It is safe and encouraged to breastfeed after having GDM, but if your blood sugars remain high after delivery and you still require medications, please consult with your doctor and lactation consultant.
Where to Find Breasfeeding Help
What about baby?
Breastfeeding after having GDM is encouraged!
“What happens to my baby while I am pregnant?”
Ever hear of the old saying, “you are what you eat?” The saying holds true in gestational diabetes because the foods you eat that are high in sugar not only affect your blood sugar levels but also your baby.
Babies born to moms with uncontrolled high blood sugar levels are more prone to store that sugar as fat, leading to a larger baby at birth which can create difficulties during delivery.
In Alberta, having gestational diabetes doubles your chance of having a larger baby so it is important to follow the nutritional and medical guidance of your health care team.
“What kind of difficulties come from having a big baby?”
Big babies can be harder to deliver. They can get stuck in the birth canal and this can cause injury to either mom or baby or both. If this happens, cesarean section or use of special instruments may be needed to help deliver the baby.
It is also more likely that babies exposed to high blood sugar in the uterus, have problems with jaundice, low blood sugar, or may even have difficulty breathing and require admission to intensive care right after delivery.
“What happens to blood sugar levels after delivery in my baby and I?”
Having diabetes in pregnancy may expose your baby to higher blood sugar during your pregnancy. Once the baby and placenta are delivered, the hormones that cause diabetes in pregnancy drop quickly resulting in lower blood sugars in you. Most of the time your blood sugar levels will return to normal after pregnancy (and if you needed insulin during the pregnancy you will likely no longer need it!) Hooray!
If the baby has been exposed to high blood sugars throughout pregnancy, there is a chance the baby’s blood sugar may go low after delivery although this is rare in gestational diabetes and found more frequently in pre-existing diabetes.
Will my baby be born with diabetes? Heck no.
Rest assured! Having diabetes in pregnancy will not cause your baby to be born with diabetes. That said, the risk of your child developing diabetes later on in life is higher. This can be controlled by adopting healthy eating and exercise habits for the whole family.
Many ladies like Jessette & Shanna have had perfectly healthy babies.