[blparent] Sensitive breast feeding concern- BF when diabetic

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Eating a snack could be helpful. For me, when doing any physical
activity exerting calories can tend to make me drop. I take a lot of
precautions when exercising because of this. Testing frequently is the
biggest key. A low blood sugar alone does not necessarily render one
incapable of treating but if dropping to low, you can go into an insulin
reaction, which symptoms vary but a common one is the inability to treat
alone. I have pretty good indicators in my body telling me when I'm
dropping which helps to catch and treat a low before it gets out of
hand, though my husband has certainly has had to help a handful of times
over the past seven years. Again, it will really depend on how things go
once I actually am in the situation.

I always, always carry snacks and juice on me when not at home in case
of lows, and I plan to keep a few things within reach of where I nurse
in case of this event. Ross is also aware of how to treat and what needs
to be done when I'm low just in case I need help for any reason.

I also have considered the bottle feeding just because when necessary,
Ross can feed baby while I take care of what I need to take care of for
myself. Again, I know this doesn't mean I can't still feed from the
breast, but it's just one of many things to consider.

And regardless of how it is done, there are pros and cons to both at
least logistically speaking for any woman. Regardless if I pump and
bottle feed or choose to feed from the breast, I plan to use breast milk
since the benefits are so great, Although funny story though, one reason
it's recommended you breast feed is that children breast fed are less
likely to develop diabetes, yet I was the only baby my mom breast fed
and I'm the only child with diabetes, ha-ha! Lucky me, grin.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 7
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:38:54 -0600
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Sensitive breast feeding concern- BF when
	diabetic
Message-ID: <SNT116-DS178BD02803E8C1BEC5EA26AC3F0 at phx.gbl>
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	reply-type=original

Hi, Bridgit.  If you pump, whether or not you nurse as well, you're
going to 
find it a very drippy experience if you have to drop the pump bells and 
treat your low blood sugar.  A greasy one, too, if you rub lanolin on
the 
inside of the pump bells to help them stick to your breasts, which was
the 
number one biggest thing I was told to do that helpmed me get more out
of 
the pump.  In any case, you'll want to keep a towel nearby because when
you 
try to put the pump bells back on, your breasts and your hands will get
all 
gooey and milky.  You'll want to shut the pump off, too, before you try 
re-centering your nipples in the bells.  To avoid all of this, could you

have a small snack before you pump or nurse, maybe to guard against the 
drop?  I don't have experience with diabetes, but my ex husband was 
hypoglycemic to the point that he sometimes couldn't get a snack to his 
mouth by himself during an attack.  I found if I gave him something like
a 
slice of cheese before a taxing activity, it helped a lot.  Good luck.

Jo Elizabeth