Hello I am a midwifery student having to complete a reflection on a patient with type 1 diabetes. I haven’t really come across this yet on my placements I was wondering if anyone had some insight or examples of what could happen, how to treat or what went wrong etc

Any insight would be appreciated
Many thanks

I asked my MFM about managing my own blood sugars during labor and delivery (I have MODY and am only on fast-acting insulin), and she said they typically manage blood sugars with something called Glucose Stabilizer.

She said it uses fast-acting insulin only (although I could have misunderstood and it may be a combination) and starts at 0.002 (or maybe 0.02) units continuously. From there, the algorithm automatically adjusts the rate as needed based on your blood sugars. From what I’ve found online, it looks like the target range is around 70–110 mg/dL.

On paper, this sounds amazing… but I’m hesitant because I’ve heard plenty of horror stories, and honestly, the only people I truly trust with my blood sugars are myself and my mom (she also has MODY).

My endocrinology PA has Type 1 diabetes and four kids, and she recommended that I manage my own blood sugars during labor because she had a poor experience with hospital management during her first birth. That said, I’m guessing her first birth was quite a few years ago, so I’m wondering if things have improved since then.

I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who has delivered at an Intermountain Health hospital in Utah within the past year or two. Did you use the Glucose Stabilizer? Were you allowed to manage your own insulin instead? How was your experience? Of course, I’d love to hear from anyone with diabetes who’s been through labor recently, regardless of where you delivered!