Thirty Years In

Thirty years ago today, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

It's a day I remember every year, and a day I never know how to really commemorate.

This year, it's particularly special because I have my four month son keeping me company as I write this. A son who was born without any complications during my medically-intensive, but otherwise healthy pregnancy.

In fact, the first thing I thought this morning was, "I know I'm a diabetic parent when my infant son sleeps nine hours straight for the first time ever, and I'm up at 4am treating an insulin reaction."

But what else is new?

I wrote about this anniversary last year, and others in the blogosphere have written about it.

For a moment, briefly, I thought diabetes had robbed me of the chance to give birth vaginally. For those who follow, my eyes have had retinopathic issues and docs thought a vaginal birth would be too much pressure on them. The truth is, after having a scheduled c-section and an easy recovery, and hearing about long and involved vaginal births that went on and on, that will filled with pain, or became emergency c-sections anyway, I'm happier having given birth via scheduled C. Going vaginally sounds a lot scarier than what I did. And while breastfeeding was a challenge and milk supply continues to be, my non-diabetic mother had similar issues with me and my brother, so I now suspect genetics versus diabetes for my breastfeeding woes.

I don't have anything special planned for today, other than my usual Wednesday stuff. In fact, I've given more thought to a job interview I just had earlier this week. I'm going back in for a second interview, and was asked to do an editing test (standard procedure for senior-level editorial jobs), and I'm wondering more about whether I want to go back to full-time work when Baby L is four or five months, versus staying at home and freelancing and having my son stay at home, rather than at daycare.

I'll be pondering this over the next few days, and will try to update the blog sooner rather than waiting a month to do so.

But thirty years in, I'm feeling just fine today.

Just fine.