Be true to yourself.

At Coya brunch in Dubai. I was 5 weeks pregnant. I drank about 12 glasses of water, while the others drank 12 glasses of champagne!

Mum and I at my wedding. 1st April 2014. My pregnancy journey makes me appreciate mum more and more everyday.

Trevor and I chilling out on our sailing trip in Greece. June 2016.

Thinking about our higher purpose and the reason why we are here, can be brought back to one simple answer, our mothers and fathers got busy and we are the fabulous result. As I embark on motherhood, I reflect on my parents journey. Mum had four kids under four by the time she was 26. At 26 I became the State Manager of a construction company in Melbourne, helping build a regional office from a three man team to 13 employees, working 15 hour days and turning over millions. It was hard yakka (that’s Aussie for hard work) being a woman in the construction industry, especially at the top, but I know where my strength and resilience comes from, my mum and dad. In hindsight Mum worked 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

When dad was 19 he immigrated from the Czech Republic to Australia with his little brother George. They faced many difficulties learning English and fitting in to Australian society. They overcame whatever was thrown at them to gain employment and build their lives in the land Down Under. Ten years later my dad met my mum. Albeit they were pen pals after a mutual friend connected them. Mum (Linda) is from the Philippines and was 19 when dad (Ludvik) started writing to her. I guess the modern day version is sending a friend request, then sending a message. Only Linda and Ludvik waited 7 days for the other to reply (not as simple as hitting refresh hey). According to mum, Ludvik was a romantic poet and they fell in love over 18 months of snail mail. Ludvik made the trek to the Philippines in February 1976 and they got married 3 weeks later. 

Fast forward a few years and they had four beautiful children! I have an older sister Linda, older brother Frank and a twin sister Anna (we were an accident.. the best accident ever!). Without any immediate family living close in Australia, we grew up relying on each other. We had no idea what it was like to hang out with cousins or grow close to our grandparents. 

Our parents raised us to respect others and put others before ourselves. Mum and dads main priority was safety, food in our belly and education. This survival technique brought me up to sometimes put myself last. And through my own fault, I put my diabetes at the very bottom of my priority list. I began my diabetic journey saying to myself I will eat whatever I want whenever I want. Years and years went by where I'd dose up on insulin, eat bags of chocolate then come crashing down later only to need to eat again!

Sometimes I didn't want to believe I had diabetes so I ignored it best I could. I didn't see a diabetes doc for 3 years. I thought it would be impossible to get good sugar levels to be a pregnant type 1 diabetic. Then a couple of years ago (at the prospect of getting pregnant) a friend said to me "imagine what you could do if you gave your body 100%" and she was right. In planning for pregnancy I ate better than I'd ever eaten in my life! I went paleo for two weeks and had PERFECT sugar levels. I remained between 4.0 and 7.7 the whole time. It was unbelievable. I proved to myself that I could do it. I can actually eat better than my limited mind believed. It took a huge mindset shift and a great dietitian.

So why did I talk about my parents? Oh yeah, strength and resilience. I do have it within. And you do too. To do whatever your heart desires. Big or small. What was the relevance of my parents love story? Well, I love telling it. And they just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.


Now the paleo thing didn't last long, BUT my attitude towards food took a 180 degree turn (disclaimer: new attitude allows for the occasional almond magnum.. And I've learnt the exact insulin dose! Winning). That strength we all have within us, is why I'm proud to be 15 weeks pregnant. And have the best A1c since I was diagnosed at 5.7!! (A1c is an average sugar level for the last three months, for a more technical explanation please search the interweb).


Oh and what was I saying about higher purpose? Well that's a whole other blog post. Stay tuned. 


What matters the most is what you feel inside. Do what's right for you. 


Be true to yourself. 

Hubby, Trevor and I enjoying dinner in Folegandros, Greece. Apparently the next Santorini.