[Ricros]

I am confused. My wife who is one month away from giving birth to our fourth son is going to have to take insulin for that last month. SHe is not allowed to go over 100 on her fasting or over 140 after 1 hour from the start of a meal. Now I know that the sugar passes through the plecenta and the insulin will not. But, I think the confusion is the numbers since mine are less than 120 fasting and 180 2 hours afterthe start of meals. See saw the endo yesterday and goes on Monday to get training on a pen applicator.
I guess my question is why do this so late and not try to give here oral meds or restrict her diet a little to see if that controls it. The baby is doing fine not growing to much her weight is normal no large spurts of gain. I just don't get it.

[Harold]

Originally Posted by Ricros

I am confused. My wife who is one month away from giving birth to our fourth son is going to have to take insulin for that last month. ................
I guess my question is why do this so late and not try to give here oral meds or restrict her diet a little to see if that controls it. The baby is doing fine not growing to much her weight is normal no large spurts of gain. I just don't get it.

Two reasons for the insulin vs. oral meds.
The insulin starts working as soon as it is absorbed. Where as with oral meds at the minimum it will take 2 weeks to start seeing any results. For most people three to six weeks to see benefical results. There is one class of oral that starts working sooner, but it makes the beta cells work harder, producing more insulin, and may cause them to wear out sooner leaving her diabetic post birth.

Another reason is the side effects of oral drugs. While the insulin will not be transported through the placenta the oral drugs will be affecting the unborn.

Are you really seeing 120 fasting and 180 2 hours post meals?

[Ricros]

Thank you Harold. That helped.
the 120 and 180 are the ranges my doctor gave to to be at fasting and 2hrs after dinner. I am usually below them.

[cheryl]

When i was pregnant i had to be 100 under fasting and 2 hrs after meals 120 it was a little hard to do but i managed it well....it is normal they just want a normal size baby and no complications.....

Cheryl

[Keezheekoni]

Really, it's more for the baby's health than it is your wife's. Right after the cord is cut, the baby loses out on the glucose passed to him from mom. Thus, baby can get hypo VERY quickly if mom was constantly high while pregnant. When a baby is hypo they don't eat and some will lose their suck reflex. Because of this, they then end up on an NG tube being fed formula and glucose water to bring their bg up. If your wife is planning to breastfeed, this can be very disheartening because the baby will get full on formula and not want to nurse, which will delay mom's milk from coming in and deny baby the really good colostrum (if she can pump or squeeze out colostrum, make sure baby gets that instead of formula if bg is low...it's better for baby).

Congrats on the new baby! I'm jealous. I want another baby so badly!

[cheryl]

Originally Posted by Rikki

Really, it's more for the baby's health than it is your wife's. Right after the cord is cut, the baby loses out on the glucose passed to him from mom. Thus, baby can get hypo VERY quickly if mom was constantly high while pregnant. When a baby is hypo they don't eat and some will lose their suck reflex. Because of this, they then end up on an NG tube being fed formula and glucose water to bring their bg up. If your wife is planning to breastfeed, this can be very disheartening because the baby will get full on formula and not want to nurse, which will delay mom's milk from coming in and deny baby the really good colostrum (if she can pump or squeeze out colostrum, make sure baby gets that instead of formula if bg is low...it's better for baby).

Congrats on the new baby! I'm jealous. I want another baby so badly!

Amen to that one about the breast feeding they used to immeditely take the babies to the NICU, when I had my first two and give them glucose and feed them formula, so it was too hard for me to breast feed, now my last two they changed how they did things and i got too.....Thank God for changes.....my first two were born 9 and 7 years ago.....

Cheryl

[Keezheekoni]

I guess I was lucky that I knew my rights at the hospital when I had my oldest (he's 17)...also lucky because he was one of the first babies born in a LDR room in California. But, I refused to let them do anything except weigh and measure him at my bedside. He was not out of my sight and nursed as soon as he was done being weighed and measured. The nurses thought that I was weird in *wanting* to have my baby with me, and they kept trying to take him to the nursery so I could *rest*...HA!

Of course, I have been called the "breastfeeding nazi" too, so I may be a bit extreme in my beliefs about breastfeeding.

[Ricros]

Thank you for the help ladies.

[cheryl]

Originally Posted by Rikki

I guess I was lucky that I knew my rights at the hospital when I had my oldest (he's 17)...also lucky because he was one of the first babies born in a LDR room in California. But, I refused to let them do anything except weigh and measure him at my bedside. He was not out of my sight and nursed as soon as he was done being weighed and measured. The nurses thought that I was weird in *wanting* to have my baby with me, and they kept trying to take him to the nursery so I could *rest*...HA!

Of course, I have been called the "breastfeeding nazi" too, so I may be a bit extreme in my beliefs about breastfeeding.

Oh ok but you weren't a diabetic then where you, because about 6 or so years ago between my second and third son, they changed the policy with babies of mother's who are diabetic, they used to give em to you for a minute and wisk them away, then when I had my third and fourth I got to keep them for the first hour, it was nice....so nice.....I was highly upset with the first two, it was sad, but I was a mad woman as soon as i got to my room getting up leaving and banging on the NICU doors like some crazed lunatic, I never could sit still after having a child lol

Cheryl

[Keezheekoni]

Yes, I was diabetic... though at the time they just thought I had gestational diabetes. I was misdiagnosed for a LONG time.

I just refused to let them take him away from me, until they *had* to take him for his bath, about 2 hours later. At that time, my ex and my mom went to the nursery with him and made sure that when they checked his bg, not allow them to give him glucose water or formula. I come from a long line of midwives and very "crunchy" people, so we have strong beliefs in natural parenting and such. Shoot, our 5 year-old and 3 year-old still end up in our bed, co-sleeping, every night!

[JanTx]

Our kids were in and out of our bed for years. I remember too many sleepless nights from my childhood - waiting for daylight and scared from some dream! Well, those "kids" are now 24 and 27 so it's been a LONG time since I had a little one snuggling in there. Kept a little 2 year old guest this past weekend. He made it a couple of hours on his own then woke up crying - didn't know where he was - so popped him in bed with us - and the dog. HOW ON EARTH DID WE SLEEP WITH THOSE WIGGLERS???? Oh my. You do what you gotta do to make it through!

[June91]

Originally Posted by JanTx

HOW ON EARTH DID WE SLEEP WITH THOSE WIGGLERS????

Once you become a parent you miraculously develop a talent for convincing yourself you are asleep while your head is hanging down from the bed and your toe which is stuck behind the headboard is the only thing stopping gravity from taking over.

Hey, Ricros, never mind our idle chat, it's too late to change your mind now...

Hope all goes well and keep us posted.

[Ricros]

Originally Posted by June91

Hey, Ricros, never mind our idle chat, it's too late to change your mind now...

Wouldn't change it if I could. I been through three that I had about 6 inches of bed space while they feed and slept. The kids not the wife.
She went for injection lessons today and brought home a kit with a sample pen. I don't remember what kind it was I will edit tommorow evening with that info. She said she would have to use two hands to inject it.

[June91]

Two hands to use a pen? Now you have my full attention.

[cheryl]

Originally Posted by Rikki

Yes, I was diabetic... though at the time they just thought I had gestational diabetes. I was misdiagnosed for a LONG time.

I just refused to let them take him away from me, until they *had* to take him for his bath, about 2 hours later. At that time, my ex and my mom went to the nursery with him and made sure that when they checked his bg, not allow them to give him glucose water or formula. I come from a long line of midwives and very "crunchy" people, so we have strong beliefs in natural parenting and such. Shoot, our 5 year-old and 3 year-old still end up in our bed, co-sleeping, every night!

Oh ok, I was 19 when I had my first one, I thought that just was the right thing to do, at that point in my life I wouldn't of questioned doctors since I was a diabetic, and since it was scarey enough for me.....I didn't even think to fight them, I was just scared, because they made it sound like if they didn't hook him up to an IV very quickly he'd crash, or whatever, so I was like ok.....but funny thing is when i had my fourth one I kept him longer then an hour nursed him just craddled him got to enjoy it, the hospital i chose to have him in, were not big on delivering babies of diabetic mother's so i anyway I would nurse him then they'd check his bg but my milk was just not enough for him sometimes he'd drop under 40 which made the nurses pail as a ghost.....I was like ok well i have no milk coming out give him formula, they would wisk him away call dr, come back and say dr said give him formula test it omg it was crazy.....well that only happened once, I was not blessed with this over productive milk glands it sucks, I was ok with my third one, but the fourth one, it just didn't spurt out, tried water tons of it, tried this stuff god it sucked.....stimulation i don't know what was wrong with me with my fourth one, but i atleast did it till he was five months old, until they just fizzled out on me....so sad my boobs suck

Cheryl