{"id":193960,"date":"2023-01-05T09:52:47","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T14:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=193960"},"modified":"2023-01-05T09:52:47","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T14:52:47","slug":"managing-diabetes-for-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/01\/managing-diabetes-for-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Diabetes for 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

While diabetes that\u2019s not under control can pose serious health threats, having diabetes and being pregnant comes with additional risks of complications for both mom and baby.<\/p>\n

\"Mom
Mary Blasi with then two-week-old Bruno (photo provided by Mary Blasi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mary Blasi can speak to that. Twenty-six years after learning she had diabetes, she was pregnant and well aware that managing her blood sugar would become doubly important.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 7,\u201d Blasi says. \u201cWhen it came time to wanting kids, I knew it would involve a lot more from my care team compared to the average pregnant mother due to my diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her care team would include UConn Health\u2019s Diabetes Self-Management Education Program<\/a>, which includes nurse practitioner Luriza Glynn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the mother, pregestational diabetes can increase the risk of complications such as high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive disorders, development or worsening of diabetic retinopathy, and increase in risk of diabetic ketoacidosis. It can also increase the risk of developing long-term complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney damage,\u201d says Glynn, the diabetes education program\u2019s coordinator. \u201cIn the fetus, pregestational diabetes can increase the risk of complications such as macrosomia (large size) of the fetus, which can make delivery more difficult and increase the risk of birth injuries, premature birth, stillbirth, and birth defects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pregestational diabetes refers to diabetes that\u2019s present before pregnancy. It includes type 1 diabetes (also know as juvenile diabetes) and type 2 diabetes (also known as adult onset diabetes). Women who are not diabetic can get gestational diabetes, which is temporary during pregnancy and usually resolves after the baby is born. However, women who\u2019ve had gestational diabetes do have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.<\/p>\n

\"Patient
Mary Blasi (seated) credits the UConn Health Diabetes Education Program with helping her manage her diabetes before, during and after pregnancy. Her care team includes (from left) Dr. Pooja Luthra, nurse Amy Clark, and nurse practitioner Luriza Glynn. (Photo by Chris DeFrancesco)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While it\u2019s always important for people with any kind of diabetes to manage their blood sugar levels, it\u2019s especially crucial during pregnancy \u2014 and in pregestational diabetes cases, before the pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreconception counseling is extremely important to have the best maternal and fetal outcomes,\u201d says. Dr. Pooja Luthra<\/a>, director of UConn Health\u2019s Diabetes Education Program and Blasi\u2019s endocrinologist. \u201cIt is best to keep the sugar control as normal as possible prior to planning pregnancy. This reduces the risk of large for gestation age babies, complications with delivery of the baby and also prevents low blood sugar in neonates after delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women with diabetes should plan for more frequent prenatal care visits and consultations with dietitians, Glynn says.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Achieving a healthy pregnancy as a diabetic mom is achievable even though it can feel very overwhelming. — Mary Blasi<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/span><\/p>\n

Blasi, who lives in Plainville and is a nurse in UConn Health\u2019s operating room, was prepared to take the necessary steps, enlisting the diabetes education program, consulting with dietitians, and having more frequent prenatal care visits for both her pregnancies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UConn Diabetes Education Program was very proactive in preparing for pregnancy and ensuring I was well prepared for the demanding daily tasks of carrying a baby as a diabetic mother,\u201d Blasi says. \u201cThe first big change was going from multiple daily injections to an insulin pump to help aid in tighter glucose control. After becoming pregnant I worked several times a week with UConn’s diabetes team to make adjustments on my insulin pump, as the demand for insulin rapidly increases as you progress through your pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

UConn Health\u2019s Diabetes Education Program brings together physicians, nurses, dietitians and referring providers to offer personalized care and support and empower patients to take control of their diabetes through education, lifestyle, and the latest technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest challenge was really the daily battle to ensure I was achieving the best glucose control I could,\u201d Blasi says. \u201cThe education program really informed me of all the complications that can affect the baby, so my blood sugars and blood pressures were constantly on my mind through the eight months I carried both my boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"parents
Mary and Dan Blasi with their first-born son, Mikey, at two days old (Photo provided by Mary Blasi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMary was willing to do anything to keep her sugars in control,\u201d Glynn says. \u201cMary manages her diabetes with an insulin pump and uses a continuous glucose monitor. As with most women with pregestational diabetes, Mary required an increase in insulin as pregnancy progressed, which resulted in an increase in steps involved related to day to day insulin pump use.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blasi\u2019s first son, Mikey, was born in June 2020. Baby brother Bruno arrived December 2021. Both are graduates of the Connecticut Children\u2019s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UConn Health<\/a> and are doing well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first year with Bruno was a little crazy with two under 2 years old, but it has been so worth it! I am so blessed to have two beautiful and healthy boys,\u201d Blasi says.<\/p>\n

She credits her OB-GYN, Dr. Christopher Morosky<\/a>, plus Dr. Richard Wagner<\/a> and Dr. Andrea Shields<\/a> from maternal-fetal medicine, for collaborating with her diabetes care team<\/a> \u201cto help achieve the best pregnancy I could have.\u201d And she is thankful for the care, guidance and support from Luthra, Glynn, and nurse Amy Clark.<\/p>\n

\"family
Dan and Mary Blasi hold their children, Mikey (left), 2, and Bruno, 10 months. (Photo provided by Mari Blasi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so grateful for having such an amazing team,\u201d Blasi says. \u201cI spent much of my time with Luriza, who was absolutely amazing. She wanted to ensure I was fully aware of all the risks and challenges that I would face as a diabetic mother, and really instilled the importance of good glucose management.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she has a message for those with diabetes who have dreams of motherhood:<\/p>\n

\u201cAchieving a healthy pregnancy as a diabetic mom is achievable even though it can feel very overwhelming,\u201d Blasi says. \u201cIt requires a large amount of self-discipline and lots of guidance from your care team. Don’t give up when you have a bad day, and reach out to your team as much as you need to!\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about the <\/em>UConn Health Diabetes Self-Management Education Program<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UConn Health\u2019s Diabetes Education Program helps women control their blood sugars before, during, and after pregnancy to reduce complications for both mom and baby<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":193951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2231,1868,179,2295],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2010],"class_list":["post-193960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-well-being","category-meds","category-uconn-health","category-womens-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-31 03:34:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193960"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193963,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193960\/revisions\/193963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/193951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193960"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=193960"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=193960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}