‘Eating for two’ means eating twice as carefully
Overcoming any challenge is rewarding. For women who prevail over the
challenge of
diabetic pregnancy, the reward is particularly Sweet Success.
Diagnosed with
Type 1 diabetes
at the age of 10, Lindsay Lawrence has faced down incredible obstacles
to achieve amazing results: Told playing sports would be difficult, Lawrence
went on to become the Mater Dei High School Athlete of the Year and received
a full volleyball scholarship to Northwestern University. She has become
a leader and advocate for diabetes education, and she is an unstoppable
bank executive who doesn’t let her insulin-dependence slow down
her busy schedule.
But pregnancy made her nervous.
A founding board member of Hoag’s Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center,
Lawrence, 32, says she remembers talking toKris V. Iyer, M.D., F.A.C.P.,
F.A.C.E., who oversees the center, in the months after her wedding about
how anxious she was about the prospect of starting a family.
“When you grow up with diabetes, you have the movie ‘Steel
Magnolias’ burned into your brain,” says Lindsay, referring
to the 1989 film in which a diabetic woman dies from complications following
childbirth.“ Dr. Iyer said, ‘Don’t worry. When the time
comes, we’ll be there to help you.’ ”
And they were. When Lawrence and her husband, Chris, were ready to start
a family, she enrolled in the Allen Diabetes Center’s Sweet Success
program, a state-affiliated program for women who have diabetes while
they are pregnant. The program helps women like Lawrence who have diabetes
before pregnancy, as well as women who become diabetic during pregnancy,
a condition known as gestational diabetes.
Lawrence was seen by perinatologist Menashe Kfir, M.D., who gave her the
“green light” to start trying and monitored her baby’s
progress. Her endocrinologists, Dr. Iyer and Francis Rhie, M.D., kept
her accountable for her blood sugar. Obstetrician Lisa Karamardian, M.D.,
coordinated all her care, and diabetes educator Sheri Yates, MSN, RNP
CDE, LEC, was the rock that kept her grounded and focused.
“Sometimes when you’re dealing with diabetes, the emotional
piece gets overlooked, but Sheri was wonderful,” Lawrence says.
“She took the time to get to know me, and when I’d get down
on myself if my numbers weren’t going the way I wanted them to,
she really dove into the details with me and got creative. I could shoot
them an email whenever I had a question, and they’d get back to
me within the day. It was incredible.”
Today, Chris and Lindsay have two healthy toddlers, daughter Addison and
son Grayson. The babies were born without complications, a credit to her
hardworking Sweet Success team.
“I knew it became a village that took care of me,” she says.
“It seemed insurmountable at the time, but at Sweet Success they
hold your hand and you get their undivided attention. It makes you feel
like you’re not alone on the journey.” ?