Flavia

Midwife: "You've failed the glucose test. Gestational diabetes. You'll see the dietitian." Patient: "What did the test involve?" Midwife: "A sugary drink, then we measured your blood two hours later." Patient: "And it went too high." Midwife: "Yes." Patient: "So my body can't handle a big dose of sugar at the moment." Midwife: "That's it, essentially." Patient: "What's the dietitian going to tell me?" Midwife: "To spread your carbohydrates through the day. Three meals, three snacks, a portion of starch at each. Don't go below the minimum." Patient: "There's a minimum?" Midwife: "The baby needs glucose." Patient: "The baby's made of glucose?" Midwife: "The baby needs it for energy." Patient: "What's the baby made of?" Midwife: "...Protein. Fat, mostly, by the end." Patient: "So I've failed a test for handling sugar, and the treatment is a prescribed daily dose of the thing I failed on, six times a day, with a floor I'm not allowed to go under." Midwife: "And you'll prick your finger after each meal to check it hasn't gone too high." Patient: "What happens when it does?" Midwife: "We'd start you on insulin." Patient: "To cope with the carbohydrate." Midwife: "Yes." Patient: "That you've told me to eat." Midwife: "It's the pathway." Patient: "The pathway's a loop. If I failed a peanut test would you put me on six portions of peanuts and an EpiPen?" Midwife: "That's different." Patient: "It is. Nobody's ever told a woman with a peanut allergy that the baby needs the peanuts."