Type 1 diabetes mothers can breast feed

Women who suffer from type 1 diabetes have been found to be just as likely as other women to be able to breast feed. The study, conducted in Denmark at the Copenhagen University Hospital by a team of experts, revealed the findings in the leading medical journal Diabetes Care.
The results run contrary to expectations, such as blood sugar level problems and general health conditions amongst the children. Despite the fact that over 50 per cent of the children were suffering from one or more medical complications when born (including breathing problems, infections and jaundice) the vast majority of the women undertook breast-feeding.
The study found that after four months the diabetic women were breast-feeding at similar levels to women in the general population . One expert involved in the study was reported as saying that: “The majority of the women with type 1 diabetes initiated breast-feeding and the prevalence of breast-feeding at 4 months was comparable to that in the background population.” Higher levels of education and previous experience of breast-feeding were the only factors likely to increase the women’s likelihood of breast-feeding.