My experience with Gestational Diabetes
Thank you for inviting me to share my story with your readers. I am sharing this in the hope that it resonates with some. There is strength is vulnerability and knowing that when we share our stories we can empower others to make simple changes too and learn from each other. Diabetes has such a stigma attached to it that the more we talk about it, the more we can share tips that can improve our health!
I developed Gestational Diabetes in my second pregnancy in 2019. However, I have a feeling I also had gestational diabetes in my first pregnancy in 2016, but the tests were slightly different then. Like a lot of mothers, I thought that gestational diabetes was something that I wouldn’t need to worry about following the birth of the baby. However, there was a lot happening during this second pregnancy that led to me delving a little deeper into exactly what was happening to my body. My father sadly passed away two months before the birth of my second child. He had type 2 diabetes, as well as an autoimmune condition and towards the end, kidney failure. I had seen the damage that diabetes can do to the body, not only at the end of life, but the many years leading up to it. Such a slow, progressive disease. I learnt that if you have gestational diabetes, you are five times more likely to develop diabetes five years after that pregnancy. This statistic shocked me but sometimes through fear, we can make the best changes to improve. Just because you have a genetic predisposition to becoming type 2 diabetic, it does not mean that is definitely going to be the cards handed to you. It is possible to reverse and slow down the progression and hopefully, never becoming type 2 diabetic. Now, I have found so much joy in this healthy lifestyle I lead, that it has become intuitive and easy. I stock my larder with easy options I can make quickly to nourish my body.
Physical stress and mental stress can affect the body too. In 2002, I was involved in a fatal car accident where I was the only survivor. At 19, in my first year of University studying Law, I was a passenger in a car crash where the 3 other occupants, including the driver, died. I was very lucky to survive and had to be resuscitated. I had a right compound femur fracture, where my femur came out of my thigh with a clean break. I remember the doctors telling my mum that they didn’t know whether I would lose my leg or even come out of the theatre. At the same time as I was in this car crash, my father was also terribly ill having developed an autoimmune condition after being prescribed and taking statins to reduce cholesterol. I honestly don’t know how my mum was able to deal with the situation of her husband in hospital as well as her eldest fighting for her life, but then mothers are the strongest of all on this planet aren’t we?! This physical stress and mental stress had a huge impact on my gut health. I was also taking anti-inflammatory drugs as well as antibiotics, which I realise now, damaged my gut health.
In 2016, I was diagnosed with the blanket term IBS. After a colonoscopy, I was found to have ulcers in my small bowl as well as high ESR inflammation makers from my blood tests. No root cause was explored. After becoming ‘my own doctor’, in 2019, I looked back at this blood test and it also showed that my HBa1c (a 3 month average glucose reading) was 5.9 (over 6.0/6.2 is pre-diabetic). Women in the UK who have gestational diabetes are offered an hba1c test 3 months after the birth of the baby. Mine in 2019 was also 5.9- the same as it was in 2016. Type 2 is a progressive disease that can take many years to become diabetic, and by then so much damage can be done to the body. No one told me that I was on the verge of becoming pre-diabetic in 2016 and even in 2019 my GP could not offer me any support as I was not classed as pre-diabetic.
I sought help from a nutritionist to help me learn what insulin resistance was, and like other metabolic diseases like PCOS, there are ways to improve insulin sensitivity! My last blood results showed that I no longer have high ESR inflammation blood markers. I have lost 5 stone in weight and my hba1c is well within normal levels at 5.2. They say that if you can be in remission for 5 years you can say you have reversed diabetes. Well, whilst, I will always love eating this way, and will never go back to my previous way of eating, it will be lovely to know that I have improved my longevity!
An inflamed gut can be a sign of insulin resistance and this is why not only do I lead a clean, low inflammation diet, gut health is also so important to me. My diet and supporting gut health go hand in hand. So what do I mean by this? Moderate protein, plenty of healthy fats and lots of low glycaemic, plant fibre and variety to feed the good bacteria in the gut. I take probiotics and prebiotics as well, incorporating lots of fermented foods and raw cheese into my diet too!
My aim is to feed my microbiome and not my cravings. I adore the food I eat and have developed more confidence in the kitchen- it is so fun to nourish my body. This is the greatest form of self-love and respect. If I can do it, so can you!
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Navneeta is an inspirational woman who has embarked on a wellness journey, after gaining a greater insight into the meaning of true health, encompassing the mind and body, with everything coming down to supporting good gut bacteria. A gut health fanatic as well as leading a low inflammation lifestyle, Navneeta has improved her insulin sensitivity after developing gestational diabetes following her second pregnancy, lowered high ESR inflammation blood markers following a diagnosis of IBS, as well as losing an incredible 5 stone in weight over the last 2 years.
Navneeta is now a Health and Wellness advocate, sharing her personal journey to health, on her beautiful Instagram feed https://instagram.com/lets_eat_better_together
As a mother of two children under 5, a lovely girl and boy, you will not only find stunning foodie creations which are nourishing and a visual feast, but are all absolutely achievable for anyone leading a busy lifestyle. Learning to cook from scratch, nourishing your body and using food as medicine has become second nature to Navneeta and she wants others to know that small steps can create huge changes that improve longevity and optimise health.
