Confused

[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]

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]

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]

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]

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... :D

Hope all goes well and keep us posted.

[Ricros]

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



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]

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

[Ricros]

Ok, I found out why she has to use two hands for the pen. It was the way they told her to hold it. They, they education center, told her to hold right at the base of the pen and on the side of her belly so there is some fatty tissue. Her thumb can not reach to push the button to inject the insulin.

[June91]

I have had 16 years of pen experience and don't see why she has to hold the base of the pen, it is very awkward that way. You get the fatty tissue by pinching with the other hand if you're skinny, that is the whole point... Tell her to practise with the needle cap on - she should try to hold the pen anywhere it feels comfortable and allows her to press the top with the same hand. Or get her online and I'll chat her through it.

[Ricros]

Thank you June I will tell her. She is stubborn though but I will do my best.

[Keezheekoni]

Thank you June I will tell her. She is stubborn though but I will do my best.

Gee, 8 months pregnant and being told to use insulin... You think she has *any* reason to be stubborn?!? Nah, now *that's* just unreasonable! :eek: :T :confused: :rofl:

[June91]

Rikki, you're being a tad too hard on him. He is but a man - he can't help it. ;)

P. S. Ricros, you are in fact a very supportive husband and we're just being nasty old hags who think we know it all just because we've given birth once or twice (or multiple times in Rikki's case) :rofl:

[Keezheekoni]

Rikki, you're being a tad too hard on him. He is but a man - he can't help it. ;)
You're right, of course. He is but a man...

Ricros, go wash the dishes for your wife and then give her a nice foot massage. If you do this, you'll be forgiven for the misfortune of being born male! :vroam:

[Ricros]

This I already have done Rikki.;)(backrubs mainly) Except the dishes after five years of doing them, (she works second shift and I work third) the children are old enough to do them now. Since we finally got a dishwasher last year.
When I said stubborn I meant in she will do it the way she was told by the nurse and keep it that way because she has never done this before. But she was stubborn before she was pregnant. But, I will go with unreasonable that sounds much nicer.
June,
I told her about the way you said to practice and she said she would try that.

[Ricros]

Well it started last night. The doctors office called and said she needed to take 4 Units of Humulin N. When I talked to her she said it hurt worse than the injection itself. The only thing I worry about is that I work 3rd shift and she takes the shot at bedtime so if aything happends noone will be here except for the kids. Time will tell and it only lasts for the next 4-6 weeks hopefully.

[Ricros]

This is the wife in question :). I have a new question, will it take my body a few days to adjust to the insulin? My numbers have been higer then usual all day today. The nurse told me the insulin would work for 12 hours with a peak at 6 hours so I had milk at breakfast and was over 200 for the first time ever. I had a normal lunch and usually am between 120-140 (1 hour) and was at almost 160. I'm not sure if this is normal or if things should be the same during the day as they were before.

Thanks for all your help.

Our #3 son after delivery had some problems with his blood sugar, he wasn't latching and sucking and I asked the nurse to check him and his bs was 41. That's the only problem he had, but I'm hoping that doing this right will help #4 to do better.

[Keezheekoni]

Hello, wife! :D

Insulin usually doesn't take very long to take effect. Your numbers could be higher because you're stressed out having to take insulin now. The biggest problem is that you're on a mixed insulin which doesn't provide a stable, clock-able stream of insulin in your system. For some people it sticks around quite awhile, some it goes away quickly. It could also be because you are later in the pregnancy and the baby is making you want higher carb foods than you normally would eat.

Milk, for me, is a big no-no. The lactose will spike me for HOURS... it's insane.

Try and stick to as low carb as you can. Honestly, with the little amount of insulin you're taking, I'm not sure that it's really going to help all that much at all. Gestational diabetes is a lot like Type 2, which means that your body is going to resist the extra insulin you're giving it. Problem with that is, it means you'll end up needing more and more insulin, rather than the little amount that you're taking now.

I hope that everything goes well with this baby and that you're happily nursing him soon!

[June91]

I don't know about adjusting, but have you gone off your oral meds completely? If you had decent control, I would not have recommended it. By decent control I mean no highs that last more than a few hours and no lows that require someone else's help. I most certainly, as a Type 1, had bgs nowhwere near 100 fasting and 140 post ever during my pregnancy. Again, that's just me. And why so late? There is no time for adjustment of any kind here.

But having said that, and seeing as you only have a couple of weeks until the baby is born, please talk to your doctor as soon as possible and see if he doesn't feel your bgs were better on orals. Maybe there is some other reason you're on insulin that we don't know about?

Ditto what Rikki said on trying to low carb. It's only for a short while. I do feel for you, as this final sprint is the time when you just want to get it over with, especially with a big baby (mine was 4.5kg, and I am 164cm tall).

((Hugs)) Keep us posted!

[Ricros]

Thanks ladies. They never had me on orals. I was passing most of my tests and just started being over 100 fasting in the last 2 weeks. I have to test after every meal and was failing about 4 times a week. None of my tests were ever over 180 before. I'll call the dr Monday morning and see what they say. I was hoping that maybe it was just a normal beginning reaction.

Part of the reason they wanted me to start insulin was because I had cut milk out of my diet to make my numbers and they want me to drink it. Now I just have to figure out when I can. I've been following/monitoring for the whole pregnancy so I know I can do it, it's just a question of HOW? I was diet controled the last 3 pregnancies so insulin is a whole new stress to me.

Thanks again.

[amyjo29]

My morning fast was under 95 and my 2hr was under 120