Rapid Weight Loss While Breastfeeding Can Put Your Baby’s Health At Risk
Breastfeeding is probably the most natural act that a woman can do. Providing your newborn child nourishment during the early months of life has been proven to provide so many health benefits for both mother and child. Some studies show that immune systems are given a boost when breastfeeding. Others state that breastfed babies have the ability to learn more quickly than babies that are not breastfed. Breastfeeding may reduce the instances of breast cancer. Plus, there are those that say breastfeeding is the ultimate in bonding experiences between mother and child.
Many women look to breastfeeding for all that, plus weight loss!
During the months that baby is developing inside, weight gain is necessary for the health and well-being of the child. Most new moms, after that bundle arrives, are looking for quick and easy ways to take off the weight they gained during pregnancy and have their pre-pregnancy bodies back. Through the grapevine of other moms and the media, they have heard breastfeeding can help. Unfortunately, what many moms don’t know is that rapid weight loss while breastfeeding can put your baby’s health at risk.
Weight loss IS easier when breastfeeding, but losing more than four pounds a month while breastfeeding is not recommended. When you experience accelerated weight loss of more than that amount, substances called ketones are produced by the body. The lack of calories from the attempt at rapid weight loss will not just diminish the nutrition of the breast milk that your baby consumes, but it can also be made potentially an unhealthy diet for your baby by the ketones.
Here are some suggestions you might find helpful (both for losing weight and to provide a well-balanced diet for you and your baby):
1. Create a daily diet which is fruit and vegetable rich! Fruits and vegetables are not only healthy, providing much needed nutrients, but they also promote weight loss in a safe manner.
2. Limit your milk intake and make sure it is skim! Stay away from processed dairy products, like cheeses.
3. Limit your bread intake and only eat “grain” varieties.
4. Use sugar substitutes as suggested by your doctor. Avoid refined sugars and anything made with them.
5. Limit your intake of all types of fat!
6. Make sure you do moderate exercise. Walking outside twice a day for about a half hour is all it takes!
None of these suggestions should be too surprising. Most are just common sense and have been suggestions for many Americans who wish to drop some pounds.
However, know that when you are breastfeeding you may find yourself hungrier than you have ever been before. This is your body’s way of requiring you to eat a nutrient rich diet. Men and women who have never breastfed may not understand this “hunger”, so they will not be able to identify with your feelings about food during this time. Just know that by slowly losing you may have to put off getting into that pre-pregnancy pair of jeans, but you are also providing the healthiest, most complete nutrition for your baby’s growth and well-being.
To you new moms out there: It took you nine months to put the weight on! Give yourself at least that long to take it off. You’ll be better off and so will your baby!