Breastfeeding and Exercise
by Donna Sinnott courtesy Nursing Mother News Several studies have been done in the last few years looking at before-exercise breastmilk and after-exercise breastmilk. The popular press reported that breastmilk after exercise has higher concentrations of lactic acid (produced by exercise) and the babies were judged to be less accepting of the after-exercise milk. Wide publicity has been given to this research and can still be found in current magazines. But, after reviewing many studies, Dewey and McCrory, in 1994, concluded that exercise gives breastfeeding mothers better cardiovascular fitness and that exercise during breastfeeding is safe for most women. "Altered acceptance of breastmilk due to higher lactic acid concentrations post exercise is not likely to be a problem in most cases," the researchers reported. Laurie O'Donnell, counselor, athlete and breastfeeding mom from Downingtown, Penn., has not experienced any problems with nursing after exercise. Realistically, exercise can be beneficial to any breastfeeding mother. It is recommended that a nursing mother minimize her weight loss to four pounds or less per month, drink to thirst and just enjoy motherhood. References: "The Breastfeeding Answer Book" Mohrbacher and Stock Breastfeeding.com thanks Donna Sinnott for allowing us to reprint her article. This article originally appeared in Nursing Mother News, a publication of Nursing Mothers Alliance. Nursing Mothers Alliance is an all volunteer, non-profit organization that supports nursing mothers in the Philadelphia area and offers training courses. The group can be contacted at their warmline at (610) 251-9405 or email Donna Sinnott at corikyle@aol.com
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