I am a mother of a 2yr and a 4month old and it wasnt till my first son was born that I became a type 1 diabetic. I was just wondering if there is any mothers out there who have children that dont have diabetes? I went and looked at the page for parents and children with diabetes and it made me a nervous wreck thinking if all these people have it and their kids do too will mine develope it? My dr seems to think that the reason I got it is because I am rh - and my son is + they think it was my body trying to fix its self? If there is anyone else out there that has the same experience I would like to know I feel like I am just the odd one out. Plus if anyone has any inputs on getting through the terrible two that would be nice :)
Studies have shown that even if both parents have type 1 diabetes, the children have less than a 10% change of developing it. you may not have anything to worry about :o)
while i can't specifically remember the link, there is information on the ADA website (www.diabetes.org) about how common it is for children of type 1 parents to also develop diabetes.
while diabetes is a pain in the ass, please remember a diagnosis of it does not mean the child's life is over. i was diagnosed at age 5 and have accomplished everything i planned on doing, and even a few things i didn't plan on ;o) i lived a very normal childhood and am proud to have grown up a diabetic.
i hope you will find juvenation as wonderful as i have. this is a great place to come for information, education, and friendship. please peruse some of our other forums, and if you're interested, take the time to introduce yourself on the main "forums" page. there are lots of people out there who are parents - some of their children have t1 and some don't. they will probably be your best resource for information :o)
welcome!
I'm a diabetic and I had my son a year ago and my health is just getting worse by the day because I got pregnant before I could control my diabetes. It makes it hard to raise him on my own and test and get my shots and take my meds all in one day since he wants to hang on me every minute. I praise the women that can do it. I would love to know how they do it. I fear him having it at a young age like I did.
I hear you. I have two kids and life is very busy - regardless of diabetes. However, healthy mom = healthy family. Your kids need you!!! You have to put yourself first (easier said), but imagine you had an emergency with a young child?
I have made my diabetes a part of my child's day too. When I changed a diaper, I washed my hands - a PERFECT time to test (average baby needs 10 diapers a day, so ample time to test). At meal time, I always test. My kids understand that is it part of the meal-time process. Exercise - no worries! Nothing is better than an hour outside and you are very likely to get a tired and ready to nap child in return. I force myself to go outside EVERYDAY for at least an hour with the kids.
If this is more frustrating than helpful, let me know. Do you have a husband?
My endo had good advice when my son was born -- he said the chances of him developing T1 are so low, that I shouldn't test his BG every time I'm worried, or test him on a regular basis. He said I'd *know* if there was really a problem, so try not to have it as a stressful thing hanging over my head.
The wonderful but scary thing about having my son is how much it's motivated me to try (not always possible, lol) to keep in great control. I am SO motivated to be a healthy Mom to my son and to be there to see him graduate college, get married if he chooses, etc, etc.
The good thing about terrible twos, is they eventually end, lol. Just try to stay calm and in control as much as possible. (This is coming from someone who yelled at her 2 1/2 year old this morning when I finally lost it when he wasn't listening, but I try, ha, ha.)
My endo had good advice when my son was born -- he said the chances of him developing T1 are so low, that I shouldn't test his BG every time I'm worried, or test him on a regular basis. He said I'd *know* if there was really a problem, so try not to have it as a stressful thing hanging over my head.
The wonderful but scary thing about having my son is how much it's motivated me to try (not always possible, lol) to keep in great control. I am SO motivated to be a healthy Mom to my son and to be there to see him graduate college, get married if he chooses, etc, etc.
The good thing about terrible twos, is they eventually end, lol. Just try to stay calm and in control as much as possible. (This is coming from someone who yelled at her 2 1/2 year old this morning when I finally lost it when he wasn't listening, but I try, ha, ha.)
Hi all! This is my first time posting. I’m 37, with two boys (ages 2.5 and 5.5) and have had Type 1 since I was 6. I’m just feeling that I can really start focusing on my own life/health/body after being so baby/toddler focused for a few years. At the same time, I have this strange desire for a 3rd kid. I’m trying to get over that as I think I need to be thankful for the healthy boys I have and just get back into taking care of myself more. On the other point, I was paranoid that my boys would get Type 1 early on. I too was RH- and they were both RH+. I realized that they only have a 4% chance of developing Type 1 in their lifetimes so I just don’t dwell on it much any more. I am conscious of the warning signs and think I’d pick up on it pretty fast.
Hi @kristino,
Where did you have them tested? I am paranoid about my son developing diabetes as well but, I try to keep very positive that he won’t. It’s always in the back of my head if he has some sweets or carbs. For instance tonight, it was my sisters bday and we of course had a cake… and my sister started giving him some (very small and mostly the whipped cream) but I was cringing on the inside, and started feeling very hot because I am so scared of him having sweets. I know that isn’t what causes it but, I want to keep him away from that stuff as much as I can. My family is always like just let him have it nothing is going to happen etc… But, you really can’t help it! At least we know all of the warnings signs god forbid of anything. UGH the thought makes me so upset !!
Hi everyone! I’ve been searching for a group of moms who have Type 1…seems to be alot of information for pregnancy and then everyone drops off the face of “internet world” for a while as they are learning all that having a newborn (while being T1) entails! Well, I was diagnosed at 19, got married at 24, then had three kiddos who are now 6, 4 and 3. I just got the Dexcom last week (and wonder why I didn’t have this earlier). I’ve been on a Medtronic pump since 2004 (ish). I can’t wait to see how my doc adjusts numbers based on the CGM and really see how this affects my daily life. (IE knowing that I’m going high and that I’m going to be slightly prone to being short tempered or tired feeling.) Looking forward to chatting with you all more!! Also @Gina, there is a screening called TrialNet and is free for your children if you are a diabetic. www.DiabetesTrialNet.org is their site.
Hi, all - just found this site - about 29 years too late! I am a type 1 with 3 children (to who I gave birth) without diabetes and two more (adopted) who also don’t have it. My oldest just turned 29 (2 days ago), and I have to say that my diabetes affected my kids in that they are able to see if I am low so long before I am - and they have been able to since they were little. They have always understood that my blood sugar sometimes has to be the first thing we deal with.
When I was pregnant with # 3, my others were 3.5 and 2, and my blood sugar dove to very low levels. We were in a new house, in a new town, and it was me and the kids. My older daughter got the orange juice out of the frig and poured it on my face (pretty carefully), then answered the phone (my dad, who was 2000 miles away) - she told him what was going on and he had the ambulance come. By the time they were there, her orange juice trick had worked, and all I had was some embarrassment and a sticky carpet.
Another time, I was driving with my youngest daughter in the car (she was 5) and her twin brothers in the back seat (before all of those rules about where kids could sit in cars). I zonked out and drove the car onto a curb. She reached over and took the keys out of the ignition and, when I demanded that she give them back to me, handed me the part without the car keys. The police found us, she explained that I have diabetes, and they got me to the hospital, the kids too, and we were all fine except my car damage.
Kids are flexible and love you no matter what. Mine are still protective and # 3 is now a nurse, specializing in diabetic issues.
The pump and CGM have helped straighten me out, and I think that, if I had had these when I was pregnant, I wouldn’t have had the issues that I did. But my kids are GREAT - healthy and not diabetic.
Hang in there - get though it one day at a time.
I was really obsessively worried my kids would get Diabetes also, but was told by the pediatrician that there was less than 10% chance of them getting it. It still worried me off and on, but I have 4 kids (14, 12, 10 and 6) and none of them have it. I have had a few times of panic when one of them was thirsty and I made them let me check their blood sugar but I finally got over it and learned to relax a little.
I too have a young child, he is 8 months old. I was diabetic before I got pregnant, and i didnt have my blood sugars controlled, so i had a rough pregnancy. I completely understand what you mean by your health getting worse day after day! I feel the same way!
Hi, I have a 2 month old, been type 1 for 20+ years, and just looking to connect with some other t1 moms. Its felt a little odd going from super tight control to ‘normal’ (we had a miscarriage before this one so it’s been a three year long process). Seems like the drs don’t have much to say about breastfeeding and day to day management. Did anyone else have trouble adjusting?