Diabetes and Pregnancy

Diabetes and Pregnancy

According to a recent study conducted by Kaiser Permanente and funded by the ADA, “diabetes before motherhood” has doubled in the last six years. The study is the largest and most diverse to examine type 1 and type 2 women with diabetes in childbearing years. We need this kind of research; we need more information about managing diabetes during pregnancy. However, this report which was released in the May issue of Diabetes Care and has been plastered on Diabetes health, Science Daily and Yahoo news makes some important mistakes. The point of the research, I think, is to encourage women to engage in healthier lifestyles before they get pregnant to decrease the risks of miscarriage and/or birth defects. This is all well and good…..However, as a woman who has been living with type 1 diabetes for 23 years and as a mother to two healthy boys, I am frustrated by this report for the following reasons.

“In the study, Kaiser researchers did not look at whether any of the women had prenatal diabetes care or how the babies fared after their birth. They also could not determine the type of diabetes the women had.” (Associated Press, www.physorg.com) Wait, what? They could not determine what type of diabetes these women had??? The study looked at the increase of diabetes in women in childbearing years, and they couldn’t determine whether they were type 1 or type 2!?! The story in the Associated Press shows a photograph of a woman who has type 1 diabetes and is 7 months pregnant with her second child, her beautiful 3 year old daughter smiles in the front corner of the photo. The woman tells the interviewer how when she was pregnant the first time, she checked her blood sugar sometimes 15 times a day. I did that too, I thought and I read on…

The story in Diabetes Health discusses the dangers of high blood sugar during pregnancy, “If a mother’s diabetes is poorly controlled, she can have up to a 25 percent risk of delivering a baby with a major malformation of the heart, brain or skeleton. (But) with excellent care, these women have an excellent chance of having a healthy baby.” Yikes! I think, this is so scary to read and I’m done having children…..I keep reading. In Science Daily, the story explains some of the reasons for the increase in women with diabetes before pregnancy are, “due to the fact that our society has become more overweight and obese.” (www.sciencedaily.com) Okay, I think. Maybe they are not talking about me. So wait a minute, who are they talking about then? I keep reading.

None of these articles differentiate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This is what I discover after I print everything out. Research shows:

1. Diabetes in women of childbearing years has increased
2. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to birth defects
3. The increase is partly due to our obese society
4. Women can improve the life of their unborn child with diet and exercise.

So….hmmmm…Type 1 diabetes is not on the rise. The study did not bother to separate those of us who must inject ourselves with insulin and those who can “Reverse Diabetes.” (Such a cruel phrase!) The study lumped those of us who have been living with this disease for years with women who have type 2 diabetes, probably not diagnosed until they were in their 20’s (because even though type 2 is on the rise in childhood, the majority are still diagnosed when they are older).

I find it hard to believe that a study funded by the ADA couldn’t bother to group the women according to type 1 or type 2. While I appreciate the challenges every woman faces with type 2 diabetes, I know that her disease is not the same as mine and I resent that these researchers refused to take our differences into consideration. I resent that these researchers are using scare tactics about birth defects to grab the attention of all women with diabetes, type 1 and type 2.

The part that angers me the most about this research is that a woman with type 1 will read these stories and feel afraid to have children. Women with type 1 diabetes can lead healthy, normal lives, have healthy, normal pregnancies and have beautiful, lovely, healthy children. Don’t let this research tell you any different.

Crazy font

Sorry for the crazy font on my blog…I’m not sure what has happened, but I’ve got NW designs working on fixing these visuals! Bear with me….

SELF-CARE FOR MOM WRITERS

May is for Me!
By Amy Mercer

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know about you, mama writers, but I feel like May is for me. I have spent too many hours volunteering at my kid’s pre-school field trips, Easter plays and birthday parties and I am spent. I have said yes to too many blogs, columns and editing projects and my creative writing, my passion has paid the price. So May is for me, May is for saying no, May is for sitting in front of the computer each day and writing for me.

 

Here’s some tips to help you reclaim you:

· Set a limit on the number of times you check your email during the day. For example, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and one time in the evening. The less you check your email, the less distracted from your creative writing you will be. As a mother, I’ve begun to feel guilty about the time I spend in front of my lap-top, away from my children and when I read an article in the New York Times about a writer who decided to regulate/restrict the time he spent on the computer, I was intrigued. Could I do the same thing? The idea of limiting my access to my computer made me hyperventilate. So I knew I had to try. I have not yet made it through a full day off-line, but I am attempting to limit my access and I’ve noticed that after hours away, when I log back on, I haven’t missed much.

· Whether you are a type A or a fly by the seat of your pants kind of girl, pull out your planner, organize and catalog your writing goals. Having them on paper, in an organized fashion will help even the most spontaneous of us. And don’t forget to assess your progress. How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions? So far, so good? Or do you need to recommit? Write those down too.

· Practice saying no. Start small…No, I can’t make something sweet for the school’s Spring picnic. No, I can’t edit your article. No, I can’t volunteer for this writing group. And No, I can’t watch you ride your bike right now. Mommy needs to write. No is hard to say sometimes and you may feel guilty, but after a few tries, you’ll get more comfortable saying no and it will come easier. Soon, you will find yourself with time to write those stories that have been coming together in the back of your mind. You will breathe easier. You will smile more often. And you will remember that you are a writer.

(From The Writer Mama zine)

Literary Mama Seeking Submissions

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