Pregnant: Cow's Milk can trigger diabetes in babies, is this true?

[Serenede]

Wow thank you for all your comments!

The leaflet is an NHS one. My issue with breastfeeding was not the amount of milk i had i could have supplied an army of babies! It was the pain i was in with every feed and every midwife i saw suggested that she was latched on correctly and she seemed content and full. I managed for a month with expressing as well but the pain never went away. I also had to give top ups in hospital as she had low blood sugars. If i have to do that again or supplement at all is there a formal milk that would be better to use? As if the pressure isn't enough, i am so determined to make it work this time but now feel so guilty if it doesnt!

 

[zand]

Wow! You did so well! I'm impressed.

Sorry I don't know of any different formula milks, but I am sure your health care team can help you. There must be something available and as @satindoll has said 2 of her grandchildren were given goat's milk because they couldn't tolerate cow's milk. I expect there's something out there suitable, but it will probably cost more.

Honestly, I reckon you will do it this time, so don't worry. And whatever you do, don't feel guilty, I am 100% sure that you will do your best for your babe and that's all anyone can ask of you, so why should you ask more of yourself? ( Yes I am talking to myself here too)

Looking forward to hearing of your little one's arrival

Take care.

 

[Brunneria]

My neighbour's baby had such a severe allergy to formulas made of cow's milk and goat's milk that she was switched to a prescription only version made from soya. So there are definitely different options out there. She had to stand up for herself against the combined pressure of nurses and doctor, but she got what her baby needed, in the end. But the baby was a stunner, and has continued to flourish.

I remember her explaining the whole situation to me, including her own inability to breast feed. This was her third baby, and the previous two had been smooth sailing.

The child (now 3yrs) still has severe milk allergy issues.

 

[azure]

Wow thank you for all your comments!

The leaflet is an NHS one. My issue with breastfeeding was not the amount of milk i had i could have supplied an army of babies! It was the pain i was in with every feed and every midwife i saw suggested that she was latched on correctly and she seemed content and full. I managed for a month with expressing as well but the pain never went away. I also had to give top ups in hospital as she had low blood sugars. If i have to do that again or supplement at all is there a formal milk that would be better to use? As if the pressure isn't enough, i am so determined to make it work this time but now feel so guilty if it doesnt!

Some hospitals offer donated breastmilk to use if a top up is needed after birth, so you could ask in advance about that.

I had some pain with my first baby, presumably because it was a new thing for that part of the body, but with my 2nd I don't remember any pain, and with my recent baby I definitely have no pain at all. Cross that bridge if you come to it. You very well may not

 

[zand]

You asked about studies...I found this link

http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/2011/10/12/baby-formula-and-diabetes/

Look at option 2) in the summary - asking for a lactose free baby formula ( if you need one) could help?

Baby Formula and Diabetes

1) Typical cow’s milk baby formula increased the incidence of autoantibodies which are strongly linked to Type 1 Diabetes. Again, Baby Formula and diabetes are linked.

2) A hypoallergenic lactose free baby food reduced the frequency of Type 1 Diabetes by 60%, compared to the control group fed cow’s milk based formula. Baby Formula and diabetes are linked.

3) Toxins (AGEs) have been found in baby formula, toxins that can increase the risk of diabetes and other diseases. And again, Baby Formula and diabetes are linked.

 

[azure]

Just to be clear, it's believed it's both early presence of cow's milk (formula) AND the absence of breastmilk that is a possible issue.

Thank you for that link, Zand. That helps one aspect

 

[Pipp]

You asked about studies...I found this link

http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/2011/10/12/baby-formula-and-diabetes/

Look at option 2) in the summary - asking for a lactose free baby formula ( if you need one) could help?

Baby Formula and Diabetes

1) Typical cow’s milk baby formula increased the incidence of autoantibodies which are strongly linked to Type 1 Diabetes. Again, Baby Formula and diabetes are linked.

2) A hypoallergenic lactose free baby food reduced the frequency of Type 1 Diabetes by 60%, compared to the control group fed cow’s milk based formula. Baby Formula and diabetes are linked.

3) Toxins (AGEs) have been found in baby formula, toxins that can increase the risk of diabetes and other diseases. And again, Baby Formula and diabetes are linked.

Excellent advice, @zand. Well researched! Perfect solution.

Good luck to @Serenede. Helps to go 'armed' with relevant information and alternatives to the scaremongers that are sometimes found in the breast feeding advocates. Some, by no means all, get a bit overzealous in their use of whatever arguments they need to promote breastfeeding. They forget the impact they have on the confidence and self worth of those mothers that can't breastfeed.

 

[Pipp]

Just to be clear, it's believed it's both early presence of cow's milk (formula) AND the absence of breastmilk that is a possible issue.

Thank you for that link, Zand. That helps one aspect

Just to be clear, it's believed it's both early presence of cow's milk (formula) AND the absence of breastmilk that is a possible issue.

Thank you for that link, Zand. That helps one aspect

Sorry, that is not clear to me.

Do you mean if a mother cannot breastfeed then donated breast milk is the only alternative?

 

[azure]

Sorry, that is not clear to me.

Do you mean if a mother cannot breastfeed then donated breast milk is the only alternative?

No, I was referring to the time immediately after delivery. Sometimes when a baby of a woman with Type 1 is born, their blood sugar can be slightly lower than desired. Because of this, an immediate feed is sometimes given. This feed can be formula or donated breastmilk, as the mother chooses.

 

[Pipp]

No, I was referring to the time immediately after delivery. Sometimes when a baby of a woman with Type 1 is born, their blood sugar can be slightly lower than desired. Because of this, an immediate feed is sometimes given. This feed can be formula or donated breastmilk, as the mother chooses.

Thanks, @azure. So, could the mother have in her birth plan that she wants the formula to be the hypoallergenic baby formula, then? You would think diabetic care teams would be promoting that.

Just a thought. It is a long time since my babies were born, and we didn't have birth plans then, just did as we were told. I did donate gallons of my breast milk to the neonatal unit. I now wonder if, as I had also been drinking a fair quantity of cows milk, if I unwittingly passed some of that lactose in my breast milk. Would hate to think my donated breast milk could have caused lactose intollerance, or increased chances of those babies consuming it developing diabetes.

 

[azure]

Yes, you can pretty much put anything you want in your birth plan (within reason)

If the OP checks in advance what the process is likely to be after birth, then she'll be well-prepared Top up feeds after birth aren't always necessary, but it certainly pays to cover every eventuality in a Plan.

It's fantastic you donated all that breastmilk! Well done to you! I'm sure there were many, many very grateful mums. X

 

[Pipp]

Yes, you can pretty much put anything you want in your birth plan (within reason)

If the OP checks in advance what the process is likely to be after birth, then she'll be well-prepared Top up feeds after birth aren't always necessary, but it certainly pays to cover every eventuality in a Plan.

It's fantastic you donated all that breastmilk! Well done to you! I'm sure there were many, many very grateful mums. X

Thanks, but I am not so sure. It still leaves me wondering, I mean, would the mums be grateful if I had in my breast milk, contributed to a lactose intollerance, or increased possibility of developing diabetes to those babies.
With what I am learning here, if I were to be putting together a birth plan, I think I would be going for the hypoallergenic formula as a preference to donated milk, if there was a reason I couldn't breast feed..
Sorry if this is appearing like a derailment..My understanding from the thread, so far, is that the OP, was concerned about a leaflet saying cow's milk can trigger diabetes in babies. Mums my age were always told not to give infants cows milk. I do believe some midwives had experienced seeing babies fed on the gold top the milkman left on the step. We were advised that the babies gut could not tolerate or digest it and it could cause kidney problems. I did not know about the diabetes link.

OP wants to breastfeed, but is aware of difficulties. Obviously the leaflet has made her anxious, but the research papers other posters have provided offer information, and reassurance of alternatives. So there are options for her to consider and plan for. The most important thing is for a mother to feel confident and secure in the choices she makes.

 

[azure]

@Pipp The advice to mums is to breastfeed to,reduce the risk of diabetes. So your donated breast milk would have helped those mums who were unable to breastfeed and given their babies a great start in life

I just want to be clear here - not just to you, in general. The leaflet is NOT saying Don't Give Cows Milk to babies. That is covered in other advice about feeding and weaning. This leaflet is saying that breastmilk reduces the risk of diabetes and that breastfed babies have a reduced risk of diabetes compared to babies bottle-fed with regular formula milk made from the milk of cows.

This reduced risk is because the breastmilk itself has a protective effect and helps the integrity of the baby's gut and immune system as well as general health, and also because by breastfeeding and therefore avoiding regular cows milk,formula, the baby isn't exposed to cows milk formula in those early months and thus avoids the substances in it that are thought to increase the risk of Type 1.

So the benefit of breastfeeding is double, if that makes sense?

I was advised that donated breastmilk was preferable to use if a feed is needed right after delivery for the second reason above - that formula milk contains substances that may cause an increased risk of Type 1. If no donated breastmilk was available, the second best option would be the specially made formula milk that Zand referred to,above. I don't know how widely available this is, so if someone wanted to pursue that option they would probably need to locate some themselves or at least check if it was available at the hospital.

So your breastmilk was preferable to the formula that was the alternative, as not only did it potentially reduce the risk of diabetes (of both types) it had numerous other health benefits for those very young babies You did the right thing and should be proud of helping them.

 

[Serenede]

My plan is to try and harvest some colostrum before the birth so that I can give it to the baby instead of formula. I am guessing it is ok for me to have cow's milk in my diet although it can pass through the breast milk? As you said azure the breast milk itself has a protective affect. I will ask at my next appointment about formulas that don't contain cow's milk and let you know the response.

Thanks for everyone's comments. Yes the leaflet did make me anxious Pipp and bought back all the guilty feelings I had with my daughter when I struggled so much. I wish they wouldn't just hand out these leaflets and leave you to it. It's good to have this site to come to and share things with others who will understand and it's good to have some more knowledge on the subject so i can do my best for baby.

 

[AtkinsMo]

@Serenede it was interesting reading your account of last time. So, you had loads of milk? I also did actually, apart from between about 6pm and 9pm, when I always seemed a bit short. Grizzly, unhappy babies, wouldn't settle. But still, at the end of each week, I still had bottles and bottles to donate to SCBU. I used to think I was feeding half the prem babies in our town, how lovely.

I can imagine the odd male member of the forum thinking this a bit gross, but exactly what was so painful? Sore nipples? Or a let down problem or something else? Given your commitment to want to breast feed your baby and your health professionals wish that you should breast feed your baby, maybe the pump / bottle feed with expressed milk is a viable alternative? But I think you would need an electric pump. A quick internet search reveals there are many companies (some NHS funded) that rent breast pumps. Just a thought - but then again, breast feeding this time might just be a piece of cake!

 

[Pipp]

My plan is to try and harvest some colostrum before the birth so that I can give it to the baby instead of formula. I am guessing it is ok for me to have cow's milk in my diet although it can pass through the breast milk? As you said azure the breast milk itself has a protective affect. I will ask at my next appointment about formulas that don't contain cow's milk and let you know the response.

Thanks for everyone's comments. Yes the leaflet did make me anxious Pipp and bought back all the guilty feelings I had with my daughter when I struggled so much. I wish they wouldn't just hand out these leaflets and leave you to it. It's good to have this site to come to and share things with others who will understand and it's good to have some more knowledge on the subject so i can do my best for baby.

Well done @Serenede, it seems that you are in control. Colostrum from you is best thing for baby in the first day or so.. Having the information you need to make informed decisions is what is needed.

My understanding is that dairy products consumed by the mother, or whoever donates the breast milk do not cause and lactose intolerance in the baby.

I had a feeling that you were anxious because of the leaflet you were given. Not having viewed the leaflet, I don't feel able to make any comment, apart from that it does seem thoughtless of whoever distributed it to not address any concerns that might arise for the recipient. Pressures like that are not going to do anything to ensure a relaxed and confident mother. Do not allow anyone to make you feel guilty.

It hadn't occurred to me to feel proud about donated breast milk. I still don't feel pride, because It was done more with a sense of with gratitude, than any feeling that I was doing anything special. A simple idea that I had too much of a commodity that others needed. I had spent many months in hospital with baby number one. Pre-eclampsia. I was grateful that we both survived, we almost didn't. During the time in the ward I saw and interacted with many other pregnant and nursing mothers. I saw how despondent some became due to thoughtless comments suggesting they were somehow inferior if they could not, or if it was difficult for them to breast feed. That guilt cannot be good for mum or baby. Emotional health of mum is vital to both mum and babe.

Stay well, @Serenede, and have a happy pregnancy and birth in the knowledge that you are in control.