Hormones do effect blood glucose levels and do so dramatically at times. I
am the mother of a child with type-1, so she has yet to breastfeed a child,
but I do know that her insulin "needs" are based on far more than just
food. I have read in depth about pubescent girls and how the change from
childhood to womanhood reeks havoc on their blood glucose levels! Anytime
Fi is sick or growing - her needs either go sky high or bottom out.

With type-1 diabetes, you are constantly balancing food, exercise and your
state of health. So for a PP mom she has major hormonal changes (i.e. milk
production, her body's gradual healing from the birth, the weather (it is
hot and her body is working hard to keep itself cool), the increased
activity level from being a pregnant slow moving mom to a mom of two, etc.
I was sharing with the original poster that when a type-1 diabetic goes
swimming - they many times go low. Our Endo says it is a strange phenomenon
that they see often. We can take our daughter off her pump (no insulin for
a hour or so) and she will still go low after swimming. It is not just the
increased activity..there is something else at work here but what they
don't know.

A person with type-1 diabetes almost never has the "same" insulin needs
from day to day. We are constantly adjusting both my daughter basel
(background insulin) and bolus (insulin given to cover for food or high
blood sugars). Insulin pump are a wonderful tool as with shots this is not
possible till the next day (scary for a pregnant or nursing mom).

No matter what - moms with type-1 need to breastfeed!!! If only to tip
those odds just a bit.

Hope this helps!

Jenny Baughman
Atl, GA USA
>
> I don't know if the why is really understood.  Why would a diabetic mom
need
> less insulin and more calories?  It may have to do with hormonal interplay
> of milk production, oxytocin and pitocin.  Maybe there is an effect of
> prolactin ?  Anyone else know the reason?  Thanks, Pat in SNJ
>
>              ***********************************************
>

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