The period after the birth of a child, when he is still breastfeeding, requires a special attitude from the mother to her health so that the quantity and quality of milk, so necessary for the baby's immunity, are sufficient. Therefore, many mothers are afraid to return to their usual sports activities before pregnancy, worrying that the lactic acid produced by the body during physical exertion does not change the taste of milk and does not provoke the baby's refusal to breastfeed.
Exercise and breastfeeding
The question of how sports activities affect the quantity and quality of breast milk has been studied in sufficient detail. So, in 2000, in the UK, studies were conducted in which two groups of nursing mothers, whose weight exceeded the norm, took part, in each group there were 20 people. In the first group, women adhered to a diet and did the prescribed set of physical exercises daily, the second did not adhere to food restrictions and did not exercise. As a result, after 10 weeks, the first group lost an average of 4.5 kg of weight without reducing the amount of milk produced, women in the second group also lost weight, but on average this figure was only 900 g.
Experiments were also conducted, during which the volume and composition of milk in women in the control group, performing aerobic exercise 5 days a week for 12 weeks, and those who refused to exercise, were compared. No differences in chemistry, volume, or prolactin levels were found between the nursing mothers of the two groups.
Moreover, in 1998, the American medical scientist A. Flay obtained evidence that even intense physical exercise is in no way able to influence or change the content of essential minerals in breast milk. The concentration of phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium remained unchanged in those mothers who went to this experiment.
How to exercise properly while breastfeeding
Physical activity should not be intense - swimming, yoga, various types of Pilates designed specifically for this category of women are suitable for nursing mothers. The main attention should be paid to the correct equipment - for exercising in the sports or gym, you must use a special tight and well-supported bra. You should protect yourself and especially protect your chest from hypothermia and do not run out hot after classes immediately into the street.
If you exercise regularly, using simulators, control your weight so that it does not lose it too quickly - 1-2 kg per month is enough. And you should not feel hunger, do not forget that your first task is to provide the baby with the amount of milk necessary for his growth and development.
Even when you do not have time to visit the gym or the pool, work out at home or turn a walk with your baby into an activity, choosing difficult tracks on the terrain and changing the speed of movement. The facts confirm that mothers who played sports while breastfeeding almost did not suffer from postpartum depression.
