
October 10, 2006
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Fairfax, Virginia, USA:
I am a pediatric nurse who recently had a 10 month old patient who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The baby is currently breast feeding. How many carbohydrates are in breast milk? The mother was very concerned that she was giving her baby too much sugar via her breast milk. What do you recommend for this situation?
Answer:
You estimate. Most of the time, 8 ounces is a complete feeding for a 10 to 12 month old. If a mom is particularly worried about volumes, she can pump and give the breast milk in a bottle to be certain of the volumes. According to our web site dietitian, 2 ounces of breast milk is 4.2 grams of carbohydrates.
MSB