When Us Weekly caught up with Amber Portwood earlier this month, the pregnant Teen Mom OG star admitted she was feeling a little drained. But it had nothing to do with morning sickness or hormones.
The 27-year-old, who is expecting a baby boy with her boyfriend, Andrew Glennon, on May 13, has a condition called gestational diabetes. And that means once a week trips to the doctor for blood pressure checks and monitoring.
“It’s been a big issue, you know, it doesn’t make you feel the greatest,” Amber told Us. “I can’t really go anywhere. I have to stay here to be close to my doctor.” (The bright spot: she and the lighting technician are planning a trip to California in June!)
More than nine percent of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If it’s not properly managed, a baby may be at increased risk of excessive birth weight, preterm birth and respiratory distress syndrome and low blood sugar, per the Mayo Clinic. And Amber is taking her diagnosis very seriously.
“I have to check my blood sugar after I eat,” Amber told Us. “I’m healthy, the baby is very healthy and it’s going perfectly.”
To keep her little guy safe, Portwood has given up some of her favorite things like soda. “My diet has been mostly vegetables, a little bit of fruit, a lot of meat and some protein,” Amber told Us. “I don’t eat sugar or a lot of bread and if I do eat bread, it’s whole grain. I don’t drink any pop. Just water and milk.”
Glennon has been there to support Amber every step of the way. “We’re doing amazing! It’s a dream. I swear, I’m gonna wake up one day,” gushed the 16 and Pregnant alum. “He’s reading baby books and getting ready. He’s a good guy.”
The couple will raise their little boy in Indianapolis to be close to Amber’s daughter Leah, 9. (Dad is ex-fiance Gary Shirley).
Though the season finale of Teen Mom OG aired on Monday, Amber currently appears in Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars Family Edition. The series airs on WE tv Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Carly Sloane
