Hi Fit Britt and followers! I am a guest blogger and was referred a question from Fit Britt herself....since I have academic and "real world" experience with the topic.
Question: "How can you alter your diet and activity plan WITHOUT affecting your milk supply?" --Submitted by the mama of a ten month old
Answer: There are various articles regarding this topic with a lot of scientific support. All are informative and useful. However, I am going to post my answer in "layman's terms" for those of us who just want a straight answer without confusing scientific mumbo jumbo.
Basically, you CAN easily workout and diet without affecting your milk supply--the key is moderation. Now is not the time for extreme diets or workouts. It is recommended to keep your calorie intake at or above 1500-1800 calories. If your baby is older than six months and being supplemented with solids, it is appropriate to use 1200 calories as your bottom line. That being said, breastfeeding is supply and demand....as long as you are nursing your baby frequently, your body will continue to lactate regardless of whether you are excersing or not. Often times, mothers are told they can not exercise and/or diet while nursing. This is not true if you are smart and listen to your body. I am currently nursing baby #3 who is four months old and have nursed babies #1 and #2 past their first year. For the average person, (after establishing your milk supply in the first 6-8 weeks) you will not exercise enough to affect milk supply. If you happen to be a super fit person, and notice your milk supply decreasing, gradually decrease exercise until you find the appropriate amount for your body. I happen to be a runner. All of my babies have happily nursed thorough various exercise forms (mostly running and weight training) and I have yet to find myself unable to nurse them. With baby #2 I trained and ran a half marathon (running an average of 1-2 hours daily) while still nursing him to 18 months. With all babies I achieved my pre-pregnancy weight (minus some) while still nursing.
A few tips:
1. Start slowly. Pregnancy and lactation take a toll on your body. Do not get discouraged if you are not as fit as you once were. Increase activity gradually and your body will adjust and continue to provide for your baby.
2. Continue to feed your baby as frequently as before and try to eat as nutritiously as possible.
3. Eat continuously thorough the day. Even if you decrease overall calorie intake, eating frequent, small meals will encourage your body to produce adequate milk. This is a key tip.
4. Don't stress and go with the flow. Every woman's body is different and every baby's needs are different. Exercise away! If you find yourself exercising too much, back off. I challenge you to find a happy medium where you are fit and healthy and your breastfeeding baby is too.
I am honored to have been asked to guest blog for Fit Britt. I am sure she will have some additional, informational comments on my post. I, myself, am trying to lose those last ten baby pounds and have a chubby, 17 lb, exclusively breastfed four month old. Let's get fit together!
--Environmental Mama
(If you are interested in my credentials, here they are:
Attached Parenting Mama to three kiddos aged 5 and under
Wife to a Super Hubby
B.S. in Biological Sciences
M.S. in Environmental Health
and friend to Fit Britt :)
And this, ladies and gentleman, is why I am sooo excited to have guest bloggers! Thank you Korin! I will be adding some more details and suggestions early next week.
ReplyDeleteIn the meanwhile, we've sucked Korin into the blogging world too - check out her "Environmental Mama" blog linked from my page!
Hello! Thanks for the informative post. I took the early days of breastfeeding easy. It was a great time to relax and bond with the baby. But now, I need to stop "relaxing" and get fit! :)
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