Diabetes, Pregnancy, & Steel Magnolias

Like I said in a previous post, I watched Steel Magnolias over the weekend (if you haven't seen it, spoiler alert below!). I have heard people refer to this movie when talking about diabetes and/or pregnancy. No wonder so many have a distorted view of diabetes and a healthy pregnancy! So just in case you may be wondering, I thought I'd try to clear up a few things. I'm not a medical professional, but I do have 20+ years experience as a type 1 diabetic and have learned a lot over the past year when it comes to diabetes and pregnancy. And because I have had my share of hearing "Isn't it harder for diabetics to get pregnant?" "Are you going to have a big baby?" etc etc, so I thought I'd just share a little about where I'm coming from and what it means to be pregnant and a type 1 diabetic.


#1. Healthy diabetics can have very healthy pregnancies and healthy, "normal sized" babies. It is recommended to have an A1c (a number that correlates to your average blood sugar over a 3 month time) of 6% below before conceiving and while pregnant. A woman with an A1c of 6% or below carries as much risk (as far as birth defects go) as a healthy woman without diabetes. My last A1c before getting pregnant was 6.8%. While this was not optimal, my risk is only increased by 1% (I know every bit counts, but just to show that it is not drastic). I have not had my A1c checked since finding out I was pregnant, but will soon and I suspect it will be much lower.

#2. High blood sugars=big baby. As long as a diabetic woman keeps her blood sugars in tight control, her baby should be born at a "normal" weight.  When mom's blood sugars are up, this causes the baby (who does not have diabetes) to produce more insulin, which isn't needed because the mom is taking insulin, and this extra insulin is stored as fat. This is why I check my blood sugars an average of 12 times a day  :) Also, diabetic women are immediately considered high risk pregnancies. While it does sound scary and puts a lot more responsibility on the mom to be (along with making sure she's eating enough, getting enough nutrients, watching weight gain, drinking enough water, etc, she also has to check blood sugars more frequently (for example, before I checked 6-8 times a day- now 10-14), be in contact with the doctor's office weekly to review blood sugars/make insulin adjustments, counting carbs correctly, more frequent doctor visits), it does allow mom and baby to be more closely monitored and probably the healthiest mom has ever been. Which.I.love. From the first appointment at 6 1/2 weeks, I have gone to the doctor every 2 weeks AND already had 2 ultrasounds! This means we get to hear the baby's heartbeat on the doppler every 2 weeks, I'll take it! And at 32 weeks, I will start going twice a week, every week for a non-stress test and an ultrasound (more check ins and looking at baby? Yep, I'm there!). They also monitor the baby's size at these appointments, so they can induce before baby gets TOO big!

#3.Will your baby have diabetes?
The chance of our baby having diabetes is pretty low. The risk is different for each person with diabetes. For example, our child is at less risk since the diabetes is on the maternal side and not paternal (risk is higher if dad has it). However, he or she is at a slightly higher risk since I was diagnosed at a young age (8). I am hoping that since my diagnosis was so random (I am the only known person in my entire family- past or present- to be diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes), that the risk is very, very low.

So no, diabetes does not make it harder to get pregnant. It does not make you have big babies. Yes, it does cause you to be at a higher risk for some issues, but there are still more healthy diabetic pregnancies than not. Is there a lot more to deal with? Yes. But is it worth it? MOST definitely!!

Although they don't go into it much in the movie, Shelby had to have been a very brittle diabetic. AND they mention that the doctor told her not to have children because her body couldn't handle it...BUT she didn't listen to the doctors, and therefore led to a grim outcome. My diabetes has never been in excellent control, but when J and I started thinking about wanting to have kids, I knew I was going to have to buckle down and get serious. I wanted to do everything I could ahead of time to create a healthy environment for our future baby. Of course diabetics, like anyone else, can get pregnant without planning to, but with diabetes it is very important to plan and get your body ready for pregnancy. Once we knew we were ready to really think about having a baby, we made an appointment with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist to go over all of the risks, what to expect while pregnant, and where I optimally needed to be health-wise (they didn't even want us to try before I got my A1c down). That was in April of last year- months before I would even stop taking birth control pills. I immediately started zoning in on my blood sugars to get them under better control and get my A1c down...it took several months, but it was slowly but surely making it's way down! We actually got pregnant a lot faster than expected, but after so many months of really working on my blood sugars I was in a good spot and things have only gotten better since! I posted a link to an article below, but like she says "Nothing mattered more than keeping myself healthy so that my daughter would be healthy." Exactly. When it's in the best interest of your baby, it's not hard to say no to treats when you have to or checking your blood sugar umpteen times a day and changing your insulin requirements weekly. All worth it!

I read this article today and thought I would share! I have a while longer to go in my pregnancy, but I can definitely relate to a good portion of her story.

12 Weeks

How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain? no clue...I feel like I haven't gained any in the past couple of weeks, but we'll find out at the doctor Thursday!

Maternity clothes? nope, clothes are fitting well. However, jeans usually have to be unbuttoned at the end of a meal!
Movement? not yet, can't wait for that!
Cravings? I REALLY wanted shaved ice this weekend. Apparently, February isn't a good months for shaved ice cravings :( And chicken salad. I don't have many consistent cravings (except for wanting strawberries pretty much anytime), the others just hit me and I have to have it!
Anything make you queasy or sick? luckily, no

Sleep? wish I could get more- still having trouble falling asleep after waking up in the middle of the night to empty my bladder and check blood sugar. The latest I've been able to sleep in lately is 9am, which is not very late by my standards! :) But I will take what I can get!
Best moment this week: getting to tell a few more friends and after our appointment this week, we will officially let the secret out! :)
Gender: don't know yet! And really don't have a feeling either way...
Labor signs? nope
Symptoms? tired (getting better though, I think!), breaking out (was really hoping these hormones would improve breakouts, but so far no luck), headaches, and nausea (all of a sudden came back every.single.day last week, but fortunately still haven't actually gotten sick)- funny story, J and I toured the Belle Meade Plantation yesterday, and while standing in one of the parlors of the 1850s mansion, surrounded by antiques, I thought "oh no. I am going to be sick. The first time I am going to be sick and it is going to be in front of our tour group all over this old, gorgeous home!" I ruled out using my purse since I had my camera and phone in there...the door to get out was blocked...I didn't know what I was going to do! I just took several deep breaths and thank goodness, it went away! But that was close!!

Belly button in or out? in

What I miss: Sleeping through the night and sleeping in on the weekends!
What I am looking forward to: sharing our news with EVERYONE later this week!! 
Weekly wisdom: I love turkey sandwiches. I literally probably don't go a week without having one. I see so many other bloggers who fill out this type of survey saying they miss turkey sandwiches or cold turkey sandwiches- so I just thought I'd share this piece of wisdom from my doctor. It is ok to eat deli turkey as long as it is heated for 30 seconds or until steaming. For cold sandwiches, when you buy a pack of turkey, go ahead and heat it up and put it back in the fridge. After it's been heated up once, the bacteria is dead and doesn't have to be heated up again! Yay :)

Also, I watched Steel Magnolias all the way through for the first time yesterday (gasp, i know), and wow. No wonder people get freaked out about diabetics having babies! A post about this is coming soon!!
Milestones: The bump is slowly making it's way out. J and I can both tell. It really only shows in fitted clothes and looks more like I have a chubby belly than a bump, but it's getting there!! AND almost through the first trimester!!!

11 Weeks

How far along? 11 weeks
Total weight gain? 5 lbs :/

Maternity clothes? nope, regular clothes are still fitting without any problem
Movement? Not yet...I wish!
Cravings? Still loving strawberries/strawberry flavored things or any of the flavors of the fruit chillers tubes!
Anything make you queasy or sick? so far, so good...

Sleep? I actually slept through the night last night! This was the first time in over a month...but I'm still pretty sleepy.
Best moment this week: had my every other week appointment last week and they were able to pick up baby's heartbeat on the doppler! We only got to hear it for about 5 seconds before baby moved, but that's good enough for me. The doctor seemed surprised we were able to find it since we were only 10 weeks along, so I'm hoping this means we have a very healthy baby, with a good, strong heart :)
Gender: no clue...but we'll know in 8 weeks!
Labor signs? no
Symptoms? nausea (down to just a couple days a week now!), tired

Belly button in or out? in  
What I miss: I definitely miss the occasional glass of wine! And I'm ready to have some energy back...should get better in the next few weeks though

What I am looking forward to: being done with the first trimester and finally telling our good news to everyone!

Weekly Wisdom: don't eat too much at once...ouch

Milestones: hearing baby's heartbeat on the doppler...140!

10 weeks

How far along? 10 weeks

Total weight gain? Haven't stepped on the scale for a little over a week, but will know at my appointment Thursday...I know it's early, but I'm a little nervous!

Maternity clothes? No...but some pairs of my pants are getting tighter than others. I just prefer to wear leggings on the weekends because I can.
Movement? No- but I know he or she is at least moving their arms all over the place, soon to be followed by those squishy legs :)
Cravings? anything strawberry, love frozen treats (popsicles and these, omg), was really craving pancakes and got my fix at the Pancake Pantry over the weekend!
Anything make you queasy or sick? just if I eat too much. I'm learning I have to really pay attention to when I'm just starting to get full and to not take one more bite! Otherwise I feel sick for hours :(

Sleep? it's pretty good- I just like to get a lot of it!
Best moment this week: today is my 29th birthday- I just remember hoping I would be pregnant by the time my 29th birthday rolled around and here we are! And I'm just so grateful :) And celebrating my birthday with J and my family- and it being even more exciting knowing that when 30 rolls around, we will be parents to a sweet 5-6 month old
Gender: Right now I am feeling girl...but that could change!
Labor signs? no
Symptoms? sleepy, nausea, heartburn started over the weekend (yay)

Belly button in or out? in
What I miss: not being exhausted almost all of the time! And I'm pushing out my birthday celebration until we can share the news with everyone (better than dealing with the "why aren't you drinking??" questions all night long :)

What I am looking forward to: my appointment Thursday- should get to hear the heart beat!

Weekly Wisdom: sleep rules.

Milestones:we're in the double digits!

9 Weeks

How far along? 9 weeks
Total weight gain? 3 lbs...

Maternity clothes? nope, clothes are starting to fit really well!
Movement? not yet
Cravings? buttery popcorn...like layers and layers of butter in my popcorn. I want to go to a movie just so I can eat popcorn! Still loving strawberries and anything strawberry flavored.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Luckily, no. However, I have noticed I don't feel well after my morning Carnation Instant Breakfast....

Sleep? overall, pretty good. Last night, not so much :(
Best moment this week: due to a misunderstanding at my doctor appointment last week, they scheduled an ultrasound for last Friday. It was amazing to see how much the baby has changed from just a few weeks ago- we could see the head and arm and leg buds. Totally incredible. The main reason we went was to check the heartbeat (no reason for alarm, just thought we'd get to hear it at our appt Thursday and when they didn't check, they scheduled the US for us- I think I'm already a crazy, pain in the butt mom :)...anyway, heartbeat was strong at 175. We also measured a couple days ahead of what we were told last time...I'm interested to see if this will change again and/or if they will bump up our due date!
Gender prediction: ?? Friends seem to be leaning toward girl, family thinking boy. Me, clueless!
Labor signs? no
Symptoms? REALLY tired- pretty much all the time, no matter how much sleep I get; occasional nausea; waking every night to empty my bladder...then not being able to get back to sleep!
Belly button in or out? In
What I miss: not always being tired...but I really can't complain :)

What I am looking forward to: my birthday next Monday! The last in my 20s and the last one as a family of 3! (yes, I include Cash in our family count :) I'm also looking forward to our next appointment on the 16th!

Weekly Wisdom: for me, sleep seems to work wonders on morning sickness! Now if only I could get a little more sleep...

Milestones: baby is now officially a fetus. You go baby :)