If you’ve been living with type 1 diabetes, you know that it can affect every area of your life, including pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you’re interested in conceiving and breastfeeding your baby, make sure you consult your health care providers as you make plans to become a parent. Here’s what you need to know to make sure both you and your baby can thrive.

Can You Breastfeed With Type 1 Diabetes?

Yes, you can breastfeed with type 1 diabetes. In fact, some people recommend it.

Breastfeeding has many health benefits, and you and your baby can reap these whether or not you’ve been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Babies who breastfeed are less likely to develop conditions, including type 1 diabetes. Breastfed babies are also less likely to experience:

• Ear infections
• Asthma
• Bad lower respiratory infections
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• Obesity
• Infections that involve vomiting or diarrhea

The DiaTribe Foundation, a nonprofit focused on improving the lives of people with diabetes, has found that women who breastfeed are less likely to have high blood pressure, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer.

At the same time, it’s important to know that type 1 diabetes can cause some problems with breastfeeding. Most of the time, these are issues you can overcome. However, these hurdles sometimes make it less likely that people with type 1 diabetes will choose to breastfeed long term. Understanding what might happen and having a plan can help you reach your breastfeeding goals.

Points To Consider if You Want To Breastfeed With Type 1 Diabetes

There are a few points to consider if you want to breastfeed with type 1 diabetes:

• Blood sugar
• Milk production
• Birth complications

Managing Blood Sugar

Breastfeeding can affect your blood sugar. Because your body has to work harder and burns calories producing milk, your blood sugar levels are likely to be different when you’re breastfeeding than they were before you got pregnant or during your pregnancy. This is similar to how some people with type 1 diabetes respond to exercise.

Most people who have blood sugar issues during breastfeeding experience blood sugar lows. Your blood glucose levels may drop while you’re breastfeeding or even at other times during the day. You may need less insulin or lower doses of other medications because of these changes. In general, it can change the blood sugar patterns that you’ve become used to. Always have a source of glucose with you as you start breastfeeding.

Doctor Avni Vora is an endocrinologist at Northwestern Medicine. She has helped people with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes to have successful pregnancies and great breastfeeding experiences. On the topic of blood sugar and breastfeeding, she said, “If you’re breastfeeding, you’re actually losing calories through the breastfeeding. I have a lot of women where they end up not needing as much insulin while they’re breastfeeding, and then sometimes we have to adjust back up when they stop breastfeeding.”

Discussing how breastfeeding will affect your diabetes management before your baby is born and staying in communication with your diabetes team can help you have a more successful breastfeeding experience.

Milk Production

Type 1 diabetes can affect your milk production in a couple of ways. First, type 1 diabetes can make it take longer for your body to start producing milk after your baby is born. Second, it can cause issues with having a steady supply of milk and maintaining that over time. This can make breastfeeding harder. You’ll want to include steps in your plan for breastfeeding with type 1 diabetes that directly address these issues. Insulin is a normal component of breastmilk, and all forms of insulin are excreted into breast milk.

Possible Birth Complications

If you have type 1 diabetes, you’re more likely to experience certain pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia, a condition that causes high blood pressure and can be harmful to you and your baby. You’re also more likely to have a larger baby, which can make giving birth harder. Babies born to someone with type 1 diabetes may also experience low blood sugar after they are born.

All of these issues can complicate breastfeeding, particularly if you or your baby needs special medical attention and you have to be separated.

Making a Plan for Breastfeeding With Type 1 Diabetes

One of the most important steps you can take before you start breastfeeding with type 1 diabetes is to have a plan to address these possible issues before your baby arrives. Here are a few steps your plan could include.

Build Your Support Network

Arrange ahead of time to work with medical professionals and other support staff who have experience with type 1 diabetes and breastfeeding. You may want to find a lactation consultant. Your team may also include a postpartum doula. These come to your house to support everything around having a new baby, including breastfeeding, cleaning, nutrition, physical recovery, and more. If you’ve been working with a dietitian throughout your pregnancy, you may want to continue as you figure out what you need to eat to breastfeed successfully.

Store Colostrum Ahead of Time

Before you make breast milk, your body produces colostrum. Your body starts making colostrum before your baby is born, so you can learn how to express it from your breasts and store it. That way, if your milk supply is delayed or your baby can’t be with you all the time, you'll have something to give them, through a bottle or syringe if necessary.

Once you start breastfeeding, consider learning how to pump any extra milk you produce. This stored milk can be used if you face any issues or experience a lower milk supply later on.

Stay on Top of Your Glucose

Regularly monitor your blood glucose levels, especially after birth, until you establish a new routine. This will help you catch any periods of high or low blood sugar before they become dangerous. Keep your medications and food nearby, so you can always take steps to bring your blood sugar levels back to a safe range.

Learn Good Overall Breastfeeding Practices

There are some ways to make breastfeeding easier. These steps are helpful for any new breastfeeding parent, not just people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. They include:

• Holding your baby’s skin against your skin as often as possible
• Allowing your baby to feed whenever they want to
• Trying breastfeeding every hour, especially for the first several hours
• Stay well hydrated all day long

Talk to Your Doctor

Work with your health care team or your diabetes care team to come up with the best possible plan for you and your baby. Make sure they know that you want to practice exclusive breastfeeding if you can, so they’re prepared to support you. Your care team may be able to refer you to other medical professionals who specialize in working with new parents who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Find Your Team

On myT1Dteam, the social network for people with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones, more than 3,400 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with type 1 diabetes.

Are you wondering if you should breastfeed because you’ve been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.