Ten Years of Waiting: Our Pregnancy Announcement and How Faith Guided Me Through a High-Risk First Trimester with Type 1 Diabetes

I’ve been quiet here for a reason…

and today I finally feel ready to share why.

Lovelies, I am expecting!! We are expecting.

This is one of the most joyful sentences I’ve ever written. For years my husband and I quietly hoped for this day. We’ve been married for ten years, and we have always wanted a child. We prayed for this. We waited. We hoped. Yet the timing always felt uncertain, especially with my health. For so long I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able share this announcement or story here. But now, looking back at these early months with all their fear and fragility, I know that if even one person reading this feels less alone or more understood, then every word is worth it.

We officially started trying for two months before I became pregnant. Yet long before that, long before we even began, I had been trying for months to see an endocrinologist. Up until this point, my diabetes had been managed by my general practitioner, and while he always cared for me well, both my OBGYN and GP strongly recommended that I get specialized care and start using an insulin pump before conceiving. But finding the specialist world is not always easy to navigate.

One endocrinologist that had been recommended by both my GP and OBGYN never returned my calls, I reached out to them weekly and they kept doing “phone intakes”completely eating my time, never scheduled me, and frankly seemed uninterested because I am a type one diabetic, the kind many practices would rather not take on because of the time, attention, and complexity involved. They cared more about the type of insurance I had than the urgency of my situation, which I had explained many times. Even when I offered to private pay, I was met with silence. The doctor wouldn’t even review my chart after several months and me getting pregnant. As you can imagine, this added a layer of fear to an alread intimidating time. This is why I absolutely DO NOT recommend OSU endocrinology in Columbus. They only care about making money off of you. After speaking with an attorney who had some knowledge about the practice, I also learned that they are ruthless when it comes to late bills. If you are only days late they will sell your “debt” to a collector and have been known to try to take peoples homes. I really dodged a bullet.

Then I found out I was pregnant, and suddenly everything felt so much more urgent. In a panic, I called every endocrinologist in the city of Columbus, afraid my diabetes would spiral and put this tiny life at risk. I was convinced I would lose the pregnancy before it even had a chance to begin. But through persistent self advocacy, calls, follow-ups, tears, and prayer, I was accepted by an endocrinologist at OhioHealth about a month into pregnancy. She has been truly wonderful. I never gave up hope or stopped praying. Looking back, I feel like G-d had a plan for me all along.

In those very early weeks, I went in for frequent ultrasounds with my OBGYN. I was convinced my numbers were out of control, certain I had already done something wrong. I didn’t hear a heartbeat until six weeks, and that moment was devastating, even though now I know that is completely normal. Each appointment was a tether that helped me feel grounded again.

My endocrinologist then referred me to maternal fetal medicine, the high-risk pregnancy team, and I immediately felt safe with their care. They monitor my sugars through my CGM, check in weekly, or daily if needed, and guide every insulin adjustment with gentleness and precision. I also completed genetic testing with my husband because I am Ashkenazi Jewish and adopted, not because this would have changed anything, it’s not like I would ever take any durrastic measures like ending the pregnancy G-d forbid, but because we wanted to be prepared, to face whatever came with honesty.

Thank G-d, everything was normal.

Despite years of being encouraged to use an insulin pump, the delays in getting care due to other doctor’s negligence and lack of urgency, or flat out refusing me as a patient, meant that I entered this pregnancy without one. My doctors chose not to start pump therapy mid-pregnancy, so I self-administer insulin, count carbs, and make corrections hour by hour. It is a heavy responsibility, and some days it feels truly overwhelming. But I have kept my sugars within the range my doctors want, with the constant support of MFM and relentless effort.

The first trimester was incredibly rough.

I was so sick and so tired that some days getting out of bed felt like an accomplishment. Nearly every food made me nauseous. I couldn’t eat the balanced healthy meals I wanted to. Bread, crackers, cheese, pizza, ginger beer, and water became my reality. And somehow, even with that limited diet, I managed to keep my numbers stable. The entire first trimester I wasn’t allowed to drive because my blood sugar dropped unexpectedly and dangerously low, without any warning, and I couldn’t feel it happening. But it was ok because I needed that rest, even though I missed Torah classes, shul, and holiday gatherings more than I expected. It felt isolating, but it was also exactly what my body needed.

I experienced almost every first trimester symptom possible, sometimes at once, and 100 times worse than was normal. But week by week, the baby continued to grow exactly as they should, not too big, not too small, just perfectly made. And as the weeks passed, I slowly, beautifully began to feel better.

My husband has been nothing short of a blessing. Even while working 80+ hour weeks, he cared for me with patience, love, and diligence. He cooked, cleaned, made sure I was taken care of, and he never once made me feel like a burden. I felt guilty watching him put in so much, especially after long days, but he always made me feel supported and cherished.

Near the end of the first trimester, I learned I would need to transition to a new OBGYN because mine was retiring and wouldn’t be delivering our baby. What felt like another loss in a season full of ups and downs instead became another gift. My new OBGYN is someone I adore, and her office is so much easier for me to visit. Once again, I felt like He put me exactly where I was meant to be.

And then, on the day I officially entered my second trimester, I genuinely felt alive again. The nausea lifted. The fog began to clear. I still get exhausted, and my back, stomach, and hips ache as my body grows with this baby, but every discomfort feels sacred. Every day feels like a gift. I am so blessed.

This is why I waited to share. I needed clarity. I needed reassurance that I would even make it this far. Honestly I felt like sharing it would somehow be bad luck and jeopardize my baby. I needed to feel peace in my body and in my heart before writing these words. And now that I do, I am so overwhelmed with gratitude that I can’t keep it to myself!

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. Thank you for sharing in this journey with me. We are so humbled, so excited, and so ready for what’s next.