42 and Pregnant w?type 2D

[Caribbabe]

I am 8 weeks pregnant at the present time.  I lost a baby two years ago at about 6-8 weeks gestation.  Last year I was diagnosed with Type 2D and was put into intensive care cause my blood sugar was almost 600!! We were devestated one event after another. I was blessed enough to  have had a son 16 years ago and that pregnancy was a healthy one....but then again, I was much healthier and 25! Now I am 42 heading towards 43 in 5 months and worrying about everything under the sky! I take my blood sugar three times a day, worrying about gaining more weight, and wondering if this baby will be healthy and normal - and if we have to terminate this pregnancy, how it will destroy my loving husband once again. He has never had children and since we met we shared the idea of possibly having one. And now after 4 yrs of a blissful marriage we are faced with this uncertainty of not knowing how these 8 weeks will play out within the next 3 weeks when I go see a high risk ob/gyn to possibly get an amnio done.

I should be enjoying these wonderful weeks leading into my 3rd month of pregnancy but instead of fretting about what my high blood sugar may be doing to my unborn baby.

Any suggestions or comforting thoughts.......

[888mom]

I pray you have a healthy pregnancy.  I had gestational diabetes during my second pregnancy (first pregnancy was a miscarriage).  I gained 90 pounds during my pregnancy that went to term... and even though I gained 90 pounds, I was thankful to God that I had made it and not miscarried.  I was told that once you make it past the first trimester, risk of miscarriage decreases.  With diabetes, it gets a little more complicated in the third trimester because they want to make sure the baby isn't getting too big too quickly.  And with hormonal fluctuations again in the third trimester, closer to delivery time, they need to make sure your insulin amounts are right.  I was induced at 37 weeks, which is common for gestational diabetics, though it is possible I had diabetes before getting pregnant because it certainly didn't go away after delivery.

Try to stay as low stressed as you can.  Stress can aggravate blood sugar and raise it.  Keeping your blood sugars normal is important for the little one in there.  Which is hard because I am someone who gets anxiety about stuff, so I know it's harder to follow the advice than to give it.  

If you can't carry to term, there is always adoption.  My husband wants another child, but with diabetes, being overweight by a lot (the weight hasn't come off), and having an autoimmune disease, there are just too many complications for me to get pregnant again.  I'm in my late 30s.  My husband I think grieves that he can't have me pop out another kid, but he also has to respect my wishes to stay in good health because if I pop out a kid and can't be a mom or have good health enough to stay around and raise the child... well, anyways, I am getting off the point here...

Congrats on your pregnancy.  Many diabetic women have babies and give birth to healthy babies.  My daughter was born with no complications 3 weeks early (she weighed 7 1/2 pounds, which if I waited until 40 weeks, she probably would have been over 10 pounds). Even overweight diabetic women give birth to healthy babies.  But, if you want to play it safe... have your loving husband do a lot of stuff to help you out.  Have your son help you out!  And follow your doctors' advice... find out what exercise is healthy for a diabetic (I was told to do walking, though I guess it depends on if you have other complications).  I gained lots of weight, but I followed the diet.  My insulin kept having to be upped (insulin resistance).  But, I knew I had to eat the carbs which would make me gain weight, within the limits I was given (which was still quite limited), because babies need carbs in them to develop their brains.  SO, I followed diet and exercise strictly and I still gained 90 pounds.  Many people don't gain that much if they stick to the strict thing, but a few do (many people don't believe me and think I cheated, but frankly they can stick it in their whatever place)... I was working with an endocrinologist and faxing in my meal amounts and blood sugars on an almost daily basis and they'd review them every few days or so and talk to me on the phone and for awhile I was going in once a week when my sugars were not stabilized.  

Um, anyways, again congrats on the baby conception, and do have a healthy pregnancy...