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These are parents raising children who have been diagnosed with diabetes. It can be hard to find information as a mom of a child with diabetes, so we've put together a few ideas to help with the stresses of looking after a child with diabetes. From carrying juice boxes everywhere you go, to counting carbs and always being on call, being a D-mom is hard.
It can feel isolating, as a parent who doesn't have diabetes yourself, to find others going through the same things. Check out our Support Port group on Facebook to find others in a similar situation. It's also a place to share your experiences and advice to help others.
A few easy tips for first-time D-moms:
We hope these tips help make raising a child with diabetes feel a little less challenging. Your child's diabetes care team can point you to local organizations and support networks, and talking to other parents going through the same thing can really help.
Comment below if you have any helpful tips or experiences to share — we’d love to hear from you!
General information, not medical advice. Always talk to your diabetes care team about your care.
My son became a type 1, 6 days after his second birthday, at that time I had been a type 1 for 26 years. 34 years ago there was only finger sticks for blood sugar and syringes and vials of insulin, no external pumps or continuous glucose monitors.
When he wanted something sweet between meals we told him, let’s test your blood sugar and see how much insulin you’ll need. He never objected to this and we never talked about cheating on his diet.
We never forced him to give himself injections or finger sticks, plus I made it my goal to give him his injections as quickly as possible to minimize any discomfort.
I think he was in the first grade when he told me he wanted to test his own blood sugar and the second grade or third grade when he wanted to learn to give himself shots.
He transitioned nicely and has always been a model type 1, regarding: eating testing his blood and giving himself shots. He has never been in a coma or needed hospitalization due to his diabetes other than the initial visit when he was 2 years old.
I am very proud of him, even though everyone with type 1 has daily challenges as parents regardless of how you feel, you must make every effort to make your child’s diabetes maintenance be a normal matter of fact experience, so your child isn’t traumatized by their new life.