Diabetes and pregnancy; breastfeeding lowers blood sugar

An article from the August 11, 2010 issue of Diabetes Forecast by Tracey Neithercott caught my eye.  Baby Talk is an instructive article for all diabetic patients planning on a pregnancy.  I am not an endocrinologist (hormone and diabetes specialist) or an Obstetrician, so I am quoting Ms. Neithercott's article for my readers.

Before pregnancy, the following things help to prepare your body for a better pregnancy outcome:  Quit smoking, bring down Hemoglobin Alc under 7%, take folic acid, make an appointment with a dietician, stop drinking any alcohol, avoid foods that can be associated with environmental toxins or bacteria (such as uncooked meats, uncooked seafood, tuna or mackerel with known high mercury content), and exercise more consistently (squeeze in a power walk at lunch).

During pregnancy, focus on eating healthy meals, achieve pregnancy parameters in Hemoglobin A1c levels, blood pressure, and weight management your health care team recommends.  Recently, Institute of Medicine recommended pregnancy weight gains according to pre-pregnancy weight of the woman.  For underweight women, 28 ~ 40 lbs of gain; for normal weight women, 25~35 lbs; for overweight women, only 11~20 lbs.  You should follow those guidelines your obstetrics and diabetes team set out for you. 

Some obstetric teams are more familiar with managing diabetic patients in labor.  Be sure to discuss your options up front.  To avoid post-delivery hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), management of  your insulin and meal plans should be done by your doctor rather than the hospital physicians and nurses.

Jennifer Wyckoff, M.D. of University of Michigan recommends diabetic women to breastfeed.  Breastfeeding tends to lower glucose (blood sugar) levels.  A diabetic nursing mom is recommended to eat the same amount of calories as during pregnancy, because breastfeeding requires more calories and nutrients.

Dr. Wyckoff also says that breastfeeding can reduce the baby's chance of developing
Type 1 diabetes.  Helpful immunolgobins from the mother can protect the baby and lessen his/her chance of developing Type 1 diabetes later.

For further reading, go to forecast.diabetes.org/babystories

Brought to you by Elly Hann, creator of EPiBi antimicrobial washable nursing pads & hypoallergenic diaper liners