My third trimester of pregnancy (week 29-38) with type 1 diabetes has come and gone (yes, I’m sitting here with my new baby, but more on that later! hehe). This last trimester was met with growing pains, insulin resistance, and lots and lots of doctor’s appointments. Don’t forget to check out my second trimester with type 1 diabetes blog post for more details about how my second trimester went with T1D, how I managed my blood sugars with my rising insulin resistance, and new symptoms, and more.
Diabetes Management During My Third Trimester
During my third trimester, I was able to maintain an A1C of 5.6 and keep my blood sugars in range (between 60mg/dL and 140 mg/dL) 86% of the time. The biggest difference I saw from second to third trimester was that my blood sugars felt like they were more stable because they took so much longer to react to both insulin and carbohydrates. I was still experiencing rising insulin resistance, especially as my movement decreased toward the end of my pregnancy.
Insulin Resistance
By week 30, I noticed my insulin resistance increase for all meals, especially between lunch and dinner. By week 33, it started to taper off a bit and my pre-bolus wait time decreased as I was having more lows the longer I would wait to eat after taking insulin. During week 34, I noticed another wave of insulin resistance (and just as I thought I was out of the woods!), and I lowered my carb ratios at almost all mealtimes.
I noticed a distinct change in blood sugars behavior during week 35. My body was taking significantly longer to react to both carbs and insulin. This was nice in the sense that it felt mentally easier to keep my blood sugars in range because they were less sensitive to things that would normally send them on a rollercoaster, however, I was still seeing “sticky” highs when I did end up going out of range, meaning it would take much longer (with more insulin than usual) to get my numbers back down into range. My game plan this week was to take insulin the moment I noticed my blood sugar trending upwards (even slightly), and I could always have a snack if I ended up dropping too low.
By week 38 (the week I was set to be induced), I noticed that it was harder to control my numbers. I think this was a mix of not being as active as I once was in earlier weeks, and being incredibly tired of being pregnant.
Staying in Range
As with my first and second trimester, the biggest contributor to staying in range and not seeing blood sugar spikes was pre-bolusing. This means that I would wait for my insulin to start working in my body prior to eating my meal. This waiting period was adjusted throughout my pregnancy but landed somewhere between 20-45 minutes between taking insulin and enjoying my meal.
By the third trimester, I was starting to give an insulin correction anytime I saw my number go above 120 (crazy to think about, but it would help prevent me from rising above my high alert number of 140mg/dL). I also found myself a lot more comfortable hanging out at 70-90mg/dL without feeling low or feeling the need to have a snack.
Third Trimester Symptoms
This trimester was a big change from the last. My exhaustion came back with a vengeance, my belly grew larger than I had ever thought it would, and I ended most days feeling tired, sore, and rundown. I started having on and off back pain this trimester, had a harder time breathing, and started feeling much stronger kicks!
Inducing Labor
Although I had an induction scheduled for 38 weeks (more information below), I still started trying all the “labor preparation and labor inducing” remedies toward the end of my third trimester (All with approval from my OB, although she wasn’t convinced any of them would either help or hurt). I figured that this baby wouldn’t come early, as this is my first pregnancy, however, I thought I would give him the option to come on his own prior to induction, just in case (spoiler alert: he didn’t lol).
Raspberry Leaf Tea
After 32 weeks, I started drinking raspberry leaf tea daily. Raspberry leaf tea is believed to help tone the uterus and prepare the body for labor. Some say it can help shorten labor, reduce the need for interventions, and improve overall pregnancy outcomes.
Dates
Dates were also incorporated into my diet around the same time. Since these have quite a few carbohydrates in them, I made sure to pre-bolus and eat them with a protein like peanut or almond butter, or throw them into a protein smoothie. Some studies suggest that eating dates can help prepare the body for labor by softening the cervix, increasing cervical dilation, and shortening labor.
Exercise
I was able to keep up my workout routine with a mix of reformer pilates and strength classes until week 36. From there, I switched to prenatal yoga classes, labor stretches, and daily walks. Toward the end of my third trimester I was also spending plenty of time bouncing on my yoga ball, and had started curb walking toward the end of my 37th week.
Induction
It is common for doctors to recommend we be induced at 38 weeks, to prevent complications that may arise from carrying a child as a mother with type 1 diabetes. As this is my first pregnancy, I was fine with taking that recommendation and moving forward with a 38 week induction for the safety of myself and my child. I will be writing more about my induction experience in my birth story post, coming soon!
Third Trimester Thoughts and Feelings
The third trimester was a bit of a love hate relationship. It was a mix of excitement, fear, anticipation, and anxiety. I truly loved feeling his constant kicks, even as they got stronger, and loved knowing where he was positioned inside my belly. I loved carrying him knowing he was safe and sound inside, and felt such a sense of pride seeing my body grow this human.
I also felt a good amount of anxiety as birth approached. Adam and I attended a childbirth class which was incredibly informative, and a bit unnerving, especially as it detailed all the interventions that could happen throughout. (Quick note: As someone who is now on the other side of birth, I’m very happy we did take that class in preparation. I was much more aware of things in a positive and calm way, vs. the original anxiety I felt while learning about all of it.)
Toward the end of this trimester, as my induction date crept closer, I felt much more calm about the entire experience. I kept saying “What is meant to be will be”, which allowed me to let go of what I couldn’t control about birth and allow myself to be okay and ready no matter what was thrown my way. Plus, at the end of it I knew I would get to meet our new baby!
Pregnancy Favorites
Throughout my third trimester, I had a few items that truly carried me until the very end. The best maternity shorts out there (I have them in 5 colorways), a drink holder for when you are too large to roll off the couch, the photo album I used to store my bumpdate photos, and more.
Find everything that has helped me through my pregnancy here!
Stay tuned for my birth story and how I managed my diabetes during labor – coming soon. In the meantime, I shared weekly pregnancy and type 1 diabetes updates over on Instagram.
Don’t forget to check out my new post: what I packed in my hospital bag, where I share my packing list of everything I brought to the hospital for labor as a type 1 diabetic. Talk to you soon!
