At the end of this month, I'll see my endocrinologist for the first time since leaving the hospital with that adorable little bundle of joy. Prior to getting pregnant, I started taking insulin and I'm still on it. When I see the doctor again, I'll have the opportunity to change things up. Now that I'm done breastfeeding, I can go back on oral medications and put the insulin behind me.

Today, I started questioning if I really want to do that. What are the pros and cons of oral meds versus insulin? The obvious is a pill versus a shot, but after 15 months on insulin, I really don't have a problem with needles. Insulin is natural and the only real side effect is low blood sugar. Most oral meds have much worse side effects, like upset stomachs, headaches and rashes, in addition to hypoglycemia. (READ MORE)

Did anyone catch the new TLC show, "I Can Make You Thin"? I saw the commercials for it and thought it sounded a bit wacky, but I wanted to check it out anyway. I set the DVR to record it, but it recorded Jon & Kate Plus 8 instead.

I watched part of the show as a rerun this weekend and I have to say it really does sound like such a common sense approach to eating. On the first show, he premiered his 4 Golden Rules, which are:

1. When You Are Hungry, Eat. This sounds like such a no-brainer, doesn't it? But I have to admit, there are plenty of times when I'm hungry and don't eat because it's not meal time and I'm "on a diet." I didn't see the whole show, but I have to guess part of this is if you aren't hungry, don't eat. And I'm sure many of us have eaten when we weren't hungry. (READ MORE)

So I was at work the other day and one of my co-workers and I had the, "diabetes talk". Let's just say she acted as if she knew all about diabetes. I was sitting there humoring her as she dove into topics of nutrition, exercise, and stress. And right as I was about to completely tune her out and continue what I was doing, she caught my attention with a few words that I HAD NEVER heard associated with diabetes. Chromium Picolinate.
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Since getting my hands on a review copy of Jenny Ruhl's new book, "Blood Sugar 101: What they don't tell you about diabetes" (Technion Books), I haven't been able to put it down.

Finally, an intellegent book about type 2 diabetes that tells it like it is and offers practical advice without talking down to me or engaging in quackery. Reading it, I feel like I did when met best friend Sue in middle school or when first found Diabetic Mommy. There's someone else who gets it! (READ MORE)

They say if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans. Well, my birth plan must have had Him in stitches.

After nine months of cramming for the "final exam," I had developed a good picture of what I wanted my son's birth to be like, and drew up a birth plan as instructed in Lamaze class. I knew flexibility was key, but I didn't realize it was the only thing I could count on.

The plan was to try to go as naturally as possible, with the option of pain meds if needed. I wanted mobility, a birthing ball, comfort techniques and the labor positions we had practiced for weeks. I wanted to let gravity do its job. (READ MORE)

Part 2 of a 4 part series. See part 1.

On the way to the hospital, my husband commented that he didn't think this was really it. I wasn't curled up in a ball crying or cursing him out. Nothing like what he had seen on TV or heard about from his friends. It couldn't be the real deal. I wanted to choke him, but he was right.

As soon as we got to the hospital, the contractions stopped.

My blood pressure, however, was another story. It started climbing and continued to climb throughout the morning. Since women with diabetes are more likely to develop pre-eclampsia, the doctor ordered a 24-hour urine collection to check for protein. That meant spending the night in the hospital for observation. (READ MORE)