November is Diabetes Awareness Month. It is a time to learn how to decrease your risk for diabetes or make healthy choices if you already have it.
It is also a month to understand and learn more about the different types of diabetes.
Individuals, community groups and organizations around the globe try to bring attention to diabetes and urge action to tackle the epidemic.
There are different kinds of diabetes including type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes and prediabetes.
In diabetes type 1, the pancreas does not make insulin, because the body's immune system attacks the islet cells in the pancreas that make insulin.
In diabetes type 2, the pancreas makes less insulin thanit used to, and your body becomes resistant to insulin.
Gestational diabetes is a high blood sugar disorder that develops during pregnancy and can affect your pregnancy and your baby's health.
As someone who has had gestational diabetes twice, I know it is tough.
Even just getting screened for it is hard. At the local hospital here, your blood is taken, and then you are asked to take a drink of a very sugary and very disgusting type of liquid. I am not even sure what it is, like an overpowering sports drink.
I always had a hard time drinking it, and keeping it down. You have to wait around the hospital for an hour and then after that drink, your blood is taken again. It is an awful test. I feel like if I am going to be forced to drink sugar, I should at least enjoy it.
I could go for a bowl of ice cream or a chocolate bar instead. When I first found out I had gestational diabetes I was in shock. I eat fairly healthily, do yoga and take my vitamins. I felt like I didn’t fit the mold of someone who has diabetes.
I didn’t know anyone else who had it. I felt very alone and very overwhelmed. It only affects seven per cent of the pregnant population.
Even though I knew I was only going to have it for a few months, it felt like the world was ending for me. How could I control my diabetes with diet and exercise? I was so worried about my baby’s health as well. I was also worried about having a giant baby.
Pregnancy is stressful enough, having gestational diabetes is the cherry on top.
I felt a bit of relief after talking to a local dietitian here. She explained to me what I can eat, how to check my sugars and gave me tips on how to control my sugars.
I found that if I went for a walk after eating, even a short one, it helped tremendously. It became a challenge for me. I kept a food journal and tracked my sugar levels. I soon discovered what I could and couldn’t eat.
I had to figure out how to curb my pregnancy cravings without giving in to them. When I went into labour, the hospital brought me food that I couldn’t eat. Jello? Apple juice? Some sort of pasta? I couldn’t believe it. I was happy that I packed my own snacks.
I made it through and learned to appreciate my health even more. As soon as I delivered my babies, the diabetes magically went away. Typically, when the baby is born, the placenta stops producing these hormones, and blood sugar levels typically return to normal.
It is very strange but I am glad it went away. However, I still practice some of habits I picked up while pregnant, like always eating a protein with my fruit to help stabilize blood sugar.
Cheese and grapes? Yum!
Apple and peanut butter? Double yum!
