Type 2 and Pregnant

[miracle19]

Just thought I would post a thread to ask for some advice.

I was diagnosed with type 2 in August and have worked really hard to get my blood sugar levels down. After very irregular /almost non existant periods since birth of my daughter over 7 years ago, within 4 days of being diagnosed and cutting out certain foods I got my first period. Then I had periods between 37 and 40 days apart from then on. Never been regular without assistance. Anyway just found out last week I am pregnant - so shocked as have been trying for over 6 years. I have been to dr who have put me back down to Metformin (firstly I assume this is safe to take with baby) and have phoned midwives and I am waiting for my apt and scan dates.

Can I ask what should I expect from appts, will I have more? Should I be requesting/offered an early scan s online it implies I should. In which case who should I talk to about this.
Any advice would be very welcomed. Really nervous about it all. At the moment I have joined slimming world about 3 weeks before I found out. I am hoping to continue even if it is just to keep a check on weight gain but then I am worried about my blood sugars dropping.
xx

[Chicken]

Hi Miracle

I know we've been chatting via PM but I just saw this and wanted to reply for any other diabetics who stumble across this thread. Just to recap my experience and knowledge for anyone else:

- The diabetic nurse at my surgery isn't, in my opinion, very specialised or good. Go straight to the diabetic antenatal team at your hospital.

- Medication while pregnant was 2000mg Metformin daily. Perfectly safe to use in pregnancy and helps to reduce the amount of insulin you need. I then used two types of insulin, Novorapid a fast acting insulin and Insulatard a slow acting one to control fasting blood sugars. Diet and exercise are still really important as control as well.

- As a diabetic my NHS trust run a fortnightly clinic where you see all the consultants you need at once. Generally the appointments were just looking at my blood sugars and talking through things. From around 20 weeks they move to scans every 4 weeks but this probably varies trust to trust.

- In the first 8-12 weeks of pregnancy you may find blood sugar control easier, then as the placenta grows it inhibits your body's use of insulin and you will have to increase the amount you take. This tails off in the last few weeks.

- As a diabetic you will probably be induced at 38-39 weeks, you won't be allowed to go to term due to increased risks. During labour you'll have an insulin sliding scale and this is all controlled by an insulin and glucose drip. My husband took my blood sugar readings for the midwife every hour (it gave him something to do and also the hospital finger pricker was brutal, I preferred to use my own but had cannulas in both hands so found it hard to do).

Ask me anything via PM, I know I've said all this but hopefully it will be useful to somebody else too!

[miracle19]

Thank you Chicken. I assume this will mean I won't be allowed a water birth then? Obviously my plan is to go for a VBAC and not worried about opting for a epidural this time as I fully experienced contractions last time. Got to fully dilated and pushed for 2 hours before emergency C-section.

[Chicken]

Yes, sadly I got laughed at when I asked about a water birth!

I was very immobile and it was all quite medicated (no darken room with soothing music for me). Just to give you an idea I could hardly move off my back, or roll to my front on my knees as I had:

right hand - insulin drip and glucose drip going into one cannula
left hand - hormone drip for the induction going into second cannula and pulse monitor on finger
round middle - heart rate and contraction band which was connected to graph
down below - heart rate clip attached to baby's head
back - epidural line in (although I ended up not using it due to a problem, long story!).

Each of those were connected to a machine, plus I had gas and air (amazing stuff) so around the bed were eight different things with leads and if I had moved they would have gotten very tangled! However it was fine. Long but fine! I was up and about the next morning and didn't feel any after effects at all from giving birth, I had a very speedy recovery. Don't worry about the birth, you will be well looked after and even if you can't have a water birth you can still have a good birth experience, mine really was fine.

[miracle19]

Thank you honey! I just hope to be able to actually deliver this baby myself...it still feels very strange to think I am having a baby and I don't think it will properly sink in til the scan. I wish I was able to have an early one but everyone is resisting so unless I went for private one which hubby is against....I have 4 week 2 days to wait...not too long I suppose...

[miracle19]

I am having a bit of a crisis of confidence. I had en emergency C-section after 2 hours of pushing last time...I was obv. fully dilated. I am really hoping for a vaginal birth but obviously this can be difficult after a C-section. My issue is that due to the diabetes they would hope I would deliver early and it is expected I would be induced. Now the consultant doesn't want me to be induced because of my previous scar. I really want to try for a natural birth - hoping baby will come on his own like my daughter - but looking online I am seeing only negative stories about induction with a previous C-section. I ont know what to do. I feel like the midwives are very supportive of my decision to try but the diabetic team aren't so much. So I am so confused. Do I just opt for a C-section - I had a terrible time after my operation getting an infection and being quite poorly or try and hope for a natural but accept it might end up being a C-section anyway. I know no one can answer that but me but it is starting to play on my mind now.