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BFing moms that work out...help/advice

starlettedirstarlettedir member
in Houston Babies
I've been pumping since I went back to work in Jan.  No drop in supply and I typically pump more than the kiddo needs for the next day. My let down was always pretty quick.   I really started focusing last week on working out. I walk about 3 miles on the treadmill a day in 40 minutes or so. I've made sure I'm getting enough calories and I drink so much water I swear I pee out of my eyeballs. My let down is getting slower and slower when I pump. Today it took over 10 minutes when it normally takes less than a minute.  I hadn't pumped in 5 hours and I only got 7 ounces.  A few weeks ago I would have gotten 9-10. I pumped four hours later and only got around 4.  =( She still eats every 3-4 hours and I try to pump on that schedule as well.  I was obviously off today but normally if I have to go over I get a lot more. I guess I'm also worried as since I started she's been waking up again 3-4 hours after putting her down for the night. DH gave her a bottle with her normal 5 oz Sat night and she slept 8+. I'm going to have him give a bottle tonight to see how she does.  He and I talked about it this morning and she's only been doing this wake up thing since I've started really working out. I don't know what to do.  I swear to you I can't drink any more water. I don't want to eat more calories because I'm trying to LOSE weight and not maintain. suggestions?  Thank you if you made it through this.
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Re: BFing moms that work out...help/advice

  • BritanyVBritanyV

    Honestly, I exclusively pumped for a year and I never worked out and lost all the weight I had gained during pregnancy.   I was too scared to work out because of possibly loosing supply.  

    You should figure out how many calories you are burning when walking and you need to eat at LEAST that amount PLUS an extra 250-500 calories for those that you burn while breastfeeding.    I'm guessing you are burning about 400-500 calories when walking, that's a pretty fast pace you are going. 

    I know it sounds crazy to eat the calories you burned but it works!  I lost almost 25 lbs earlier this year by limiting my overall calories (I like food  lol) but I also had to eat the calories I burned during exercise.   Since you are bfing you need the calories even more. 

     kellymom.com has a few good pages on bfing and calories/weight loss

    https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-calories-fluids.html

    https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-weightloss.html

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  • charlotteLcharlotteL
    You are probably closer to 250-300 calories burned while walking.  I am big fan of WW for diet help while BF.  They give you extra points while nursing.  You would be surprised at how much you need to eat while BF and working out. 
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  • Suzi-G-Suzi-G- member
    I always had that issue while pumping.  When I worked out I pumped less, I drank enough water to float a boat and that helped some.  The More Milk Plus supplements helped a lot too-- get the capsules, I hear the liquid tastes funky. 
    My big boy is bounding towards 4! Baby brother coming in October!
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  • erica_kasparerica_kaspar

    imageSuzi-G-:
    I always had that issue while pumping.  When I worked out I pumped less, I drank enough water to float a boat and that helped some.  The More Milk Plus supplements helped a lot too-- get the capsules, I hear the liquid tastes funky. 

    This. My supply has dropped while working out. A lot unfortunately. But I'm on month 7 of EPing and see it ending soon. Olivia started solids so I don't really have to pump a lot anyways.  I feel like I'm always going to be hungry when pumping if I want to make a good supply or I'm going to have a low supply when working out. Do I want my body or do I want to pump forever?

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  • Suzi-G-Suzi-G- member

    Also, when I wasn't pumping enough I tried to nurse him more in the evenings.  I would take the more milk plus capsules after lunch and drink as much water as I could hold.  Then I'd make time to nurse as soon as I got home from work and again before bed.  After a few nights/a week that would usually work to trigger my body to ramp production back up. (If you feel like she's not getting enough milk to sleep well then give a bottle after she's nursed awhile).

    Since you normally pump more than she needs I assume you have a pretty good freezer stash to dip into?  That was my saving grace the weeks I didn't pump as much.  I pumped until he was a year, it takes some commitment to get past the bumps in the road but you can do it.  Good luck! 

    My big boy is bounding towards 4! Baby brother coming in October!
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  • kat.in.the.hatkat.in.the.hat

    you have to eat, eat, eat, eat.  Highly recommend doing WW instead of just counting calories.  Also, what you eat is super important too, make sure you're getting lots of good fat.  My LC has me eating avocado, nuts & olive oil every day since we've been having these gaining issues with Eliza and it's made a big difference.  My body does a lot better when I focus on high fat, high protein single ingredient foods than when I eat more carb loaded, processed food.

     

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  • starlettedirstarlettedir member
    Thanks girls! I'm looking at ww right now.
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  • cori514cori514
    I hate to tell you this, but my only solution was to not work out while breastfeeding. I tried everything and nothing worked. I JUST quit breastfeeding last week and it feels great to workout hard and not eat like the world might end tomorrow, but I miss it alot! I loved that time that I had with her =(.
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  • starlettedirstarlettedir member

    imagecori514:
    I hate to tell you this, but my only solution was to not work out while breastfeeding. I tried everything and nothing worked. I JUST quit breastfeeding last week and it feels great to workout hard and not eat like the world might end tomorrow, but I miss it alot! I loved that time that I had with her =(.

    I'm tired of being overweight.  I can't stand too see myself like this

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  • kat.in.the.hatkat.in.the.hat

    getting in shape / weight loss is 80% diet / 20% exercise - so try starting with diet if you feel it's the working out that's hurting your supply.

     

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  • kreeper611kreeper611 member

    I never worked out hard core while bfing.  I walked, but that was about it.  We cancelled our gym membership when DS was about 4 months old because we wanted to save money and we just were not going.

    That said, I drank the Mother's Milk Tea 3x a day and also took the More Milk Plus when I started to really notice a drop in supply.  I can't say if either helped a lot, but I could tell when I didn't drink the tea I got less milk that day.  I bought it at Kroger, but I had to hunt for the MMP.

    I was able to lose my baby weight by bfing alone.  The issue came when I stopped nursing...and didn't start working out/dieting.  In hindsight, I would have been better at working out & dieting to drop more weight than I did!

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  • kreeper611kreeper611 member

    I will say, I thought the tea helped more than the pills alone.  I just spend almost all day in the bathroom between 3 cups of tea and all of the water.  I pumped 3x at work, so I would drink the tea then.

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  • CareBear01CareBear01
    At about 5 months is when my supply decreased (and I wasn't working out).  I just made an extra pumping session so my body would increase production, and it got back on track for a little while.
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  • kat.in.the.hatkat.in.the.hat
    Also, remember that it took nine months to change your body with pregnancy so be easy with yourself and give it nine months to get your body back
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  • cori514cori514
    imagestarlettedir:

    imagecori514:
    I hate to tell you this, but my only solution was to not work out while breastfeeding. I tried everything and nothing worked. I JUST quit breastfeeding last week and it feels great to workout hard and not eat like the world might end tomorrow, but I miss it alot! I loved that time that I had with her =(.

    I'm tired of being overweight.  I can't stand too see myself like this

    I feel ya girlfren, I feel exaclty the same way =/

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  • starlettedirstarlettedir member

    I joined WW last night.

     

    I didn't work out last night and my supply/let down was the exact same. 

     

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  • KNJeppKNJepp
    imagestarlettedir:

    I joined WW last night.

     

    I didn't work out last night and my supply/let down was the exact same. 

     

    I haven't been in your shoes, but I would think it would take several days, if not more, to resolve.

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