Help! I just checked my BG levels and they are 339! I don't even know how that happened, I just changed my infusion set in case that is the issue. My question is, right now is my baby's hungry time where she is constantly looking to be fed but I don't know if I should continue to feed her while my BG levels are so high or should I just give her some formula and wait until my BG levels go down? Any advice is much appreciated!
I would pump and dump while sugars are that high and use formula just until it's back in a decent range. Babies don't break down sugars as well as adults and it's extra calories for her. Are you able to pump and possibly store some for times like these? I was never able to do that because I just don't produce enough but I know other women who can pump and store plenty. You might be experiencing some wacky sugars due to new mommy stress and fatigue the same way you might get some wacky highs when you get sick.
no, unfortunately it's taking a while for me to build up my milk supply. Between c-section, diabetes and the stress of an international move, I'm only now beginning to produce enough milk for her, so it's really discouraging to have to go back to formula because of high BG levels. How high would you be comfortable going before pumping and dumping. Up until now I have given her milk when I've been in the mid to low 200s. This 300 read was the first since giving birth...
No point in dumping, if you decide to do formula for now. Your breast milk will reflect your current blood sugar pretty closely, just like your breast milk reflects your blood-alcohol levels closely. Pumping and dumping doesn't speed things along enough to bother... Unless you decide to pump and dump simply in order to keep your milk supply up by maintaining "demand."
While Xander was getting both breast milk and formula, I didn't let high blood sugar count out breastfeeding. His pediatrician said glucose levels weren't a concern, so I just made sure I didn't have ketones. (I don't know if the ketones could cross into breast milk, but I'd forgotten to ask the doctor and wanted to be extra cautious!) I'm not anti-formula (in fact, that's all Xander drinks now), but breast milk is just so healthy that I didn't want to waste it!
I suggest pump and dump for the supply and demand factor. If I didn't pump, my supply was greatly affected but that's just me, I never produced enough to pump and save unfortunately.
I felt ok bf'ing if my sugars rose into the lower 200's. Anything higher than 250 I felt like might be too much since that's the number I should be looking for keytones and it might seem silly but in my mind, I'm thinking I wouldn't give my infant formula or milk with added sugar(chocolate milk), I probably shouldn't bf with a very high bg number. When I had my last baby I did a lot of research on blood glucose and breastfeeding and found that research is all over the place on this so I just had to figure out what I was comfortable doing. At one time I lived with my sugars between 300-400 range before I was in insulin so I'm no stranger to those numbers but it's only happened once since I've been on the pump which has only been barely 3 months.
Hi Sharron I found that it was usually my infusion set failure that made my sugars so high. I would still feed my daughter when I was high though due though. So long as your baby isn’t diabetic too they can deal with high blood sugars. I would change my set first and wait to see its working properly if yours sugars are still lowering whilst breastfeeding. Mine did until my dd was 2 months.I would not want to give formula unless I was forced to. Much worse things in ot than a high sugar content. Just giving one full feed of formula will affect your supply I have since found out during my traing to be a breastfeeding councellor. Kathy
I haven't read the research on this, nor have I asked my baby's doctor his opinion. But I breastfeed no matter what my bg is. Because of breastfeeding, my bg has generally been really good, but I have found that occasionally, especially during the night, my bg will go really high for no reason that I can identify. For me, the benefits of breast milk outweigh the concern that it is sometimes too high in glucose. If I planned to breast feed until age 10 or something (!), weight gain might be a concern, but I don't, and so far my daughter is normal weight and very healthy.
(Not to mention the fact that research shows that children who were breastfed are less likely to become obese or have diseases like type 2 diabetes later in life).
I have always breastfed my son no matter what my blood sugar levels.
I think that the concern about breastfeeding with a high blood sugar is related to giving your baby a yeast infection in his or her mouth (though I'm not 100% sure about this). We have never had a yeast infection (called thrush). I would assume that this is a problem more if you are frequently having high blood sugars.
Hi - For the few first months, I tried to watch my bgs super-good. When I did go above 300, I would give formula and pump and dump (once or twice i did just nurse him with super high bg). Then I got more lax - after 3 months or so, I still tried to control my bgs good, but when I went > 300, I would give formula but not pump and dump - just get engorged a little and I figured that the sugary-milk got mixed well enough with 'good' milk! After 5 months, I started giving him stage1 foods and still nursed, and basically never pumped and dumped - but I would still give formula if >300. Now at 7 1/2 months, I am giving formula more so nursing less, never pump anymore but give formula or nurse if high.
Hello,
I have breasftfed my son for over 6 moths when he was a baby and I never changed to formula just for my levels. You have a lot going on: a move (stressfull but an international move is even more stressfull), plus the baby and your fatigue. I'm sure you are doing your best and that's the important thing.
Thanks for all of your advice ladies. I feel better informed now. I don't think I'll pump and dump because after all the work it took to build up my supply, I think I I might cry if I had to dump any of my milk! :)
I will try to keep my BG levels good control and try to delay a little after a correction to give my BG levels a chance to come down. I do think that breast to so much better than formula though even if it is a bit sugary :)