For those who haven't come across an insulin pump before, it's a small mobile phone sized device that is worn 24 hours a day 7 days a week and is used to treat type 1 diabetes. It connects to the body by an inch or so long needle worn underneath the skin, which is connected to tubing, which connects to the pump and delivers insulin every 3 minutes. Although it's not huge in size, it's worn on the waistband for example, as there is a clip on the back of the device that it can be attached by. No bride wants to be thinking about their insulin pump on their big day and there was no good putting off trying on wedding dresses any longer. So today I went along to a bridal shop which had been recommended by a friend to me, based on the great service that they'd received when buying their own wedding dress a couple of years ago.
I took my own Mum and my mother-in-law to be with me, to get their opinions on different styles and fits. So they seated themselves on comfy chairs in the bridal shop, amongst the many racks of dresses and waited for me start trying on dresses. The bridal assistant that was looking after me (as I had to book an appointment in advance) was lovely, and as when she asked me what style wedding dress I was looking for, I said I didn't have a clue. She suggested that I make way around the different dresses and to just pull out the styles I liked. But I found once I started doing this I couldn't stop and selected about 10 different dresses to try on. I really appreciated the fact that the bridal assistant came into the fitting rooms with me to help me get in and out of the dresses because getting changed with an insulin pump is something that even after 6 years of having one, is something that I still find challenging. This is because it involves holding the pump with only so much tubing length available, in one hand, and trying to use the other hand to get the clothes on and off- which is no mean feat let me tell you!
As soon as we got into the fitting rooms I mentioned my pump to the bridal assistant and I was so glad that I did, because she instantly made me feel at ease about it. She suggested that once I've made my final selection for my dress, that I could ask the seamstress that does any alterations to add a secret pocket to the inside of the dress for me. As I was concerned about access to my pump, due to the fact that it's not a remote controlled one and needs to be touched in order to be activated (aside from the insulin it delivers for basal bolusing). But I thought a secret pocket was a great potential solution. She was also really mindful of not knocking my pump whilst helping me get changed, which enabled me to get on with enjoying the experience of my first wedding dress trial. The dresses that I tried were very varied in style and cut ranging from structureless, to floor length and from boned to voluminous.
In terms of pumping comfort, I was really pleasantly surprised that the boned style dresses (a technique used to create a corseted under-shape) weren't uncomfortable on my set which is the needle by which the pump administers the insulin. And their structured shape also covered the location of my insulin pump so that to look it, it didn't appear that I was even wearing one, which was fantastic and exactly the look I wanted to achieve. There wasn't a single style of wedding dress that made my pump stick out or look obviously noticeable and I think I tried on enough styles to find this information out! And although I didn't find 'the one', I gained a lot of inspiration and knowledge about pumping and wedding dresses and that, I'm sure, will lead me to finding the right dress for me, regardless of my insulin pump.
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