My Breastfeeding Journey - Dealing With Diabetes and Low Supply

By Hannah Viar

I am a type 1 (juvenile) Diabetic, so everything seems to be more challenging for me from a physiological perspective. My first son was born at 34 weeks, and we almost lost him to hydrocephalus. After being hospitalized for two months at John Hopkins, he came off his breathing and feeding tubes, but at this stage, my milk had dried up, likely due to the trauma of the situation.

I recently gave birth to my second son, who was born at 35 weeks. In the months leading up to his birth, my prayers were for a healthy baby AND a beautiful breastfeeding journey. I was DETERMINED to breastfeed him no matter what. The journey thus far has not been easy, but worth it!

He started rooting for my breast from the day he was born. But unfortunately, the lactation consultant assigned to me at the hospital was very discouraging. On the first day, she came in and saw that I was a type 1 Diabetic, noticed my milk hadn'thadn't fully come in yet, and told me how hard it would be to produce enough milk to feed my baby. She made me feel like I couldn't do it, but I was still determined to give it my best shot.

I kept pumping, and that night I laid hands on my breast and called out to Jesus, "make me overflow with milk as you created me to do!" The following day I pumped 4 ounces of breast milk. I was amazed! But the next two months were a struggle.

Finally, I visited a new lactation specialist, Laura Silvas, and she was so encouraging and helpful! She had answers and solutions instead of ultimatums and doom. With the help of Laura and other consultants, I've been able to nurse for the first three months of my son's life. My biggest hurdles have been getting my son to latch correctly and dealing with fungal infections on my nipples. Because of Diabetes, my body creates more yeast, so I frequently get fungal infections. I have tried various candida diets, but I can't stick to them, particularly when I need the energy to breastfeed. I also battle to keep my blood sugar stable - it's either too high or too low - even my endocrinologist can't keep it under control.

Despite how difficult this journey has been, my son is worth it. His health trumps mine right now, so I do what I can, and the rest I leave to God. I still visit lactation consultants every two weeks, but we see that he's gaining weight every time we go. In fact, he's so chunky now; he weighs more than the average baby his age.

God is good, and I haven't given up because of Him. My advice to other Type 1 Diabetic moms is that the journey will be more challenging for us than women who don't have high blood sugar, but don't give up.

Please share your feeding journey with us! We would love to publish your story on our site. Contact us at Leva.