breastfeeding after gestational diabetes

[Matilda85]

I've just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have been reading material online which seems to say how much harder it is to breastfeed if you've had it and about having a reduced supply. I'm lookin for opinions of whether this is true or not and how you found it.

I didn't have gd with my first and breastfed him til after he turned 2. It was such a special time for us and the thought of not being able to breastfeed again has left me feeling really quite devastated.

 

[stormcloud96]

Im a ftm and had GD. My Bubs blood sugar was low for first test but she was early & had a long labor (which means a long time of not eating or drinking much so I bf & they gave her a bit of formula, after that all her tests were fine & I just kept on ebf. 3 days later my milk came in & I was leaking all over the place. I had such an over supply my left armpit was getting firm as well! I don't know where you read it and it's only my experience but wasn't a problem at all after 1st weeks weight loss she is actually gaining more than they expect. Only thing I did was drink fennel tea I made from seeping the seeds. Good luck

 

[Matilda85]

Thank you, that made me feel so much better.
Did you just start with the fennel tea once you'd given birth?

 

[noon_child]

I think the studies have shown a definite issue for a lot of insulin dependant mothers (type 1), and because of this a link has been made between insulin and breastfeeding hormones. They aren't exactly sure what this link or interplay is, because it doesn't seem to affect everyone the same way and there haven't been enough studies. Therefore because GD involves insulin and sugar levels, possible low supply is something to be aware of so that you can work round it but it certainly isn't a given.

Make sure you educate yourself on the true signs of low supply (there are so many false ones that are normal and make people panic) and normal breastfeeding baby behaviour.

 

[slammerkin]

I had GD (controlled with diet) and no issues with BF. Milk came in on the 4th day and I had plenty!

 

[stormcloud96]

I started the fennel tea at 36 weeks. I should also mention I "controlled" with diet.

 

[Matilda85]

Thanks so much everyone for the reassurance.

I'm controlling it with diet at the moment so hopefully it'll be fine. I had lots of milk with my first so hoping it'll be the same this time.

 

[justplay91]

I had GD with my first and failed to breastfeed purely because I didn't have enough knowledge about it. With my second I also had GD, and I was determined to succeed and went in barred with a lot more information. Our only issue this time was that she had low blood sugar and jaundice after birth. Not enough to need the bili lights, though. After we got home from the hospital (we only spent one night after delivery) we got into a strict feeding routine. Basically, I would have her on the breast as much as possible to help my milk come in, and then I would pump (usually only getting a couple ml, if that), feed her that with a syringe, and then feed her a few mls of formula with a syringe. Just enough to keep her hydrated. We never gave a bottle to avoid nipple confusion. My milk started coming in two days after birth and was in completely by the 4th day. It worked quite well for us, and now at 1.5 months we're still successfully breastfeeding. So it can certainly be done!