I'm having an evening gown made for Sarah for a banquet she's singing at in December. It's going to be a sort of straight down shimmery satin. Any suggestions what to do with her pump? I was thinking maybe a small pocket in the back? I thought about doing it inside, but that might be awkward and it would probably show a bump.
There are leg/thigh pouches which you wrap around your leg (usually with velcro) and the pump clips onto. That's what I'm using for my wedding dress! I'd say check on the website of her pump manufacturer under the store section.. you should be able to find something there! :)
https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/store/products/summary/C-ACC-104-P#
Thanks! I took your advice and looked on the animas site. They have a thigh thingy that looks like it goes around the leg and clips onto the undergarments. I think it might be cumbersome for her though, she's pretty sensitive about stuff like that and I can just see her messing with it because she'd be feeling her underwear falling down and such. I asked the lady who is making her dress to design a small pocket in the back with a little slit for the tube. We'll see how that works out.
Hi Michelle,
I've been on various pumps for over 14 years, so I've tried everything!
I haven't found the "waist thing" to be comfortable OR discrete. The "thigh thing" (their actual names), which is the pouch with velcro and clips can work well, but yes, I've definitely had problems with it pulling down my underwear--or at least feeling that way. I think for it to be really effective, it needs a stocking halter, and that's taking things in an entirely different line!
I've never thought to have a pocket put into a dress, and think it's a great idea. Will it affect the flow of the dress? And how will she access the pump if she needs to give insulin?
My usual resources are products like Spanx, Underarmor, etc. Skin tight layers that will hold the pump in place--I usually use a longer set of shorts and put the pump in the thigh area, but I've also used midsection items and done the small of my back, or tank tops with built in bras and put the pump under my arm. Depending on the dress and whether I feel like going through the admitted discomfort Spanx, I'll also place the pump in my bra, either between my breasts of in the side area. If your daughter is a typically narrow 11 year old, then most likely neither of these items are ideal--for now. The main things to keep in mind are comfort, strength (will this material actually hold the pump where I want it to be?) and accessibility to the pump.
Steph
when I was trying the pump i bought the thigh-thing and leg-thing from animas...i hated both. the thigh-thing was uncomfortable and stuck out (i have thick thighs so there was no "space" for it to fit between my legs instead of on the outside) so i never used it.
i used the leg-thing a number of times..but i didn't enjoy using it. i found it slid down really easy and i kept having to pull it back up. not so bad when i was sitting, but when i was walking, it was slipping down with each step =/ it stuck out a bit, but wasn't as noticeable as the thigh-thing.
i tried the bra trick..didn't work haha too awkward under the arm, not enough boobs to put it in between haha.
i think if she's wearing a gown that goes out at the waist..the leg-thing will probably work best, it's low enough that if the dress is form fitting, it'll probably not be noticed at the bottom (since the bottom is usually wider to allow walking right?).
but if she's comfortable with it sticking out a bit on her back, i'd do with that :)
Hi Steph,
Actually the lady I had make the dress forgot the pocket and as she needs it this Saturday, I'm not going to worry about it. The dress isn't tight, so I think she'll wear the pump underneath either clipped to her tights or wear light shorts and clip it there. She can clip it in the back so it doesn't show, as no-one will be looking there.
She's "typically narrow" at 4'10" and 78lbs, she's just starting to develop a little figure, so no way will it fit on her bra, lol. That would be kinda funny... :-)
Fortunately we have the Animas Ping, so the remote is separate and she can test and deliver insulin without touching the pump.
Thanks!
Smart! If you clip it on her tights, it will show less and be kind of held in if you clip it inside of the tights at the small of her back. If that's too uncomfortable, just clip in outside of the tights.
Hope she does great in the performance!
Sarah did it! She sang 15 song in a row - a lot for an 11 year old! Her bg was picture perfect. She was right around 90 when she started so I suspended her basal for 1.5 hours and she was 140 when she was done. I ended up clipping the pump to the back of her tights, and it worked perfectly. Thought I'd share a picture of Sarah I took during her performance. This was her hamming it up when she was singing Doin' What Comes Naturally...
What a sweet darling!!! Congratulations!
This is so cute! 15 songs - that's impressive!
This is so cute! 15 songs - that's impressive!