Friday, September 26, 2014

Friday’s Five: Pros of Pregnancy & Diabetes

Okay, sometimes while being prego and having T1D it seems that there is no light at the end of the tunnel and maybe it was a really really really bad idea….. But not always, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and as I’ve said before and if you really do your research and talk to doctors, nurses and CDEs that actually are truly familiar with and know their stuff regarding T1 and pregnancy they will also tell that with tight control a very healthy happy pregnancy and baby are to be had!

 

So here are my top 5 pros of being pregnant while dealing with  diabetes…

 
1.       Easier places to hide an insulin pump. With a growing belly I have an easier time hiding my pump in that space between belly and hip. Even with tight shirts my pump is harder to see. One of my big apprehensions for getting a pump was that I like to wear dresses and it’s hard to find a place to hide a pump while wearing a dress. This has for the most part flown out the window. With my growing body I’ve got a bigger “pocket” or hiding place in my chest to place my pump. Now no third weird looking bump when trying to wear a dress. No one even knows!

 2.       More baby pictures!!! Having a high risk pregnancy means many more ultrasounds than that of the average mamma to be. I think I’ve heard that the average is 2-3 during the entire 9 months. I’m 20 weeks and I’ve already had 3, that’s one every 6 weeks. Now we are down to every 4 weeks!

3.       More doctor appointments. I’m sure that this will eventually get old, but I actually look forward to each doctor appointment and the close monitoring. I know that very close attention is being paid to me and baby. It’s kinda nice having all the attention focus on me for once.

 
4.       Healthy eating. My eating habits were not the best before my T1 diagnosis. My normal on the go meal instead of a quick salad as I might choose now was an entire Totino’s Pizza or pizza rolls. Other regular food choices included frozen burritos, fast food or a bowl of cereal. Or a box of macaroni and cheese and maybe adding a can of tuna with of course more cheese. Breakfast if I even ate it, Pop Tarts or some other sweat substance with not much real nutritional value.  Veggies, didn’t even consider them. I don’t know what my eating habits would have been like had I gotten pregnant without diabetes. Not that I wouldn’t care about taking care of my baby but the diagnosis was a huge eye opener. I can imagine that I would have really truly taken the term “eating for two” for real and kept with the fast food, and other junk food never really thinking about it. Of course fast food I’ve craved more being pregnant and I have given into those indulgences even more than I think I should or than I normally would, but I do still make veggies and healthy choices a priority. Even the cookies I made last weekend were healthier. Packed with raw sugar, but less than what was called for, organic oatmeal, ground flaxseed, almonds, raisins, cranberries and the indulgent part… semi sweet chocolate chips.

 
5.       Eating in moderation. Okay, so this kind of goes along with eating healthy. Since I have to watch my BGs so closely I can’t just eat what I want when I want, not even an apple or banana. Yes, I’m making sure to eat plenty for little girl as well as myself, but over eating after I’ve eaten what I’ve given enough insulin for is not really an option. At least not for me.  I’ve found for me it’s best to try not to let my eyes get bigger than my belly because I still can tend to get full quickly. So I portion out my meals and snacks and eat what I bolus insulin for. If I decide I want more, then I need to bolus more insulin and wait 15-20 minutes for that to kick in. By the time that happens my food has most likely settled and I’d no longer want what I thought I did. Therefore, this should keep from excessive weight gain.  I know that every person, every body type is different so I know that what works for me to control weight gain like this won’t necessarily work for someone else.

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