Diabetes 1st Trimester

[Uni tsi]

I didn't have diabetes before I got pregnant, but because I was prediabetic my sugar was a little high to begin with so as soon as I got my BFP I'm considered diabetic now. I'm already taking metformin, and before everything is said and done I'm told I might have to start on insulin. The thought terrifies me.

I'm wondering if there are any other ladies out there pregnant at the moment coping with diabetes? I could really use someone to talk to about it and compare notes.

I would also appreciate hearing from anyone who had to take insulin during pregnancy, and how that went for you. My concern is that I'm not very well organized and that seems like something that would be easy for me to mess up.

I'm hoping I can keep things under control with just the metformin, diet, and exercise. But I could sure use some company!

 

[krissie328]

I am! I'm in a similar situation. I was pre-diabetic before my last pregnancy. I had horrid insulin sensitivity towards the end of second tri and was put on insulin.

Now I'm back with #2. My blood sugar has never fully recovered and I'm considered diabetic now. I'm currently on metformin and glyburide. Which both help with blood sugars.

I'm hoping to avoid insulin this time. I guess we will see how that goes.

 

[Uni tsi]

krissie, thanks for responding! Sorry to hear you're also dealing with this. What was it like being on insulin?

I find it's particularly difficult to be on carb restrictions in my first trimester when all I want is carbs. Even the thought of eating protein or vegetables makes me feel a little nauseous at the moment. It's also getting really hard to exercise because I'm so tired all the time. I'm hoping second trimester gets easier.

Wow Christian is a cutie! I love that face he's making. He looks so thoughtful

How far along are you? I'm 8 weeks.

 

[krissie328]

Thanks!

Insulin wasn't bad at all. I found it easy to give and follow the directions.

I'm only 4+3 right now. So early stages. I've started getting some nausea and I'm dreading food adversions. They were bad with ds and I could barely eat. I love carbs so this is hard for me. Right now I'm coping with allowing myself some fruit.

 

[Uni tsi]

It's reassuring to hear you didn't think the insulin was that bad. I really hope not to have to find out, but I like hearing that it wasn't too complicated.

Having to take metformin every morning with food, I went ahead and asked for a prescription for diclegis before my morning sickness got too bad. It's not 100% effective, but most mornings it does allow me to eat breakfast and keep my other meds down. I'm not sure how I'd be coping without it and can't recommend it enough. I still have random food aversions and problems with certain smells but for the most part it prevents that hungover all the time feeling that I had last pregnancy.

Fruit is delicious, and something I can still stomach. I really just want to eat nothing but bagels. Seriously, if I could just eat bagels all day long I would. Of course now, they're basically totally off limits. I have found some tamales that don't drive my blood sugar too high and have been living off them the last few days.

Our stories are kind of similar, in so far as I wasn't diabetic until my last pregnancy, when I developed gestational diabetes (although as you will see as my story unfolds, that is where the similarities end). I was really careful with my diet, but my bloodsugar kept going up no matter how few carbs I ate so they put my on glyburide, which was working like a charm. Except that I lost the pregnancy at 35 weeks This was in October. They said it wasn't because of the diabetes, that my blood sugar was under such tight control it wouldn't have had any effect. They didn't find a reason, it was just "one of those things" My OB encouraged us to try again right away, and very next cycle I got pregnant. I think part of my blood sugar issue is that I weigh 20 lbs more than I did to begin with because of the baby weight and that's caused the insulin resistance. It's my fasting numbers that are really horrible which is frustrating cause that's the one we have no control over. I get upset sometimes, because I feel like there's a lot of misunderstanding and blame when it comes to diabetes. Even my dietician last time said "just don't drink soda and you'll be fine". Great advice except I don't drink soda to begin with I actually eat really healthy and it's tiring to always have people assuming that somehow it's my own fault.

It makes me really glad to hear your last pregnancy went ok and your little guy was born just fine. It makes me feel hopeful.

 

[krissie328]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I just cannot imagine that pain.

I do well with glyburide and metformin combo. I'm going to work hard to stay on only that. Honestly, I found it more effective than insulin alone. If I do go on insulin I'm going to request to stay on metformin as well. But I've learned a lot about carbs and my body so hoping I can adjust as the insulin resistance rises in later pregnancy. And hopefully keep my weight gain minimal.

I'm not struggling to bad with nausea yet. Although, I'm finding I do need to eat more often and especially in the morning.

 

[Uni tsi]

I'm glad to hear you're not dealing with horrible nausea yet. Maybe you'll get one of those lucky pregnancies and never get it bad I've learned mine doesn't kick in till week 7 and last time lasted till nearly week 14. So, I guess it's just getting started for me...

It's interesting to me that the pills worked better for you than the insulin. I really would like to avoid insulin. But I was just looking at continuous monitor reviews online. I think if I do have to go on insulin I might get one of those so I didn't have to worry all the time. I like the idea of a device that would beep at me if I'm messing up.

Speaking of minimal weight gain, I've been told to try to gain only 10 lbs this pregnancy I'm going to try to meet this goal but it's kind of intimidating. Everyone was amazed with me last time for only gaining 25 lbs. I felt like it was an amazing accomplishment. But now I'm twenty lbs heavier than before I was pregnant and officially "obese" I wouldn't mind so much if I had the baby to show for it.

I feel like there's a lot more I need to learn about carbs. The endocrinologist I went to last pregnancy didn't really distinguish based on glycemic index and I want to learn more about that. It seems weird, but sometimes whole grain foods spike my sugar more than simple processed carbs do, which confuses me. I haven't gone to a specialist yet this pregnancy, I'm just getting treatment from my OB and to be honest I'm finding her practical advice to be really helpful. I had the foresight originally to pick an OB who specialized in this. I don't think the endocrinologist I went to last time was used to treating pregnant ladies.

I've been trying to find a recipe for lowcarb brownies. I have the feeling I'm going to have to experiment before I find one that doesn't taste like cardboard! If you happen to come across one, let me know!

 

[krissie328]

Check out against all grain by Danielle Walker. Her recipes are awesome!

Grains really mess with me, way more than sugar does.

 

[Uni tsi]

Ohhh I'll take a look. Thanks!

 

[Eleonora]

Diabetes really sucks! It affects how you feel about everything you put in your mouth and having to constantly be evaluated by doctors who seem to be judging your moral character is really rough. I was diagnosed late in my first pregnancy and immediately put on insulin. That part was actually not that bad. I had a kind of blue plastic pen with a little dial on top to control the dosage. The needle was teeny-tiny - - -totally different from when they take a blood sample. You pinch a little skin, stick it in, push the release button and half the time I couldn't feel it at all. It was a slow-acting insulin that I only had to use once a day before bed - - almost easier to stay on top of than taking a pill. People also say doing the finger prick tests to check glucose levels is way more painful than administering the insulin and I found that to be totally true. As a drug insulin is pretty miraculous because it is just making up for what your body isn't keeping up with producing. I think it is far far less likely to cause side effects than the metformin or other ways of regulating blood sugar. It also liberates you a little bit from the dietary martial law. As far as eating healthy - it sounds like you already are learning about how your own body processes glucose and it is not straightforward about avoiding carbs and sugars, is it!? There are so many surprising things about how glycemic index and glycemic load affect the way an individual process sugars. Food preparation and combinations change things a lot too. Baked sweet potatoes are 96 (practically like pure sugar) but boiled are low and better than regular potatoes. Cooking pasta al dente makes a big difference too (and my dietician said not to bother with the whole grain pasta as long as I didn't over cook regular pasta it was fine - but my OBGYN gave conflicting advice about only eating whole grains.) I recently read about a study where two people ate exactly the same things at the same time and had wildly different responses in terms of blood sugar. Some people tolerate ice cream and chocolate really well because the fat content slows down the sugar absorption but I can hardly imagine a doctor recommending it. And then if you want to have a feast, I figure you can always just go for a brisk walk after and maybe you can see if your blood sugar is stable. Where I am the doctors treat GD really seriously but the more I investigate, the weaker the correlation between actual delivery and neonatal problems seems to be. I was minutes from an EMCS partly because of their fears about a giant baby and he was born weighing 3.28 kg (7lbs 4oz). And the that is the worst thing - - despite the actual health conditions of you and your baby, you are going to be subjected to far more interference which in itself brings on new risks. So weirdly enough, I had to meet with a dietician monthly and follow a diet this time around but I passed the screenings tests at 16 weeks and 28 weeks fine and they are not even testing again. I've escaped! I bet I will develop the same problem (elevated fasting and overnight glucose numbers) but I've avoided the official diagnosis this time.

 

[Uni tsi]

Elenora, congrats on escaping the diagnosis this time around. And thank you for all the practical advice. I'm glad to hear the insulin was easier to keep track of than a pill. I feel bad but I forget to take my metformin a lot of mornings because I feel so awful with morning sickness to begin with. Hoping it gets easier in the second trimester. What you're saying about escalating interventions really resonates with me as well. But, I don't really mind all the extra monitoring, considering what happened last time. Even though it was not diabetes related, I like having the extra scans to keep my mind at ease.

That's horrible they told you would need a C but I'm glad it turned out he was average size. I've heard sometimes they get that estimate wrong. I'm not really worried about a large baby, but I am very worried about birth defects and placenta problems

All that aside, the metformin has made it so easy to keep my numbers under control. It's nice to see some good numbers for a change. It was also really reassuring to hear it's prescribed for fertility problems, too. I feel like it is safe to take, safer than glyburide they had me on last time. I was never one of those women who, for example, let the numbers on the scale define my self worth. But it was hard seeing the number on my finger pricks keep going up no matter what I did. It's nice that with the metformin I'm getting totally nondiabetic glucose readings for now I hope that lasts all the way to the end

 

[karry1412]

I was diagnosed with GD about a week before DS was born. He was 10lbs 10oz & perfect. Now because I had GD with my last pregnancy they automatically presume I have it again so I'm not officially tested. I test my levels seven times a day (& that does hurt more than the insulin injections as a pp said!) & have six daily insulin injections. They really don't hurt at all once you get the angle of the needle right. 99% of the time I barely feel them. It honestly isn't that much of a hassle. Obviously I'd rather not have to do all this but hey. It's just frustrating because my results seem to fluctuate wildly regardless of what I eat. Like on Tuesday I had lunch & dessert with a friend & my result afterwards was fine. Then yesterday I met another friend for tea & just had a small lunch & my result was the highest I've had yet! So still learning here I guess...

 

[Uni tsi]

Karry, thanks for sharing your story! I'm glad to hear you also find the insulin not too hard to manage.

I agree it's wild how similar food can have such a wildly different effect at different times. I'm still getting the hang of it myself, but I feel like it has something to do with how much sleep I've gotten, how much stress I'm feeling, and how much exercise I did the day before. But sometimes, I still get randomly high numbers that make no sense, and most times I can eat something I think is a little "naughty" and have great numbers afterwards. But that's probably thanks to the metformin more than anything.

I like the metformin so far. I feel like I can eat almost anything I want (in moderation of course) and still have great numbers. Not sure how long that will last, but at least it's letting me survive the first trimester carb craving stage. I'm really into the food aversions now and can't stand to even smell most meats and can only eat vegetables that have been cooked to mushy. The only foods that appeal to me at the moment are dairy, fruit, and bread

 

[febbride2012]

hello ladies I am type 2 diabetic and on my third pregnancy. I have taken insulin in all 3. keep positive you can do this!

 

[Uni tsi]

febbride, thank you for those words of encouragement! Three times, wow!

I needed a pep talk. I'm down this week because my breakfast numbers on Tuesday were the highest I'd ever seen. And I ate the same thing I normally eat The only thing I can come up with for why is that I didn't get enough sleep and was really tired that morning. I was running late and ate in the car on the way to work so I didn't move around at all afterwards. Does anyone else find that not getting enough sleep messes up their numbers? Or do you think that was just a coincidence?

 

[karry1412]

To be honest I hadn't thought about it but will definitely keep an eye on that! My breakfast numbers are always the worst & I usually eat the same thing every day (which was ok'd by the hospital).

 

[Uni tsi]

Today I tried just eating pecans for breakfast, and a little coffee with cream and I had normal numbers afterwards. I might try it again tomorrow. I've fallen in love with pecans lately and they are my current number one pregnancy craving.

Looking back over my finger pricks, it seems to spike after breakfast more frequently when I don't get enough sleep and/or when I have to wake up early. But I don't know if it's the lack of sleep doing it or the specific hour of the day. Either way, if I eat after 10am things are better. If I eat before 9am my glucose levels skyrocket

I think the universe is telling me to sleep in more often.

 

[febbride2012]

it's common to be higher in the morning as you've not eatenfor so long your body 'stores' sugars worried about the next meal time.

Mine are shocking in this pregnancy

 

[Uni tsi]

Well, my theory is shot. No matter when I wake up my first meal of the day numbers are higher than I want to see if the meal includes any grain. I think I need to stop eating grain at all for breakfast or go to the gym as soon as I finish eating. Or something. I'm at my wits end!

Like you say Freebride, morning is highest. But the weird part is my fasting is actually ok, finally. It's that first meal that's astronomical. The numbers for fasting, lunch, and dinner are all in the nondiabetic range currently practically no matter what I eat. If I could just figure out this breakfast thing I feel like I could relax.

 

[Uni tsi]

Has anyone had any experience taking low dose aspirin? I've been told by the diabetes specialist at my fetal care clinic to start taking it to avoid the elevated preeclampsia risk that accompanies diabetes. I don't know why but it makes me nervous, I guess because "don't' take aspirin while you're pregnant" has been so drummed into my head. Has anyone taken it in the past, or on it right now?