Friday, April 1, 2011

Is it safe or even recommended to breastfeed a newborn if you have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes


Is it safe or even recommended to breastfeed a newborn if you have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes?
Or any other kind of diabetes for that matter (Type I or Type II)? Please forgive me if this sounds silly or retarded but wouldn't the diabetes be transmitted to the infant through the breast milk at all? In other words, if the nursing mother's blood sugar levels are sky high, isn't she passing on all that excess sugar to her baby that way? Also, I know that there is a strong chance that the Gestational Diabetes may disappear a few weeks after the baby is born but what if it doesn't? What if the Gestational Diabetes transforms its evil self into full blown Diabetes Mellitus Type I for example? Thank you so much for your time and effort! Serious replies only please!
Newborn & Baby - 9 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
It's absolutely fine to breastfeed a child even if you have diabetes! If the mother's blood sugar levels were that high, she'd pass out. Surprisingly, breastfeeding can actually stabilize a mother's blood sugar.
2 :
Yes, it is safe to breastfeed with diabetes :)
3 :
Yes. You can breastfeed. Diabetes is not a contagious illness. The only way it is passed on is in the genes. You're not silly for asking. It shows you're a concerned mother.
4 :
Don't worry about it-- it's still safe AND recommended to breastfeed your baby. http://www.babycenter.com/0_breastfeeding-and-diabetes_8683.bc#section2 Can I breastfeed? Yes, provided you monitor your diet and lifestyle extra carefully in order regulate your condition. Some women report better overall health — and less of a need for insulin — during lactation, possibly because of their body's natural adjustment to physical and metabolic changes after delivery. In fact, a diabetic's need for insulin drops abruptly within hours after birth. The stress-busting hormone oxytocin that a woman's body releases during breastfeeding can also help a diabetic mom feel better physically and emotionally. Breastfeeding will give your infant a head start on a healthy life. It also may help his blood sugar levels — which react in utero to his mother's glucose imbalance — adjust. A medical expert should monitor your baby immediately after birth to make sure this happens naturally or with the help of oral or intravenous glucose. If you have diabetes, your milk may take five or six days (rather than three or four) to come in.
5 :
I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant with my last child. Not only was it healthy but it was recommended. I breastfed that child and it worked out perfectly. I no longer had diabetes after giving birth and my child had/has no blood sugar level problems. The child is 3 yrs old now. Good Luck!! The only stupid/silly question is the question never asked.
6 :
Yes, it is absolutely safe, and very much encouraged, as it can actually reduce the severity of the gestational diabetes! Breastfeeding baby helps decrease insulin requirements in diabetic mothers Reduction in insulin dose postpartum was significantly greater in those who were breastfeeding than those who were bottle feeding Davies, H.A., "Insulin Requirements of Diabetic Women who Breast Feed." British Medical Journal, 1989
7 :
It is understandable to be concerned about these issues, they are legitimate things to worry about. I have given birth 4 times. With my 4th pregnancy, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and last year I was diagnosed with Glucose Intolerance, which is a form of pre-diabetes. The word Gestational is directly related to pregnancy, so the diabetes that pregnant women develop does most typically go away as soon as the baby, most specifically the placenta, is delivered. It is actually not that common for the diabetes to still be present after the birth, but it can happen sometimes. Most times, if there are still signs of diabetes after the birth it can be attributed to an undiagnosed case of Type 1 or Type 2 that the mother had BEFORE she was even pregnant. Type 1 Diabetes is a disease that usually is diagnosed early in childhood or adolescence and is the reason it was once called Juvenile Diabetes. Women with Type 1 Diabetes who go on to have a baby are closely monitored and the use of insulin and proper diet can control the disease quite well. Women who have Type 2 or who develop Gestational Diabetes also can control their insulin levels most typically with diet, but sometimes insulin is required. If a diabetic has a spike in blood sugar for whatever reason, there is no risk involved to a breast fed baby. Breast milk is not made up of blood in anyway, so any excess sugar in mom's blood is not going transfer to breast milk. Women who develop Gestational Diabetes usually leave the hospital free of any signs of diabetes, but it is important to note that having Gestational Diabetes puts you in a higher risk category to develop Type 2 later in life. My kids are now 28, 26, 23, and 10. Because I had Gestational Diabetes with my 4th pregnancy when I was 38 years old, my doctor has yearly monitored my blood sugar levels. At my yearly physical last year, my test results came back at the level that classified me as pre-diabetic. I will not be able to avoid eventually becomming Type 2 diabetic, but I can continue to work hard at eating right, exercising, and trying to stay at a healthy weight in an attempt to ward off the Type 2 as long as I can. If you have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, your doctor should give you information about it, but if they don't, ask for it. Knowledge is your best defense in fighting off things that make you worried or fearful.
8 :
Yes. It isn't contagious, you know. Breast milk regulates itself pretty well. http://www.breastfeed.com/articles/overcoming-difficulties/diabetic-moms-2688/
9 :
Never a silly question, you're worried. As people have said, it's better for you and the bub to BF. Diabetes in any form isn't contagious, you only get type 1 when you're a child, you get it because your immune system somehow sees your pancreas as a threat, and attacks it. The only treatment is life-long insulin injections. Type 2 is when your pancreas can't produce enough insulin, and can be helped by diet, tablets, and injections. Having G. Diabetes does put you at risk for type 2 in the future, so stay healthy. BF is the best for everyone, and it'll help you, and the bub, and Breastmilk contains exactly what your baby needs. No more, no less. Good luck, and hope things go well.




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Posted by Diabetes Melitus at 1:45 PM