[Katrina Stovold]

Hello everyone!!

Lately I have been seriously contemplating having a child, I am 30 and getting married in October 2008!! I have had Type 1 for about six years!! I am terrified of having a child born with complications due to my diabeties. I am constantly changing my mind about having this baby, Id love to, but am scared to death that it will come out wrong. I try so hard to keep my bgl under control and my last hba1c was 7% which was acheived with a lot of effort on my part!! I just need some inspiration I guess, I dont know anyone with type 1 and came accross this forum and feel so happy that there are others out there with the same condition as me, I felt so alone prior!! Is it possible to have a healthy baby, I seem to have this fear over my head that al babies born to diabetics have some type of abnormality. Please encourage me that I can have a normal baby!! Katrina. xx

[RobiJo]

You can! Keep your bgs in check, see a high risk ob/gyn and you will be just fine. The fact that you've only had D for 6 years will be in your favor. They will want your a1c under 6 though. If you start working on it now, you could be all set by October! You can have a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy.

[ant hill]

Good post RobiJo. I would do just that as control is everything!!

[jbrowning2612]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you Katrina. I'm 25 yoa and have been diagnosed with type I for just over 3 years. My husband and I are wanting to start trying to have kiddos in about 2 years. My BG is all over the board right now, but I hope to get it in check within in the next 6 months or so by way of pump. I've already talked to my OB/GYN about it and he said that I would be treated as a high risk pregnancy and that my BG had to be perfect before I could even think about trying to conceive.

[Lyrehca]

Hi Katrina,

You are not alone. I felt the same way you did when I first thought about getting pregnant with type 1. My son is now 14 months and he's totally healthy and my pregnancy went very well.

You will find a lot of support on diabeticmommy.com as well as through several Yahoo groups that are geared to pregnant diabetics or pregnant pumpers (just do a search). I also chronicled my pregnancy through my blog, Managing the Sweetness Within (Managing The Sweetness Within) through August 2006 -- April 2007. I'm also working on a book about the topic of pregnancy and type 1 diabetes.

It's possible to do, but you need to test your bloods pretty much all the time, bolus often to keep your blood sugars within range, and eat well. You can totally do it.

Lyrehca
Type 1 31 years

[Tiger Lily]

Katrina

i had kidlet when i was 37 and had type 1 for 6.5 years

my A1c was 5.5 when i conceived, and it stayed at that level thru my pregnancy

kidlet was born just shy of 9 months in perfect health, he's 14 now and a happy, healthy child that i simply adore

you need to connect with a high-risk pregnancy clinic for pre-conception and gestational assistance.......... you see the Dr's a lot while you are pregnant and they stay on top of lab work for you and other health concerns

you are correct, good blood glucose control is essential to ensure the health of your baby. i met a couple one summer, and their child was disabled and will never be able to participate in life, he will need a caregiver at all times for the rest of his life they love their baby all the same

[Katrina Stovold]

Just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who replied to my post!! I feel so great now! Just woke up, jumped on the forum first thing (before checking my sugar level which was 4.0) I am in Australia here so 4.0 is very very good!! I have a whole new inspiration now, I know I can do it and having diabetes is actually a good thing as it keeps me focused on looking after myself, I know it sounds stupid but Im sure some of you agree. I think if I didnt have diabetes I wouldnt take as much care of myself, ie: eat heaps of junk food, no exercise. Diabetes motivates me to stay in tune with me!! I am definately going to go ahead and begin trying after our wedding in October. I will be 31 by 5 October. AFter reading people's comments and am totally motivated and so excited about this!! I will keep all tuned on my progress and hba1c's (got one coming up again on 29 July). Now all I have to do is get my HBA1C down to 6 and start practising in the hope I will conceive! All I can do is my best!! Thanks all!! Katrina xxxooo

[Lizzy]

Hi Katrina, I had my daughter 30 years ago after being T1 for 14 years. She is as healthy as can be and normal in every way. This was before home glucose testing and only having a lab blood sugar test once a week. With all the care that is available now a days your should have no wories about having a perfect baby. Just be sure to keep in close touch with your doctors and keep your sugar levels under control before and after you get pregnant.

[mazea]

Hi Katrina,
I'm 30 and I found out that I had diabeties(insulin dependent) when me and my husband were hoping to have children. I was told by my doctor that I had to wait 3 months and make sure my HBAC1 was 7. I'm newly diagnosed so have to wait a bit yet. It is pretty scary but a lot of women get gestational diabetes anyway and these days women with diabetes can have healthy children so I'm feeling quiet happy about it.

[judi t]

I have two healthy 'children' - now 20 and 21. I'd had type 1 diabetes for five years when the first was born. Thinking back, things were quite primitive back then. I had three injections per day and had just started 'home glucose monitoring' using a biggish machine. I did the best I could as far as diet, exercise and keeping my BG in check. Both kids were big - 10lb 8oz - at birth. Had c-sections with both. But they were born, and have remained, really healthy.

Couldn't be without them!

[DCaplinger]

I totally agree with the others, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to have a healthy baby, even as a Type 1. Of course, there is always the possibility that your baby could eventually develop diabetes, but there is also the possibility that it won't.

I'm sure you are already aware, you aren't getting any younger. The longer you wait, the harder it will be on you. The harder it is on you, the harder it will be on your baby. Find a good high risk OB/GYN and you should be just fine.

Regards,

[IrishJoe]

remember you control D via diet, insulin and exercise.

the euphamism being exercise

[Katrina Stovold]

Yes, thanks Joe but I have been a dedicated strict exercise for over 13 years on a weekly basis, I eat very well every day mainly eating the same type of diet and meal portions every day so as to avoid any unusal and annoying highs and lows. My insulin recordings are very strict also, testing up to 9 times a day. It is not as easy as you make it sound you know as other type 1 diabetics out there would agree. Other factors come in to play and sometimes we all do every thing we can which is right, eat right, right amount of insulin for days we are happy, then for no known reason our sugar levels skyrocket, so dont sit there and tell me that D is controlled by diet, insulin and exercise alone. We do our best but other factors beyond our control throw our sugar levels out ie stress. And one more thing which is the whole point of my posting is pregnancy....... pregnancy can throw sugars out of wack from my understanding from other helpful mothers in this forum and they may be doing all they can and doing their absolute best and our "FEMALE" hormones jump in and frustrate us, it can be very frustrating thank you very much!!!!!

[Katrina Stovold]

Thanks for all the encouraging responses!!I got my HBA1C RESULT TODAY 6.9% AND i am soooo happy with that, the best i have ever done! I know some of you might say it should be lower but I feel very happy with my acheivement and will try even harder to get it lower for next time. I tried sooooo hard to get this result, eating the same meals every day day in day out and things worked for me, might sound like a sad restricted diet but I dont mind as it is not like I am starving out here just healthy. I am very happy with this! But, I really did try soo hard, not sure how much controlled I can be, but I never give up and feel more encouragement has been given to me due to my result. I will begin trying to get pregnant after my breast implants in October and after my little wedding!! xx

[mortis505]

Congratulations on the new A1C!!!! Keep up the good work!!!