Breastfeeding has many proven health benefits for you and your baby, including helping to prevent diabetes.
Breastfeeding Benefits
Breastfeeding helps give your baby a head start to a healthier life. Even if you have diabetes, you can and should plan to breastfeed for at least six months.
If your baby is breastfed, they will be less likely to develop type 1 diabetes, overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes later in life. They’re also less likely to have asthma, eczema, respiratory disease, ear infections, and other serious health problems.
Breastfeeding can lower a mother’s risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, and arthritis. It may also help you lose any weight you put on during pregnancy and recover from childbirth more quickly.
Diabetes Medications While Breastfeeding
Most diabetes medications are safe to use while breastfeeding, but some women with type 2 diabetes prefer to keep using insulin since it doesn’t get into your breast milk. Check with your health care provider about the amount of insulin to take since the amount you need may change. Breastfeeding may also make your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels a little harder to predict, so monitor it closely.
Your baby may have been born with low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). This doesn’t mean they need formula supplementation or can’t be breastfed. An infant’s low blood glucose is often best treated by early breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact with the mother.
Can you use formula instead of breastfeeding?
Yes. Breastfeeding is sometimes more challenging than expected and formula is also a good choice. But before completely switching to formula, getting breastfeeding support can help. Ask about peer groups and professional resources, such as a lactation consultant.
Be sure to use a commercially prepared infant formula instead of making your own or using store bought milk that usually comes from a cow. The commercially prepared formulas are designed to provide the proteins, sugars, fats, and vitamins your baby needs, the same way breastmilk does.
While formula feeding doesn’t offer all the benefits of breastfeeding, the most important thing is to nourish your child. If you have trouble breastfeeding at first or you don’t produce enough milk, discuss this with your OB/GYN or another health care provider. Keep trying to breastfeed while you supplement with formula or use donor milk. If your baby has trouble latching, you can also feed them breastmilk from a bottle which you will need to pump regularly.
Breastfeeding Tips for Mothers with Diabetes
- Breastfeed as soon as you can after delivery.
- Get lots of skin-to-skin contact with your baby and nurse several times a day in the beginning.
- Stay relaxed and try to be patient while your milk comes in.
- Have a snack before or during nursing. And keep something nearby to raise your blood glucose quickly, if your blood glucose may go low.
- Be sure to drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
- Check your blood glucose levels before and after nursing.
Gestational Diabetes (GDM)
If you had GDM, you’re at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. See your health care provider to get tested one to three months after your baby is born. You can take steps to lower your risk, such as follow an eating plan, manage your weight, and be more active.
The good news is that breastfeeding can reduce your risk for type 2 because it helps your body process glucose and insulin better. How long you breastfeed also seems to affect your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. In one study, breastfeeding for longer than two months lowered the risk by almost half. Breastfeeding beyond five months lowered it even more.
