Weight Loss while Breastfeeding
Mel Wolk
St. Peters, Missouri, USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 33 No. 5, October-November 1997, p. 115
We provide articles
from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and
members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information
change over time
Ed. Note: This article
highlights information on weight loss while breastfeeding featured in
the 1997 revision of the BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK and THE WOMANLY ART
OF BREASTFEEDING. Leaders will want to check both of these resources
for more information on nutrition for breastfeeding mothers.
Losing weight is a concern
for many mothers after the birth of a baby. Mothers may ask if it is
possible to lose weight and breastfeed. During pregnancy, women gain
extra pounds to store energy for producing breast milk. For some women,
breastfeeding makes it easier to lose weight, since additional calories
are used. Mothers who do not breastfeed will need to rely totally on
diet and exercise to burn additional calories.
Dr. Judith Roepke, a nutritionist
at Ball State University in Indiana and a member of LLLI's Health Advisory
Council, feels that the ideal time to lose weight is during lactation.
Dr. Roepke suggests that breastfeeding mothers should not consciously
try to lose weight during the first two months postpartum. This extra
time in the early months allows a mother's body to recover from childbirth
and establish a good milk supply. It's common for mothers to lose weight
during this period by just following a normal diet and eating to hunger.
One study showed that breastfeeding mothers tend to lose more weight
when their babies are three to six months old than mothers who are bottle-feeding
and consuming fewer calories.
The Subcommittee on Nutrition During Lactation reports:
"On average, lactating
women who eat to appetite lose weight at the rate of 0.6 to 0.8 kg (1.3
to 1.6 pounds) per month in the first 4 to 6 months, but there is a
wide variation in the weight loss experience of lactating women (some
women gain weight during lactation). Those who continue breastfeeding
beyond 4 to 6 months ordinarily continue to lose weight, but at a slower
rate than during the first 4 to 6 months."
If a mother gains weight
or has stopped losing weight after the first two months, she can increase
her activity level and reduce her intake by 100 calories per day. Although
mothers reducing their caloric intake by 25% safely lost about one pound
(.45 kg) per week without affecting their baby's growth, according to
a study by Dusdieker, nursing mothers need at least 1800 calories per
day. Diets of less than 1500 calories per day are not recommended, although
fasts of less than one day have not been shown to decrease milk volume.
A review article published
in 1996 confirmed that exclusively breastfeeding mothers showed a greater
loss of weight with a decrease in the percentage of body fat as well
as hip and lower thigh circumference at three months postpartum than
mothers who were bottle- feeding or partially breastfeeding.
Crash diets, fad diets and
rapid weight loss present problems for breastfeeding mothers. Environmental
contaminants including PCBs and pesticides are stored in body fat. Losing
weight rapidly can release these contaminants into the mother's bloodstream
quickly and it was once thought that this would increase contaminant
levels in her milk. Research brought to our attention after the BREASTFEEDING
ANSWER BOOK was published does not demonstrate a significant increase.
It is suggested that mothers
limiting their caloric intake pay special attention to eating a balanced
and varied diet, including foods rich in calcium, zinc, magnesium, vitamin
B6 and folate. If adequate dietary requirements are not met,
calcium, multivitamin and mineral supplements may be needed. Weight
loss medications and liquid diets are not recommended for breastfeeding
mothers.
If a mother has a history
of anorexia, bulimia or other eating disorder, she can still successfully
breastfeed her baby. However, some women with a history of eating disorders
experience a worsening of symptoms after birth. If a mother is suffering
from an eating disorder, suggest she seek nutritional guidance as well
as help in overcoming her eating problem.
Some mothers are concerned
that exercise may interfere with milk production or that slightly elevated
levels of lactic acid after exercise could cause negative reactions
in their nursing babies. Studies have shown that exercise has little
effect on breast milk. In fact, one study by Lovelady showed exercising
women having a slightly higher milk volume.
Although wide publicity was
given to a study which suggested that babies were less accepting of
post-exercise breast milk, after reviewing this and other studies, Dewey
and McCrory concluded that "altered acceptance of breast milk due
to higher lactic acid concentrations post-exercise is not likely to
be a problem in most cases."
A combination of reasonable
calorie reduction and regular moderate exercise will not only help a
breastfeeding mother lose weight after the birth of her baby, but will
also provide cardiovascular fitness.
References
Bowles, B. et al. Pregnancy
and lactation following anorexia and bulimia. JOGNN 1990; 19(3):243-48.
Dewey, K. and McCrory, M.
Effects of dieting and physical activity on pregnancy and lactation.
Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(Suppl.): 446S-59S.
Dusdieker, L. et al. Is milk
production impaired by dieting during lactation? Am J Clin Nutr
1994; 59:833-40.
Hammer, R. et al. Low fat
diet and exercise in obese lactating women. Breastfeed Rev 1996;4(1):29-34.
Heinig, M. et al. Lactation
and postpartum weight loss. Mechanisms Regulating Lactation and Infant
Nutrient Utilizations 1992;30:397-400.
Kramer, F. et al. Breastfeeding
reduces maternal lower-body fat J Am Diet Assoc 1993;93(4):429-33.
Lovelady, C. et al. Lactation
performance of exercising women. Am J Clin Nutr 1990; 52: 103-1.
Mohrbacher, N. and Stock,
J. BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK. Schaumburg, Illinois, USA; LLLI 1997;
371-86.
Mussalo-Rauhamaa, H. et al.
Relation between the content of organochlorine compounds in Finnish
human milk and characteristics of the mother. J Tox Envir Hlth
1988;25(1):1-10.
Subcommittee on Nutrition
during Lactation, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National
Academy of Sciences, Nutrition During Lactation Washington, DC:
National Academy Press, 1991 p.15, 74, 140.
Weekly, S. Diets and eating
disorders: implications for the breastfeeding mother. NAACOG Clin
Issues Perinat Women Health Nurs 1992; 3(4):695-700.
Last updated Tuesday, August 29, 2006 by njb.
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