Breastfeeding and Exercise?

Kellymom has some great info on dieting/exercise. - http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-weightloss.html

Here is info from the site. I totally trust Kellymom as they post their references.

Does exercise affect milk supply or nutrient content?
No. Studies have shown no difference in the volume or composition of the milk or babies' weight gain. One study showed a slight increase in milk supply for the women who exercised regularly, but because of the small size of the study this increase may not be significant.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/mom-exercise.html

Avoid cardio. Do weight training & pilates, or yoga... the stuff that sculpts. Breastfeeding in itself burns a LOT of calories. The weight will start to come off... slowly. But try to SHAPE your body while you're doing it. If you burn too many calories with jogging, or cardio, you're milk supply will really suffer. Just eat well.

Oh... and every time you settle down to nurse, grab a BIG glass of water. It's a good way to remember. Increasing water intake can help generate milk volume. But your muscles are going to be stealing that water to put toward inflammation after you work out. You're going to have to increase the amount of water you alredy drink to feed your muscles so your supply won't dry up.

That's all I've got; and that's second-hand from my sister. She gained 60lbs with her first pregnancy, didn't lose any, then gained another 50lbs with her second pregnancy 17 months later. Oh... and her youngest is 3, & ALL that weight is off!

Hi, my son just turned 6 months old and is exclusively breastfed. I am currently doing the Insanity program(finishing Week 3). I started to have problems with my supply at first, so I upped my calories by 200 and I haven't had any issues since. I recommend drinking plenty of water throughout the day. I also pump at work more frequently when my supply gets low - that always helps to get my supply back up. You CAN breastfeed and lose weight, just do it the healthy way ( no drastic diets). Good luck!

Congratulations on your commitment to breastfeeding!! You will make this work!! Eat your breastfeeding calories (300-500/day) plus your excercise calories. You still don't want to lose more than 1 to 1.5 lb. per week (no matter HOW fast you want to get back into those jeans:) or your supply will be affected. WATER WATER WATER Can't stress it enough. You need plenty to keep up your supply plus plenty more to rehydrate after exercise.

Another aside -- lactic acid can build up in your milk and some babies don't like the taste. Make sure you feed or pump right before exercise so you can wait a while before nursing after you exercise. Also, your breasts will be salty (sweat). Again some babies don't care, some don't like it. Just another bit of info.

Best of luck and keep it up. It's the greatest way to feed -- always there, always warm, you never run out if you're away from home longer than planned, and you don't have to do dishes!!