KR is a mother of three who has access to Maven through her job at a leading financial and global information services company. While in her third trimester with her third child, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes (GD). She looked to Maven for nutritional support, emotional support, and guidance, all the way through to her successful pregnancy.
“The first two weeks, my sugar level was awful. My doctor told me ‘you can’t eat like this, you need to do better. If you don’t take care of yourself, your baby could die.’ Him telling me my baby could die stuck with me, and terrified me.”
A life-threatening diagnosis, a common experience
After having two daughters, KR was unsure whether she wanted another child, but she concluded she’d regret not trying for a third. As she and her husband started trying to conceive, KR decided to check out Maven, and spoke with a provider on the Maven network about fertility. After receiving some advice, and shortly thereafter becoming pregnant, KR carried on through the first and second trimesters with no issues.
However, during a routine screening, KR was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes (GD), a type of diabetes that occurs in women during pregnancy. GD occurs in up to 10% of pregnant women in the US each year, and can result in excessive birth weight, premature birth, higher risks of obesity or diabetes later in life, and even stillbirth. It’s often managed with diet and exercise, although more severe cases require insulin injections. KR’s doctor instructed her to write down everything she ate until her next visit, without much guidance beyond that.
“The first two weeks, my sugar level was awful. My doctor told me ‘you can’t eat like this, you need to do better. If you don’t take care of yourself, your baby could die.’ Him telling me my baby could die stuck with me, and terrified me.”
KR’s doctor referred her to a nutritionist who specializes in GD, who reiterated many of the same things her doctor had said — and stoked the fear that her baby was in danger. However, what KR did not receive was empathy about her situation from her regular doctor, nor an approach to dieting that could work for her. She’d do her best to follow the nutritionist’s instructions, but her blood sugar levels were still not where they needed to be.
“I thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, but there was no guidance as to what I should or shouldn’t do, just that I needed to eat less...the nutritionist gave me a big chart of all the foods I should avoid, but I didn’t know how to actually interpret it and make it work.”
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