Kimberley Hanson shares what she learned about getting prepared, navigating her healthcare team and medication needs during pregnancy, and what to expect in the post-partum period as well as practical tips and resources for people who live with diabetes and are considering having a baby.
Speaker: Kim Hanson
Speaker: Kim Hanson
0:00
[Music]0:03
hello and welcome to diabetes deep Dives0:06
my name is Candace and I'm from diabetes0:08
Canada if you are new to our video0:10
series thanks so much for joining us if0:12
you have been enjoying the series0:14
welcome back our diabetes deep Dives0:16
video series is designed to go beyond0:18
the surface of General diabetes0:20
information we hope to spark continued0:22
interest and learning and leave me with0:24
practical tips and tools that you can0:26
easily use subscribe to our YouTube0:29
channel and click on the notification0:30
Bell to be notified about new content0:33
you can also check us out on social0:34
media to find out when the next one will0:36
be posted to our YouTube channel thanks0:38
to those who have subscribed and0:40
supported our video series in this0:43
episode we will hear from Kimberly0:44
Hansen who is diagnosed with type 10:46
diabetes in 1997 Kim has two incredible0:50
Sons Owen and Hugo Kim and her family0:53
began working to fund research and bring0:55
financial support to others with type 10:57
diabetes in 30 plus years they have1:00
raised nearly $1 million for diabetes1:02
research currently Kim is the CEO of1:05
Health Partners before that Kim served1:08
for five years as executive director of1:10
advocacy for diabetes Canada Kim will1:13
walk us through her experiences of1:15
managing her diabetes while pregnant she1:17
will share what she learned about1:19
getting prepared navigating her healthc1:21
care team and medication needs during1:23
pregnancy and what to expect in the1:25
postpartum period She will share1:28
practical tips and resources for people1:30
who live with diabetes and are1:31
considering having a1:33
baby some of the content in this video1:35
may be difficult to hear and may trigger1:37
some intense emotions we encourage you1:39
to seek support and or stop the video If1:42
you find yourself reacting to the1:44
content in a distressing way we1:46
recognize that the content in this video1:48
may not be relevant for everyone and1:50
will depend on what your experience with1:52
diabetes is and what devices are1:54
available to you where you live if you1:57
have specific questions about diabetes1:59
management please reach out to your2:01
Healthcare team these videos are for2:04
educational purposes only the content2:06
discussed in this video is not intended2:08
to be medical advice and to the extent2:10
that medical advice is required you2:12
should consult with a medical2:14
professional the information discussed2:16
in this video cannot replace2:18
consultations with a qualified health2:20
care professional to meet your2:21
individual medical needs the views and2:24
opinions expressed in this video are2:26
those of the speakers and do not2:28
necessarily reflect the views or2:30
positions of diabetes Canada as always2:33
we hope that this video Sparks your2:34
interest in learning more about diabetes2:36
management and now over to our guest2:38
speaker2:40
Kim hi there I'm Kim Hansen and I'm here2:43
to talk to you about What to Expect When2:46
You're Expecting with2:50
diabetes I wanted to talk to you about2:52
some of the things that I've come to2:54
learn you can expect through my2:56
experience having a few pregnancies2:59
while living with diabetes so I think3:02
you can expect some raised eyebrows lots3:04
of questions that a head start really3:08
helps extra care so much insulin and3:13
probably squishy babies so let's dive3:18
in when I was diagnosed with type 13:21
diabetes in3:23
1997 the scariest thing I heard that day3:26
was that I might have trouble having3:28
children and and I remembered watching3:31
the movie Steel Magnolia in which Julia3:34
Robert's character who lives with type 13:37
diabetes ends up uh really struggling3:40
because of a pregnancy and ultimately3:43
dying I really want to stress that that3:48
is not the case for many people3:51
especially now and so it is very3:54
possible that you can safely have a baby3:57
even if you're living with diabetes4:01
before I became pregnant with my second4:03
child my GP my family doctor was really4:08
concerned she did not want me to have uh4:11
another baby especially after the age of4:14
35 and she was kind of scaring me with4:18
some of the warnings that she had about4:20
the risks that getting pregnant at a4:23
later age with diabetes would pose to me4:27
and my child and so I went and saw my4:30
endocrinologist and said you know I'd4:32
really like to have one more child um4:35
but I know that my doctor feels that4:37
it's getting really late what's your4:40
view and she said you know Kim I really4:44
I don't have to say I don't agree with4:46
your GP in this case uh in your4:49
particular case you know your A1C levels4:52
are pretty good your overall management4:55
of your diabetes is pretty good you're4:57
not experiencing any complications s i i5:00
fortunately don't have uh any kind of5:03
kidney disease or or Advanced eye5:06
problems and so she said I don't think5:09
that you're at any greater risk in terms5:11
of having a pregnancy at this age than5:14
another person that didn't have diabetes5:17
would be so I just want our viewers to5:20
know that there can be some5:23
misconceptions about the risk of being5:26
pregnant while living with diabetes and5:29
some of those are really well5:31
intentioned but they might be based on5:33
information that's out ofd diabetes5:37
management uh methods have changed5:40
dramatically in the last 20 25 years and5:44
by virtue of that many of us are able to5:46
keep our blood sugars in a healthier5:49
range much more of the time than folks5:52
40 or 50 years ago had the ability to do5:56
so just recognize that even if folks are5:59
are raising their eyebrows wondering6:01
whether it's safe for you to have a baby6:04
wondering if that's the right thing for6:06
you to do that they're not necessarily6:09
the experts and it's really uh up to you6:12
to talk to your health care team6:14
including your diabetes specialist and6:16
make an informed decision for6:18
[Music]6:19
you you can expect to get lots of6:22
questions you will become an expert in6:25
so much medical jargon during the time6:28
that you're preparing to become pregnant6:30
and going through your pregnancy your6:33
healthc care team is going to want to6:34
look at a lot of things uh in order to6:38
understand how your health is doing and6:40
how the baby's health is doing they're6:42
going to check your weight and your body6:45
mass index they're going to want to know6:48
what your blood glucose levels are and6:50
your A1C that thre Monon average of of6:54
uh those ratings they're especially6:56
going to want to look at time and range6:58
if you're already already living with7:00
diabetes and for a great explanation of7:03
what time and range is I would encourage7:05
you to watch the diabetes deep diet on7:08
time and range but basically it's a7:10
measure of how much of your day you're7:13
spending with your blood sugars in the7:15
target range that you set with your7:17
health care provider and it's an7:19
indication of um how well prepared you7:22
are to enter into a pregnancy with7:26
diabetes even if you don't start your7:28
pregnancy with Di diabetes uh but you7:31
find out along the way that you have7:33
gestational diabetes you'll be checked7:36
regularly for your blood pressure uh7:39
other7:40
medications people are going to want to7:41
check feet heart eyes kidneys to make7:45
sure that diabetes isn't doing any7:48
damage to any of those organs and7:50
they're going to want to know about your7:52
family history and your genetics so that7:54
they can get a full picture of your7:56
health and the baby's health and they7:58
can know what to watch watch for so8:00
don't be alarmed if you're getting lots8:03
of questions uh diabetes can be a an8:08
extra sort of layer of complication in a8:10
pregnancy but it's very possible to have8:13
a baby healthfully even with8:18
diabetes a head start really helps so if8:21
you are considering becoming pregnant um8:24
it's really a good idea to reach out to8:27
your healthc care provider before hand8:30
um especially if you're already living8:32
with diabetes when I was wanting to8:35
become pregnant I started seeing a8:38
specialist in uh pregnancy and diabetes8:42
three months before I became pregnant so8:44
that I could get uh confident that I was8:48
I was um having the healthiest uh8:52
Behavior patterns diet sleep exercise8:56
that I had good management of my blood8:59
sugars at that point that I had a good9:03
um insulin regime that we understood and9:06
and knew how we would adjust as we9:08
needed to Etc and so I would really9:11
encourage that everyone reach out and9:14
get some uh Medical Care before you9:17
become pregnant if at all possible um9:21
everybody even if you're starting and9:23
you don't have diabetes it's great when9:25
you can optimize your weight and those9:27
patterns that I was talking about eating9:29
sleeping exercise make sure to take a9:32
fol folic acid supplement and that your9:35
vaccines are up to date that'll really9:37
help you through the period of pregnancy9:41
if you have diabetes uh and are about to9:44
become pregnant it's probably a really9:46
good idea to start or continue if you9:49
already do wearing a continuous glucose9:52
monitor uh and and learn how to sort of9:55
do your best to get your blood sugars in9:57
range the most of the time possible for10:00
you and just get checked out head to10:04
toe I really spent a lot of time with my10:07
healthc care team during before during10:10
and after my pregnancies and and I'm10:13
extremely grateful for that because they10:15
helped me have two amazing Healthy10:20
Babies you'll get extra care and uh that10:25
sometimes can feel a little bit extra as10:28
they would say but it's a real blessing10:31
especially here in Canada that we can10:33
get the care that we need you can expect10:36
that you'll probably get an10:37
ultrasound uh if you've got diabetes and10:40
are pregnant before people that uh are10:44
are not living with diabetes usually do10:46
in their pregnancy they'll just want to10:48
check and make sure that the baby's10:49
doing okay and get a good Baseline to uh10:53
watch through your10:55
pregnancy if you are diagnosed with10:58
gestation diabetes Midway through your11:00
pregnancy you'll notice that they're11:02
going to start wanting to see you more11:05
you might wind up being referred for11:07
Specialist Care at some point during11:09
your pregnancy there are some amazing11:12
experts that know a lot about managing11:15
diabetes as well as managing pregnancy11:18
uh among those with diabetes and so11:21
that's not uncommon to get referred to a11:24
specialist team and it doesn't mean that11:26
there's anything necessarily wrong it's11:29
just sometimes it's just a11:31
precaution you can also expect that you11:35
you'll have a maybe a little bit of an11:37
atypical experience right after baby's11:40
born it is very very common for babies11:44
of mums with diabetes to be taken to the11:47
neonatal intensive care unit for11:49
observation for the first 24 hours of11:52
their life while baby adjusts to not11:56
being tied to Mom's blood sugar levels11:59
and that's um not an easy thing to watch12:02
your baby being carried away right after12:04
you welcom them into the world but it's12:06
the best thing for them and so don't be12:08
surprised if that happens it doesn't12:10
mean that there's anything necessarily12:12
wrong with your baby either so lots of12:15
care lots of appointments um and and uh12:19
and and I think that I felt pretty lucky12:21
for12:23
that so much insulin so I should say12:28
that if you don't start your pregnancy12:30
with diabetes and develop gestational12:33
diabetes you may not end up needing12:36
insulin during your pregnancy but a12:38
majority of people seem to and during12:42
pregnancy because our hormone levels12:44
change so much it is common for people12:48
to be taking maybe three times as much12:51
insulin every day as they did under the12:54
same circumstances at the beginning of a12:57
pregnancy when we're pregnant our13:00
placenta causes us to become way more13:03
insulin resistant than normal so for13:07
many of us that means that we just need13:09
way more insulin to handle the same food13:12
that we ate before we were pregnant for13:15
me I went went from taking about 3013:18
units a day before I was pregnant to13:20
taking a 100 units a day easily uh13:23
eating very much the same diet so uh13:26
don't be surprised if you find that13:28
you're taking13:29
way more insulin than normal or or if13:31
you have just gestational diabetes that13:33
you need to start taking insulin I found13:36
I wore an insulin pump um before and13:39
throughout my pregnancy and I got to the13:41
point that I was taking so much insulin13:43
each day I would uh take my Bolis13:46
insulin using a syringe and just use my13:50
pump to run my basil insulin um so if13:53
you find that you need more and more and13:55
more and more that's normal during a13:57
pregnancy and you will also notice that14:00
it falls off your insulin needs fall off14:03
really rapidly right after you deliver14:05
your baby and the placenta uh and so14:08
what you might find is that within 24 to14:11
48 hours your insulin needs go back to14:14
what they were before you were pregnant14:17
and so you have to if you're wearing an14:19
insulin pump really uh be watching and14:22
start adjusting your basil rates back14:25
down if they had been pushed up and your14:28
healthare team can give you good advice14:30
on how to do that and how to watch for14:32
it so that you're not experiencing a lot14:34
of hypoglycemia right after delivering14:37
your14:39
baby I think many of you would14:42
experience squishy babies and I say that14:45
because people that have diabetes during14:48
pregnancy are statistically a bit more14:50
likely to have heavier babies usually14:53
the babies come out a little chubbier14:55
because they've been getting extra sugar14:57
from the mum's blood in utero this is a15:01
picture of me and my sister so I'm the15:04
one in the blue shirt and my sister's15:07
holding my son Hugo who was born five15:11
weeks early weighing 11 pounds super15:14
squishy and he is sitting beside his15:17
cousin who I'm15:19
holding Jack my nephew is only three15:22
months younger than Hugo and yet you can15:24
see how different they are in size so15:28
It's Not Unusual for people with15:31
diabetes to have large babies it will15:34
also mean that you get watched more15:36
carefully can slightly increase the15:38
likelihood that you might need a15:40
cesarian section but it gives you lots15:42
of baby to squeeze and to15:44
love I talked a lot about what it's like15:47
to be pregnant with uh and and the baby15:51
and and maybe that they might need to uh15:54
go to the NICU after they're born but15:57
what can you expect as as a a new parent16:00
of a newborn baby newly delivered of a16:02
baby in terms of your16:04
diabetes what I found in addition to the16:07
changing insulin needs that you'll have16:10
um you'll find that you may need to eat16:13
more than you normally would uh in a16:16
non-pregnant State especially if you16:19
choose to breastfeed and that is always16:22
recommended where possible um I used to16:25
have to keep a a sandwich i' keep a half16:29
of a peanut butter sandwich and a glass16:30
of milk in my baby's room that I would16:33
eat while I would get up to breastfeed16:36
him in the night because I found it hard16:38
to keep my blood sugar up if I didn't16:41
have that bit of extra food in the16:43
middle of the night um you'll find that16:47
you if you do end up needing a C-section16:50
and you're living with diabetes might be16:53
a little slower to heal than some other16:55
folks so just make sure that your uh16:57
Healthcare te team's really helping you16:59
with managing the wound and that you've17:02
got lots of family support around you17:05
because every new parent diabetes or17:07
otherwise is tired and it's an emotional17:10
time but a really joy-filled time as17:14
well and then finally I think you can17:17
expect after going through diabetes and17:21
a pregnancy a lot of love this is my17:25
family who I feel incredibly blessed to17:27
have my son Owen is now 21 and my son17:31
Hugo is now 12 and they're both Miracles17:35
I will say that I did experience a few17:39
miscarriages which are common to all17:42
women and diabetes makes it a little bit17:45
more likely that we experience17:47
miscarriages so I'm extra grateful to17:50
have the two healthy boys that I do they17:53
both spent a significant amount of time17:56
in the NICU right after they were born17:58
they were both born with some troubles18:01
breathing and needed some extra care for18:04
a few days which was scary but they've18:08
gone on to be perfectly healthy and18:10
pretty amazing18:12
people as much as having a new baby can18:16
be a time of very joyous time for people18:20
can also be a time that's hard for18:22
people mentally and emotionally as well18:25
as physically it's not uncommon for for18:28
people to experience postpartum18:31
depression or anxiety and living with18:35
diabetes can make us a little bit more18:37
predisposed to some of those mental18:40
health challenges than uh than other18:43
folks so if you need extra help uh18:47
coping with life as a new parent or18:51
anything please reach out to your18:53
healthc care team to uh your you know18:56
local um18:58
Emergency Services distress lines Etc uh19:03
there's the website want to talk about19:05
it that you can reach out to to get19:08
support if you're struggling with any19:10
aspect of mental health uh in in terms19:14
of dealing with your new19:15
baby I would refer you to some great19:18
resources on the diabetes Canada website19:22
you can check out the clinical practice19:24
guideline on diabetes and pregnancy that19:27
has some great tips19:29
for people living with diabetes at19:32
guidelines.19:35
diabetes.com other great patient19:37
resources on Diabetes Canada's website19:53
[Music]19:57
diabetes.com in this exciting change in20:00
your life or your family's life I wish20:02
you all the20:03
best thank you so much for tuning into20:06
this very informative episode of20:07
diabetes deep Dives and thank you to Kim20:10
for sharing her20:11
experiences again this topic may not be20:14
relevant to everyone living with20:15
diabetes but we do hope that you found20:17
it interesting and learn something new20:20
please take the opportunity to keep the20:22
conversation going by posting a comment20:24
in the comment section on YouTube you20:26
can provide us feedback about the video20:28
by clicking on the link to the feedback20:30
survey in the description box if you20:32
have ideas for other topics you'd like20:34
to learn more about you can include that20:36
in the comments or feedback survey as20:38
well Kim mentioned resources that would20:41
support diabetes management during20:43
pregnancy in the YouTube description box20:45
below the video we have included links20:47
to the resources she mentioned for quick20:49
access to them for more information20:52
about diabetes management please visit20:54
our website at20:57
diabetes.com info@21:00
diabetes.com line at 1800 Banting that's21:04
121:05
18226 8464 and speak to one of our21:09
information and support Specialists who21:11
can address your needs thanks again for21:13
joining us and see you next21:19
time
[Music]0:03
hello and welcome to diabetes deep Dives0:06
my name is Candace and I'm from diabetes0:08
Canada if you are new to our video0:10
series thanks so much for joining us if0:12
you have been enjoying the series0:14
welcome back our diabetes deep Dives0:16
video series is designed to go beyond0:18
the surface of General diabetes0:20
information we hope to spark continued0:22
interest and learning and leave me with0:24
practical tips and tools that you can0:26
easily use subscribe to our YouTube0:29
channel and click on the notification0:30
Bell to be notified about new content0:33
you can also check us out on social0:34
media to find out when the next one will0:36
be posted to our YouTube channel thanks0:38
to those who have subscribed and0:40
supported our video series in this0:43
episode we will hear from Kimberly0:44
Hansen who is diagnosed with type 10:46
diabetes in 1997 Kim has two incredible0:50
Sons Owen and Hugo Kim and her family0:53
began working to fund research and bring0:55
financial support to others with type 10:57
diabetes in 30 plus years they have1:00
raised nearly $1 million for diabetes1:02
research currently Kim is the CEO of1:05
Health Partners before that Kim served1:08
for five years as executive director of1:10
advocacy for diabetes Canada Kim will1:13
walk us through her experiences of1:15
managing her diabetes while pregnant she1:17
will share what she learned about1:19
getting prepared navigating her healthc1:21
care team and medication needs during1:23
pregnancy and what to expect in the1:25
postpartum period She will share1:28
practical tips and resources for people1:30
who live with diabetes and are1:31
considering having a1:33
baby some of the content in this video1:35
may be difficult to hear and may trigger1:37
some intense emotions we encourage you1:39
to seek support and or stop the video If1:42
you find yourself reacting to the1:44
content in a distressing way we1:46
recognize that the content in this video1:48
may not be relevant for everyone and1:50
will depend on what your experience with1:52
diabetes is and what devices are1:54
available to you where you live if you1:57
have specific questions about diabetes1:59
management please reach out to your2:01
Healthcare team these videos are for2:04
educational purposes only the content2:06
discussed in this video is not intended2:08
to be medical advice and to the extent2:10
that medical advice is required you2:12
should consult with a medical2:14
professional the information discussed2:16
in this video cannot replace2:18
consultations with a qualified health2:20
care professional to meet your2:21
individual medical needs the views and2:24
opinions expressed in this video are2:26
those of the speakers and do not2:28
necessarily reflect the views or2:30
positions of diabetes Canada as always2:33
we hope that this video Sparks your2:34
interest in learning more about diabetes2:36
management and now over to our guest2:38
speaker2:40
Kim hi there I'm Kim Hansen and I'm here2:43
to talk to you about What to Expect When2:46
You're Expecting with2:50
diabetes I wanted to talk to you about2:52
some of the things that I've come to2:54
learn you can expect through my2:56
experience having a few pregnancies2:59
while living with diabetes so I think3:02
you can expect some raised eyebrows lots3:04
of questions that a head start really3:08
helps extra care so much insulin and3:13
probably squishy babies so let's dive3:18
in when I was diagnosed with type 13:21
diabetes in3:23
1997 the scariest thing I heard that day3:26
was that I might have trouble having3:28
children and and I remembered watching3:31
the movie Steel Magnolia in which Julia3:34
Robert's character who lives with type 13:37
diabetes ends up uh really struggling3:40
because of a pregnancy and ultimately3:43
dying I really want to stress that that3:48
is not the case for many people3:51
especially now and so it is very3:54
possible that you can safely have a baby3:57
even if you're living with diabetes4:01
before I became pregnant with my second4:03
child my GP my family doctor was really4:08
concerned she did not want me to have uh4:11
another baby especially after the age of4:14
35 and she was kind of scaring me with4:18
some of the warnings that she had about4:20
the risks that getting pregnant at a4:23
later age with diabetes would pose to me4:27
and my child and so I went and saw my4:30
endocrinologist and said you know I'd4:32
really like to have one more child um4:35
but I know that my doctor feels that4:37
it's getting really late what's your4:40
view and she said you know Kim I really4:44
I don't have to say I don't agree with4:46
your GP in this case uh in your4:49
particular case you know your A1C levels4:52
are pretty good your overall management4:55
of your diabetes is pretty good you're4:57
not experiencing any complications s i i5:00
fortunately don't have uh any kind of5:03
kidney disease or or Advanced eye5:06
problems and so she said I don't think5:09
that you're at any greater risk in terms5:11
of having a pregnancy at this age than5:14
another person that didn't have diabetes5:17
would be so I just want our viewers to5:20
know that there can be some5:23
misconceptions about the risk of being5:26
pregnant while living with diabetes and5:29
some of those are really well5:31
intentioned but they might be based on5:33
information that's out ofd diabetes5:37
management uh methods have changed5:40
dramatically in the last 20 25 years and5:44
by virtue of that many of us are able to5:46
keep our blood sugars in a healthier5:49
range much more of the time than folks5:52
40 or 50 years ago had the ability to do5:56
so just recognize that even if folks are5:59
are raising their eyebrows wondering6:01
whether it's safe for you to have a baby6:04
wondering if that's the right thing for6:06
you to do that they're not necessarily6:09
the experts and it's really uh up to you6:12
to talk to your health care team6:14
including your diabetes specialist and6:16
make an informed decision for6:18
[Music]6:19
you you can expect to get lots of6:22
questions you will become an expert in6:25
so much medical jargon during the time6:28
that you're preparing to become pregnant6:30
and going through your pregnancy your6:33
healthc care team is going to want to6:34
look at a lot of things uh in order to6:38
understand how your health is doing and6:40
how the baby's health is doing they're6:42
going to check your weight and your body6:45
mass index they're going to want to know6:48
what your blood glucose levels are and6:50
your A1C that thre Monon average of of6:54
uh those ratings they're especially6:56
going to want to look at time and range6:58
if you're already already living with7:00
diabetes and for a great explanation of7:03
what time and range is I would encourage7:05
you to watch the diabetes deep diet on7:08
time and range but basically it's a7:10
measure of how much of your day you're7:13
spending with your blood sugars in the7:15
target range that you set with your7:17
health care provider and it's an7:19
indication of um how well prepared you7:22
are to enter into a pregnancy with7:26
diabetes even if you don't start your7:28
pregnancy with Di diabetes uh but you7:31
find out along the way that you have7:33
gestational diabetes you'll be checked7:36
regularly for your blood pressure uh7:39
other7:40
medications people are going to want to7:41
check feet heart eyes kidneys to make7:45
sure that diabetes isn't doing any7:48
damage to any of those organs and7:50
they're going to want to know about your7:52
family history and your genetics so that7:54
they can get a full picture of your7:56
health and the baby's health and they7:58
can know what to watch watch for so8:00
don't be alarmed if you're getting lots8:03
of questions uh diabetes can be a an8:08
extra sort of layer of complication in a8:10
pregnancy but it's very possible to have8:13
a baby healthfully even with8:18
diabetes a head start really helps so if8:21
you are considering becoming pregnant um8:24
it's really a good idea to reach out to8:27
your healthc care provider before hand8:30
um especially if you're already living8:32
with diabetes when I was wanting to8:35
become pregnant I started seeing a8:38
specialist in uh pregnancy and diabetes8:42
three months before I became pregnant so8:44
that I could get uh confident that I was8:48
I was um having the healthiest uh8:52
Behavior patterns diet sleep exercise8:56
that I had good management of my blood8:59
sugars at that point that I had a good9:03
um insulin regime that we understood and9:06
and knew how we would adjust as we9:08
needed to Etc and so I would really9:11
encourage that everyone reach out and9:14
get some uh Medical Care before you9:17
become pregnant if at all possible um9:21
everybody even if you're starting and9:23
you don't have diabetes it's great when9:25
you can optimize your weight and those9:27
patterns that I was talking about eating9:29
sleeping exercise make sure to take a9:32
fol folic acid supplement and that your9:35
vaccines are up to date that'll really9:37
help you through the period of pregnancy9:41
if you have diabetes uh and are about to9:44
become pregnant it's probably a really9:46
good idea to start or continue if you9:49
already do wearing a continuous glucose9:52
monitor uh and and learn how to sort of9:55
do your best to get your blood sugars in9:57
range the most of the time possible for10:00
you and just get checked out head to10:04
toe I really spent a lot of time with my10:07
healthc care team during before during10:10
and after my pregnancies and and I'm10:13
extremely grateful for that because they10:15
helped me have two amazing Healthy10:20
Babies you'll get extra care and uh that10:25
sometimes can feel a little bit extra as10:28
they would say but it's a real blessing10:31
especially here in Canada that we can10:33
get the care that we need you can expect10:36
that you'll probably get an10:37
ultrasound uh if you've got diabetes and10:40
are pregnant before people that uh are10:44
are not living with diabetes usually do10:46
in their pregnancy they'll just want to10:48
check and make sure that the baby's10:49
doing okay and get a good Baseline to uh10:53
watch through your10:55
pregnancy if you are diagnosed with10:58
gestation diabetes Midway through your11:00
pregnancy you'll notice that they're11:02
going to start wanting to see you more11:05
you might wind up being referred for11:07
Specialist Care at some point during11:09
your pregnancy there are some amazing11:12
experts that know a lot about managing11:15
diabetes as well as managing pregnancy11:18
uh among those with diabetes and so11:21
that's not uncommon to get referred to a11:24
specialist team and it doesn't mean that11:26
there's anything necessarily wrong it's11:29
just sometimes it's just a11:31
precaution you can also expect that you11:35
you'll have a maybe a little bit of an11:37
atypical experience right after baby's11:40
born it is very very common for babies11:44
of mums with diabetes to be taken to the11:47
neonatal intensive care unit for11:49
observation for the first 24 hours of11:52
their life while baby adjusts to not11:56
being tied to Mom's blood sugar levels11:59
and that's um not an easy thing to watch12:02
your baby being carried away right after12:04
you welcom them into the world but it's12:06
the best thing for them and so don't be12:08
surprised if that happens it doesn't12:10
mean that there's anything necessarily12:12
wrong with your baby either so lots of12:15
care lots of appointments um and and uh12:19
and and I think that I felt pretty lucky12:21
for12:23
that so much insulin so I should say12:28
that if you don't start your pregnancy12:30
with diabetes and develop gestational12:33
diabetes you may not end up needing12:36
insulin during your pregnancy but a12:38
majority of people seem to and during12:42
pregnancy because our hormone levels12:44
change so much it is common for people12:48
to be taking maybe three times as much12:51
insulin every day as they did under the12:54
same circumstances at the beginning of a12:57
pregnancy when we're pregnant our13:00
placenta causes us to become way more13:03
insulin resistant than normal so for13:07
many of us that means that we just need13:09
way more insulin to handle the same food13:12
that we ate before we were pregnant for13:15
me I went went from taking about 3013:18
units a day before I was pregnant to13:20
taking a 100 units a day easily uh13:23
eating very much the same diet so uh13:26
don't be surprised if you find that13:28
you're taking13:29
way more insulin than normal or or if13:31
you have just gestational diabetes that13:33
you need to start taking insulin I found13:36
I wore an insulin pump um before and13:39
throughout my pregnancy and I got to the13:41
point that I was taking so much insulin13:43
each day I would uh take my Bolis13:46
insulin using a syringe and just use my13:50
pump to run my basil insulin um so if13:53
you find that you need more and more and13:55
more and more that's normal during a13:57
pregnancy and you will also notice that14:00
it falls off your insulin needs fall off14:03
really rapidly right after you deliver14:05
your baby and the placenta uh and so14:08
what you might find is that within 24 to14:11
48 hours your insulin needs go back to14:14
what they were before you were pregnant14:17
and so you have to if you're wearing an14:19
insulin pump really uh be watching and14:22
start adjusting your basil rates back14:25
down if they had been pushed up and your14:28
healthare team can give you good advice14:30
on how to do that and how to watch for14:32
it so that you're not experiencing a lot14:34
of hypoglycemia right after delivering14:37
your14:39
baby I think many of you would14:42
experience squishy babies and I say that14:45
because people that have diabetes during14:48
pregnancy are statistically a bit more14:50
likely to have heavier babies usually14:53
the babies come out a little chubbier14:55
because they've been getting extra sugar14:57
from the mum's blood in utero this is a15:01
picture of me and my sister so I'm the15:04
one in the blue shirt and my sister's15:07
holding my son Hugo who was born five15:11
weeks early weighing 11 pounds super15:14
squishy and he is sitting beside his15:17
cousin who I'm15:19
holding Jack my nephew is only three15:22
months younger than Hugo and yet you can15:24
see how different they are in size so15:28
It's Not Unusual for people with15:31
diabetes to have large babies it will15:34
also mean that you get watched more15:36
carefully can slightly increase the15:38
likelihood that you might need a15:40
cesarian section but it gives you lots15:42
of baby to squeeze and to15:44
love I talked a lot about what it's like15:47
to be pregnant with uh and and the baby15:51
and and maybe that they might need to uh15:54
go to the NICU after they're born but15:57
what can you expect as as a a new parent16:00
of a newborn baby newly delivered of a16:02
baby in terms of your16:04
diabetes what I found in addition to the16:07
changing insulin needs that you'll have16:10
um you'll find that you may need to eat16:13
more than you normally would uh in a16:16
non-pregnant State especially if you16:19
choose to breastfeed and that is always16:22
recommended where possible um I used to16:25
have to keep a a sandwich i' keep a half16:29
of a peanut butter sandwich and a glass16:30
of milk in my baby's room that I would16:33
eat while I would get up to breastfeed16:36
him in the night because I found it hard16:38
to keep my blood sugar up if I didn't16:41
have that bit of extra food in the16:43
middle of the night um you'll find that16:47
you if you do end up needing a C-section16:50
and you're living with diabetes might be16:53
a little slower to heal than some other16:55
folks so just make sure that your uh16:57
Healthcare te team's really helping you16:59
with managing the wound and that you've17:02
got lots of family support around you17:05
because every new parent diabetes or17:07
otherwise is tired and it's an emotional17:10
time but a really joy-filled time as17:14
well and then finally I think you can17:17
expect after going through diabetes and17:21
a pregnancy a lot of love this is my17:25
family who I feel incredibly blessed to17:27
have my son Owen is now 21 and my son17:31
Hugo is now 12 and they're both Miracles17:35
I will say that I did experience a few17:39
miscarriages which are common to all17:42
women and diabetes makes it a little bit17:45
more likely that we experience17:47
miscarriages so I'm extra grateful to17:50
have the two healthy boys that I do they17:53
both spent a significant amount of time17:56
in the NICU right after they were born17:58
they were both born with some troubles18:01
breathing and needed some extra care for18:04
a few days which was scary but they've18:08
gone on to be perfectly healthy and18:10
pretty amazing18:12
people as much as having a new baby can18:16
be a time of very joyous time for people18:20
can also be a time that's hard for18:22
people mentally and emotionally as well18:25
as physically it's not uncommon for for18:28
people to experience postpartum18:31
depression or anxiety and living with18:35
diabetes can make us a little bit more18:37
predisposed to some of those mental18:40
health challenges than uh than other18:43
folks so if you need extra help uh18:47
coping with life as a new parent or18:51
anything please reach out to your18:53
healthc care team to uh your you know18:56
local um18:58
Emergency Services distress lines Etc uh19:03
there's the website want to talk about19:05
it that you can reach out to to get19:08
support if you're struggling with any19:10
aspect of mental health uh in in terms19:14
of dealing with your new19:15
baby I would refer you to some great19:18
resources on the diabetes Canada website19:22
you can check out the clinical practice19:24
guideline on diabetes and pregnancy that19:27
has some great tips19:29
for people living with diabetes at19:32
guidelines.19:35
diabetes.com other great patient19:37
resources on Diabetes Canada's website19:53
[Music]19:57
diabetes.com in this exciting change in20:00
your life or your family's life I wish20:02
you all the20:03
best thank you so much for tuning into20:06
this very informative episode of20:07
diabetes deep Dives and thank you to Kim20:10
for sharing her20:11
experiences again this topic may not be20:14
relevant to everyone living with20:15
diabetes but we do hope that you found20:17
it interesting and learn something new20:20
please take the opportunity to keep the20:22
conversation going by posting a comment20:24
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survey in the description box if you20:32
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well Kim mentioned resources that would20:41
support diabetes management during20:43
pregnancy in the YouTube description box20:45
below the video we have included links20:47
to the resources she mentioned for quick20:49
access to them for more information20:52
about diabetes management please visit20:54
our website at20:57
diabetes.com info@21:00
diabetes.com line at 1800 Banting that's21:04
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Category Tags: Blood Sugar & Insulin, Pregnancy;