# Newbie



## LittlePeanut (May 21, 2011)

Hi Everyone
I just wanted a little advice as I am about 4 weeks pregnant and seem to be struggling with my insulin doses.  I have been put onto novorapid and levemir pre-conception and was fine on 10-12 units.  But the specialist has upped my units to 14 as my after food readings have been around 10.  Yesterday I had my first 2 hypos - about 2-3 hours after eating.  Should I reduce my insullin? nurse just said to eat a snack between meals. Does having a hypo affect the baby and is me having a hypo just because of hormone changes?


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## Northerner (May 21, 2011)

Hi LittlePeanut, welcome to the forum  I can't offer much advice I'm afraid, but hopefully there will be some of our members along who have been through what you are going through now. I'm pretty sure the hypos don't affect the baby - what sort of levels were they? Make sure you always keep some sugary food or drink handy. Since you are on fixed doses, your levels will depend on what you are eating to match the insulin you are injecting, so if you have a relatively low carbohydrate meal this may not contain enough carbs for the insulin dose - hence your nurse's instruction to eat a snack to avoid going low.

Have you been diagnosed long? I think all ladies struggle with getting good, stable control when pregnant, so just do your best. If you are worried about the hypos then do ask your DSN about them before changing your doses.

I hope things settle for you


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## LittlePeanut (May 21, 2011)

I have been a type 2 since 2005 but saw the nurse in January to discuss starting a family and have had endless appointments since then and they have slowly moved me from metformin tablets onto insullin injections. But I have really cut down on my intake of bad foods so presume this hasnt helped the hypos either - but as it was 3.7 twice yesterday and tonight an hour after tea it was 3.8 I think the nurse has mis-informed me maybe - its hard to get the right balance.


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## margie (May 22, 2011)

Hi Little Peanut - and welcome to the forums. I haven't been through pregnancy myself but from what I have read insulin requirements can change a lot through pregnancy. A lot is down to the fluctuating hormone levels. 

A lot of the ladies who post here have struggled with hypos in the first trimester and then discovered that they need to increase the insulin in the latter part of pregnancy. 

Keep in touch with our DSN - make sure that they have some experience of diabetic pregnancies. 

Congratulations on the baby hope all goes well for you.


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## Northerner (May 22, 2011)

LittlePeanut said:


> I have been a type 2 since 2005 but saw the nurse in January to discuss starting a family and have had endless appointments since then and they have slowly moved me from metformin tablets onto insullin injections. But I have really cut down on my intake of bad foods so presume this hasnt helped the hypos either - but as it was 3.7 twice yesterday and tonight an hour after tea it was 3.8 I think the nurse has mis-informed me maybe - its hard to get the right balance.



Looks like you are just teetering on the edge of excellent control, so perhaps a minor adjustment to the novorapid would help elevate your levels a touch. Bear in mind that, for a non-diabetic person, anything above 3.5 would not be regarded as a hypo, so this is something that would not be unusual for a baby to experience in the womb. The 3.8 only an hour after tea does indicate that your dose was  way too high for the meal/amount of carbs you ate though, since the insulin would only just be starting to reach its peak at that point, with another 3-4 hours potency. It would be worth asking your DSN about carb counting so that you are able to have more control and confidence in your insulin doses. It may sound complex at first, but if you are not able to adjust doses according to what you eat then you will be tied to always eating to match the insulin - whether in your main meals or by 'topping up' with snacks when the lows strike.

p.s. love your avatar!


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## MrsCLH (May 23, 2011)

Hi Littlepeanut

First of all welcome to the forum and congratulations on your pregnancy  I'm type 1, currently 22 weeks pregnant.

The first trimester is hard, especially right at the beginning where you are now. First of all, hypos do not harm the baby so don't worry about that. They are not nice for you though, and can result in rebounds later so it is obviously best to avoid them if you can. You will have a lot more hypos in the first trimester because baby is taking so much from you and sometimes these will be unavoidable no matter what you eat and how much insulin you take.

Everyone is different and you will find the right way for you. Rather than carb counting I have found that sticking to the same dose and similar amounts of carbs at each meal with a snack in between meals works for me. But if you prefer to have more flexibility then carb counting might suit you better.

The best advice I can give you at this stage is to test test and test! And write everything down, doses, bs readings, what you're eating etc. That way you have as much information as possible for your consultant/dsn/diabetologist to go on. How often are you being seen? I have been at the hospital every 2 weeks since I was about 4 weeks pregnant and it really helps to be closely monitored so you can keep making adjustments.

Finally try not to get stressed out, I got so worked up in the first few weeks thinking that I wouldnt be able to do it  and worrying that every reading out of range was putting my baby at risk but I promise that you will settle into a routine.

Good luck with it all and keep asking questions!!

MrsH xx


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## Laura22 (May 23, 2011)

Hi LittlePeanut,

I'm Type 1 and had my first baby just over 7 weeks ago.

Don't panic. Hypos don't affect your baby but high levels do. 

I was seeing my DSN every week to discuss my levels and adjust my insulin intake and I have to say it worked a treat.

Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy


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## smile4loubie (May 24, 2011)

Hi LittlePeanut

Welcome to the forum. During the first few weeks of my pregnancy I had alot of hypos but would be slightly higher then a sudden hypo (if that makes any sense). If you can try adjusting when you take your injections. I ended up taking mine after I eat not before as if I took them before I'd hypo before my food was ready. My little girl was 3 weeks old yesterday =)
hope they settle soon and everything goes well with your pregnancy


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## LittlePeanut (May 25, 2011)

Ah thank you everyone for your kind replied and advice.
I speak with my DSN evey week and give her my readings - she has told me not to reduce my novorapid but to try and change my brekki as it could be that toast releases better for me than special K..... its all a bit crazy to me but I am just going with it. I have a snack mid morning and mid afternoon now which is helping.  But I am still starving!! am I growing an elephant inside? had tea and was just as hungry after eating as before!


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## MrsCLH (May 26, 2011)

Agree about the toast thing. I am much better with toast than any kind of cereal. When I was at your stage I frequently felt hungrier after dinner than I did before lol! xx


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