6 weeks pregnant with high A1c... terrified!!

[ShelbyLayne 10]

I just found out that I am 6 weeks pregnant and it was totally unplanned but we are so excited. My A1cs have been pretty high the past few years and it is down to about a 9 now it was 11 at the time of conception. I am trying so hard to get it under control and as quickly as I can but I am scared it may already be too late what could I have done to my baby in the time I didn't know I was pregnant. Has anyone had experiences with high A1cs and how it effected your pregnancy and your baby. I am so scared. My OB didn't seem very concerned but my Endo gave me a huge dose of fear today. I want this baby more than anything!!

[Lizzie G 24]

Hi Shelby,

 

First off,congratulations!

 

I've not exactly been in your situation, as my pregnancy was planned; however, the way i see things, is there's zero point in worrying about any damage that might have been done as theres absolutely nothing you can do about it.....

 

My advice would be: a) do everything you can to improve your control to give the baby the best chances from here! in order to do that, please ask all the questions you want, everyone here is very helpful and we have all been through/are going through a pregnancy with type 1 b)make sure you have all the scans available so that you can see whether everything is normal, and (i hope this isnt the case) if not that you know what the implications are for the pregnancy and or the childs future so that you know that the right care and precautions are being taken.

 

Please please please try to just focus on the positives, you cant do anything to change what happened yesterday, or the day before, just do the best you can today, and if it doesnt seem to work, keep trying something else tomorrow. Good luck x

[Steal 16]

Lizzie's advice is spot on. Both of my pregnancies were planned, but what I learned from those experiences is the importance of working as hard as you possibly can. Now that you have brought down your A1C a bit, continue to do so, as this can only help. It will help to alter your diet to a lower carb one, so that you can reduce your insulin usage and hopefully improve your overall A1C. I had my hubby wake me in the night and would set alarms to test my blood overnight. I found that post meals and int he night are the blood sugars that influence my A1C and that I need to be on top of.

 

Have you notified your doctor? It is super early, but for my doctor, as soon as I knew I told her and she had me come in to verify. They then made all of my appointments for scans. I hope that these go well, but if you can get all the information you can, it will help to know what is going on with development.

 

I will hope for good news and keep positive. All you can do right now is your best and continue to improve and you will deal with information as it comes.

[ShelbyLayne 10]

I have told my Endo and he was pretty pessimistic but my OB wasn't. I go for my first ultra sound in a couple days and will have a chance to ask more questions then.

[Pixi Stix 10]

Luckily, high blood sugar has more of an impact on the fetus in the last trimester than in the beginning. That's when the baby puts on all its weight and starts putting out its own insulin. That's why a h igh blood sugar at the end makes for a hypoglycemic, fat baby with an overactive pancreas. Watch your diet, watch your weight and you'll be fine. So will your baby. Good luck.

[Steal 16]

Pixi Stix, I wish that was the case, but when we are looking at the fetus in a Type I mom, it is most important to have blood sugars lower in the beginning. While we do look at the weight of the baby later on, the bigger concern at this point is development and with higher blood sugars during development, the little one is at a higher risk for issues. We all hope that this will not be the case, but it is important that everyone work hard to lower their A1C's to help establish a healthy womb for baby. My doctor was more concerned with lows later in pregnancy. I kept myself in very tight control and the doctor didn't want me going too low later on.

[Pixi Stix 10]

I didn't know that. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

[daniellel35 10]

I think you and I are in somewhat of the same situation! I found out I was 5 weeks pregnant but had pretty good control and then all of the sudden I found out I was (also unexpectedly) pregnant and my sugar went haywire. My a1c was 8.2 when i got pregnant but the diabetes centre seemed to think it was ok at that. Just monitor your sugar ALL THE TIME. I swear I am testing like 10-11 times a day and your sugar will constantly change. I needed 3x the amount of insulin and now I have lowered it again because I was getting a low or 2 a day. Good luck. I know how frustrating it is. Now I am 8 weeks pregnant and going for my next appointment on Thursday. Hoping all goes well. Feel free to message me and definitely keep us updated. Everyone here is amazing and so helpful.

Good luck and just like everyone said, don't stress. Stay calm and positive because that's the best thing you can do for you and your baby.

[Steal 16]

Danielle,

 

I agree about the calmness and I do think this passes on to your little one. Keep up the testing. I found I had to increase to 15+ times a day. Good luck and happy thoughts to you all.

[ShelbyLayne 10]

I have been testing like crazy and I have kept it under control very well since the moment I found out. I go for my first ultra sound in the morning and they are going to try to detect a heart beat I am so nervous but I have been trying to stay calm and positive. I will keep everyone updated thank you.

[Lizzie G 24]

I hope the ultrasound goes well, thinking of you; let us know how you get on xxx

[ShelbyLayne 10]

Well I'm not as far along as they thought I'm only 5 weeks so I have to wait two more weeks before I go back in. It's good news and bad news I really wanted to hear the heart beat but now I feel like I have a better chance because I have kept my blood sugar pretty regular the past week and a half.

[Steal 16]

Thanks for the update. In two weeks, we will all hope you hear good news.

[Marcia K in Fl 10]

Good job with keeping your sugars regular since you found out! I know nothing about this subject as a type 2 but I can tell you I will be waiting to hear your news, and am definately in your corner, cheering for you!

[mell1682 10]

I just found out that I am 6 weeks pregnant and it was totally unplanned but we are so excited. My A1cs have been pretty high the past few years and it is down to about a 9 now it was 11 at the time of conception. I am trying so hard to get it under control and as quickly as I can but I am scared it may already be too late what could I have done to my baby in the time I didn't know I was pregnant. Has anyone had experiences with high A1cs and how it effected your pregnancy and your baby. I am so scared. My OB didn't seem very concerned but my Endo gave me a huge dose of fear today. I want this baby more than anything!!

 

(((Hugs))) Both my daughters were conceived with very high A1C's (I was uninsured BOTH times), in the teens, and I worked harder than I've ever worked in my entire life to get my A1C down. I know it's scary right now, especially when you don't know if your baby is ok or not but I wanted to let you know BOTH my daughters are healthy and show no signs whatsoever of being from a diabetic mommy....which is pretty miraculous considering how bad things were when they were created :/ Sending hugs and prayers your way!!!

[ShelbyLayne 10]

The heart rate was 146 at 7 weeks then at 8 weeks up to 170 they told me it isn't anything to conceded over so everything is looking pretty good right now I will continue to keep you all updated

[pengu 10]

i found out that i am 7 weeks pregnant and my a1c was at 10. i am doing every thing to change my meals plan. fruits veggies chicken. its hard seeing as though i have no appatite. i have a primary care doctor but i am gettinf referred to see an endo. who specalizes in diabeties and pregnancy. my blood sugars have been good besides the scaary lows that i have occasionally. I fear for my baby's health. i have had diabeties since i was 10 years old and its hard. this baby is not planned but it is going to be well taken care of. i can proudly say that ichek my blood glucose about 6 to 8 times a day. compared to just 3 times before i was pregnant. message me and maybe we can talk. id love to talk to another diabetic who is having a baby.

[aiah23 11]

Pengu: You should be testing around 10-15 times/day including at least one overnight check. Keep a journal of when you test, how much insulin you take, what you eat and when, quantity, etc. This is a highly valuable tool during your pregnancy so you can see trends and what foods your body can and cannot tolerate during pregnancy (b/c of hormones making insulin virtually ineffective, etc as your pregnancy progresses). Also, is your OB a high risk one? If not, you're going to need to find a maternal and fetal specialist (aka perinatologist) as they deal exclusively with high risk pregnancies.

 

Fawn

[LaurenP 10]

Hello Pengu and ShelbyLayne,

 

I am 8 1/2 weeks preggers with my first as well. My A1C is currently 7.1 but when i conceived it was 6.4. Unfortunately I don't know why it would have gone up bc as soon as I felt pregnant I started testing 15-20 times a day and felt pretty under control. My High Risk OBGYN is pretty happy with 7.1, but he knows that I am not. As long as we are fighting everyday to get our sugars stable along with prayers, it is the best we can do. I look forward to talking with you two as we are kinda in the same boat. This is the only place that knows my secret of being pregnant, because my hubby and I don't want to announce until we get back postive news at our next 12 week ultrasounds and testings.

 

Good luck ladies!

Talk to you soon!

 

~Lauren

[pengu 10]

i will do that. thanks for the help. we told every one important. im waiting to tell people until the 2nd trimester. seeing as this is my first pregnancy and im scared silly. lol. im glad to say that my morning sickness is only in the morning and to foods that smell gross. lol. no i do not have a high risk ob. the mid wifes im going to is gonna refer me to a endo that specacilizes in diabeties and pregnanies. and do it that way. but i am so lost with everything... and i mean everything.

[aiah23 11]

i will do that. thanks for the help. we told every one important. im waiting to tell people until the 2nd trimester. seeing as this is my first pregnancy and im scared silly. lol. im glad to say that my morning sickness is only in the morning and to foods that smell gross. lol. no i do not have a high risk ob. the mid wifes im going to is gonna refer me to a endo that specacilizes in diabeties and pregnanies. and do it that way. but i am so lost with everything... and i mean everything.

 

as a type 1 diabetic, your placenta is more likely to degrade early (for reasons unknown but they've seen this in general). This is way most type 1s (I haven't seen an exception to this and I've really looked) tend to be induced sometime between 37-39 weeks. As your pregnancy progresses, you do non stress tests twice a week to make sure baby is practice breathing alright, moving alright, etc. These start later in the second trimester about once a week, I think that happens at 28 weeks, and then at 32 weeks it goes to twice a week. You're going to see hormonal surges occur as baby grows that will really warrant an increase in your insulin dosing (I'm taking upwards of triple to quadruple the total daily dose you took pre-pregnancy). Has your midwife handled other type 1 diabetics before? I ask b/c we're automatically viewed as a liability. I'd be leery of any mid-wife that said she could treat you w/o thoroughly understanding your condition and the risks you face as a high risk patient, that's why I ask.

 

Fawn

[KCP 10]

I just wanted to say to Lauren P that when I concieved I had an hba1c of 7.5 or so. The difference is what they are looking for is consistency. So if you your a1c has been up and down or sitting high, then your at more risk of complications. Also, the first 8 weeks or so, Ive found many have higher then normal sugars and at around 8 weeks or so they start to sit alot lower...

 

In Nz we have and ob and a MW. The MW are trained in diabetes care and specialise in caring for high risk patients and thats all they work with. We have obstetric care as well, but our LMC's tend to be the hospital MW, unless we go private..

 

Pengu: In terms of being lost? Yea, its tough alright. But there is alot of information here that should help