Meet T1D Momma, Falyn S.
My name is Falyn Shilts. I live in Jacksonville, FL. I have lived with T1D for 23 years and I am a mom to 4 healthy and beautiful children.
I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes when I was 14 years old. I always had a positive mindset and was a well-rounded child. When I was thrown into the hospital on New Years Eve over my winter break, I had no choice but to learn to live a healthy life with diabetes and take care of myself. I listened to the complications that could happen and it scared me, but I knew deep down, I just had to take care of myself. I have been very blessed and never had any issues conceiving. All 4 of my children were not “planned”.
10 years of pregnancy, sleepless nights, and lots of diapers
My first child was born in August of 2010, I was induced and delivery was vaginal. It was a crazy experience. She was too big for me and I should have had a c-section. She was huge! My 2nd was born 16 months later in January 2012, I was induced again and delivery was vaginal, easy peasy. My 3rd was born 4 years after that in April 2016 via c-section, and my most recent was born January 2020 via VBAC (thank g-d, I was not a fan of the c-section). It has been 10 years of being pregnant, breastfeeding, changing diapers, potty training, lots of sleepless nights, and in the midst of it all, managing my diabetes so I can be healthy and there for my children!
Each pregnancy was SO different and each delivery was so different.
Living with Type One Diabetes, you truly have to learn how to manage yourself, your medication dosage and be comfortable with making your own decisions. I have learned that doctors and nurses are not fully trained and educated on T1D and pregnancy. Each person's blood sugars react differently to different things and different doses. My first 3 I was using an insulin pump and my 4th I was using multiple daily injections along with the Freestyle Libre Continuous Glucose Sensor. There are definitely positives and negatives to both options. I was induced with my first two, so I knew that labor was coming and I had time to adjust my insulin and cut it off! With my C-section, I did not have to worry as much, she was born at 36 weeks and was breech- I was sent into an emergency c-section. My last I went into labor naturally and I did not have time to cut off my insulin delivery because I already had my daily long-acting dose in my system! I think I went through about 10-15 juice boxes during labor to keep my sugars up!
You are your best advocate
After delivery with my first, the doctor gave orders on my insulin dosage that I should begin to use at the time....I was in shock. I could not give myself that much or I would pass out! I had to stand up for myself and say "no" to the nurse. I had to explain why, and from that moment on, I knew that I was allowed to make these big decisions for myself. I want each and every diabetic to understand that YOU are in control of your body and you know your body best. Orders on a sliding scale do not work for each person the same way. My experiences with all of these pregnancies have led me to where I am today in my profession and I am passionate about helping others navigate pregnancy, delivery and living with T1D in a healthy and happy way!
My advice to anyone living with T1D thinking about getting pregnant or going through pregnancy now is...don’t stress! Don’t overthink things, and definitely don’t always think your doctor is right;)
Trust your gut feeling. Take care of yourself! As long as your blood sugars do not stay at a higher level for long periods of time, you will be ok and so will your baby! Lots of love to all of you reading this! You got this….and you are stronger than you will ever know!
