I was dreading managing my Gestational Diabetes on holiday as I knew we would not be eating as regularly as we would at home.
What I didn’t bank on was the sheer unavailability of decent food. Yes, I knew we were going to a theme park, but I also knew that this theme park had so called proper restaurants. Fast food is fine as a treat but is not good when you are effectively on a low GI diet. Pizza is a huge no no for me, and the only real alternatives all had white bread – hotdogs, burgers and even wraps!!
The only thing that saved me was the fact that we were on our feet pretty much all day, everyday. This helped me burn off the excess sugars although I was giving myself higher than normal insulin doses. The best food is outside in the Disney Village, which can be a pain as it means leaving the park and is a fair old walk if you have little ones with you.
I did have a couple of Hypo’s which were mainly caused by losing track of time and going way passed lunchtime before we realised we hadn’t eaten but other than that I did manage to keep on track. Snacks in the park consisted of sugary stuff, so it is wise to take some fruit with you, and I did smuggle some out from breakfast at the hotel once I realised it was almost impossible to come by in the park!
The fact that smoking was allowed in the park EVERYWHERE, was the biggest shock. Cigarette smoke makes me wretch at the moment and we just could not get away from it. The little kids almost got swiped by burning cigarettes too as they are not used to them being around and Europeans thinking nothing of sparking up waving them around as if they are some sort of trophy!
I actually managed better than I thought I would. It was lucky that the kindly train conductor told me about being eligible for the disabled pass on Day 2, which did save a lot of standing around and queuing, however I did suffer with swollen feet and struggled to put my shoes on by the last day. This also could have been caused by the heat as it was 24 degrees by then!
I was also saved by my Fittamamma High Support Top, which helps support bump by spreading the baby weight across the back and shoulders. It really is genius and I shall be writing a review very soon. Apart from a few little niggles I had no back pain, which was a real blessing.
What really surprised me was the sheer number of rides that I was not allowed to go on – kids ones I thought I would be allowed to, so if you are planning to go to Disneyland Paris whilst expecting, it is worth checking before and you can read all about my hints and tips here.
Despite my grumbles, we did have a fantastic time and we cannot wait to go back!