Type1 Insulin Pumpers & pregnant?? Any advice

[kellyrae]

Hi, I've only had my insulin pump since June so quite new to it but all is well with it.....although it took a while to adjust after 25 years of having injections!!

Anyway I was wondering if there are anymore out there who are pregnant and on an insulin pump.......we are currently ttc and i'm due to test on 4th sept

I've got one little girl already and the pregnancy was hard but my first so quite understandable.

Is the pump better for reducing hypos as i really suffered with them for day one and lost all knowledge of having them
And do you struggle to find places to put it....when your bump arrives???

Any experiences is very welcome!!!!

 

[chelseav1213]

I have an insulin pump and a cgm. I have found that I hit veins easier because my belly is tighter and there's not as much flabbyness Lol but I haven't found it to much different to find spots! The cgm that I have is amazing for detecting when lows are going to happen because it alerts me when im going to go low.. I'm not sure about how the pump alone would change that but I do know that the pump gives more flexibility and has helped my numbers tremendously I have been on the pump for 10 years now.. this pregnancy has been slightly hard with the insulin resistance but getting better. Good luck!! Baby dust to you to get that BFP! If you need someone to talk to I'm here because I would love a buddy with type 1

 

[kellyrae]

Hi, great to hear from someeone else with the same!!!! I found it so hard to find any type1's, be great to have a buddy!!!

I will keep you posted on the test

 

[Ersurgeongirl]

I'm t1 and using a pump and cgm. I had lows from the second I conceived my child... I never ate so many glucose tabs in my life lol.

I'm an open book so feel free to ask away!

 

[chelseav1213]

I had extreme lows in the beginning but now its just extreme highs

 

[kellyrae]

I suffered hypos all the way through, even upto 38 weeks i was still reducing my insulin

How are you both handling it with the pump....are you changing your basal rates according to what stage your at?

 

[Ersurgeongirl]

Yes, I should clarify... I started to see insulin resistance around 16 weeks... I've been on an uphill battle ever since, blowing through 300 units in about a day and a half.

 

[kellyrae]

Yes, I should clarify... I started to see insulin resistance around 16 weeks... I've been on an uphill battle ever since, blowing through 300 units in about a day and a half.

Wow that is alot of insulin!!! You must change your cartridge every other day

 

[Ersurgeongirl]

I do. Sometimes it's not as bad but there are some days where the resistance is just crazy

 

[chelseav1213]

I go through 300-400 easily in a day and a half changing my cartridge at least every other day. My basals have increased by 1-2 units each basal and my carb to gram ratio is now 1:5 when it used to be 1:15.. I'm still suffering with highs too. Today it got to 260 its 110 right now though! I feel so guilty my poor baby is suffering because I cant get my sugars under control today I had to give myself 38 units for a 73 gram meal :/ but it'll all be worth it in the end! I get a growth scan next week to see how big hes gotten and I'm scared to get a bad answer :/

 

[chelseav1213]

Also I increase my basals every week- I have weekly visits with the endo and she always ups everything by a few units minimum. Fortunately my A1c is actually 6.7 still though! Even though I'm seeing highs every single day

 

[kellyrae]

I go through 300-400 easily in a day and a half changing my cartridge at least every other day. My basals have increased by 1-2 units each basal and my carb to gram ratio is now 1:5 when it used to be 1:15.. I'm still suffering with highs too. Today it got to 260 its 110 right now though! I feel so guilty my poor baby is suffering because I cant get my sugars under control today I had to give myself 38 units for a 73 gram meal :/ but it'll all be worth it in the end! I get a growth scan next week to see how big hes gotten and I'm scared to get a bad answer :/

I think the hardest bit is the guilt and worrying we do!!! But If his wight is too big they should induce you early....I went into labour at 36 weeks and maisie wieghed 7lb6oz so if she had gone full term she would have been big too.

The only thing we i had problems with was after( not trying to scare you) she was born.....her blood sugars dropped around 4 hours after she arrived an ended up being in nicu for 4 days untill they stablized her sugars.....I was partly prepared for it happening but not when it actually did happen......she was tube fed for a week untill she could contain her surgars herself, it took what seemed like months but was only a week and after that she was great

 

[polly1984]

Im so glad that I have found this thread!

Im Type 1 and have had a pump for 7 years, im currently 28 + 4.

My insulin requirements seem to go up and down daily! some days im on 150 + untis other days 75 so confusing.

i am using temporary basal rates as every time i go through the hassle of changing everything my body changes again!

i start growth scans next week so then we'll find out more. This is my first have any of you guys had other babies on pump/diabetes? Im starting to worry about induction? I want to know everything!! and noone at the hosp appears to be telling me much??

PX

 

[kellyrae]

Hi polly1984, welcome

I went into labour naturally but ended up having to be induced three days later anyway because the labour stopped, although they told me it could take a few attempts to work it didn't, within 4 hours I was 6cm dialated :s but baby moved and got into distress so I ended up with an emergency c-section.
Not what I expected to happen at all but as long as baby was out and safe that's all that mattered.
Through the labour I was monitored but in my case everything happened so quickly I didn't have chance to blink and I was being wheeled off to theatre, the onky fear I was fighting was the needle in my back, but the contractions masked that for me!!
I did however suffer hypos after she was born and so did maisie as I wrote in my previous post.....was traumatic I won't lie but I'm ready and willing to do it all againfor the gorgeous end result

 

[polly1984]

Thanks for the reasssurance! I suppose I will have to wait to see how the growth scans go, they have told me they wont let me go beyond 38 weeks.

Im finding the diabetes harder and harder work but I am getting the right results (most of the time) :/

I would hate to do this pregnancy lark without my pump! it would be hideous! HOw long was Maisie in care for? How long did you have to stay in hospital for?

Px

 

[kellyrae]

I did it without the pump, but my bloods were so low all the time that I hardly had to have any bolus insulin,
I think even if baby is normal size they still don't let you go over 38 weeks as they like to get them out so no complications occur after the 38 week mark
We stayed in nic unit for 4 days untill she was holding her own blood sugars without a drip, then we moved to a transitional ward for two days till she was eventually taken off the feeding tube, we gradually had to give her bottles and tube feed so she could get used to bottles.
Felt like a lifetime but was only 6 days, Its very common for this to happen to babies with diabetic mums so try not to panic too much if it does happen.......easier said than done tho especially as its your first too.
But she was the biggest baby in nicu!!!! She just had to allow her body to adjust to being away from me and my insulin!!!!

My diabetic team told me to express some milk a week before I was due to have her and freeze it down then take it with me so she could have it incase she had to go straight to nicu. Xx

 

[chelseav1213]

I'm trying to prepare myself for a nicu stay its hard though :/ I didn't think about pumping before my due date I will talk to my drs about that Tuesday when I go in!! My OB keeps telling me that as long as we get to 34-35 weeks hes happy with that! Which means my little man could be here in 4 weeks! Ahh! I'm so happy today my readings have been good! And my NST went good after he finally woke up! Lol thongs are looking up! Except I got called onto jury duty so idk if Dr is gonna write me off since on bed rest kinda :/ hope so! I think we should keep this thread going to keep each other powered on our statuses! Welcome Polly so are you having any symptoms Kelly?

 

[kellyrae]

Def gotta keep this thread going!! Its hard work finding type1's around here lol I've been having some cramping and I've been unusually tired in the afternoon, last couple of days my bloods have been lower for no real reason too, but I don't wanna think to much into them even tho we analyse everything if somethings similar to a symptom......can't wait for these next 5 days to hurry up now though xx

 

[chelseav1213]

Yay sounds promising! Low bloods was one of my first things I realized that made me think "oh my God am I pregnant? Then it was tiredness crampiness and lastly sore breasted that never went away! Lol good luck ill be on here all day Tuesday waiting for your results I'm always looking for other type 1s I can relate to and ive finally found some on the last leg of my journey lol

 

[kellyrae]

Well I will be testing first thing tues morning!!! And hopefully its good news but I will be keeping close to this thread, we can help each other through whatever challenges we all may come across before, during and after little ones are born, always good to have someone to ask questions or advice who have our other daily challenge of being diabetic and a mummy, i breastfed for two months and found I had lots of low blood sugars even then, untill maisie was diagnosed with lactose intolerence xx