Birth Control, Working Out, and Nursing

I had the same issue! Just one day of not eating enough or drinking enough water - or a bad night's sleep & my supply was affected. It's hard, and I felt like everyone was losing weight...and my scale was stuck on one number. Yoga has helped "tone" as well as walking whenever we can. He started solids, and sleeping better around six months. That has made a huge difference! I have more energy now, and slowly have seen a change in my shape. Good luck!!!

Would you be open to doing a diaphram without a spermacide? They can be very effective when used properly.

I have heard that gatoraide works really well in keeping your milk up - if you don't want the extra calories in the gatoraide, ther is a new product out called Smart Water that has the same things in it without the flavor and calories.

Hi there,

I would say that keep working out daily its fine to do! I am on my second baby he is now nine months and i also nurse. exclusively, i do notice when i work out alot or when i am very busy i do have a lower milk supply. the best route to gain more milk is to drink tons and tons of liquids! water is by far the best. if your drinking eight cups a day, drink twice as mucH! there is no limit for us nursing moms and water! we need all we can consume. i carry a water bottle around with me everywhere, and try to fill it at least three times a day, it also stops my weird hunger cravings and i get a bit more fuller faster with water.i hope this helps! and have you thought of just using a condom instead of the other ways for protection?

Hi R.. You probably have already gotten this advice, but just in case.....
pump after each feeding to increase your supply.
eat oatmeal as it has been shown to also increase milk supply.

I am a fitness trainer, and I suggest doing some pilates. It is GREAT for toning without all the bouncing and sweating, etc.
Another great way to shape up is to so isometric exercises (exercises where you just do one and hold the position for x number of seconds). For example: plank, ab plank, wall chairs, bridges, crunches, static lunges, and the like.
I hope this helps!
Feel free to email me as well.
~G.

I have the exact same question and issue! Bring on the advice people! :)

I'd say as long as you keep taking your prenatal vitamin supplement (it's why nursing is sometimes called "the fourth trimester") and getting adequate nutrition (especially protein and calcium), it's a fine idea to squeeze in a mild exercise routine. Exercise is good for you, and it keeps your bones strong, which is important for nursing mom's.

Check with a midwife to get the inside scoop on IUDs. There are new and different kinds on the market now than when our mom's were young, and sometimes they can work well for mothers. Also, I think octoxynol can work for those who are allergic to nonoxynol.

And the suggestion from one of the other moms about the nursing tea is right on, I loved that stuff! I, too, did not produce copious milk, and I think that tea really helped, and it also seemed to cut down on colicky gas for my baby.

Good luck!

From what I have read/been told/experienced a woman's breasts will make enough milk for the baby as long as they continue to nurse. Exercise and eating right to lose weight shouldn't have a negative effect on the milk. As a vegetarian who doesn't eat many fatty foods it took me 9 weeks to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I nursed exclusively for almost 6 months and my child was totally weaned at 11 months old. We both had a clean bill of health and no issues regarding my milk.
(I'm a work from home R.E.Broker too!)

Hi R.
I have an IUD (Mirena) form of birth control and love it, was wary at first but a true fan now. I had it inserted at my 6 week follow up visit (postpartum) and breastfed my son for one full year with no problems. I still have it and it has been 3 1/2 years. I did not start working out until after i stopped breastfeeding but I have friends that do both and seem to do so easily. Good Luck.

If you want to tone, you could try yoga or pilates. A lot of places have mommy and me yoga you could try, too.

Working out will affect your supply. The more you work out, the less milk you will make.

If you're having issues making milk, I'd hold off on starting any formal exercise until your child has started solids.

The mirena has such a low dose of hormones it shouldn't affect your supply. However, the copper IUD has no horomones, and would be a better choice if you hope to avoid hormones altogether.

Walking is the best way to help you tone up and not use as many calories.

Hi R., I am not sure about the working out but I would think that if you're eating enough and working out then your body can always use the extra calories that are padding your thighs, butt and abs to produce milk? I breast fed for 8 months and was told that it helps get rid of excess fat but I did not work out and I stayed the same until I started exercising. Well anyway, the real reason I am writing is because you mentioned you were thinking of getting an IUD and I have to say I have had the one without hormones for about 6 years and it is awesome! I guess it has copper in it which renders those little swimmers useless. I have had no problems at all and it is good for up to 10 years but you can have it removed at anytime and should be able to conceive right away. My body always acted funny with any kind of hormone therapy so this was the perfect solution for me. Just my POV. Hope this helps. L. M.

Can't help you with the other issues, but as far as the birth control, check out Natural family Planning. Any Catholic Church should be able to direct you to a practitioner, or check out Pope Paul VI Institute (I'm pretty sure they have a web site. There are a lot of misconceptions about this, but when used properly, is just as effective as any artificial birth control. The bonus is that it's all natural (won't mess with your breastmilk, or your body), respects your body, and is a great learning experience, too. It can be awesome in achieving pregnancy as well. There are several methods out there -- the most scientific one, and the one I would recommend is called the Ovulation Method, or Creighton Model. By the way, it doesn't matter whether you're a Catholic or not. Good luck.

I have to agree that the ergo carrier is an excellent way to shape up the butt, hips & thighs! I have used one with my daughter since she was that age (now 18 mos.). They are the best carriers on the market~no stress at all to your back! A bit pricey up front, but worth it since they can be used until 40lbs I think. Overall I wouldn't worry too much about the extra weight...it will come off eventually if you continue to nurse. It took me about a year to get back to my pre-baby size. Don't be too hard on yourself~focus on enjoying your baby because they grow faster than you ever imagined! I'm not sure about the low milk supply thing~always thought it was a supply demand thing where your body produces on call. There is a great tea out by Traditional Medicinals called Mothers Milk that helped me greatly when I began nursing. Good luck with everything!

one way i gauge appropriate calorie burning for myself is by baby wearing -- if we are on a walk, he rides in an ergo backpack, around the house he often hangs out in the sling. this very much is a work out without much extra effort, and my son loves it! my arms, back, legs, and especially butt benefit from this. you will be working calories off, but it will be functional and find it a very integrated and balanced way of working with your body. also, i have noticed that myself and many other mothers really appreciate dairy fat, and maybe this is a milk-helper? (i don't know). an IUD may be your best non-disciplinary form of birth control, it works simply because it is a foreign object in your body, but ANY hormone birth control will definitely reduce your milk supply. also, if your child is nursing at night, this will help keep your supply up. frequency of nursing affects milk supply very much, so maybe consider pumping just to get more production. also, the fat will eventually burn if you continue nursing! at five months out, its okay to just relax! your body is burning calories by nursing!

my son is 18 month old, still an avid nurser, at did not take much solid food until 11 months. as a consequence of this and simply wearing him, my muscle tone developed alot and i weigh less than i did before becoming pregnant.

good luck!

R.,

Hello. In terms of nutrition and working out one thing that you can try to do it eat small healthy meals every 3 hours to keep your body fueled. This will ensure that you are keeping your metabolism going as well as getting enough nutrition and calories to support breastfeeding. In terms of birth control, have you thought about diligently tracking your cycle so you will know when you are ovulating and at these times abstain and/or use extra protection? Have you also tried supplementing with fenugreek which is a widely used herb to help support milk production. In terms of working out there is a workout called 5-Factor Fitness by Harley Pasternak. It is a short workout which combines strength training & short cardio~I had fabulous results with this pre-pregnancy and plan to start it up again as it can be done in 30-60 minutes and it very effective. This way you are not working out for long periods and again jeoprodizing your milk supply. Also, workouts like Callanetics, Lotte Berk, Bar Method & Squeeze (happy to tell you more about these) use isometric work to tone and tighten...aagin very effective, but not a huge calorie burner~I used to be a personal trainer so have had lots of experience learning about and trying different workouts. Hope that this helps!

Dropping sizes while nursing is hard, but you can firm up and lose fat. You should be able to keep your milk supply up by consuming plenty of calories with healthy foods and plenty of water. There is an herbal tea that helps strengthen milk supply called Mother's milk tea by Traditional Medicinals. Also Fenugreek is effective. You can use both together. A workout routine, if possible first thing in the morning before breakfast, is the key along with healthy foods. It doesn't have to be in the morning, but it is more effective. It helps you burn more throughout the day. When I work out while nursing, I eat a ton of food. It is all healthy though. Tons of fruits and veggies, nuts, olive oil and avacado on my salads, whole grains and some form of healthy protein. You will have to be a little patient. There is no healthy overnight method other than fasting. Fasting doesn't work for nursing mom's. I'm a long-term nurser to two children, two years plus each. Exercise hasn't effected my milk supply.
I used the copper IUD without hormones. It is tiny and I never feel it. It didn't hurt when I had it done after my four year old was born. I think it lasts ten years. I have no problems with it. I try to avoid unneeded hormones in my system anyway. As long as you go with the hormone-free it shouldn't effect nursing. My midwife told my the the IUD with hormones doesn't effect nursing, but I feel that extra hormones while nursing is a risky idea.
I hope this helps. Good luck!
Mothers milk tea can be found in the natural section at Stop and shop or Whole Foods where it is cheaper. You can save a lot of money by ordering it online, though. Lucky Vitamin has excellent prices. You should be able to get Fenugreek at the grocery store. I am sure that Whole Foods carries it.