"I've got what?" were the first words out of my mouth as I stood at the nurse's desk that day. I was pregnant, around 18 weeks in, and a nurse primly informed me I had Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. I suppose I had the deer-in-headlights look, because she started speaking to me as if I was twelve, and gently led me (and my apoplectic husband) to a chair in the waiting room and told to "wait for a nurse". Oi.
I had no idea the journey that simple statement would send me on. If I'd known, I would have... well, I have no idea what I would have done, but it likely involved chocolate.
What followed that whirlwind headache-inducing first briefing with a Diabetes nurse was a few weeks of fear, anxiety, frustration, and severe sugar cravings for Pineapple Dairy Queen sundaes. With the help of a Diabetes doctor, nurse, dietitian, high-risk nurse, experimental hubby-chef, Splenda and countless Internet searches, I did manage to tame the Diabetes beast, and had a beautiful healthy baby boy who, against all odds, was not eleventy-billion pounds and roly-poly.
I was blessed, and all my hard work had paid off. And let me tell you, it is hard work figuring out what you can eat, what you can't, when to test your sugars, how to give yourself needles, and having low blood sugar attacks when you are out for groceries, being forced to tear into a box of crackers because you forgot your glucose tablets. And on top of that, you have to figure it all out in less than nine months. Yikes!
Now that I am pregnant again, I knew I would have to go through the gauntlet of blood glucose testing, insulin, diet changes and low-carb bread that turns to packing styrofoam when toasted. I was quietly determined not to let the eventual diagnosis ruin a perfectly good barbeque season, or a trip to my favorite ice cream place (planned forthwith before my sugars could go all wacky, like last time). I was prepared, like any good Girl Scout, and took my glucose tester and insulin pens out of storage and gave them a good inspection, ready to go when we were told to go get test strips. I even put a lock on the drawer to keep them in, so that my curious toddler stayed safe. Go mama!
My diagnosis has come early this time, at 9 weeks gestation. It wasn't totally unexpected, based on my research that said if you had GDM in your last pregnancy, guess what, your odds are great you're gonna get it again. I wasn't prepared to deal with in first trimester. I have 31 weeks to go!
I'm not so afraid this time, more resigned to the fact I cannot have cinnamon buns, cream in my coffee, or Wonder bread peanut butter and banana sandwiches for awhile. I have formally relinquished my stash of Dove chocolate, and the jelly beans on my work desk got given away. I have said goodbye to Fettuccine Alfredo, fries, and yes, ice cream.
As I say to my husband, its not about me anymore, its the health of the wee teeny peanut down there that makes me cry if I listen to country music. It is my responsibility to ensure said Peanut can be born healthy. If that means I can't have Godiva truffles or Chicken Fried Rice, then so be it.
As I perused the Internet for low-carb recipes and poked around the iPhone App store for Glucose logs, I also looked for a way to share my experience with other moms who have gone through this battle with their own bodies. Not so much for information on "How-to-beat-GDM" but more of the life stories, the emotions, the hardships, the failed attempts at low-carb cookies, and coping strategies. I was at a low point when I searched, feeling alone in my struggle (with no chocolate to soothe me!), and I closed my FireFox sadly. I found a few personal blogs, but not many, and none that I could say were current.
Note: If you have a great GDM blog to recommend, please let me know!
Even though I felt alone, I know I am far from the only woman with GDM. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, Gestational Diabetes affects approximately 2 to 4 per cent of all pregnancies in Canada (in the non-Aboriginal population). If you add in our Native Canadian population, that number skyrockets, since they are a spectrum of the population more susceptible to Diabetes and GDM. Source: http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/what/facts/.
So, since I am a blogger by nature, I decided maybe instead of searching for camaraderie in my journey, I should create a blog about my pregnancy with Gestational Diabetes! One where I can share the things that have worked for me, the down days, my own experiences, the funny things, the process. Maybe other moms would come to my blog and share their experiences if I did that.
So here I am. Here in this space, I am going to share my walk with Gestational Diabetes, my ups and downs, my favorite meals, recipes, cheats, funny stories, and maybe even research and news I come across. I hope that you, the Gestational Diabetic mom (or sister, brother, spouse of a GDM mom) reading this, will share your experience with me, and we can walk this journey together.
Thanks, and chat with you again soon!
