Working Out While Breastfeeding: The Ultimate Guide
The first few weeks with your newborn is such a sweet and special time. Enjoying the bond of skin-to-skin contact, watching their little expressions and squirms as they sleep, seeing them become more and more aware of the world around them —the list goes on and on.
After a few days or weeks, it’s common to wonder when you can start doing more with your body other than lifting your tiny infant from their crib to the changing table. Eventually, the idea of exercise returns to your mind, and you’re ready to put your best foot forward and jump back into it, or at least try to!
Returning to exercise provides several advantages to new moms, like relieving stress, boosting your energy levels, and improving the quality of your sleep (all of which might sound like the holy grail after a few weeks with a newborn). Not to mention, it can help strengthen your abdominal muscles, which expand and weaken as your pregnancy belly grows.
Rest assured, working out while breastfeeding is completely normal, and with a little guidance, you’ll feel confident enough to begin your postpartum exercise journey.
Does Exercise Affect Milk Supply?
Once you’re physically prepared (or receive clearance from your doctor), you may feel inclined to pick up your light dumbbells and yoga mat. Postpartum Moves can help you ease back into exercise safely and confidently. But if you’re a breastfeeding mama, there may still be one lingering question on your mind: Does working out while breastfeeding impact your milk supply?
We get it. You want the benefits associated with postpartum exercise without sacrificing the quantity of milk you’ve worked so hard for.
Put simply, no—moderate levels of exercise aren’t thought to affect the quality or quantity of your milk supply.
In a recent study, 31 breastfeeding mothers engaged in moderate physical activity, expressing breast milk an hour before and after exercising. They also followed the same expression schedule on a day when they didn’t exercise. Analysis of the breast milk samples from both days showed that moderate to high-intensity exercise didn’t affect the macronutrient composition or volume of the milk.
Based on this study, you can reintroduce moderate exercise into your routine without impacting your milk production levels.
Safe and Effective Workouts for Breastfeeding Moms
Is there such a thing as ‘the best exercise while breastfeeding’? There’s certainly a long list of postpartum-safe exercises to try, but what feels like the best exercise for your body might not be the same for other new moms, and that’s okay.
As you prepare to hop back in the exercise saddle, remember to avoid digging in your spurs and going straight to a gallop. Instead, during those first few weeks, opt for exercises that aim to strengthen your core and light exercises, such as:
- Short walks
- Pelvic floor exercises
- Gentle core training
If you’re interested in postpartum workouts that offer more variety and intentionality, the Postpartum Moves program might be just what you need. With 42 workouts spread across 10 weeks, you can rest assured that every exercise is endorsed for postpartum moms by Moves Expert, Dr. Lizzie Kieffer.
The program contains three phases, helping you gain back your exercise momentum through every stage of your postpartum journey:
- Phase one – You can start phase one as soon as you feel ready. For some, that’s a few days after giving birth. For others, it’s a few weeks later. This four-week phase focuses on gentle core reconnection, regaining mobility, and performing simple yet effective bodyweight exercises.
- Phase two – After your doctor has officially cleared you for your regularly scheduled exercise, you can begin phase two. While phase one focuses on strengthening your core, the second phase incorporates resistance training that targets different muscle groups, including the upper body, lower body, and core.
- Phase three – The final phase builds upon the foundational exercises mastered in previous weeks. Alongside strength training, it reintroduces conditioning exercises to your workouts. These exercises gradually incorporate more cardio-intensive activities, such as running, into your routine.
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Tips and Strategies for Balancing Breastfeeding and Exercise
Learning the ropes of breastfeeding can feel like a full-time job. Between perfecting ‘the latch’ and discovering firsthand what cluster feeding actually means, you might wonder how to workout while breastfeeding—or more accurately, how to work out between feeding sessions.
With practice and perseverance—and by giving yourself a little grace—you can master the fine balance between the two (especially with the following helpful tips):
- Time your workouts strategically – Once your little one has a (somewhat) regular schedule, you can time your workouts around their feeding or napping times. These moments of downtime are ideal for seizing the opportunity to work out, as they don’t interrupt precious feeding or bonding time. We recommend breastfeeding or pumping before you work out to avoid the discomfort associated with exercising with engorged breasts.
- Plan for shorter, more frequent workouts – You might only have 20 or 30 minutes to squeeze in a workout before they’re up and ready for another mini-meal. That’s okay! With Postpartum Moves, you can customize and edit your workout to fit your schedule and available time frame. And if you aren’t able to finish the entire workout, you can always come back later to complete those last few exercises or take comfort in the fact that you showed up and moved your body today! Part of a workout is better than no workout.
Nutritional Guidelines for Active, Breastfeeding Mothers
Nutrition and hydration are your number one cheerleaders throughout your exercise and breastfeeding journey. They support both activities, ensuring you maintain your milk supply while sustaining the energy you need to properly complete a workout.
However, when it comes to nutrition, many mothers wonder, “Is it necessary to adjust my meal plan when exercising and breastfeeding?”
If you’re already maintaining a balanced nutritional plan, then you probably don’t need to make any drastic changes. But as a new mom, you might feel like you’re being pulled in 10 directions at once and find it challenging to remember to drink water throughout the day. Moves founder, Madeline Custer, has a hydration hack for you.
“Leave a water bottle near the places you normally breastfeed, like on the top shelf of your nursing station or the coffee table next to the nursery glider. You can never have too many chances to hydrate!”
When to Start Exercising Postpartum: Expert Advice
Your body feels ready. Your mind is in the zone. But a voice in your head holds you back with a repetitive question: When can a nursing mother start exercise?
Madeline recommends starting with gentle exercises, such as those in the PostPartum Moves program. “You can begin phase one at two to three weeks postpartum. But time doesn’t equal readiness.”
She goes on to say that you can start the program whenever you want, whether you’re six months or a year postpartum. “It’s tailored to meet you no matter where you’re at in your postpartum journey.”
If you’re a c-section mama, the protocol for postpartum exercise is slightly different. Recovering from this major abdominal surgery usually takes between four to six weeks. During your postpartum checkup, speak with your doctor about when you can begin incorporating exercise again, what types of exercises are safe, and which you should avoid until you’re fully healed.
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Move Seamlessly Through Your Postpartum Journey With Moves
When you’re running on four hours of sleep, wearing a two-day-old t-shirt with multiple spit-up stains, and preparing for your next breastfeeding session, you might not feel you have time to squeeze in a workout. The last thing you want to think about is what workout to do.
At Moves, we’re here to make working out as easy and convenient as possible, and to take the guesswork out of your workouts. Take it from one of our users, Cassie, E., who has thoroughly enjoyed adding Moves to her workout repertoire.
Of the program, she said, “I’ve learned that my ‘mom body’ can do hard things. This program has helped me appreciate my body for the way that it is and the fact that I brought my babies here.”
With the Moves app, you have access to eight workout programs tailored to meet you at your fitness level. After you’ve finished PostPartum Moves, you can move on to one of our other programs, each one with a focus on a particular aspect of fitness, from endurance to strength.
Connect with over 34,000 like-minded members like Cassie, and find a supportive crew that’ll cheer you every step of the way. When you’re ready, download the app, and start your journey.
Sources:
ACOG. Exercise After Pregnancy. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/exercise-after-pregnancy
NIH. The Effect of Physical Activity on Human Milk Macronutrient Content and Its Volume. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32267727/
Better Health. Postnatal Exercise. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/postnatal-exercise
NIH. When breastfeeding, how many calories should moms and babies consume? https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/breastfeeding/conditioninfo/calories
Eat Right. Nursing Your Baby — What You Eat and Drink Matters. https://www.eatright.org/health/pregnancy/breastfeeding-and-formula/nursing-your-baby-what-you-eat-and-drink-matters
Cleveland Clinic. C-Section. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/7246-cesarean-birth-c-section
