... and just like that, I became a carb counter.

Not that I wanted to be. It wasn't so long ago that I swore I'd never be one of those unhappy people, tabulating the exact caloric content of a half-teaspoon of fat-free, low-sodium, reduced-calorie ranch dressing that they are about to dip their precisely one ounce, USDA-certified organic baby carrot into. (I like hyphens today.) But here I am. Measuring out my lo-fat cottage cheese, weighing bananas and frozen chicken breasts with our new kitchen scale, which, interestingly enough, I suggested we purchase. In the last three weeks, I have seen more food labels than in the last three years.

You see, my wife has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. For those not in the know, gestational diabetes is diabetes caused by pregnancy. Sugar is the body's fuel, and insulin is the hormone that allows us to procees that fuel. During pregnancy, the placenta actually suppresses insulin production in the mother. I think this is so that more blood sugar will pass through to the fetus so it can get all the nutrients it needs, but that is conjecture on my part. Anyway, insulin production can be suppressed to the point that the mother becomes diabetic. This is what happened to Nomi, and we've got it bad.

I say we've got it bad, because we're in this together. It would be unfair for me to continue eating as we had while she must be highly critical of her food. It would be even more difficult for her if was going it solo. Also, those who know me personally know that I could stand to lose a few pounds. Because carbohydrates break down into sugar and effect blood sugar, we have to watch carbs.

Diving head first into a carb-controlled diet is not easy. The way we used to eat is not so different, in terms of actual items, than what is allowed. Where it differs is in amounts. We're limited to 240 carbs a day, and while that may sound like a lot, you must remember that its spread out over six meals, eaten every two to three hours: 15-30 for breakfast, 15-30 for a snack, 40-60 for lunch, another snack, 40-60 for dinner, then another snack just before bed. It's not exactly a low carbohydrate diet, more like a carb controlled diet.

I freely admit that Naomi has been a lot better about it than I. I suppose that's to be expected, as it's her health that is affected by not eating properly. And it is affected significantly. Already we've a few instances where she "crashed." One of the dangers of lowering your carb intake, is your blood sugar can get very low. If you throw a syringe full of synthetic insulin on top of that, it can get dangerously low. Diabetic coma low. We haven't had a scare quite like that yet, but sometimes she gets very tired and nauseous, and dizzy and a little confused, and we know that it's time for a juice box; some quick carbs to get the blood sugar up.

One interesting side effect of all this, is now we're using more of what we buy. We like to have fresh and canned veggies around, but more often than not, the fest ones rot in the crisper and the canned ones languish in the cupboard for months before we break down and open them up. Having to buy food with a purpose, rather than because it seemed like a good idea at the time, means that when we run out food, we're really out of food. Not just out of stuff that's convenient, or things that we really like.

The obstetrician seems to think that Nomi was borderline diabetic before the pregnancy, and we agree. I suppose that makes her more of a Type II, than gestational, but that's not the point. The point is, we'll have to continue this for the rest of our lives, most, likely. About the best we can hope for is, once the baby is born, her insulin levels return to where they were before, and we can control it with diet and exercise.