Malika Bey

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My journey with diabetes began twenty years ago when I developed gestational diabetes with my third child.

I was hospitalized several times during my pregnancy due to elevated blood sugars. After my child was born, I had no more problems with diabetes until five years later when I had my fourth child. I again developed gestational diabetes four months into my pregnancy.

This pregnancy was an experience I would wish on no woman. I felt the full effects of gestational diabetes. I was receiving prenatal care by a well-known mid-wife. After being admitted in the emergency room for high blood sugar, I was told that I needed prenatal care by a high-risk specialist and that I needed to use insulin during this pregnancy.

My mid-wife referred me to a doctor that specializes in caring for women with gestational diabetes. This doctor was very strict, expressing I would need regular ultrasounds to ensure the baby wasn’t getting too big, as that is one of the complications of having gestational diabetes. The doctor also told me to have regular blood tests, visit a dietitian, monitor every bite of food and check blood sugar before and after every meal.

I had many admissions to the hospital for elevated blood sugar. I was blessed the doctors took very good care of me but I was extremely depressed because this felt like pregnancy times 10. I was told in my eighth month that my baby would be delivered as soon as his lungs had matured due to my elevated blood sugar.

When I delivered my son I continued to have high blood sugars when I tested and was later diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

I want to stop diabetes so people like me who are struggling every day with this disease can live a healthy life without medication, without sticking yourself with needles, without worrying about the meal you just ate, and without worrying that - no matter how you try to take care of yourself — there is a chance your body will cause harm to your unborn child because you have this disease.