Plus-Size High Risk Pregnancy due 2015

[KEslinger]

I'm 6 weeks today, due date 3/20/15 based off of LMP.
I have my first appointment with the clerk and my OB on 8/13 for an ultrasound, labs (already had a positive blood pregnancy test), etc.
During my first pregnancy with my daughter I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 37 weeks (thank you, PreE for waiting until I was term). I'm a plus-size girl, so there's increased risk with that, too.

I had my perinatology phone consult on 7/23.

We went over my borderline high BP (usually normal at home, for it to be normal in office I had to relax or have it taken at the end of the appointment), if it stays elevated I earn myself a cuff and some hypertension medication.

We also talked about there being a 5% increase of risk for preeclampsia, and that hopefully it'll show up at the end of pregnancy again. I will be starting baby aspirin after I hit the 12 week mark.

As far as my weight goes I'm to not gain much, if at all, and losing is okay, too.

I've started back up on the "diabetes diet." I have PCOS so I've struggled with my weight and morning fasting. All other BG numbers I can keep in check by eating right. The perinatologist started me on 500mg metformin in the evening, we'll do some dose adjusting but if it doesn't work I'll have to take insulin. Unfortunately I've been fighting for the medication for the last 2 years but was told they won't treat for pre diabetes, you have to be full blown. :growl mad: Wrong info, so now I'm stuck in THIS boat, too.

If PreE doesn't show in this pregnancy I'll be induced at 39 weeks for the BG and BP.

more to come!

 

[Elphabaa77]

You situation sounds a bit similar to mine. Well, minus the being pregnant before part. Hubby and I had been struggling to conceive for over 2 years when it finally happened. We'd been through Clomid and IUI, but we didn't think we could afford to try IVF. We were about to give up, then we got the biggest surprise of our life on June 20th. Hubby had pretty bad male factor issues and I have PCOS and luteal phase defect. Even though I responded well to fertility meds, my progesterone never really got much higher than what they consider borderline. Without fertility meds, it never even got to a 10.

So after I found out I was pregnant, I seemed to get scare after scare from the doctors. I had been on 1500mg of metformin ER for a long time, but after our failed IUI last November I was really depressed. I stopped the metformin completely. I only pulled myself back together and started taking it again in late April. So by the time I got my positive pregnancy test, I also had full blown diabetes. My A1C on an life insurance blood panel was 9.9 in mid-May. (I had just started back on metformin) BUT after increasing my metformin to 2000mg a day and seeing a diabetic educator to learn how to better balance my diet... my A1C was down to 8.0 on July 1st. Still not low enough for my doctor to not put me on insulin. She said I wouldn't be on insulin if I wasn't pregnant, but since I am it is better to be safe. Recently my OBGYN switched my insulin and my blood glucose numbers are finally getting better. I think my A1C is being tested again next week and I am hoping it's closer to a 7, if not lower.

I am also at risk for preeclampsia because I have had borderline high blood pressure for years. I am overweight, but I also have family history of diabetes and high blood pressure working against me. I will be 37 next month, so that just amplifies the risk.

With the diabetes, my morning fasting is the one my OBGYN is the most concerned with. He told me it should be 80-90. FINALLY with the recent insulin dosing, it was 93 this morning. So we're close. I just let my health get so out of hand after the failed IUI. Not even I knew how bad it had gotten. I never expected to get pregnant without fertility treatments. Even my own Reproductive Endocrinologist told us that with my PCOS and hubby's sperm problems, that we would likely never get pregnant on our own. I had hubby on FertilAid supplements and his issues saw a HUGE improvement, but my RE still said he wouldn't try Clomid or Femara with us again because hubby's sperm was still an issue. So imagine our surprise 8 months later when we WERE in fact pregnant with no medical assistance other than his FertilAid supplements.

My HCG was rising nicely, but as I figured... my progesterone was only 8.8 at 10dpo. So I was instantly put on prometrium twice a day in the hoohah. At 6 weeks, my OBGYN wanted to retest me. He was my 'new' OBGYN and once he got wind of my progesterone problems in the past in combination with having PCOS, he wanted to do a more thorough test. It came back 9.3 at 6 weeks. 10 is normal. SO he switched me to progesterone injections twice a week that hubby has to give me. I get retested on August 4th to see if I have improved. I haven't had any bleeding or serious cramping, but it's scary to think that my progesterone is at miscarriage levels.

So I am obviously high risk too. Such a scary classification, but being over 35 I knew it would be the immediate label regardless.

Everything is being managed well though. So hopefully you get everything in check too! If you're concerned about your blood sugar and think you might need insulin, what could it hurt to get a second opinion on that? Plus 500mg of Metformin is a SUPER small dose. Usually 1000mg is considered to be the smallest effective dosing from what I have been told. So that may be something to keep in mind. Are you just with an OBGYN or have you seen a Reproductive Endocrinologist? Being already pregnant, a Reproductive Endocrinologist probably won't be worth it... but if you're concerned about diabetes, a regular endocrinologist or even a general practitioner might be a good place to start for a second opinion.

Best of luck!

 

[phantomfaery1]

Im also a plus size high risk pregnancy, 30+5 and bubba only measuring 8th percentile so having doppler scans and ctg twice a week