Dec. 5, 2005, was a frigid day in Missouri. I wrote in my journal that day that it did not get out of the teens all day. It was one of those days where the snot inside your nose freezes the second you walk outside.
The Mr. and I were driving to the hospital at 5 a.m. that day. A 45-minute drive to the closest bigger city where my OB, perinatologist and certified diabetes educator were located. Three years ago today I was being induced with No. 3 at 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant.
In the world of diabetes, I was still a novice. I had just been diagnosed in February of that year. On that drive to the hospital I was still weighing the advice of my CDE, who is an expert in diabetes, with the advice of my OB, who knew very little about diabetes. OB said not to take my morning injection of Lantus; CDE disagreed; I agreed with my CDE.
Fortunately, I didn't take the Lantus as my nerves kept my sugars in check: My fasting that morning at 5 a.m. was 72, which I was not prepared for. Throughout labor my blood sugars were dreamy: 101, 88, 66. Afterward (No. 3 was born at 11:21 a.m.), though, the hospital's idea of a diabetic-friendly meal sent me into a tizzy with a post-prandial over 120, something I hadn't seen for the duration of my pregnancy.
Since then I've learned that my birth experience with diabetes is not the norm. I was in control of testing my blood sugar (although the nurses did chastize me for testing my sugar without calling them first to use their machine so they could have a record of my numbers), I did not have an insulin drip (wouldn't have needed one apparently!), I suspect that had I been on the pump then that I'd have been able to continue wearing it and continue to be in control of my insulin intake.
While a number of mommies with diabetes are forced into induction simply because of diabetes, I was induced with all my children mainly because my doctors wanted to have control of my blood clotting problem. Diabetes was just another good reason to induce that day.
In the end, though, what I got -- no matter how labor started -- was a healthy, beautiful baby. Happy Birthday No. 3!
