Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
|
|
 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Breastfeeding with Type 1 Diabetes | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
Can type 1 diabetics breastfeed?
— Robertfarr | | | ANSWER |
February 28, 2002 | | | Dear Robertfarr,
This is a great question. We hear so much about type 1 diabetes during pregnancy, but not much about after the baby is born.
In general breastfeeding is good for babies of diabetics just like it is good for other babies, and most diabetic moms are able to breastfeed if they choose to. There are some potential barriers to breastfeeding in diabetics, though. Often babies of type 1 diabetics are delivered early, and even full term infants of type 1 diabetics often need a few days in the newborn intensive care unit as they get used to being out in the world. Often during this time, mom and babe may be temporarily separated, and the baby may be given formula from a bottle. This may make it difficult to get started breastfeeding, although it is still workable with help.
The key concept here is to get help. If a diabetic mother wants to breastfeed, she will be more likely to succeed if she plans ahead and has lots of support. She should talk with a dietitian about how much more she'll need to eat (a lot!) and to her doctor about how to manage her sugars. After the baby is born, she should let the baby's doctors know that she wants to breastfeed, and she may want to talk to a lactation consultant or experienced postpartum nurse about steps to take to make it work.
In addition to how nice nursing is for mother and child, and how healthy it is for the baby, a silver lining to all this work is that, despite increasing her calories, she may need less insulin during breastfeeding.
I hope that this answered your questions. Take care!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
|
