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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on April 23, 2012 at 8:24pm

Hi Amy,

I can't answer the question but I think it's important enough to check in with your endo and ob/gyn. If something is going on, you don't want to be weighing message board responses rather getting medical help. If what you're seeing isn't uncommon, I'm sure your docs will tell you.

Take care and best of luck,

Maurie

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Permalink Reply by Amy2188 on April 23, 2012 at 8:50pm

I have a doctors appointments tomorrow with my OB and my ENDO so I'm definitely going to bring this up .. I just really wanted to see if another woman has had a similar experience.

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Permalink Reply by clouder on April 24, 2012 at 12:49pm

Amy, I had the same experience, years ago and my insulin requirements changed daily and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason. I became very deligient in testing, monitoring, rechecking and changing dosages. everything worked out well for me, both my children were under 7lbs, which in my day, was considered underweight when I was diabetic.

For sure take your questions to your health care provider, and get the answers so you can ease your worries.
Best of luck and hope all goes well with the birth.

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Permalink Reply by christy on April 24, 2012 at 3:26pm

Amy, Im Type 1 as well, and my BG was so low darn near the whole pregnancy, only the last few weeks did I really notice an increase in my insulin needs. After delivery you may notice as well your insulin needs drop really low as your body adjusts. BUT I'd also bring it up to your OB/Gyn and Endo as well, as BG is nothing to play around with pregnant or not.

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Permalink Reply by garidan on April 24, 2012 at 1:26pm

If you keep having lows you have to lower lantus too.
Lantus, even only 1U in excess, can really let your BG down all day long.
Keep in touch with your endo: during pregnancy things change really fast.
It's due to hormones, and you being two being now (I don't know if it's correct english, but I like it).

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Permalink Reply by T1mommy on April 24, 2012 at 1:29pm

Hi Amy. This just happened to me recently - I had read that the drop would happen closer to 36 weeks and was surprised when it happened around 32/33 weeks. I also started getting sick and dehydrated at the same time so endo, OB and perinatologist all felt that I must just be stressed and I was put on bed rest. I'm Type 1 diagnosed last year.

I don't want to scare you at all, but please don't hesitate to question your doctors and get the answers you need. I lost my son 2 weeks ago at 37 weeks and it must have happened quickly. I was getting non stress tests weekly as well as high level ultrasounds, and the final NST took a lot longer than usual, but the OB "passed" him. I was scheduled to deliver at 38 weeks, but felt him moving less on Sunday and an ultrasound on Monday confirmed he was gone. In the end, they feel it was a quick onset of preeclampsia, which is a risk for diabetics. (this was going to be our 2nd son, our first was born in 2008 at 30 weeks via emergency c section b/c of a placental blood flow issue, still not sure why)

I wish I had spoke up about many things instead of just trusting the doctors. Trust your instincts and do your kick counts and you should be fine. :)

-Amy

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Permalink Reply by Kate on April 24, 2012 at 1:44pm

Hi Amy - Congratulations on your pregnancy! It sounds like your pregnancy is similar to mine. My son was born at 37 weeks back in February. Like you, I started seeing lows around week 34. My perinatologist and endo were in close communication regarding this. I think that they were most concerned that the placenta was deteriorating. They assured me that it wouldn't "go all at once" but would be a slow process. That's why I saw them weekly at the end. Checking in with your doctors and making sure your little one is okay is the best bet. But it sounds very similar to my (T1) pregnancy.

I hope your dr's appt goes well!

(side note: have you checked out the Oh! Baby! group? You can chat with a lot of people dealing with all the issues of pregnancy and diabetes)

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Permalink Reply by busymom on April 24, 2012 at 7:03pm

Hi Amy!
I am a type I also and out of my five children I have had 4 diabetic pregnancies. (I was diagnosed after the first was born. I had no complications. I ran low all the time too. With such tight control, it doesn't take much to drop low. After birth my insulin needs sharply decreased. In the hospital after the birth they were great about letting me control my insulin and testing and not the nurses. Afterwards if you are nursing, that can burn through the blood sugar too but for me it was worth it and it evens out after a while. It's good your endo communicates with you regularly over the phone and e-mail. I wouldn't hesitate to call your OB office and ask questions or voice concerns too at any time either whether your appt is soon or not. I called a lot and I was lucky to have an OB who knew a lot about blood sugar control. Congratulations and I wish you all the best!!

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Permalink Reply by Amy2188 on April 24, 2012 at 8:23pm

Thank you everyone for all of your responses. My OB seemed clueless (I do have to go to a clinic which gives me a diff resident every time so I don't trust them very much) My endo however seemed concerned. She told me that this is a sign of early labor, and like you said T1mommy, shouldn't happen until at least 36 weeks. She changed my doses and told me to call her within a few days to see how its goes. To be honest, I am terrified right now. I have searched the internet for hours and am finding nothing about placental problems, which is what I think is going on right now. I don't know, I guess I'm a worry wart but I very very scared at this point. I can't imagine what it would be like to loose a child. I'm sooo sorry for your loss T1mommy. Thanks for sharing your story and making me more aware though. I'm going to contact the high risk OB that I saw the beginning of April. He gave my son an echo and a thorough ultrasound so I'm guessing he's the best person right now to get a second opinion from. I almost want them to induce me .. like now!!

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Permalink Reply by T1mommy on April 25, 2012 at 8:17am

I really didn't intend to cause you anymore worry, but I think you are doing the right thing by trying to find more answers (especially with the doctors). I did the same thing as you and tried to research as much as I could online. Just remember, much of what you see via google is not from doctors and can be a little skewed (or even alarming!).

Enjoy your pregnancy!! Too much worry will stress you out and it sounds like your endo is on your side to help you through this. The high risk OB is a good one to contact - not sure if you see a perinatologist, I saw one weekly toward the end and he was assigned to caring for the baby, whereas the OB was taking care of me. In hindsight, I should have contacted the perinatologist earlier, but instead, waited it out until my next scheduled appointment, which I think was a day too late.

One thing I would recommend is to get your blood pressure checked regularly - many grocery stores have a free check stand by their pharmacy. They may or may not be calibrated to super accuracy, but that may give you an indication of any drastic changes (shows risk/onset of preeclampsia) and then you can let your doctors know.

Like you, I had my diabetes under great control through the pregnancy with my last A1C at 5.4 (A1C at diagnosis was 13.6! - got to 5.4 nine months later). Keep up the great work and let us know how it goes!

-Amy(T1mommy)

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