# Breast feeding



## Cleo (Feb 26, 2014)

I would like to breast feed and have spoken to my obstetrician and DSN about it, both are very supportive, and say that there is absolutely no "contraindication" for type 1 women to do it.  They have also said that even if my sugars are a bit "high" ie 8-9 it won't affect the quality of the milk ? (Sounds too good to be true!) 

I haven't managed to find a great deal of info online so wanted to hear from women who have done it / are doing it - I.e. how did you find it ?, did you struggle with anything ? (diabetes wise) , where there any snacks in particular that worked well in keeping hypos as bay ? Etc etc .  

Any thoughts / feedback / insights are very welcome !
Many thanks x


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## tabbicles (Feb 26, 2014)

I breast fed for 5 months and loved it!  Cant remember it affecting my diabetes at all though I remember a few occasions where I was hypo so drank lucazade while she was feeding! Didn't seem to affect the nutrition at all, I think as when you are pregnant the body give everything to the baby before you.

I also was shown how to express Colustrum (I think its called) in the weeks leading up to the birth to store in the freezer as this provides really good nutrition for the baby when its born and as a diabetic I was encouraged to do this even more so. They gave me a syringe type thing to suck it up in but there wasn't much and it took loads of special massaging! I have it to them when she was born (they kept her in special care for 1 night to check the blood sugars) and they gave it to her. amazingly it brings her sugars up!

Some people just don't get on well with it, I have a friend who's nipples got so sore and cracked she couldn't do it but I was fine.


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## AlisonF (Feb 26, 2014)

I've been breastfeeding for 10 months so far. Like most things, it is slightly more challenging with diabetes but perfectly manageable.

• I dropped my insulin doses to pre-pregnancy rates as soon as Eva was born, and then reduced by another 25% to compensate for breastfeeding. I've only started increasing my insulin again in the last few weeks.
• I have never eaten so much in my life! For the first couple of months I was ravenous. I found I dropped an hour or so after a feed, so id try and eat just before/after a feed to compensate. I also had juice boxes and cereal bars within reach whenever I was feeding - you don't know if they're going to feed for 10 mins or an hour and you don't want to get stuck. TV remote, phone and a large glass of water are also essential nearby.
• I had all kinds for snacks - fruit, yoghurt, cereal, toast, sandwich, cereal bars. I found I really craved (and needed) carbs. The best present we got was a delicious homemade fruitcake. That kept me going for a while!
• For the first couple of weeks I did pretty much nothing but cuddle and feed. I was feeding every 2-3 hours so not much time for anything else, plus id had an elective section so needed to rest. I really recommend it. Those first weeks are precious and you soon have to rejoin the world. Take as much time as you can to enjoy those early days and get the hang of feeding.
• My hospital breastfeeding team showed me how to express colostrum from 36-38 weeks. I collected it twice a day (you get tiny amounts) and froze it. When Eva was born she didn't have low BG but we gave her colostrum via syringe to be safe so that she had food while I was being stitched up. She then latched on as soon as I cuddled her 30 mins later.
• This isn't diabetic specific, but don't be afraid to ask for help. At pretty much every feed for the first two days I asked for help as her latch wasn't quite right. That help made all the difference.
• Some people say diabetes can delay the milk coming in. Eva was born weds am and my milk arrived sat pm. Until then she was getting colostrum, which is is fine, but feeding seemed much easier once my milk came in. Rest, eat and drink lots and feed baby frequently to help build your milk supply.
• Get some Lansinoh Lanolin nipple cream and apply it after every feed. That really helped me with the initial soreness.

Sorry, that's turned into a bit of an epic. I hope its helpful. If you've got any questions just shout


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## tabbicles (Feb 26, 2014)

I cant wait to breastfeed again! It the most amazing thing


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## LeeLee (Feb 26, 2014)

Whilst I have no experience of breastfeeding with diabetes, I'm a firm supporter.  I was 9 when my brother was born and that's how he was fed, so when I had my daughter I never even considered bottle feeding.  She now has two lovely breastfed children.

Incidentally, my Mum was a 7-month baby (with survival almost unheard of in the 1930s).  She was initially fed breast milk by eye dropper until she was big enough to do it properly.

Another recommendation for sore nipples: Camillosan ointment and cabbage leaves in the bra!


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## Cleo (Feb 26, 2014)

LeeLee said:


> Whilst I have no experience of breastfeeding with diabetes, I'm a firm supporter.  I was 9 when my brother was born and that's how he was fed, so when I had my daughter I never even considered bottle feeding.  She now has two lovely breastfed children.
> 
> Incidentally, my Mum was a 7-month baby (with survival almost unheard of in the 1930s).  She was initially fed breast milk by eye dropper until she was big enough to do it properly.
> 
> Another recommendation for sore nipples: Camillosan ointment and cabbage leaves in the bra!



Couldn't agree with you more LeeLee - I'm also a firm supporter and believe that there's nothing quite as nutritious as the mothers own breast milk for the baby.


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## Katya (Feb 26, 2014)

I breastfed my daughter for 14 months and the hardest part was the first 6 weeks- my
Midwife said that the first 6-8 weeks is like pregnancy and the placenta forming and then everything stabilises when it takes control.The first 6-8 weeks of pregnancy you (I did anyway) Produced lots of milk and the supply demand kind of kicks in at 6-8 weeks. 

I also had to give formula in a cup at hospital to keep her blood Sugars up and had a c section was so headstrong on breastfeeding I persevered. You need a lot less insulin than before and the one thing I struggled With was not knowing how well she would feed at anyone given time so if you ate and she didn't feed too well, I'd have to take some insulin and if you didn't eat enough you'd crash. I generally always had snacks in my rocking chairs so I could eat a little whilst feeding once she appeared to be feeding well. It seemed to work out ok!!

Good luck!


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## Cleo (Feb 26, 2014)

Tabbicles & AlisonF - many many thanks for your responses  - thats all very helpful !  AlisonF - cant believe you have been BFing for 10 months already -I remember when you announced the birth of your baby girl!  

For some reason, my hospital dont encourage Type 1 women to express their colostrum before the due date ?!.  I have my next appointment in 2 weeks so will ask what they plan on doing in the event of neonatal hypoglycemia.

Will def be stocking up on cereal bars, fruit juices etc. and place them "strategically" around the flat so I have easy access , and my mum makes the best carrot cake so I'll be ordering one of those as well 

I'll def be asking for help if I need any, and I've already bought some of the Lanolin cream so I'll be slapping that onto my nipples after each feed 

cant believe the little fella will be here very soon !! 

thanks again x


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## LeeLee (Feb 26, 2014)

Before the baba arrives, ask whether there's tongue-tie in the family.  My daughter didn't know her hubby had been born with it, so it came as a bit of a shock when her eldest had it.  When they told his mother, she said she'd forgotten about it.  Unfortunately midwives are no longer allowed to snip tongue tie at birth, so the first six weeks were difficult because it makes latching on difficult.  Apparently in this area only consultants are allowed to use scissors!


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## Redkite (Feb 26, 2014)

Hi Cleo,

I'm not type 1 but having breast fed for 18 months I can well imagine the sort of issues you might come up against!  First off, can I just say: yes, absolutely try to breast feed and persevere through any early difficulties, BUT don't feel like a failure if for some reason you need to move to bottle feeding sooner than you envisaged.  There is so much emphasis on breast feeding (rightly so) that sometimes when a Mum can't for any reason, it can be an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

My son luckily took to it very well, but when I tried to introduce bottles of expressed milk (so that someone else could feed him), there was no way he would take it from a bottle.  I found expressing VERY difficult, except first thing in the morning, when if had such a surplus of milk that I had to express some before he could even latch on (very uncomfortable!).  The nutritional content of the milk varied through the day, being noticeably more watery and less substantial in the evening, when he would feed endlessly and still be hungry!  So basically my activity levels during the day meant I used up some calories for myself that were then not available to go into the milk.  I was eating loads and always starving, so I would think if I had type 1 I would have needed substantially less insulin throughout the day, and especially towards the evening!


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## AlisonF (Feb 26, 2014)

Agree with redkite, bf is nice but its nice be all and end all. I took the view id give it a good shot but formula was a perfectly good way to feed a child if needed. Dont let yourself get dragged into the breast v bottle guilt-fest.

our hospital run a breastfeeding group and its been fab for me. I would really recommend finding a local group. It seems there's even more misinformation about breastfeeding amongst healthcare professionals than diabetes. And you know how bad that can be! I've learned so much from other women at the group and sharing experiences and tips with them has made a huge difference. If the hospital /PCT don't have anything, try La Leche League.


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## newbs (Mar 5, 2014)

I would have liked to have breastfed but unfortunately it didn't work out.

If it is possible, it is a really good idea to express colostrum before the birth.  I didn't do this and unfortunately had problems with both of my births and both of my daughters were given bottles - the first due to her blood sugars being low and her not latching on, the second because I had an emergency C-section under general anaesthetic so she was 5 hours old before I could hold her and had already been bottle-fed.  If they had been fed my colostrum straight away I feel things may have been different, but unfortunately neither took to breast feeding.  

They are both healthy and well though so bottle feeding them hasn't done them any harm.


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## HERE TINTIN (Mar 5, 2014)

Unfortunately bf didnt work out for me either, I wanted to do it but didnt have a compliant baby. She was too premature, though I did express colostrum so she got that. But she was perfectly healthy and happy being bottle fed.


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