I'm a mum too

After a hard week of high sugars and an emotional child I thought I'd sit down and write this. Those that know me well know that I'm not one to complain or spread my feelings around but I feel the need to get this all out.

Since Riley has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes I have heard people say that he will be fine as he has me (also type 1) to look after him and that I'm lucky as I understand. I'm definitely not lucky as I have a child with a chronic disease that he has to live with for the rest of his life (unless they find a cure). This upsets me every time I hear it as even though deep down I know that it's not my fault he got diabetes I still live with the pain knowing that I past on the gene. Yes we understand all about diabetes but that does not make it any easier to deal with.
The roller coaster ride of emotions is hard on all of us and probably more so me. Every person is different and while I can handle my lows Riley struggles, he get very emotional and also suffers anxiety at bedtime (sometimes testing up to 4 times just before he goes to sleep). I too suffer anxiety like all Type 1 parents do, putting your child to bed at night terrified that they will have a hypo during the night so severe that they won't wake up is scary (it's rare but has happened).
So yes while I understand all the stress of carb counting, pumping insulin, cannula changes, testing etc it's not easy. It's still hard!!!

We have very limited people that are willing to take on the responsibility of Riley so time away from it all is so hard, mind you I always have myself to deal with so I never get away.
I'm not asking for sympathy (never have) but please don't think that we have it easy. I have been wanting to write this for so long but I hate complaining and I also try to keep things as normal as possible for Riley.

At the end of the day I'm still just a mum and it hurts to see my child go through so much. In the short time Riley has had diabetes he has gone through many blood tests, over 7000 finger pricks, over 400 cannula changes, a few trips to hospital & lots of tears (from all of us).

So please don't judge someone until you walk a day in their shoes. I have a few friends with mental health problems and while I don't understand the daily pain they go through I do my best to support them or if I can't I hope they are getting the help they need. Life is full of many ups and downs so please take the time to care about each other.

I'm happy to answer anyones questions about diabetes. The more people are educated the easier it is for our children.

I'm not that good with words but I hope this helps people understand that little bit more.

Dannii xxxx

Emily - 8 days new

I just love when little girls come into the studio, so many pretty props to use. Little Emily was such a stunning baby and very sleepy at 8 days new. This is the reason I love photographing newborns at this  age, they are super squishy and happy to be curled up.
Thanks to Kathryn and Jason for choosing Danielle Helmers Photography to capture Emily's first professional photos.

Mia 10 days new

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing gorgeous little Mia. Mia is the first baby for Kate and Rob and what a stunning little girl she is.
When they first arrived little Mia was wide awake and happy to just lay there and stare into my camera, after a quick top up she went to sleep and we got some beautiful curled up photos.
Thanks to Kate and Rob for choosing Danielle Helmers Photography and I look forward to seeing you all again in 6 months.

Hunter's Cake Smash and 1st Year Session

These sessions are so much fun and can be very messy! Hunter had a ball at his cake smash session.
His mum and grandma got covered in cake as he was running in every direction lol.
Before the cake smash session I do a mini session just incase the little ones decide cake is not for them (it does happen).

Well as you can see Hunter had a great time and enjoyed himself!

Kohen - 10 days new

When Kohen's mum messaged me saying that he had arrived I knew he was going to be cute. Who wouldn't be with the name Kohen, I too have a son but he's is spelt Cohen. He is very cheeky and cute.
Kohen was a great baby to photograph and happily slept the session away. Thanks to Grace and Jarrod for choosing Danielle Helmers Photography to capture Kohen's first professional images.

Ruby - 6 months session

Well here I go again! Back to blogging, let's see how long this lasts.

I got to photograph gorgeous little Ruby Jane when she was still in her mum's belly as well as her newborn photos. Now she is back for her 6 month session.

Riley & Type 1 diabetes..... Our Story!

Sunday 13th January 2013 started like any other day but we had no idea where we would end up.

I thought I'd sit down and write this, not only for me but also for Riley. I have so many family & friends that have no idea what we go through every day. Ok it's not all bad and yes we can control it and actually live with it everyday but knowledge is the key and understanding this will help.

We were all excited that day as we were getting our family photos taken, I had been slack and thought it was time we had professional photos done of the 5 of us. My great friend Peta Eyeington was the lucky one chosen and she did an amazing job. Once the session was over we all headed back to Peta's place for a drink and the little ones went for a swim (or in Cohen's case a drown lol, he was fine).
Once we got home I noticed Riley wasn't himself infact I had been noticing he was losing weight and also drinking more then normal (all of which are signs of T1) it was also very hot so I put the extra drinking down to the weather. Mother's intuition made me get my glucose tester out and actually test him. Well that's a moment I will never forget, when that number came up I knew in my heart that life was about to change forever. Normal blood glucose is between 4-8 but Riley's was 20 which is very bad. I rang GP access and they made an urgent appointment for us and we headed into Newcastle for our appointment. By the time we got there Riley's bsl had hit 25 so straight to The John Hunter we went.  Once we got to the hospital more tests were ordered and Riley was so brave, even laughed when they put in his cannula and the blood squirted everywhere.

About 2am the next morning Riley was admitted into the children's ward and it all started. We met so many great people and we still have a fabulous support team and some of the best doctor's in Australia for diabetes.
Riley soon learnt how to inject himself and test his bsl, he totally amazed me how he took this all on board. He didn't like the injections but he knew he had to have them. Lucky for us when a child is first diagnosed they are meant to have injections for 6 months but due to our situation we were given an insulin pump straight away which was great. This means that Riley doesn't have to inject himself 5 times a day but has a needle in him 24/7 that slowly drips insulin in and he also has to give himself extra at meal times. This needle still needs to be changed every second day but he would rather that then the alternative. Here is a photo of the needle he has in him 24/7.

A typical day involves counting every little carbohydrate that goes into Riley's mouth, you would be surprised how many things are full of carbs. Then we need to work out how much insulin he needs, thankfully the pump takes away alot of the hard work. So once he knows what the carbs are he then tests his bsl and the machine blue tooths the results across to his pump (got to love technology) and he puts in the number of exchanges (15g of carbs per exchange) and the pump works out the amount of insulin that goes into him. Then he can eat. This is everytime he eats not just breakfast, lunch and dinner. I challenge you do this for a day and see how you go. It's hard work! 

Then there are the highs and lows. Highs can last for days especially when sick and lows can also be dangerous. Highs bring back the thirst and fatigue and the lows make you feel like crap, you shake, sweat and in the worse case you can have a fit and become unconscious which means another needle or a trip to the hospital in an ambulance. So balance is the key!

Ok all this can be overwhelming and you are probably thinking wow I didn't realise this is what it's like. That's a good thing as it means I have done what I set out to do. All this is very scary but lucky for me (well not really) I'm also Type 1 diabetic. Everyone thinks this is a great thing as I have the knowledge but let me tell you it's very different when it happens to your child. I know what it feels like to be high & low and I can treat myself quickly but I had to learn to read Riley and notice when it was happening to him as he too needs to learn. This involves testing Riley during the night (2am to be exact) a few times a week and when he is sick or his sugars are low this can become every 2 hours 24/7. 

Riley can live a normal life! He can play sport, ride his scooter etc but he needs to be aware of how he feels and to always have some quick acting carbs on hand if he has a low (jelly beans or juice). 

If you got this far I say a BIG THANK YOU!!!! We are very proud of our brave little man and I'm also very proud of my other 2 boys as they are also aware of how Riley is feeling and what he goes through. 

I'll leave you with a photo of Riley on that day he was diagnosed, he is much better now and has put on 6kg which is fantastic. 

A special thanks to the diabetic team at The John Hunter Hospital (Newcastle) for all your support!

Thanks to Peta Eyeington for our gorgeous photos and also for your support with JDRF.


Dannii