The Diabetic Mammy Podcast

What does low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) really feel like from the inside? In this episode of The Diabetic Mammy Podcast, Catherine explores why people often panic when someone with type 1 diabetes is going low, and why the instinct to call an ambulance is not always the right response. We unpack the reality of hypoglycaemia behaviour, the dignity and autonomy of the person experiencing it, and the simple question that helps most: “What do you need?” A compassionate look at supporting someone through a low blood sugar safely.

In this episode of The Diabetic Mammy, we explore hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) in type 1 diabetes, not just as a number on a glucose monitor, but as a real physical and emotional experience in the body. Catherine explains the symptoms of high blood sugar including fatigue, brain fog, thirst, irritability and dehydration, and why people living with diabetes can slowly lose awareness of how unwell high glucose levels make them feel. This episode gently explains why reducing high blood sugar improves energy, mood and quality of life, and why gradual improvement matters more than perfection.

In this episode of The Diabetic Mammy, Catherine explores looming hypoglycaemia: the moment when blood glucose is falling but hasn’t yet reached a clinical low. Why can a perfectly “in-range” number suddenly feel frightening?Using the powerful comparison of a migraine aura, this episode unpacks the physiology, psychology and parenting realities of downward arrows, anticipatory fear and decision-making in type 1 diabetes. A gentle, practical conversation about recognising the signals, responding calmly, and living with the uncertainty that diabetes sometimes brings.

This special International Women’s Day episode of The Diabetic Mammy is an homage to the women who quietly carry diabetes in their bodies, their homes, and their hearts.In this reflective episode, Catherine explores the powerful parallels between the cultural figure of the Irish Mammy and the modern “diabetes mammy”, women who hold families together while simultaneously managing the relentless mental load of type 1 diabetes. From tracking glucose trends and midnight alarms to translating medical language into family life, the invisible labour of diabetes care often sits heavily on women’s shoulders. But this episode goes beyond motherhood.It honours every woman living with diabetes: navigating hormones, work, relationships, pregnancy, and everyday life while managing a condition that requires constant vigilance. It also recognises the partners, sisters, grandmothers, healthcare professionals and advocates who quietly sustain others through the daily realities of diabetes. With warmth, humour and honesty, Catherine reflects on the invisible load, the resilience, the community that forms between women in diabetes, and the quiet strength that makes extraordinary effort look completely ordinary.This episode is both recognition and permission: recognition for the immense work women do every day, and permission to acknowledge that carrying diabetes: whether personally or within a family is both powerful and exhausting.A tribute.A moment of solidarity.And a reminder that none of us carry this alone.

What worked last month may stop working tomorrow.In this gentle educational episode within The Things We Were Not Taught series of The Diabetic Mammy Podcast, Catherine explores one of the most unsettling realities of parenting a child with type 1 diabetes: growth changes everything.From pre-puberty’s quiet insulin resistance to puberty’s loud hormonal shifts, this episode explains why insulin needs can suddenly rise, why ratios stop behaving, and why beautiful patterns can unravel overnight, even when you are doing everything “right”.We unpack the physiology behind growth hormone, cortisol and sex hormones, and how they increase insulin resistance. More importantly, we name the emotional whiplash that comes with changing baselines: the grief, the self-doubt and the quiet fear that you are losing control.This episode is a reframe: adjusting insulin is not regression. It is recalibration. Stability is not the goal, responsiveness is.If you are navigating rising insulin needs, creeping blood sugars, or the unpredictability of puberty with type 1 diabetes, this conversation will steady you. Growth is not mismanagement. It is biology. And you are allowed to move with it.🎧 A compassionate listen for parents, carers and anyone living with T1D who needs reminding that adaptation is not failure.

In Episode 9 the idea of decision burden in type 1 diabetes was introduced.In this episode, we go deeper. Because every number comes with a choice. And every choice carries weight.On their own, these decisions seem small. Together, they are relentless.Episode 44 explores the invisible toll of decision fatigue - the constant cognitive load, the pressure to get it right, and the quiet emotional thinning that follows. From everyday “should I bring backup?” moments to high-stakes insulin calls, we name the mental labour that so often goes unseen.If your brain feels like it is always on, this one is for you.We talk empathy, practical ways to ease the load, and why naming the burden matters.You are not weak. You are carrying more than most can see.🎧 Tune in for understanding, solidarity, and a little grace.