Ep. 6 The feeling of abandonment after GDM is valid!

After your baby arrives, the appointments stop, the check-ins stop, and suddenly you're on your own — with a newborn and a future health risk nobody is really following up on. In this episode I'm talking about something that comes up consistently in research on women's experiences after GDM: abandonment. It's not a dramatic word — it's the word women themselves use. I unpack what the research tells us, why this gap exists, what it means for your long-term health, and why improving support for women after GDM is actually a recognised priority in Australia's National Diabetes Strategy. You deserved better follow-up than you got. Let's talk about it.

Whether you're newly postpartum, years past your GDM diagnosis, or supporting someone who's been through this experience, this podcast is for you. Let's create healthy futures together!

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Links mentioned in this podcast:

Australian National Diabetes Strategy 2021–2030 | Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hey, welcome back to another episode of Healthy Futures After GDM. I'm Jamie, your host. I'm a credential diabetes educator, registered nurse who has almost finished my nurse practitioner studies. I work with women who have had gestational diabetes a few times a week. And this podcast exists because I kept seeing the same thing happen over and over, and it wasn't good enough. And now I look back and I'm glad I started this podcast. But I do have to be honest, my last episode was back in November. And if you've been waiting, I'm really sorry. Life did get busy. I'm studying, I'm on clinical placement this year, I'm working, and I have a young family. I'm sure you all understand this more than you know, more than most being mums. So I did have to make some choices as to where my energy went, and the podcast took a back seat. But I'm back and I'm going to do an episode at least once a month. I'm being honest because I know honesty matters to build a relationship, and that's what I hope to do with you women over the next few years. Whether you've had gestational diabetes six months ago, six years ago, or even longer, if you haven't yet developed type 2 diabetes, I'm hoping I can help. So I am here, I have a dietitian who's also a credential diabetes educator working with me, and we're committed to helping you over the next however long it takes to hopefully reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Now, if you have had a diagnosis, we can also help you. Our main goal is prevention because that is what's lacking. So today I wanted to talk about something that comes up constantly in the research around gestational diabetes, and that's something I see firsthand every single week, and it's called abandonment. It's a difficult word to say, believe it or not. So my sister has had gestational diabetes twice. If you have listened to other episodes, you would know that this was a big reason I've created the healthy futures after GDM. And before you think that abandonment word is too dramatic, it's not mine, it comes directly from the research all around the world. Women who have had gestational diabetes use this word themselves to describe how they feel after baby's born and their care ends abandoned. Here's what typically happens: you're diagnosed with gestational diabetes, suddenly you have a whole team, a diabetes educator, dietitian, obstetric doctor, midwife, possibly an endocrinologist, regular monitoring, someone checking in on you, or a phone number or email where you can contact someone that you know for advice. Your glucose levels matter, your food matters, your health matters, and people are paying attention because you're growing a baby. And then baby arrives, and that care largely it just stops. So you might get told that you need a blood test at about six weeks postpartum. Some women can't or don't get that because they're so busy and the focus is on baby, and then you're sort of just out there on your own with a newborn, exhausted, and a body that went through something significant that's also highlighting a future health risk that nobody's really talking about anymore. So the research shows that this experience is not unique to Australia. As I said, I did a deep dive into the published literature on women's experiences after GDM, and I did what's called a thematic analysis across multiple countries. And abandonment keeps coming up worldwide. Women in the UK, the US, Canada all describe the same thing. So the system pays attention to you when your glucose affects your baby, but once baby's born, the focus completely shifts, understandably, to the baby. So your med your metabolic health doesn't just reset. There could be ongoing insulin resistance. And this is what's particularly important. And I want you to really hear this. Women who have had gestational diabetes have up to 50% lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And a lot of the research says within five to ten years after you've had baby. Now that's not a small risk, that's significant, it's life-altering. And many women aren't told this clearly, and it doesn't really sink in because you've got so much going on around pregnancy and once baby's born, and no one's really actively following up. I understand that from both sides. Clinically, I've had conversations with women and watched the information, not land because they're exhausted and overwhelmed, and that's very understandable. Personally, I've lived with type 1 diabetes for over 30 years now, and I know what it's like to have a condition that requires that daily attention and management, constantly thinking about the impact of what you're going to eat, or that exercise, or that sleep deprivation, the stress, what it's doing to your body. I know what it feels like when the healthcare system doesn't quite meet where you're at, or when you might even feel judged. So that's part of why I do this work as well, because I genuinely understand and believe that you deserve better follow-up, better understanding, better empathy, and to be here on a platform where you can get in touch, reach out, or have information when it suits you. It might be the middle of the night while you're breastfeeding. The gap in the system is real. In fact, improving support for women after gestational diabetes to prevent type 2 is an action point in the Australian diabetes strategic plan. It's recognized as a national priority, but the gap still persists. And that's why this podcast and my social media accounts, Healthy Futures After GDM, exist. That's why I've created a private Facebook group. So over the next few years we can build a community, you can support each other, and Tash the Dietician and myself can support you. As the group grows, we will offer some live QAs and really offer you support when you need it. So if you're listening to this and you recognize that feeling, the feeling of being discharged and then left to sort of work it all out, I want you to know that that feeling is valid, it's documented, and it's not your fault. If you want to be part of this community of women who are working on this together with access to evidence-based information and healthcare professionals who are continuing to improve our knowledge and do what we can to fill these gaps. Yes, we're only two people, but we are very passionate, so I do hope we can make a difference. I'd love for you to join our private Facebook group. There is a link in the bio, and you can follow us on Healthy Futures After GDM Australia on social media as well, Facebook or Instagram. Next month I'll be talking about something else that comes up consistently in the research, and that's the fact that women who have had gestational diabetes often don't perceive themselves at risk for type 2, even though we know these statistics are real, and that can actually impact on your likelihood of engaging in prevention programs or you know acting on the things that you know can make a difference. So we'll unpack that in the next episode. Thank you so much for listening. I do apologize again for the massive delay between episodes. Please share this with other women who have had gestational diabetes. No matter where they are in Australia, we hope to be able to reach them. And remember, take care of yourself. You matter not just as a mum, but as a person. And your little people are your biggest motivator. You want to be around at your best. So I'll see you in the next episode.