Search Results for: blog parenting a baby when you have a chronic illness

Explaining Illness to Your Preschooler

Last night as I was busily typing on the computer, my daughter wandered into my office. In her “I want to ask you something but you will say no” voice, she said, “Mom?” “Yes, dear.” “Mom?” “Yes.” “I have diabetes.” Well no, she doesn’t have diabetes. I have diabetes, and I wear an insulin pump, count carbohydrates, and all of that fun stuff. She watches me use my pump, change my pump sites, insert big needles into various parts of my anatomy. Sometimes I poke her finger to check and see if her blood sugar is all right, and once … Continue reading →

The Baby Dance: Love Dancing With Your Baby?

I am a crazy, crazy dancer. Now, in those first awkward elementary school dances, I was always the first person to flee to the wall. I remember an excruciatingly embarrassing moment when I was asked to do the Twist in front of my entire grade seven class. The horror. But when it comes to dancing with babies, I am the master. You see, the year my daughter was a baby, the local radio station had a contest for the best 100 tunes of all time. The contest must have gone on for several months. I was bound to nap times … Continue reading →

Would You Choose Public Cord Blood Banking?

Just before my daughter was born, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that’s genetically inherited. Our family has a strong history of this difficult disease, and I was concerned that my daughter would carry the gene too. At the time, my husband and I were debating whether we’d store our daughter’s cord blood. The diagnosis of diabetes was the clincher: we decided to spring for private cord blood banking, knowing that researchers were doing studies on umbilical stem cells and treating children with new Type 1 with their own cells, in the hopes of restoring their … Continue reading →

Parenting a Baby When You Have A Chronic Illness

This is a topic that is dear to my heart. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I developed Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder that commonly arises in children, although about 25% of people who develop it are over age 25. It was very difficult to manage a new disease and be a first-time parent to a newborn. For about 6 months, my life revolved around eating and taking care of my daughter. I now have two chronic health conditions, and sometimes parenting can be hard. Yes, parenting is always hard, but combining parenting, working and sleep deprivation with … Continue reading →

Do Children Grind Their Teeth?

Teeth grinding isn’t just an adult problem! As much as a third of all children grind their teeth at certain points in their lives. When do children grind their teeth? Most grinding happens at two points in development: when the baby teeth first emerge and when the permanent (adult) teeth come in. The majority of children will stop grinding their teeth once the baby teeth and adult teeth have come in more fully. Just like adults, children tend to grind their teeth during sleep, rather than when awake. And just like adults, children can experience jaw pain, headaches, wear on … Continue reading →