[Lomeli20]

What kind of questions should I be asking my doctor at my first prenatal visit? It is next week and I'm trying to prepare my list before I go in. This was an unplanned pregnancy for me and my husband, and I am so scared that my diabetes isn't in "tight" control. I keep reading these websites that are freaking me out a little. They keep talking about the birth defects and complications a baby can have if you don't take proper care of yourself especially within the first few months.

It is very comforting to read some of these stories and know I am not alone and that many women have made it though with little or no complications. I have been doing my best to keep constrol of my sugars since I took the home pregnancy test, but I still am having his and lows.

[e||ement]

I'm 8 weeks pregnant and Type 1 and so I understand your anxiety, although in my case the pregnancy was planned.

However, with hormones running amok, my blood sugar has been all over the place as well...I think, from what I've been reading, this is part in parcel with diabetic pregnancies.

The best we can do is simply the best we can do (that's not to say I don't have anxiety over highs and lows...trust me, I do).

I think what you need to ask your doctor is what targets are right for you during pregnancy, and how you might be able to achieve them (and know that it's impossible to be on target at every reading...).

You will want to know how often you should be seeing a care provider (endo?), and how often they will want to monitor your blood sugar to modify your insulin doses. You will also want to know what tests are available to you for prenatal screening...and which ones are optional (in case you don't want to do certain tests). I would also ask about having your eyes tested, you kidney function tested and that sort of thing so you have a picture of your health at the beginning of the pregnancy.

I think it's best to focus on the present and the future, as you can't change the past, and work hard to get your numbers stable...which is easier said than done!!! (Yesterday, out of 6 readings, only 1 was on target for me....EEEK!).

I suppose if this is your first child, there are a million other questions you might ask!

Good luck!

[SoldiersWifey]

Originally Posted by Lomeli20

What kind of questions should I be asking my doctor at my first prenatal visit? It is next week and I'm trying to prepare my list before I go in. This was an unplanned pregnancy for me and my husband, and I am so scared that my diabetes isn't in "tight" control. I keep reading these websites that are freaking me out a little. They keep talking about the birth defects and complications a baby can have if you don't take proper care of yourself especially within the first few months.

It is very comforting to read some of these stories and know I am not alone and that many women have made it though with little or no complications. I have been doing my best to keep constrol of my sugars since I took the home pregnancy test, but I still am having his and lows.

I'm dealing with the exact samething as you.
I understand feeling scared about things that you may or may not have done while you were pregnant.
Several weeks back, I thought that I had a flu. So I took Nyquil. Now I'm worried about that as if there's not enough to worry about.
All you can really do is try to take the very best care of yourself now.
I'm here if you would like to chat sometime.

[Steal]

I have had Type I for 23 years, since I was 6. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for the last few months and recently the test was positive! I have to say that the Doctor visits affect my blood sugar more than anything else. The last time that I went, I didn't know that I was pregnant and when I left the office I was low and then my blood sugar shot up, after only eating a salad! It was crazy. I am realizing how much of my blood sugar issues are tied to stress. Since finding out, I am doing my best to keep them in control and testing my blood sugar almost every hour and eating very low carb. I don't feel like there is anything else that I can do. If it is high, I take insulin and wait to eat, but I am working really hard to keep it in a positive range. My husband insists that it will be important to have a supportive doctor that will help encourage me. I guess it is always difficult for me to trust the Endocrinologists, they will suggest something and not understand that our bodies are not an exact science. My younger sister is also a Type I Diabetic and she is the only one that understands and can make me feel better about it. I will just continue to try and remember that there are lots of Diabetics that have healthy babies. I am hoping to be one of them!