Two Preganancies with Type 1 Diabetes
Graham Daugherty • October 3, 2018
By Danielle DeNight
I knew I always wanted to be a “mommy” ever since I was a little girl. Fast forward 20 plus years and I was almost there. I found my husband, we had our house, we had our dogs, my diabetes was something I was starting to get a hold of, and then comes…pregnancy. If it weren’t for the disease, I think the last step wouldn’t be so scary.
Before I jump into the pregnancy part, let me give you some back history. I got diabetes when I was 7 years old. My diabetes was not the best in my teen years because when you’re 16 years old, you know everything, right?! Then I moved out for college at 17. My parents made me move near my brother if I wanted to be out of state. They were not going to let their diabetic daughter with whacky control go just anywhere.
In college, I had a blast! The more fun I had, the messier my sugars were. At the end of college, I met this guy who would end up being my husband and father to my children, Pete. Not only was this man going to be the one I marry, he was going to be the reason I finally took care of my diabetes.
Fast forward 2 years, I finally got a Dexcom and it’s been a life saver! I got my A1c under 7! I didn’t even think that was humanly possible for me. I got the OK to start trying to get pregnant. I’ll never forget when we came home from our niece’s birthday party and I felt so off. It was March 8, 2015 and little did I know everything was about to change… “pregnant”
My blood sugars were a mess! I would be 20 to 400 like that. Half the time I wouldn’t even feel it. We were so excited and nervous to go to that first doctor appointment. Long story short, they ended up putting me in the hospital since my blood sugars were so out of control.They said I could lose the baby. They put me in the hospital 3 more times.
But it was worth every second.
In the end, I was put back in the hospital for the fourth time for preecamplsia. I ended up getting induced for almost 4 days. I finally ended up having a C-section and had a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Mia Bentley came into our lives a month early and was worth every second of that crazy pregnancy. She didn’t even need the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). She was ready for us 😊
I was laying on the table when they were doing the C-section for Mia thinking to myself “we are only going to have one kid, I cannot go through this again.” I wanted another baby so bad, but I did not want to go through that pregnancy or delivery again. We decided to try to have one more, maybe this time it would be a great pregnancy?!
WRONG!
In July, we found out we were pregnant again! I knew that I wanted them to be close, but I didn’t think I would get pregnant that fast! I was so excited, but in the back of my head all I could think was “God help me.” I was trying to be positive, but I also thought this was going to be another rough 9 months.
My blood sugars were a mess, just like when I was pregnant with Mia. If it weren’t for my Continuous Glucose Monitor tracking my blood sugars, I don’t know how we would have made it through. I could not feel any high or low sugars. I was puking like crazy throughout the whole pregnancy. Having gastroparesis doesn’t help. I was basically living at the doctor’s office while bringing my youngest to every appointment who was 9-16 months old.
Towards the end of my pregnancy, I kept getting ketones and I knew things were going to get crazy. I saw my high-risk doctor and I refused to get admitted unless they were going to deliver me since I have another daughter to take care of.
February 28, 2017, I get a call that my grandpa died that morning. I then go to the doctor for my non-stress test and what happens?! We fail and I still have ketones. Someone is having a baby! All I can think about is the Lion King and the circle of Life. Luckily this time, I had a planned C-section so delivery was much easier. However, Brooke Taylor, our beautiful baby girl, didn’t want to come home right away like her sister. She had to spend time in the NICU and that’s when I turned into a mess and felt a little guilty.
For me to give full details for both pregnancies with my diabetes, I would need a mini book and a bottle of wine 😊Pregnancy with type 1 diabetes was unbelievably difficult and I certainly couldn’t imagine going through all of it without the diabetes technology that is available now. But my daughters are daily proof that heaven exists here on earth.
The Children’s Diabetes Foundation is proud to sponsor the Helping Little Hands Program, which supports pregnant women with diabetes who lack the financial resources for diabetes technology and care – two crucial elements for the health and safety of mom and baby. Click here to learn more or donate to this program.
