“Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes amid her pregnancy.
“I’m not gonna cry on the internet because I’ve never cried on the internet, but when I tell you, I almost did,” Cooper, 31, began in an Instagram video shared Thursday, July 30. “I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It is when the placenta hormones cause insulin resistance a.k.a. your pancreas cannot create enough insulin to keep your blood sugar normal.”
The podcaster, who announced in May that she is expecting her first baby with husband Matt Kaplan, was admittedly shocked about the diagnosis at first.
“I was told that anyone can get this, no matter what your prior weight, diet, fitness level — literally anyone is susceptible to getting it. When I got this diagnosis, the first couple days, I was really hard on myself,” Cooper recalled. “It felt very isolating, like, as much as my family and my husband and everyone was there for me, I just felt … [like] it’s me on an island.”
Cooper initially found the diagnosis “upsetting.”
“During pregnancy, there’s already so much emotionally that you’re going through,” Cooper said. “I am so blessed, and there’s been so many incredible parts of my pregnancy, but it’s a lot. Obviously, my first instinct was, ‘Oh, my God, I want my child to be OK and I want my baby to be healthy, and I’ll do whatever it takes.’”
The Unwell media mogul has since overhauled her lifestyle to prioritize both her and her unborn baby’s health and wellness.
“It’s not just about eating healthy and exercising. We can do all that, and it still may not work,” Cooper acknowledged. “I think that feeling is really frustrating as a woman who is [in] protective mode already of this baby. You’re like, ‘But what do you mean that I can do my best and it still may not work and I may have to go on medication?’”
Cooper soon faced overwhelming questions about tweaking her diet, wondering whether she would have diabetes after giving birth and understanding her birth plan might be adjusted as a result. Despite her worries, she found solace in online research and reading updates from other moms in similar situations.
“That’s been the most helpful so far. It’s a really defeating feeling, but I’m trying to not let myself get defeated,” Cooper added. “All anyone tells me is, ‘Right now, you cannot attract any negative energy.’ I need to just send bliss to this child and be positive and happy, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
