Im currentyly 33wks pregnant, and thus far things are going great! I am planning on breastfeeding but i have some questions. My endo let me know at my last appt that women with Dm1 who nurse typically have problems with hypoglycemia due to the calories u burn and the energy it takes to nurse. She mentioned to snack often. But my question is: when do u snack ? 30min before u nurse or while u nurse?? and what type of snacks do u eat? Is fruit like a bannana good, or a yogurt, or maybe fruit snack? Any advice would be great!! Thank you :)
Breastfeeding is great because it burns so many calories and helps you lose the baby weight. But don't feel obligated to do it if it's not working for you. It worked best for me to do a combination of breast and bottle feeding.
Because of breastfeeding and post pregnancy hormones, I actually took NO insulin for a few weeks after my son was born(after I'd had type 1 for 28 years). Don't worry about how to snack. Just like before baby, you test and eat or take insulin as needed.
Even though the first couple of months of your son or daughter's life require a lot of energy, it is a short time in the grand scheme and is totally worth it. When you see how quickly your baby grows during the first few months, it's easy to understand the constant feeding is necessary. Makes it a little easier to get up in the middle of the night when you are tired.
Congratulations on your baby! We're all so happy for you.
Good questions and advice, I was wondering the same things, so thank you Jenna for the advice. I am 36 weeks along and I am worried about my milk coming in. I haven't started leaking collostrum yet, and it seems like every other pregnant friend I have that is less farther along than me IS. When does that usually start happening?
Kelly, I didn't start seeing any colostrum until almost the very last minute... maybe by around 36 or 37 weeks, if I would squeeze, I could express tiny droplets of colostrum (clear in color). I had the same worries that my milk wouldn't come in, but boy did it... within 3 days, my milk had come in. It started out light (about 2 oz) but quickly grew to meet my son's needs. It should also be noted that I had to use the help of a hospital grade breast pump (Ameda brand) because my little guy had a lung infection and spent a little over his first week in the NICU and was unable to breastfeed for the first 7 days because he was on oxygen. He's perfectly healthy now, by the way, and I'm working to keep up with his need for milk because he's a little piggy... a bottomless pit, bless his little heart. If you still have concerns, while you're at the hospital, just speak with a lactation consultant and hopefully she's seasoned and seen it all, but she can reassure you on a lot of the worries you have... the ladies at my hospital were amazing. I hope you don't face any situation close to mine, but even without actually getting to nurse my child and just pumping, my milk came in just fine and so should yours. Best of luck... as far as lows go (since that was the point of the original post, it will pull your sugar down, some people can completely go off insulin, some just need to keep snacks handy... me, well I think the stress from the week of the NICU hasn't completely left my system so I do have some highs here and there, but it's becoming much easier to handle and I'm needing much less insulin. Best of luck, ladies!
I didn't have colostrum until my son was about 5 days old. But I had delivered a week early and had a cesarean, which both inhibit breastmilk production. If you experience that just ask the nursery to give formula until your milk comes in.
At the beginning I had no clue if I was producing milk or not, but like MamaEngland said, if you squeeze your breast you can actually see fluid come out around the nipple once your milk is ready. It is unbelivable how much a baby can eat! I used to feel like 90% of what I breastfed my son would burp up. But somehow it all works out and he's a strapping 6-year-old now.