These women are often overweight and must inject themselves with insulin. This leads to an interference in the creation of the hormone prolactin, which affects the production of milk in the breast. About one in 30 women become diabetic during pregnancy, according to statistics.

Many babies of women with diabetes are born prematurely and many must be delivered through Caesarian section. These babies require medical treatment and are initially separated from their mothers after birth. Experts say this factor also has a negative effect on nursing. A survey of women in all regions of Germany showed that many mothers with diabetes broke off nursing after only few weeks. One- quarter of the women affected did not even try to nurse their babies. Among healthy mothers 14 percent declined to nurse their babies from the outset, choosing formula instead.

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