Alex Cooper Reveals Gestational Diabetes Diagnosis

The podcast star didn't hold back when detailing her diagnosis, walking followers through both the medical reality and the emotional toll. Cooper's candor quickly resonated with fans navigating similar pregnancy complications.

Alex Cooper is getting vulnerable on the internet. The "Call Her Daddy" podcast host, 31, who is expecting her first child with her husband, Matt Kaplan, recently took to Instagram to reveal she has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Cooper shared the news in a video posted on Friday, July 31. "I'm not going to cry on the internet because I've never cried on the internet but when I tell you I almost did," she began. "I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes."

"It is when the placenta hormones cause insulin resistance, a.k.a., your pancreas cannot create enough insulin to keep your blood sugar normal," she explained.

Gestational diabetes affects up to nine percent of pregnant people, according to the CDC, which is why Cooper noted she was told "anyone can get this. No matter your prior weight, diet, fitness level."

"When I got this diagnosis, the first couple days, I was really hard on myself," the media personality admitted. "It felt very isolating, like, as much as my family and my husband and everyone was there for me I just felt like, it's me on an island."

The pregnancy hormones made the diagnosis an especially hard pill to swallow. "This diagnosis was so upsetting because during pregnancy there's so much emotionally that you're going through," she said.

"I have been so blessed and there's been so many incredible parts of my pregnancy — but it's a lot," she continued. Cooper also acknowledged that a flood of thoughts had been running through her mind since receiving the news.

"Obviously my first instinct is, 'Oh my god I want my child to be OK and I want my baby to be healthy and I'll do whatever it takes,'" she explained. "If there's another woman out there that's going through this right now — honey I see you more than I've ever seen you."

Beyond the diagnosis itself, the Unwell network founder confessed she was struggling with the broader helplessness that comes with pregnancy. "It's not just about eating healthy and exercising," she said.

"We can do all that and it still might not work. That feeling is really frustrating as a woman who is in protective mode already for this baby," she continued. Despite the uphill battle, however, Cooper said she feels grateful for the online community that has helped ground and guide her through it.

By sharing her story, she hoped it would help others feel less alone. "It's a really defeating feeling but I'm trying to not let myself get defeated," she added. "All anyone tells me is right now, you cannot attract any negative energy.

"I just need to send bliss to this child and be positive and happy and so that's what we're going to do." Reassuring herself and her audience, she concluded, "It's gonna be OK."