Medical Conditions and Children-The Challenge

The day I found out I was pregnet was the happiest day of my life!!

I had been a diabetic since I was seven years old and had always been told how dangerous childbirth was for diabetics but the minute I found out about the baby I straightened myself up, ate right, did my medication exactly as I was told and I was determined to have everything be okay. The first part of the pregnancy went very smooth and I had nothing but good reports, we knew that I would have to have a C-Section because I had developed diabetic retinopathy three years prior to becoming pregnet and the doctor's felt that the stress of labor would cause complication with my eyes, at 7 1/2 months I started developing toxemia and severe edema in my legs and feet, we were going to the doctor's office every week for amnio tests to determine how far along the baby's lungs were so that we could deliver early. On October 11th I delivered a very healthy and very happy baby boy.

From the beginning the doctor's told me to watch for signs of diabetes in my son, my doctor felt there was a strong genetic link that if the parent had it, it could develop in the child. I watched him very close and hoped that it wouldn't develop in him, no parent wants that for their child. At age 3, I noticed that he was drinking a lot of water and using the bathroom a lot and so I got out my tester and tested him on my glucometer, he only regestered at 268 but it was still elevated and I knew that he had it. I called my physician and asked him if he would meet us at the hospital and within an hour we were all at the emergency room admitting him for work up.

He only spent two days in the hospital, with me being diabetic I already knew what needed to be done and so there wasn't a lot of wasted time with training. He took to the routine like it was nothing. I guess growing up and watching his mom do all the blood tests and shots made it not so scary for him and he did great, he was testing his own blood sugar the day after he was diagnosed.