Being a mom with type 1 diabetes isn’t something I think about often because, on the average, run-of-the-mill day, diabetes doesn’t influence the way I mom. (And as the mother of two very active kids, “to mom” is definitely a verb. We don’t sit still very often.) Being pregnant with type 1 diabetes was very intense and on the forefront…
Thoughts on Being a Mom with T1D
Diabetic Mommy, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, RelationshipsThe Bright Side
Blood Sugars, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Complications, Diabetic MommyMy daughter, randomly, asked me what a seizure was. (Turns out someone had talked about it at school as a result of a student with epilepsy.) We talked about it, and then she asked if diabetes could cause seizures. She doesn’t ask me complicated questions about the longterm effects of diabetes very often (barring that one time she asked me, when…
To my tiny tomato, Today, you are two years old! Two years ago, you and I were still occupying the same space, your little body making my belly round, the excitement and fear of motherhood on high alert at all times. Your arrival was a little bit early but exactly on time. And when you got out and gave me…
Parenting with Diabetes: Round Two
Diabetes and Family, Diabetic Mommy, Real Life Diabetes, Relationships“Pump! Pump, pump, pump! Pump, where are you?” It’s his siren call, yelled at full volume as my toddler forages around in my top trying to find my insulin pump. “Oh hi, pump! One … two … three!” and the buttons are pressed and the beeps are beeped and I’m constantly checking to make sure he hasn’t given me a…
My guy, Personality? You have it. And strong will? Oh shit, you have that, too. Kid, you’re a hot ticket (as my grammie used to say). You are deeeeep into what some might call The Terrible Twos and I would call them that but you’re not yet two and you’re also not terrible but I think you’re testing me to…
Dear little man, So … monthly letters? I’ve kind of fallen off the wagon in terms of keeping up with those. But I have a good excuse: you. Kid, you are busy. You don’t sit still. You like moving. You laugh loudly and then run off while simultaneously escaping from your shirt and shoes (how do you do that?). And…
The One About Steel Magnolias
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetic Mommy, Infertility and Pregnancy, Real Life DiabetesI remember sitting down to watch this movie, not knowing how it ended. “How scary can it be? Julia Roberts has such a big laugh. Mom likes Sally Field. Diabetes in it, too? That’s cool. Let’s make some popcorn.” record scratch Narrator’s voice: Yeah, that was me, around the age of 10. I didn’t know anything about the movie Steel…
“Hewwo? Hewwo?” My little Guy thinks my insulin pump is a phone. A phone that I casually keep in my bra. You might also like: OMG MY PHONE. Emergency Plan. Phone Call Shuffle. Site Change
Today’s post is from 2015, back when Birdy was only five years old, when we were talking about the carbohydrate content of some foods and why her mom cares about odd things like this. * * * “So you can eat any food you wanted so long as it tastes like a pickle?” my daughter asked, looking…
“I’m going to change my pump really quickly while you’re finishing up in the tub,” I said to Birdy after rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. “Is that cool?” “Yeah,” she replied, grabbing a toy whale, plastic dinosaur, and Han Solo figurine out of the bath toy bin. “That’s cool.” “Glad I have your approval, Birdzone.” I took a…
To my tomato, A year ago today, I was driving up to Boston for another prenatal appointment to check on you. At 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant, a slightly spikey blood pressure was enough for the medical team at Beth Israel to decide that August 23rd would be your birthday. It was late in the afternoon when they prepped…
Hey there little Guy, “YEAH!” is your favorite word. You are a crawling affirmation of everything. You make me feel a teeny bit like I gave birth to Lil Jon. YEAH! “YEAH!!” All the time, from you. “YEAH!!” At the grocery store and in the car and at Grammie’s and when we pick Birdy up from camp. “YEAH!” While you’re…
After a long hiatus, I’m back at diaTribe and explaining where the hell I disappeared to: “Diabetes is the dog I don’t like but I still have to be kind to. It barks and occasionally pees on the floor (or worse), it has chewed up at least ten of my shoes, and it jumps up and freaks out whenever the…
Diabetes Pregnancy: Now and Then, Part Two.
Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Complications, Diabetes Memories, Diabetic Mommy, Infertility and PregnancyWelcome to the continuation of Laddie’s pregnancy story, showing what pregnancy with type 1 diabetes was like back in 1979 and 1982. Today is a continuation of her story, with details about her sons’ births, the cost of care, and how diabetes did, and didn’t, play a role in bringing her sons into the world. For more about Laddie’s life…
Managing diabetes and pregnancy in 2010 and then again in 2016 was a lot of hard work, and my story is similar to so many moms in the diabetes community: a heavy focus on blood sugars, piles of doctor appointments, and dozens of tests for mom and baby. Today’s management of diabetes and pregnancy is very different than what was…
Oh my nine month old tiny person, You talk. Or at least you want to talk. All the time. ALL. THE. TIIIIIME. “Cahhhhh….t,” you whisper whenever the cats walk by, as you reach your hand out in an attempt to grab a puffy tail. “Caahh….t.” The T joins the rest of the word as an after thought, like you’re mumbling an…