Mommawriter for Health and Fitness

When you hear the word diabetes in any sentence it’s easy to immediately brush it off and think it can’t happen to you.

This is what I thought, even in the midst of trying to eat right during my third pregnancy.  During my first two pregnancies I never had the condition.  I was in major shock when I was given the news that I had slightly high blood sugar but that was enough to say I had gestational diabetes.  This was a result of stress because I had given birth to a baby that had died shortly after birth due to complications.  I was pregnant again just 4 months after a full term birth.  My son had weighed almost 9 pounds in the previous pregnancy.  So this pregnancy of course I was on pins and needles and was facing flash backs etc. causing my blood pressure and sugars to rise.

Fortunately, I found out this condition the last 10 weeks of pregnancy so keeping it under control was only short term.

It was never high enough to have to worry about insulin shots etc.  My doctor told me that my sugar was not that high and she could just easily overlook it and not worry about it.  Well since babies double in weight the last few weeks her concern was that I wouldn’t make enough insulin on my own because of the elevated sugar.  She put me on a diet where I also met with a diabetic nutritionist.

I was devastated and couldn’t believe I had this condition.  Would this mean that I would have diabetes after pregnancy?  Not necessarily, though I am at risk  of Type II within 5 years, it can be prevented.

I was given daily menu/worksheets to keep track of my calorie intake and I also had to check my sugar every two hours.  I was so scared and dreaded the new way of eating.  I was crabby for the first two weeks and was hungry all of the time but I wanted the best for myself and my unborn baby so I was determined to see it through.

After the first two weeks, the new diet became a habit and I actually lost a few pounds in the pregnancy which can raise concerns in the end of pregnancy but it was healthy weight loss.

Every morning I had to check my key-tones where you have to pee on those strips to see if there is protein in your urine.  I never had a problem with that and my sugar was always under control.

After the baby my sugar levels were normal.  Because I was so used to the diet it became a part of my lifestyle and still is to this day.  I coach others and help them with such a diet.

The diet has caused me to get back to my high school weight.  I am 31 and wear junior clothes size 4/5.  It’s great but it was due to very hard work on my part.

I am on the road to preventing Type II diabetes which could be in my future but I refuse it.  It will be two years since this experience this Labor Day.

Here’s to a diabetic free future!

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