Diabetes Talking

Question:

I was hoping for some input and experiences from any Type I Insulin Dependent Diabetes who have been pregnant or are considering doing so.  I am wondering what kind of hurdles you’ve covered and how it affected your pregnancy and your child’s health. I have read many articles lately warning of the risk of birth defects if your blood sugars are not tightly controlled. Did most of you go on a pump (or already have one) or did you stay with injections? Thanks for all the help and advice. Genie Grimm, age 22 Type I since age 7 test driving an insulin pump this week

Response:

Genie, I do not have diabetes, however my wife does, and we have a perfectly healthy 9 month old at home!  My wife has been dealing with diabetes since she was 8, and is also type 1.  I will say that the pregnancy had its fair share of hurdles.  Our baby was 1 1/2 months early, as my wife was retaining fluid (not due to diabetes).  My wife seeked out the help of a dibetic specialist at St. Mary’s  hospital in St. Louis (as they specialize in pregnancy with diabetes).  My wife was put on a minimed pump during the pregnancy and it was wonderful!!  She checked her blood sugar every hour, and had to document all of her sugars and turn them in every week to the diabetic specialist (yes, we went to the doctor every week for 7 months). They monitored her and the baby very closely, we had an ultrasound every month, most people only get 1 or 2 ultrasounds.  The doctors did tell us why they were monitoring so closely, they were looking very closely at the babys heart and lungs, as well as checking size (hence the reason for so many ultrasounds).  I was told that diabetics are prone to having large babies as a direct result of the diabetes, I believe it has to do with the excess sugar from a high blood sugar enters the baby, I think that is what I remember…I do know that a high sugar is much worse for baby than a low, and I know that my wifes blood sugars went "wacky" for the first couple of months.  The diabetic specialist constantly changed the doses of insulin (I believe it was Ultra-Lente’, she normally uses Humulin or Humulog) in order to keep her sugars down.  They kept my wife (sugar wise) lower than she was used to, and it took her a while to adjust.  We spent the first month and a half at the NICU at Cardinal Glennon (in St. Louis)due to complications, and my daughter needed surgery a day after birth.  Her pancreas (sp?) had wrapped around her small intestine, and was choking it off, so they had to remove the bad section of intestine and sew it back together.  We saw babies at the NICU that made me feel lucky for what we were dealing with.  We saw total extremes, things that make you want to break down and cry.  We say babies whose mothers were diabetic and did not take care of themselves, and the babies had downs sindrome, we saw babies whose mothers took drugs, and were so disfigured.  I thank God everyday for my wife, and her commitment to change her lifestyle during pregnancy.  She made so many sacrafices, and I put her on the highest pedestal for that, if it were not for her and her commitment, I know that our daughter would not have turned out the way she has. I could go on and on, however I think that I should stress some important points; 1. the moment you get pregnant, seek a professional who knows diabetes and pregnancy 2.  keep totally on top of your blood sugars!  Its frustrating, but so so worth it 3.  ask questions, never be afraid to question your doctor, after all you know your body better than anyone! 4.  Listen to advice, and what your doctor tells you. 5.  All pregnancies are different, there is no textbook pregnancy! 6.  Most important:  Love that baby, no matter what. Thanks for your ear, Sincerely Patrick O’Donnell

Response:

Genie, I have a type I for 38 years this Feb.  My daughter just turned 13 this past week.  I had been on the pump for 7 years prior to getting pregnant. At that time they made me go off and go back on MDI.  I hated it.  My HgA1c was 6.3 throughout my pregnancy, but in the beginning I was in DKA before I found out and the lows at the end of the first trimester and beginning of the second were horrible.  Several times I had awakened to the paramedics giving me glucose. Most of the diabetics I know now are on pumps during their pregnancy, if not before.  I wish this could have been the case for me.  But at that time it was frowned upon.  I am planning on getting pregnant in the near future and staying on my pump the whole time. Yes, if you are not in great control the risks of birth defects are high.  I work as a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer and have seen alot of these in the embryology dept at the local university.  Most of the fetuses there are from diabetic women who were out of control.  It is a horrible site!)  My main fear is that now that I am over 35, and the risk of birth defects is high anyway.  But I am hopeful! BTW, I would wait until MM figures out how to cure all their problems with the 508 before you purchase one.  I have a 507 (not even a "c") and have problems with it.  This is my third MM too. I have been pumping for 20 years this February and wouldn’t trade it for the world! Good luck! Jill

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was hoping for some input and experiences from any Type I Insulin Dependent Diabetes who have been pregnant or are considering doing so.  I am wondering what kind of hurdles you’ve covered and how it affected your pregnancy and your child’s health. I have read many articles lately warning of the risk of birth defects if your blood sugars are not tightly controlled. Did most of you go on a pump (or already have one) or did you stay with injections? Thanks for all the help and advice. Genie Grimm, age 22 Type I since age 7 test driving an insulin pump this week

Response: