Breast feeding when diabetic

xkayzx

Well-Known Member
Messages
59
Hi all, just advise on breast feeding please....
Thinking about trying it when baby is here , but was wondering if I can do breast milk and formula together?!
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,811
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have no advice with regard to breastfeeding with Diabetes, but I did breast feed both my children. The action of the baby feeding stimulates the production of more milk so using a bottle sometimes risks your milk production slowing down. Also the sucking action is different for the breast as for the bottle teat so has the potential to cause confusion for the baby. Some people do manage to combine the two but it’s easier when the baby is a bit older.
 

Smallbrit

Well-Known Member
Messages
284
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Short answer is yes. More complicated answer is as @Rachox said. The general warning for trying a combination of breastmilk/formula (not including bottle confusion here) is that you need to the stimulation of breastfeeding/pumping for your body to produce enough milk in a supply/demand ratio, and if you supplement that with formula, your body is confused and thinks it doesn't need to produce as much as baby is feeding so it doesn't and then you have to use more formula for a hungry baby and then...your body thinks its milk is not needed.

I had a preemie who was in hospital for her first two months, so she had to be fed intravenously, then by bottle, though I was encouraged to pump breastmilk for her from the start, and they mixed it with formula for her bottle. I lived in the US at the time so had to go back to work after 12 weeks, and she went to daycare, where she was fed by breastmilk bottle/I pumped at work/breastfeeeding happened in evenings/nights/mornings. By Fridays though, my suppplies for daycare were a bit low and I couldn't provide enough for the afternoon feed, so daycare tried her on a bottle of formula and she refused it! So then they tried mixing breastmilk with formula, just like she'd had in hospital, and she refused it then too. Always.

So the point of my story is: whatever you do, be consistent with it - even a tiny baby gets used to what its supposed to be fed!
 

Ellie_Wilko

Well-Known Member
Messages
130
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I solely bottle fed my baby but with a combination of formula and expressed breast milk. My milk dried up pretty quickly, after about 6/8 weeks because I wasn’t pumping enough!

My health visitor said I would have to pump every time my baby was fed to try and mimic natural breastfeeding but for me it just wasn’t possible.

I felt pretty good knowing that my baby got breast milk for the first couple of months aswell as pre harvested colostrum when he was born :)

Just do what works for you and your baby and just beware that breastfeeding affects your sugars ALOT so have the glucose to hand at all time.

Good luck xx
 
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jade88

Well-Known Member
Messages
231
I exclusively breast fed for 6 weeks but expressed and gave him a bottle from 2 weeks so partner could help and bond with baby! I found breastfeeding difficult especially with all the hypos so started mix feeding at 6 weeks and went completely on to bottles at 12 weeks. There’s no right or wrong answer it’s whatever works best for you and baby! x
 
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