#40: Sarah Swanberg | Through Pregnancy And Back… Twice

Pregnancy is intimidating. Your body changes. There’s another thing in there stealing the food you eat. You crave things like pickles and peanut butter. But, with all this normal stuff aside, what if you have type 1 diabetes and you’re pregnant? Sarah Swanberg walks us through both of her pregnancies–the blood sugar challenges, perilous diet decisions, and lessons learned. Per the norm, we held nothing back, and explored every pregnancy/diabetes-related question known to man. After the interview, Amber and Ryan looked at each other and said, “She’s freakin’ awesome” (give or take a few adjectives). (more…)



My Pregnancy Was Not Normal, But It Was Mine… And Remarkable

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I have a friend who had her first baby a week before I had my Lily. She announced her pregnancy one week after taking an over-the-counter test. She posted an emotionally ecstatic, over-the-moon announcement on Facebook, posted pictures of her dog with baby shoes on Instagram, and from that day forward used social media daily to share ultrasounds, belly photos, pregnancy workout selfies, baby clothes, and so much more.

My experience was NOTHING like this. (more…)



The 80/20 Rule: Playing By My Own Rules

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The 80/20 rule usually means that 20 percent of the causes create 80 percent of the results. As a TID for 29 years, I think of it a little differently. I like to believe if I follow the rules 80 percent of the time, I can “bend” them for 20 percent.

So, what does that really mean for a person with T1D?

It means that I’m not so hard on myself when I slip-up.
It means that I’m not pressured by the illusive perfection in diabetes management. (more…)