Breast Feeding and Exercising: Does Exercise Affect Milk Supply?
After the initial newborn haze wears off, you may be looking to start incorporating exercise into your weekly routine. At this time you might find yourself wondering “will exercise affect my breastmilk supply?” Which is totally valid! We spend those first few weeks (months) working through painful latching, figuring out how to feed and feeding schedules, no one wants to waste all that hard work.
I have good news for you Mama!
While the research is limited in both quantity and quality, the general consensus is that moderate to vigorous exercise does NOT negatively affect milk supply or composition.
However, there are a few things that you may want to prioritize in order to not only protect your supply, but to also ensure that you are still prioritizing your recovery from pregnancy and birth, and that you’re actually going to reap the rewards of your hard work in the gym!
- Hydrate
While this is probably not earth shattering news, our hydration demands are higher when breastfeeding - by 6 weeks old your infant will be drinking approximately 650-1000mL of milk from you per day (La Leche League Canada), therefore we should strive to replace that amount of water on top of typical daily recommendations about 1.5-2.7L of water per day for females.
Thinking to yourself “I can’t possibly drink any more f*&@ing water!”
When we sweat, we are not only losing water, therefore we shouldn’t be replacing only water. Regardless of if you are exercising or not, looking into an electrolyte supplement can help you meet your hydration needs while breastfeeding. Supplements like Drink LMNT are safe to use while breastfeeding and can help you hit those hydration goals without drowning yourself in water. One last thing to keep in mind, excess fluid intake does not increase your milk supply (La Leche League Canada) so while we want to make sure we are hitting, or close to meeting our hydration needs, you do not need to overdo it.
- Eat Enough Food
When you factor in healing from birth, breastfeeding AND exercise, your daily caloric needs are most likely much higher than they’ve ever been before aka you need to eat MORE. Even if you have body composition or weight loss goals in order to heal, maintain supply and build muscle (lose weight) you need to eat Momma! If you are constantly underfed you run the risk of negatively affecting your supply and/or your body will take what it needs to make milk from you versus from the food you eat.
Did you know that not all weight loss is the same?
If you are not getting an adequate amount of overall calories, and particularly enough calories from protein, you can actually lose muscle versus the fat that you are probably trying to lose. Not only does muscle give your body its shape, it’s vital for overall health and longevity. Your old lady self will thank you for eating enough during this season of your life!
- Get a High Quality Bra
Did you know that there are actually companies that make nursing sports bras?!
When you’re starting to incorporate exercise, especially if you are under 3 months postpartum and still building your milk supply, it’s important for you to be able to feed on demand. Having a quality sports bra that gives you the freedom to nurse when needed can help you feel confident in being able to workout consistently and also care for your baby. While you can definitely wear a regular nursing bra for exercise, it will most likely not give you the support needed for more dynamic or impact based movements.
Check out Jen & Keri and Born Primitive for supportive, nursing friendly sports bra options.
To summarize, exercise will not negatively affect your breastmilk supply.
To ensure that you protect your supply while also caring for yourself, it is beneficial to make sure you are meeting your hydration and daily calorie needs and also investing in a quality nursing sports bra that will allow you to nurse with ease and give you the support to confidently exercise.
Regards,
Holly
Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism Coach
CF-L2
705-279-0994
