Low carb and breastfeeding

[Secondsop]

Hi all. I'm mix feeding my 4 month old (after a difficult start to breastfeeding, thanks to loads of help from here I'm really pleased to still be breastfeeding at this point). However, after having gestational diabetes at the very end of pregnancy, my recent glucose tolerance test shows I'm on the brink of type 2 diabetes. The consultant says no medication is needed and has recommended diet and lifestyle changes, which I'm totally on board with - this is the wake up call I needed as I'm at the point of no return. So I've started a low carb diet, which has worked for me in the past for weight loss (the only reason I haven't done it long term is that I had 2 pregnancies). But - will this affect my breast milk? I thought breastfeeding was a good thing for diabetic mums to do. But since low carbing my baby seems to have had much more frequent, mucousy poos, some dark greenish, and nappy rash. I took him to the doctor who said it was a virus but I hadn't mentioned diet as the frequent poos started a couple of days before my low carbing so I thought it was unconnected, but I now realise the dark green poo is since the diet. I always thought that what I ate wouldn't affect my milk supply, and I haven't added anything new that I haven't been eating before. All I've done is dropped sugary things, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and alcohol, and am eating more veg, protein and fat. I feel physically well on the diet, less bloated, the swelling in my ankles has disappeared. Is it possible that low carbing is affecting the nature of my milk?

Hiya, I'm no expert but had gestational diabetes (but now seem to be back to normal) which was diet controlled and never cut carbs. I judt swapped for less refined carbs, so had wholewheat pasta or brown rice instead of white versions and also controlled portion sizes so always had more of the sauce for example when having a pasta meal. Also combining certain foods reduces the glycemic (sp?) index of the foods - or so my leaflet given to me by the diabetes nurses said.
The best thing to do would be to talk to your GP or even HV and ask them how to maintain a healthy blood sugar level and also whether going low carb could have caused baby' s poos to go funny. I also found the diabetes UK website really helpful during my pregnancy too.

Hi bendymum thanks for responding. I had GD in both my pregnancies but unfortunately I think I'm much further down the diabetic path than you as there's no way I could keep my readings acceptable without drastically reducing the numbers of carbs; switching to low GI carbs made no difference whatsoever for me, although I did find that making sure there was plenty of fat and protein with my tiny portion of carbs, and having snacks, helped a bit in slowing down the glucose spike. In my first pregnancy it came on at 28 weeks and I needed metformin at the end and in my second pregnancy, as it came on so late it was too late for metformin so I had insulin for a week before delivering at 38 weeks and every single day my GD worsened and the insulin amounts had to be increased. I know that cutting carbs is the only way I can reduce my blood sugar levels but I've got an appointment with my GP tomorrow - I'll ask her about the effect on breastfeeding. Am not confident about the HV as she previously told me that I needed to drink milkshakes to bring on a good milk supply... I've cross posted in the low carb board too to see if anyone there has experienced this.

I don't know about carbs specifically but I was on a very restricted diet for medical reasons while fully breastfeeding a hungry 5 month old and although I felt really grotty he was completely fine and there was no change in his poos. I was concerned about milk supply but from what I read at the time the only reason to be concerned is if you're on very drastic calorie restriction (look up the dieting section of kellymom).

I don't eat carbs because I'm gluten intolerant. as long as you are eating and drinking enough I can't see how it will affect your supply. Dd2 had green poos when I consumed dairy so maybe try cutting that out and see if the poos change colour.

Fair enough Secondsop. HV sounds like she gives 'interesting' advice!
I wasn't diagnosed with GD in my first pregnancy but was tested in second due to high birth weight of DS so is possible I had it then too.
Hope you find something that works for you.

Yes, the HV also told me to eat "nourishing soups" which I'm sure isn't the worst thing i could have eaten but why did she only recommend liquids??

Thanks to other posters too - I've always eaten dairy but I wonder if I'm eating more when low carbing than I did before. I'll keep an eye on it.

Low carbing is not usually recommended when breastfeeding and it's not generally recommended for controlling diabetes either these days. Controlling carbs is for the latter, yes, but not virtually completely cutting them out. It is true that I diabetics breastfeeding can lower blood glucose, but hat doesn't generally apply to non diabetics.

I had gestational diabetes confirmed in my last two pregnancies. I was diagnosed at 24 weeks the first time, on insulin by 26 weeks. Last time I was diagnosed at 8 weeks and on metformin right away, insulin too a few weeks later.

Now I have another condition called 'insulin antibody syndrome' which causes hyper and hypoglyceamia. I cannot take insulin, it would be extremely dangerous for me as I already have huge amounts of insulin in my blood due to my condition. Plus, due to my condition insulin may not actually work anyway. (I produce antibodies which stop insulin wooing, but then make it available later, hence the hypos and hypers) it's meant I've learnt a lot about diet control, although generally no one is worried about highs for me.

However, if you're not already diagnosed as a diabetic, (and maybe even if you were) then advice would be carbs from low GI sources in sensible amounts and a low fat diet high with plenty of fruit and veg. It is true that protein and fat (fat especially) slow the increase in blood glucose, but it's still suggested to eat Lower fat food where possible.

I can't think how low carbs would affect breastfeeding or the breastmilk - how would this work?

Wouldn't worry about green poo or start altering your diet specifically. Both my kids have had it at times and it does go away. GP said not to worry unless it goes on for a long tine

I was "diagnosed" with prediabetes after gd in my first pregnancy. I then had gd from 16 weeks in my second but interestingly my postnatal gtt that time was ok. I can't see why low carbing would be an issue with bf and cause green poos. But at the same time I don't think it is necessary. You don't need to control your blood sugars in the same way as when you had gd, just make sure you are a healthy weight/exercising etc. The levels required in pregnancy are significantly tighter than those diabetics aim for when not pregnant.

Thanks for the comments everyone. midori and tarka the advice I had from the hospital was that reducing carbs was a good approach for me, as I need to lose drastic amounts of weight, and that I was at a critical juncture where a drastic approach might put diabetes into remission. I think I'm very carb-sensitive as even small quantities of low GI carbs make it hard for my body to burn fat. I've done the GI diet to the letter in the past and whilst it did help me from getting sweet cravings, the amount of weight I lost was precisely zilch and that was with very careful weighing, measuring, with my sister as independent assessor! . tiktok your previous words in other people's posts about diet not affecting milk were ringing round my ears so it's good to have your view here as well.

Argh wrote a long reply but can't see it! Basically said that I gave up cake and DS's poo turned bright green, frothy and mucousy and stayed that way for 4 weeks as I tried to cut down on sugar (carried on eating butter/cheese etc as I thought the fat would be good for my milk) Had tests done on his poo to check for infection and gave up dairy for 3 days to see if it was an intolerance but nothing worked. As an experiment a couple of days ago I went back to eating cakes and biscuits and hey presto his poo is back to mustard as it should be. I wouldn't have believed it had so not seen it with my own eyes!

The sugar in your diet does not affect the breastmilk - there is no physiological mechanism for it to do so. The sugar in breastmilk is lactose, and it is not made from the sucrose in cakes and biscuits, or lactose in other parts of her diet. Lactose is in all mammalian milks, including the milks of non-human animals who do not eat sucrose.

It may be that you can cut out cake and see a change in your baby's poo, and then eat cake and see it change back.

That is coincidence - baby poo colour changes all the feakin' time :) It may be affected by the amount of fat in the milk, and the amount of fat in the milk is not affected by the mother's intake of fat, but by the volume of milk in the breast. Tons of milk = proportionately less fat. Less milk = proportionately more fat. Tons of milk = green poo.

Maternal diet has nothing to do with this at all.

I would guess for you batman that your baby had a slight gastro bug, wipes out the friendly gut bacteria and gives your baby green poo as temporarily they find it harder to digest the lactose. Takes about 4weeks to go from bug to gut recovery and green poo.

The carbs wouldn't impact on your milk so if otherwise sensible for you then bf wouldn't be a reason not to do so.

Sorry that should have said bug- green poo - to yellow poo. By the time you do a stool sample baby would be infection free...

Tiktok, I think the reason low carbing isn't advised is that keytones and other toxins can get into breastmilk and there's not really any evidence about the effects on this. As far as I know it's mainly associated with rapid weight loss, which isn't really advised for most people, breastfeeding or not, anyway.

Hale has written about ketones in Bm before and thinks the worst they might do is taint the taste. In practice no evidence that those who low carb or do regular high intensity exercise whilst bf have a problem with baby accepting Bm.

Toxins will be excreted but much higher levels in ff and even in areas where nursing mothers have a background of relatively high levels of toxins Bm is still good.