Saturday, March 3, 2012

She Looks Like She's Hungry

This is what I get to eat for breakfast:
A Diabetic Pregnant Woman's Breakfast
A little cup of Greek yogurt, sprinkled with raisins and Cheerios.

It's the only meal my doctors and I could agree on that would not spike my blood sugars. Protein is good! Carbs are baaaaad. The problem... I don't like eggs. And meat sits too heavy in my stomach first thing in the morning. So, little cup of Greek yogurt it is! I didn't even like Greek yogurt, but it grew on me after the first couple of days. I'm still looking forward to getting back to cereal someday.

I don't know about any other diabetic mothers out there, but it seems like all the doctors really want me to do is to stop eating. "Eat this teensy breakfast and then skip snacks so we can monitor your fasting glucose levels..." Ugh. I had lost a pound after the Disney trip, and then two weeks later I still hadn't gained it back. I was anxious; aren't I supposed to be gaining weight?? I felt like shouting, "Pregnant!! Hungry!!" to help the doctors remember that this body is feeding two. But they know, of course. They have such strict guidelines on my diet BECAUSE of the baby I harbor. Not one of us wants to see this little one get hurt.

That's why I wear this thing:
Dexcom Sensor on a Pregnant Belly

Squirming in your seat? Oh, it gets better. This is how it is inserted:
Dexcom Sensor Insertion Device
Yes, it is as painful as it looks. That's why I call upon Senpai, my man of steel, to stick the needle in me. I can't muster the courage on my own.

But the technology is amazing. Check this out:
Dexcom
It shows how my blood sugar is trending. And it beeps and vibrates when it wants me to notice readings that are too high or too low. Things I might otherwise miss.

At $68 for a one month's supply of sensors, you can bet I will not continue to wear this post-pregnancy. Maybe I'll break it out on occasion, but certainly not every day. The monitor is a nuisance to keep in my pocket all the time, and the sensor in my stomach is not the most fun thing to have R kick when I'm holding her. Still, I will wear it for now. My doctor assured me that the information she downloaded from the Dexcom was helpful to her, so I let the 30-day trial period end without returning it (though not without a little grief over not getting my $200 back). While Jelly Bean continues to grow inside me, I will let the Dexcom be my "friend," as the diabetes nurse educator insisted it should be.

Friends don't let pregnant diabetic friends walk around with bad blood sugars. That is how the saying goes, right?



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1 comments:

Upstatemamma said...

That thing does not look fun! I remember how sick I felt doing the regular glucose testing during my pregnancy I cannot imagine being told to not eat for long periods of time. Sorry, mama!

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