does exercise really sour bm?

[noahsmommy]

I've been exclusively bfing my ds. I've just started to decrease the number of nursing as he's on solids now. Unfortunatly, I'm now starting to put on weight. He previously nursed almost every 2 hours around the clock till 6 months, so I could eat like a cow and still maintain a decent weight. I've heard that exercise can possible sour bm, and i've heard that it doesn't. If it does, when do you exercise? And how much is too much? (when it will affect the bm either by decreasing it, or souring it?)
Ann


www.susansloft.com/noah
[left]Sweet little Noah was born on May 19, 2004. Noah is:
http://lilypie.com/baby1/050519/0/5/5/+10/.png (http://lilypie.com)[/center]

[psophia17]

You might want to post over in the feeding forum with this question, you might get better-informed responses...

But I'll give it a shot just in case :)

I think that so long as you start very slowly with introducing an exercise routine, and let your body get used to it,you should be fine, and you won't affect your supply in any way. You need a lot of calories to make milk, and exercising takes up a lot of calries, so it might cause problems if you started too fast, KWIM?

I think as far as specifics, it's a case by case basis - again, making starting slow key.

HTH :)

[egoldber]

Exercising definitely does not "sour" breastmilk. That's an old wives tale. :)

However, exercising too much too soon could decrease your supply. Losing weight quickly and added stress (like trying to squeeze in workouts in an already crazy schedule) can definitely impact supply. You also need to make sure that you stay well hydrated. So I would start slowly, maybe 1 or 2 workouts a week, and add workouts as you feel up to it.

Also, the unfortunate truth is that decreasing nursing generally means having to take a harder look at your diet and making it better, since you no longer have all those extra calories being magically burned for you. Just trying to eat a sensible diet can make a big difference in your weight.

Some basic dietary changes that help a lot of people are:

Consume lots of:
fruits and vegetables
lean proteins
whole grains
low or non-fat dairy produsts
water and other non-caffeinated, non-sugary beverages

Avoid or decrease:
sugary and caffeinated beverages
non-whole grain breads, pastas and cereals
full fat dairy products
proteins high in saturated fats
fast food

HTH,

[noahsmommy]

Thanks for your advice. I'm pretty much thinking of just walking my ds and dog out once a day once the weather warms up. I'm hoping to still be able to bf till he's 12-13 months, so I'm trying to make sure my bm supply stays up, and figure out how to maintain a good weight too. You're right though, I have found when I'm exhausted, stressed out and not eating right, my bm seems to be lower, even if my ds is nursing normally.

thanks for your tips and reminders!




www.susansloft.com/noah
[left]Sweet little Noah was born on May 19, 2004. Noah is:
http://lilypie.com/baby1/050519/0/5/5/+10/.png (http://lilypie.com)[/center]