Yesterday I was having a lovely day, chatting, ordering, preparing for our annual trip the ABC Kids Expo when my littlest was climbing up my back and fell. She split her chin on the counter. I quickly swept her into my arms, applied pressure to the wound, threw on a frozen vegetable to help with the pain and headed over to the Kent County Emergency Room.

Somehow, this is my sixth trip to the ER. My son has been stitched (lawn chair accident), My daughter has been stapled (fell in a garage onto the foundation), the littlest had her finger stitched together after a chair she was sitting in fell and squished her digit and a random asthma trip or 2. There a few things I realized while sitting there. Firstly, ERs aren’t child friendly. Thank goodness for mom’s pocketbook of tricks. Stamps from yoga class and a toy car were lifesavers, the lollipop in the bottom helped, too. Observation 2, what did we do before the iphone? We used ours as a mirror so she could see her cool new sutures. I also used it to text my husband (and grandmas!) updates. Observation 3, everything gets easier. I was as calm and cool as a cucumber. I remember being so upset to bring a child to the ER the first time, this time it was like airport security. Within 1.25 hours we were on our merry way and went about our day. Just like with all things parenting, it gets easier, and we all get stronger.

I was reading an article recently about the percentage of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Attributable to Overweight and Obesity. Since GDM is considered by many to be a precursor of type 2 diabetes I was curious what are some of the things people can do to prevent getting GDM and Type 2 later in life.

Nearly half of Gestational Diabetes can be prevented with weight management. So get out there and get some physical activity. The other aspect of it is eating healthy. If you aren’t sure how to get started or even where to start, check with your health professional for advise and direction.

How do you know if you have GDM. This website LiveStrong has a quick, easy reference. If you feel you have any of these symptoms, the earlier you seek medical advise the better.