days ago.
Hey everyone in the begining of my pregnancy I found it was so very easy to stay away from sugar things but for some reason now that I am 25 weeks I really want to eat a hand full of M&M's or even take a few bits of my daughters ice cream. Is there anyone else that cheats once and while? I feel so guilty when I do something like this.

kellya - 8 days ago.
I found out i was diabetic (type 2) last June, and fell pregnant in October.I speak to my diabetic nurse every week, who ensures me that it is natural for a lot of diabetic women who are pregnant and on insulin, that not to be suprised if you could take up tp 80 units at a time in insulin. At the moment, I am 30 weeks, and take 60 units in the morning, 58 at lunch time, 56 in the evening and 26 units of a slow release one before I go to bed. I have now been told to add 12 units of the slow release one after my morning one. My readings are slightly high, but the nurse said just to increase my insulin every 3 days, and it doesn't matter what or how much I eat, as you progress through the pregnancy, you ae more dependant on the insulin. I can't wait to have my son and get back to tablets. My legs are all bruised.

happy in co - 9 days ago.
Hi Ladies, Had another ultrasound today (last day in week 23) and our little man is already weighing in at 1 lb 13oz!! The Dr said he is still in normal range, just on the larger size. They did another echo on his heart and he is looking great... healthy & strong! We go for another u/s in 4 weeks... cant wait to see how much he gains by then!

KSTORLP01 - 10 days ago.
lanybug- My insulin was sky high, and they had to keep increasing about daily. Unfortunetly, that's what happens to us diabetics. Back when I was pregnant, I was taking 8-10 shots a day, easy! I can't remember the exact doses, it's been 10 years...but I remember the frequent increases. For some reason I am thinking I was up to 45 of the regular insulin and 65 of the NPH, adn that was just the first shot in the morning! Mommy ellis- I got my pump on medicaid, but that was 5 years ago. I do believe they still cover them and the supplies that go with the machine. Generally, the pump site needs to be changed every 2-3 days, depending on the basal rate and boluses you take. Have any questions, I probably know the answer, with the pump anyways....LOL Have a good night everyone!

MommyEllis - 11 days ago.
hi i am sherry, i am 20 years old, i found out i was type 1 diabetic on feb 11 2008, it was a shock! i am now 8 weeks+4 days and i am scared that i will not be able to control my diabetes through out my pregancy what can i do? i take 30 units of novaline N twice daily once at night and once in the moring, a specialist sugested a pump? would that be easier? i have medicade will they cover it? i just need help with anything regarding my diabetes... all the info i anget will help alot thanks sherry

lanybug - 11 days ago.
Is there anyone else out there that is like me? I am now 25 weeks and it seems like my insulin intake keeps going up. I hear a lot of people taking one injection a day. I take 4 injections a day. I take 22 units of NPH at night the 10NPH along with 22 regular insulin in the mornning then 24 units for lunch and dinner. It seems like my intake of insulin goes up by 2 units every other day. By the rate I am going I will close to 50 units at the end. Plus I do watch my self. No sugars and low carbs.

elizabeth25 - 11 days ago.
are there more type one or two diabetics in here?

2ndxmommy!! - 12 days ago.
IVE BEEN DIABETIC BEFORE PREGNACY I WENT TO A DIABETES CLASS MY A1C IS 6.3 NOW IM ON INSULIN 14UNITS NPH AT BEDTIME...MY SUGARS ARE JUST HIGHT IN MORNING THO AND IVE BEEN WATCHING WHAT I EAT AND DRINK AND ALSO HOW MUCH OF IT i EAT....

elizabeth25 - 12 days ago.
my doc ordered the GD test too, and when I asked her why she told me that she forgot I was a diabetic. The funny thing about pumps here in canada is that it is hard to get one on insurance, provincial insurance doesn't pay for it as it isn't necessary. It would just be nice to have such a helpful tool in keeping me healthy.

KSTORLP01 - 12 days ago.
They do the glucose test to see how the moms body reacts to sugar. Yes, you can do the A1c to see the average blood sugar for the prior 6 weeks. But if the mom is diabetic, NO reason to do it!

lsimpleone - 13 days ago.
to everyone regarding the glucose test ~ if the dr needs to know her sugars he can do the A1C test and get a very accurate reading. With baby number 3 ( I am on 5 now) the nurse tried to give me the glucose drink. I told her I wanted to talk to the dr. He came in and scolded her and told her that was ridulous because they knew I was diabetic and we were dealing with it. Unless there are other reasons I can not see why you would have to drink that stuff. Elizabeth25 ~ I agree about looking into the pump. I got one last week and my insurance helped out alot. I am still getting used to it ~ I am beginning to see the advantages of having it.

lanybug - 14 days ago.
tangerina- From what I understand they do the test to test her sugars to see where they are at. But there are othere tests she can take that take less time and you do not have to fast. Hight sugars once and a while will not affect her and the baby. In the begining of my pregnancy I have had sugars that where close to 300. If sugars are 300 all the time that is when you should worry.

tangerina - 14 days ago.
ok, that's what i thought... thanks so much! i'll let her know today... they are crazy. Her baby was diagnosed w/ hypoplastic left heart syndrome and then it turned out he didnt have it.. BIG scare for all of us. But his heart is still a little weak. They ordered a friggin stress test .. not a normal one though. They laid her down on a stretcher upside-down and pulled her arms and legs out and upward to stretch her belly, and they shook her violently for over 30 minutes! She realized the baby was in a panic and she told them she needed to go home right away. She drove for over an hour in rush hour w/ contractions :( The baby's heart rate the next day was 184! Her dr. gave her a shot to help calm the baby down, and it went down to 83!! I feel sooo bad for her because they're doing all this stuff to her in the name of 'high risk pregnancy'.. and i feel that it's harming her and the baby more than it's helping her. She already has a 3-year old and they didnt do any of that when she was pregnant w/ him, but she had insurance back then.. i'm really starting to think that since she's on medicaid they're getting paid big bux and all they have to do is claim that the screenings are for high risk purposes. Poor thing :( My heart really breaks for her..and esp for the baby who's been put thru so much stress already as it is.. he's even lost weight :(

KSTORLP01 - 14 days ago.
OMG. She needs to change doctors, or refuse to do the test! All that is is sugar drink!!!!!!!!!! It will make her sugar sky rocket! Tell her to let her diabetes specialist know the ob wants this done....quick! No reason to do it and harmful for both mom and baby!

tangerina - 14 days ago.
hi everyone!! My sister is diabetic.. she's on the pump right now and for some reason the dr. ordered her to get the gestational diabetes test!! Doesnt that sound strange? has anyone else had to take the GD test if you're already diabetic? I'd like to know because sometimes i feel that they are milking her medicaid for all it's worth... and making her go thru tests that are unnecessary. I thought the GD test was to check for diabetes.. i dont see why you would check for something like that when the person already had it? Any comments?

KSTORLP01 - 14 days ago.
Yes, like I had said before, I was induced 4 weeks early so the baby wouldn't get too big. She was 5lb 3oz when she was born. elizabeth25- if you really want a pump, you should talk to your doctor about it seriously. But I must say they are quite the expensive little thing! The pump itself is about $6000 usd. If you have insurance, it may help some. Also, the 'quick sets' and resiviors(spelling) are expensive too. And those have to be changed every 3 days. All in all , without insurance, about $3000 usd a month. Luckily I have insurance and get away with about $100 a month for the supplies! Thank goodness. I do have an extra one. It's called a 'paradigm' can't remember the model number right off hand. Yesterday, I got a blood sugar meter that , after you take your sugar, it wirelessly tells the insulin pump the reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I as SSOOOO excited!

kellya - 14 days ago.
I am nearly 30 weeks pregnant and I have had several scans. I am due another at 32 weeks and again at 36 weeks to keep a check on the size of the baby. They told me the same that they don't usually like diabetics to go over their due date and usually they have them a few weeks earlier. My son is due on July 13th, so hopefully, he will come at the end of June. I give up work on the 13th of June, so anythime after that is ok.

lanybug - 14 days ago.
This blog has been dead for many days now. So I will go ahead and post something to get the ball rolling a little. I had my doctors appointment last week at 24 weeks. My doctor told me she wants to do another ultrasound when I am at 30 weeks to find out the size of the baby. She told me that with diabetes she does not want her patients going past 39 weeks. So after the 30 weeks we will talk about the inducing. Cross your fingures because I hope I can get induced on the 8th of August.


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