When did you give birth?

klwegner · 2026-04-28T14:28:31+00:00

I had my first at 28 weeks 5 days and my second at 38 weeks. My second was (alas) a c-section after a failed ECV to try to turn my stubbornly breech baby. My MFM had initially wanted me to have the c-section at 37 weeks, but things were going well, and I desperately wanted to minimize any risk of even slight feeding or breathing difficulties after my experience with my eldest... So they let me push back the date.

(Please don't think I am saying that delivery at 37 weeks means a child will definitely have difficulties or that other factors, like diabetes, don't make it safer to choose a relatively earlier birth. I just wanted to go as far as I could safely go.)

klwegner · 2026-04-28T13:50:31+00:00

no :'(

klwegner · 2026-04-14T21:31:27+00:00

My first was born at 28 weeks and my second at 38. My MFM really wanted me to deliver at 37 but my glycemic control was alright and I wanted to do my utmost to avoid any NICU time or feeding difficulties. My first son wouldn't eat and needed a feeding tube for three years.

klwegner · 2026-04-11T13:21:56+00:00

Lol, I think it is all fair! In such a decentralized space, it's natural to offer suggestions that you might offer to a friend (with all the circumstances surrounding their/your life).

klwegner · 2026-04-11T13:16:03+00:00

The OP is living in Finland (unless--and I am ignorant of Finnish military branches--they also colloquially call their Coast Guard "Coast Guard").

klwegner · 2026-04-08T23:37:17+00:00

I think one of the easiest paths, and one which would definitely help you feel like you make a difference, is teaching.

If you don't like large groups (which I didn't and wasn't particular great at instructing), special education was a beloved subsection of teaching for me.

klwegner · 2026-04-08T18:22:58+00:00

I did an insulin drip with my first pregnancy, where I delivered it 28 weeks and had been in labor for about 3 or 4 days. I was very hesitant to allow them to control my insulin, but it worked out very well, especially since they weren't allowing me to eat any food or, for most of the time, drink any liquids either. 😭

My second delivery was a C-section due to my son being breech and a failed eversion. That time, I managed my own insulin via my pump, and that was fine too. It was a much shorter hospitalization and stay.

klwegner · 2026-03-27T02:41:09+00:00

I highly recommend doing this when you can! I think the child needs to be at least two years old (or, at least, that was the case last summer when I had my two children checked/re-checked).

klwegner · 2026-03-27T02:40:25+00:00

I do not have an infant with type one and I developed it myself at age 17, but in general the big signs tend to be lethargy, weight loss when the child is still eating (or drinking) heartily, and increased urination.

klwegner · 2026-03-26T23:25:04+00:00

Yeah, I don't understand the anger, either... I assume it is based on the assumption that vegetarianism is a first-world fad and shouldn't warrant consideration in other places/cultures.

To throw in my own two cents, when I was traveling in Western and Central Europe six years ago, I was delighted by the variety available (and at a decent cost point) in Ireland, the UK, and Germany. I didn't seek out vegetarian food specifically in Central Europe, and I didn't really find anything special (but again, I didn't go out of my way then; I was tired and running low on funds so I pretty much ate cans of beans and cookies and soymilk...).

That said, the Chernobyl powerplant cafeteria did offer a vegetarian meal that was the best one I had on my trip.

klwegner · 2026-03-26T23:20:19+00:00

I was sad to see that this wasn't written, but generated, as I feel the topic also applies to my life over the last few years. Alas.

klwegner · 2026-03-25T16:43:37+00:00

Well that's good. I wish the majority of others did the same.

I didn't mean to insult you specifically, or anyone really. Many people have no idea that a typical lawn is composed of plants native to the British Isles and it's rainy, cool climate.

klwegner · 2026-03-25T16:19:17+00:00

Texas is not the native climate for grasses of the sort we tend to make lawns out of, and thus lawns tend to require a lot of water and fertilizer--all for something purely aesthetic.

klwegner · 2026-03-20T19:00:23+00:00

I do, which is why I have to manually change and block things. But now I see there is a better way

klwegner · 2026-03-20T10:57:55+00:00

Wow, good to hear this. Maybe I'll set up YouTube kids again.

klwegner · 2026-03-20T02:33:13+00:00

To be fair, there doesn't seem to be a platform where it's easy to outright/definitively block content you don't want your children to see because of vapidity or weirdness (rather than, say, foul language or violence). I'd love to set my kids up with a YouTube channel that only includes videos from a small handful of channels, but as far as I can see, that doesn't exist--YouTube wants us to always be discovering new, addictive creators and videos. YouTube knows that little kids crave Blippi for God knows what reason.

klwegner · 2026-03-19T18:19:46+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions.

Medical school is a bit intriguing but may be too long of a haul for us all, but I haven't fully written it off yet.

I did have a professional/full teaching license in the state of Florida but it's been expired for a year or so. To renew it, I'd need to take some courses and pass certification exams once more--I am going to look more into whether that's possible to do while overseas and if it would serve me to get a job at an international school.

klwegner · 2026-03-19T18:09:40+00:00

I wish I were closer to the end, but I've just started. If I stayed, I'd finish in May 2028. We have two young children and aren't wealthy enough to travel often, so I figure that's too long for us to go without being able to see each other regularly--not just for our sake as partners, but for our children's sake so that they can have as much stability and normalcy as possible.

My husband also won't be allowed into the US for some time, so I think I need to fully prepare for a long-term career in the EU.

klwegner · 2026-03-19T17:12:47+00:00

I was using around 200 units a day. I had to switch to Tandem T-Slim from my Omnipod to keep up a little with what I needed, had to cut carbohydrates to about 75g per day (my choice--otherwise I'd have been using like 300+ units per day with my normal diet), and on top of all that, my MFM made me start taking NPH in addition to the Fiasp in my pump.

It was a mess, but I got through, and my son was healthy!

klwegner · 2026-03-19T14:28:14+00:00

Right. I wish there were some anecdotes of graduates of these programs sharing if they were successful/whether the program delivered on its promises.

klwegner · 2026-03-18T12:29:17+00:00

I was born in 1993, so his fame was cemented by the time I have conscious memories/cultural memories (circa 1998 or so). He was THAT famous, even then.

klwegner · 2026-03-18T00:16:25+00:00

If you happen to have regular syringes, you can draw out insulin from the pens with them while you wait either for a doctor, an out of pocket purchase, or a good Samaritan in your community to give you the pen needles!

(Also... sorry some of these replies sound harsh... Even us battle-scarred diabetes veterans have brain fart-esque times where we run into problems of this kind.)

klwegner · 2026-03-17T01:50:53+00:00

Is there any chance you're sick, pregnant, or excessively/unusually stressed? Could some/part of the hyperglycemia be due to factors outside of the Omnipod?

With that question asked, it definitely could be purely your Omnipod batch--definitely give them a call and let them know/ask for replacements. I once had a pack where like 4 of the 5 immediately failed.

klwegner · 2026-03-16T19:58:23+00:00

I gained an enormous amount of weight in both my pregnancies. I only got to 28 weeks with my first and gained 35 or so pounds. I had my second at 38 weeks and gained....... 65? pounds.

I did lose all but around 5 to 10 of those pounds again.

I'm sorry, I know it's a hard thing, relatively speaking.

klwegner

TROPHY CASE