I consider myself an expert, sort of, when it comes to breastfeeding. I was luckily enough to breastfeed both my babies, one for 13 months, one for 22 months. Yes, you read that right, 22 months. Both my experiences were different, as I worked full time after #1, and I became a stay at home mom after #2. So I've done the pumping at work thing, for an entire year, 3 times a day, anywhere I could find a spot. "Why don't you use the bathroom?" they would say? Or "there's a closet I might be able to let you use." Oh, a closet? awesome, that sounds great. It was a pain in the boob (sometimes literally), but I was super determined and I made it work. I could probably write a book on that topic but today we'll focus on just exercise and nursing :)
Ok, I'm not really an expert, this info is my opinion based on my experience only. But I've provided a link at the bottom from Kelly Mom which has a lot more information.
After #1 I only worked out a little. I took a lot of walks, but I only went to the gym a handful of times. I was very fortunate that nursing alone made me lose all my baby weight. For those that don't know, you can burn like 1,000 calories a day from breastfeeding. Ah the joys of that!
When #2 was about 4 months old I became an assistant gymnastics coach and had to go out and buy my first sports bra...ah, trying on sports bra with "milk filled boobies". Yeah, that's what I call them. Not to be TMI, but I was quite large, and it was really difficult to find a comfortable sports bra. I was also blessed with clogged ducts, I got them all the time, and a tight fitting sports bra was not a friend of mine. #nursingmomprobz for sure. So I was moderately active, but I still did not "work out" really.
My whole fitness life started when #2 was about 18 months old. I'll admit I had used the whole "I'm nursing" excuse to not work. But I had made the decision to change my life and had already met my goal of nursing for a year, so I decided to go for it. Now depending on your goals, this can be really easy or somewhat challenging. My goal was to lose weight. Even though I had lost a lot of my baby weight, I had recently gained a lot back just by eating bad and being laZy. The problem comes because with nursing, you are supposed to eat an additional 200 calories a day for your supply, and to lose weight, you need quite a big calorie deficit. Hmmm...
Now what I'm about to tell you might be controversial, depending on who you ask, and even to me to be honest. I'm all about self-weaning, and had totally planned to let #2 wean herself. I have no doubt she'd still be on the boob had I let her, not that there's anything wrong with that, but I was getting worn out (that's another topic on her not sleeping through the night because she just wanted the boob 24/7). So I made the decision to start weaning her. This was heartbreaking, and a lot harder on me than I thought it would be. I knew that by reducing my calories and starting to work out, my supply would naturally decrease, and it did. So this is what started our weaning journey, and my fitness journey.
So, if your goal is to lose weight, there's a pretty high chance your supply will be affected. So be cautious. Eating healthy however, and being active, like taking walks, etc, is not going to hurt you and is highly recommended! It's also important to drink LOTS of water. This is important whether you are nursing or not, but 100x more important when you are a milk making machine. If you start being more active, make sure you really boost the water intake!
There are a few things to pay attention too now if you are going to exercise. Make sure you have a good fitting bra that gives you support, but isn't too tight it could cause clogged ducts.
Lactic Acid - this is released from your muscles when you do any sort of exercising. So, like everything else you eat drink and breathe, this will be in your breastmilk. I was warned by the kid's pediatrician to make sure I nursed before a workout (vs right after), as the build up in the milk after might turn the baby off (it's allegedly a little sour). This may or may not happen with yours. Some babies might not like the taste, others might not even care. It did not seem to make a difference at all to #2, so that's all the knowledge I have on that. Just saying it could happen.
The more calories you burn, the more you'll have to eat, so just make yourself a nice big extra healthy snack that day!
You might get extra tired, so take it easy to start! Making milk is a big job already, and now you are asking your body to do things it probably hasn't done in a while! Take it slow, gradually work into it. Find yourself a good balance where you can easily do both. If you don't go too extreme, and remember to drink lots of water, you should have no problem exercising while nursing! It's so important to be healthy, so I say go for it!
Once again, with my experience, my supply did drop, and this is what ultimately led to weaning. I started both at the same time, eating less calories AND working out, so it was a big shock to my body. It was gradual at first, but I began to notice quickly that my milk was peacing out. My boobs began to shrink, and then shrink some more, and then one day they were just flat out gone. True story. I didn't even really get to say goodbye or throw a party. All I have now is memories, and some really huge bras that I'll probably never wear again. Hey, anyone want to buy some bras?! ( . Y . )
Here's a nice before and after for ya...
I'm over it though, being healthy is more important to me than a big rack. I'll miss them of course, and think of them fondly, but I have other things to focus on now :)
Sidenote!! - Please don't let my boob "situation" discourage you ;) It's just a normal part of being a woman, gaining and losing weight. Losing boobs is a natural part of weightloss, it has nothing to do with the fact that I breastfed. It's a big myth that you lose all your boobs after you stop nursing. Mine were holding out quite nicely actually until I started working out hard core. But seriously, it'll be ok. And if you are that worried about it, just go to the boob store and buy yourself a nice new set ;)
For more information, please check out this info from Kelly Mom, it's really helpful!
Good luck and nurse on mommas!!
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-EmK8
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XOXO
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