breast feeding and exercise

[shells]

This may sound like a stupid question. I have a 6 month old and just recently decided to return to the gym.  I have heard from a few people that exercising can cause a big decrease in your milk supply.  I have been scared up until now to start, but I am a paramedic and need to get my strength back before I return to work, as my job is very phisically demanding. If there is anyone who could give me some advise I would really appreciate it.

[GraceKellysmom]

From my own experience and from what I've seen it really depends on your body and what type of excercise you're doing. For example, if you run/jog or do a high calorie burning workout, you're going to need to make up most of those calories in your diet or your supply could suffer. I don't think our bodies are smart enough to say "let's burn off that belly fat" no they say "let's not make as much milk" Most women will hold onto a little bit of fat on their arms and thighs (and bellies) until well after their baby weans, but that doesn't mean you can't weight lift and get stronger for your job. It's just me saying "don't expect a miracle" LOL 

I would just start slow, one day a week or two, drink plenty of water and make sure to eat your calories. Usually older babies will not protest to the change of milk's taste after a workout like a newborn will.

I was walking 4 mornings a week when Max was about 8 months old and I did notice a drop in my supply but I pumped an extra feeding and got it back.

[lisi's mum]

Hi,
I always did a lot of sport and had been dying to start again. I put it off as I too was nervous but started again after speaking to a couple fitness instructors with children. One warned me against doing high level cardio as it can reduce the milk, the other was teaching skiing for 6 hours a day whilst still feeding. She said that if you notice the milk reducing to just feed more often for a couple days, like with a growth spurt, which should sort things out. Make sure you replace all the fluid you sweat out, and a bit more. Eat vitamin pills, and she said running wasn't really the best idea, at least without a concrete bra!

So far I've been spinning, cross country skiing and doing weights and the milk's as abundant as ever. My dd made no comment about any change in the taste, even when I've fed her right after a workout.
 
I read studies that showed breast feeding women doing sport don't loose weight any quicker than others, but their fitness levels i.e. heart and muscle tone were much better. Besides, it's not all about loosing weight. Having that little bit of time for myself makes life better for everyone!

If you find you have problems you can always stop working out again, but it's not a reason not to try, many thousands of women have done hard manual work and kept breast feeding, I'd trust that nature didn't intend to turn us in to couch potatoes for the duration!